Town hall wants Greenwich residents’ feedback on budget priorities

Greenwich council is inviting residents to share their views on how the authority should allocate its budget for 2025-2026.

Each year, the borough spends more than £332 million on a wide range of services – including everything from child services and help for residents with additional health needs to building brand new council homes.

But the council says underfunding by previous governments compounded by soaring demand for services have caused unprecedented challenges, with ‘extraordinary financial pressure’ to meet urgent housing needs, with roughly 2,000 households currently in temporary housing.

A council spokesman said: “Our council is well-managed, but we’re facing a combination of historic underfunding and escalating demand on our services.

“Our priority is to provide the best possible services for our communities, in any way we can. This creates stability for our residents, which has always been our goal, one that is more crucial than ever because councils across the country are feeling a strain unlike ever before, with some even going effectively bankrupt.

“Following the tough and sensible decisions that we’ve made to get a grip on our finances, we saved £33.7 million last year and are in a much better position than other councils. However, we’re still predicting a budget gap of at least £27million next year.

“Council services affect everyone in one way or another and we’re dedicated to ensuring residents, businesses, and partners stay informed and have their say about the council’s finances and current challenges. We will continue to engage with you on where we can make savings and how we can continue to support you.”

The town hall spokesman continued: “This year, we will continue putting funding where residents feel the impact the most, maintaining our mission to be an adaptive organisation, enabling us to navigate the increasing number of challenges while remaining financially sustainable.

“But before any decision is made, we’d like to hear your views on how we should set the budget for the coming year.”

This link can be used for residents to have their say. The deadline is Christmas Eve.

Pictured top: Woolwich Town Hall interior (Picture: Joe Coughlan)