If you’re out and about in Croydon this weekend, it’s a great time to boost your winter resilience by dropping into a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination clinic. You don’t need to book and the clinics are also open to 12-15 year-olds, so if you or your child haven’t yet taken up the vaccine you can head down there together before the start of the new term. Getting as many people as possible vaccinated will help us all to stay safe from Covid-19. Full details available here.
Budget statement
While the chancellor’s budget statement on Wednesday included some welcome and urgently-needed funding increases for local communities, it did not go nearly far enough. Councils across the country are facing unprecedented pressures due to the rising demand for vital services like adult social care, combined with the legacy of a decade of government funding cuts and the impact of the pandemic. In Croydon the council has lost 81% of its core funding, that’s around £96m less each year to spend on services. Together with our partners locally and across London, we will be working hard to make the case for fair funding for our communities in the months ahead.
Council tax support – we want to hear from you
We’ve now started a six-week public consultation on some changes to our council tax support scheme, which would make it easier for people to apply for, and also ensure that we continue to protect those most in need from having to pay any council tax at all. We’re proposing to introduce an income band approach, so that we target the £30m we spend on the scheme to help those residents who need it the most. The changes won’t affect everyone – 9,000 households including eligible pensioners, care-leavers and disabled residents who are unable to work, would be unaffected by the proposals. We’re writing to everyone who would be impacted by the changes, but we’re keen to hear from anyone who has an interest before we make any decisions. Find out more at www.croydon.gov.uk/ctsconsultation
Autumn highlights
Finally, I hope all our young people and families have had a great half-term and enjoyed some of the fantastic activities that have been on offer in Croydon. As Black History Month draws to a close, I want to thank Croydon BME Forum and everyone who has helped us to make this one of the highlights of our cultural calendar. Many of our residents will be preparing to celebrate another important event this week and I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy Diwali for Thursday. If you’re planning to celebrate Halloween on Sunday, have a great time but do look after yourselves and others – if you’re feeling unwell, stay home and don’t go trick or treating this year. Let’s all focus on keeping Croydon safe and well for winter,
Have a good weekend,
Councillor Hamida Ali, leader of the council
