Photo: Alex Drainville

Croydon Council are to have their ‘spending power’ reduced by the lowest amount out of all the boroughs along the East London Line.

The government’s financial settlement, announced yesterday by Eric Pickles, only reduces Croydon’s ‘spending power’ by 5.04 per cent it has emerged today.

While the council still anticipates reductions in services as a result of the cuts, Croydon faces a less severe withdrawal of funding than the other three ELL boroughs – two of which will see the highest possible reduction.

Many believe that the financial settlement does not deliver a fair package, as a large percentage of the savings will have to come in the first year. Hackney’s Mayor Jules Pipe said: “London Councils called for the frontloading of these cuts to be eased…but frontloading remains at the heart of the settlement.”

Tower Hamlets and Hackney will both have the maximum cuts of any council– which Mr. Pickles – Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government – commented: “I have made sure that no authorities will face more than an 8.9 per cent reduction”.

When asked which local services will be affected most heavily, a spokesperson for Croydon said: “We have already embarked on consultations on various options. It would be wrong for us to anticipate the democratic process.”

ELL understand that few firm decisions on how to implement the cuts in Croydon will be made until “24 January when we would expect [cabinet] members to be making decisions on the way forward.”

The council invite residents to a series of consultations on the needs of young people in Croydon, starting on December 16.