Hundreds of people gathered outside Croydon Town Hall late on March 1 ahead of Croydon Council’s budget meeting to express their anger and disappointment at the 15 per cent council tax rise proposed by Mayor Jason Perry last month.

The rally called on Mayor Perry to fund Croydon fairly instead of raising council tax by 15 per cent and for central government to give Croydon a fairer share of funding, as UNISON says Croydon receives £200 per head less from central government than the inner London borough of Lambeth. This amounts to around £70 million, which is the council’s deficit for the year ending 2020/21.

Mary Kewley, a 71-year-old from Croydon who still works three days a week with a disabled husband, told ELL she was struggling to pay the bills.

“I am 71 and still working three days a week because I have no choice but to pay. It’s a vicious circle because I’m working but I’m not getting anything.

“I blame this council, the last council and the government. All these politicians do not think about the ordinary people who go out to work. Because all these politicians, they all have big houses and all their money. They do not care about the ordinary people, but they will care when the election comes”.

Croydon Labour councillor Rowenna Davis said it was not clear whether a £2m hardship fund accompanying the 15 per cent increase would be enough if council tax rose by that much. For people like Kewley, it is important that each one of them can be supported through the hardship period.

Another participant, Dave Young, said the demonstration should not become a political battle between Conservatives and Labour.

“People are talking like it is just the Tories. It’s Labour as well. And now it is the Conservatives pointing figures at Labour and Labour pointing figures at the Conservatives, but it is the people of this borough who are suffering.”

He added: “Last week I met Perry at the meeting and he said it was not the fault of the people of this borough. He said he was going to raise the council tax by 15 per cent and he said nothing was going to get better anyway. So why are we paying more for worse services? We don’t want figures to be pointed, someone must be held accountable.”

Croydon Labour Councillor Callton Young OBE, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance, gave a speech right in front of the rally before the budget meeting started.

“I will be opposing this vicious 15 per cent increase, with the cost of living going up 16 or 17 per cent and energy prices going through the roof. And this Mayor has made a political decision to impose the 15 per cent on the residents. We’ve read the budget papers, so it’s a 15 per cent increase in council tax for 23/24 and a 0 per cent increase in council tax just before the election. This is a political budget and we should fight it.”

The night ended with 37-34 votes (37 Tories including Mayor Perry went against 34 combined Labour, Green and Liberal Democrats) opposing the budget. Another budget meeting will be held on March 8.

On March 8, the Council has two options: either to approve the Mayor’s original or revised plan, or to set an adjusted budget, provided that this budget is approved by at least a two-thirds majority.