A message from Councillor Hamida Ali, leader of the council
On Monday, Croydon Council agreed its budget for 2021/22 following our acceptance of a government offer for a capitalisation direction.
Now the budget is set, as leader of the council my absolute focus is ensuring we deliver it. This means continuing to improve how this council is run, living within our means yet providing the best services we can. Our budget will give priority to supporting adults and children in need, keeping the borough’s streets clean and safe, and addressing gaps in our funding caused by the demands of tackling Covid-19, which has already cost Croydon over £46m.
It also means finding further savings, improving our financial discipline and doing everything we can to put our finances on a sustainable footing. While setting this budget lifts the section 114 notice, our top priorities remain improving the council’s financial rigour through tight budget controls and focusing on supporting local people who need us most.
Next year’s approved budget includes a 1.99% council tax rise for Croydon services, and a 3% precept to look after the borough’s older and most vulnerable residents, which is what government is expecting in local authorities’ spending calculations. Along with the proposed Greater London Authority contribution, this means an overall increase of 5.83%, with an ‘average’ Band D property’s household paying an extra £2 per week. We did not take this decision to raise council tax lightly, but it means we can protect core council services and address funding gaps caused by the demands of our Covid-19 response. It also means there is around £84m extra to support our vulnerable adults.
We know many local residents have been hit hard by the pandemic, which is why our Council Tax Support Scheme will continue to help over 30,000 Croydon households. Your council tax makes a big contribution to our ability to fund key local services and we are determined that this council budget does this while we live within our means. And I promise you that we will continue to focus on delivering good-quality, core services to local people, especially those who need it most. You can find out more about our budget here.
Support Grants for Businesses – including the Local Restrictions Support Grant available to eligible businesses with a Business Rates Account Number (Croydon Council are awaiting guidance and will update this page once this information is received). And the Additional Restrictions Grant, available to eligible businesses that don’t have a Business Rates Account Number. There are more payments of £2,000 to £10,000 available for businesses that apply and meet the eligibility criteria. The money is a grant, not a loan, so it does not need to be repaid
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, presented his Budget to Parliament on Wednesday 3 March 2021 which included measures to continue to support businesses through the pandemic, including:
An extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to September 2021 across the UK. Employers will be expected to pay 10% towards the hours their staff do not work in July, increasing to 20% in August and September, as the economy reopens.
An extension of the UK-wide Self Employment Income Support scheme to September 2021, with 600,000 more people who filed a tax return in 2019-20 now able to claim for the first time.
£5 billion for new Restart Grants – a one off cash grant of up to £18,000 for hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses in England.
A new UK-wide Recovery Loan Scheme to make available loans between £25,001 and £10 million, and asset and invoice finance between £1,000 and £10 million, to help businesses of all sizes through the next stage of recovery.
Extension to the VAT cut to 5%, for hospitality, accommodation and attractions across the UK until the end of September, followed by a 12.5% rate for a further six months until 31 March 2022.
750,000 eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in England will benefit from business rates relief to continue for three months to the end of June. For the nine months after, the rate will be 66 per cent.
Extension of the apprenticeship hiring incentive in England to September 2021, and an increase of payment to £3,000.
£7 million for a new “flexi-job” apprenticeship programme in England, that will enable apprentices to work with a number of employers in one sector.
Businesses are being encouraged to test their staff for Covid-19 by registering for free testing kits provided by the government. These tests are for staff who cannot currently work from home. Only businesses registered in England can register for free testing.
Guidance for employers and third-party healthcare providers on the regulations and legal obligations of running testing programmes has been updated to reflect the ongoing evolution of private-sector testing.
A list of essential workers prioritised for PCR testing for coronavirus is available here.
Free 1-2-1 support to help you navigate Brexit
Thanks to London Business Hub, businesses can meet with an adviser for free, impartial and confidential advice and support. The advisor will discuss your specific challenges and help you to develop an action roadmap. They can also provide you with referrals to other support, including a panel of EU expert professional services. All support is tailored specifically to your business and is completely free of charge.
Doing business with Europe has changed. You need to follow new rules on exports, imports, tariffs, data and hiring.
All businesses can find out what has changed, and check their preparations, by watching these new videos from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The short, on-demand videos cover 18 topics, including importing and exporting, rules of origin and audit and accounting.
Grow your business with BIG
Would an injection of knowledge, skills and specialist equipment help you deliver key strategic projects for your business?
From market research to exploring new business models, from scientific expertise to use of specialist facilities such 3D printers, media suites and scientific laboratories, an Innovation Voucher will enable you to build capacity within your business to deliver the projects and programmes which will really boost your growth.
BIG, which stands for Business, Innovation & Growth, South London is helping businesses and not for profits access the considerable expertise, talent and facilities at six South London based universities – Kingston University, University of Roehampton, London South Bank University, St Mary’s, Twickenham, University of Arts, London and Sussex Innovation.
On Monday, Croydon Council agreed its budget for 2021/22 following our acceptance of a government offer for a capitalisation direction.
