IN their last budget meeting before the May local elections, Redbridge councillors voted for a 5.8 per cent increase in council tax.
At about twice the rate of inflation, the rise pushes the bill for an average Band D householder to £1,267.35 in one of the country's biggest increases.
Council leader Lawrence Davies, presenting his last budget before he steps down in May, defended the rise blaming the Government for increasing its annual grant to the borough by only two per cent.
Announcing the figures, he said: "This year has been one of unprecedented change. The Government has reworked the rules yet again so we have a good year for schools but a bad year for all other services "Yet again London did poorly under the grant settlement and our settlement in Redbridge was worse than most in London."
Cllr Davies hailed the council's achievement in securing £6 million of savings without cutting services but the opposition groups tabled motions trying to increase spending on street cleaning, graffiti removal and the removal of untaxed vehicles.
Opposition group leader Cllr Elaine Norman described the budget as a wasted opportunity condemning spending cuts which she said would increase crime in the borough.
She said: "The number of flytips has increased by 185 per cent since 2000 and flytipping blights an area. There's growing evidence of a link between unlicensed vehicles and crime."
Motions to reduce the increase in the price of residents' parking permits, and to speed up work on the replacement of Churchfields Junior School were also defeated.
Deputy council leader Cllr Morris Hickey said: "I congratulate the Labour group on having to search so hard to come up with an amendment at all and what they have come up with is pitiful and a guide to the residents of this borough as to how little change they can expect on May 4 if they are so unwise as to elect a Labour administration."
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