Budget passed for a “safe, clean and thriving” Camden
Camden councillors have agreed a budget to make every pound count and deliver the best possible services.
Camden Council has agreed to raise Council Tax by 4.99% as part of a balanced budget for 2026/27, designed to make every pound count, provide the best possible services and deliver a safe, clean and thriving Camden.
The rise includes separate funding protected specifically to maintain the Council’s “Outstanding” adult social care services at a time of a national social care funding emergency.
The budget will boost investment in tackling anti-social behaviour, reducing energy bills by retrofitting council homes, making streets cleaner and safer, and investing in outstanding services.
“This is a budget for everyone - one that will keep our borough safe, clean and thriving. Here in Camden we are protecting the people who need us most whilst supporting local businesses and investing in our high streets. We’re also prioritising tackling anti-social behaviour, and you’ll see more safety officers out on the streets. You’ll also see new high-performance equipment keeping our neighbourhoods cleaner, meaning our busiest high streets will be safer, more pleasant and accessible for everyone.
“At a time when more and more councils need to rely on exceptional financial support from government, our robust approach to financial management means we can buck that trend and provide financial stability for Camden. Our strong track record in managing our budgets puts us in the best possible position to tackle the challenges we face, and this balanced budget for 2026/27 will allow us to make every pound count.
“The Government’s multi-year funding settlement is welcome, but rising inflation along with unprecedented nationwide pressures on social care, homelessness support, and the costs of supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities, mean that we have to make difficult decisions to balance our budget. This includes raising council tax by 4.99%.
“But we’re continuing to prioritise support for those who need it most through one of the most generous welfare support systems in London. Our Council Tax Support Scheme will ensure over 16,000 households pay no council tax at all and almost 6,000 more will get reduced bills. And through our cost of living fund we’ll continue to provide payments for essentials such as food and household bills.
“We’ve listened to our communities, to our local businesses and to our partners. This is a responsible and forward-looking budget one that aims to tackle today’s challenges head on.”
The budget will focus on:
Investing in safer streets
Introducing more CCTV cameras and deploying a new team of community safety officers to target crime and anti-social behaviour hotspots.
Investing in cost-of-living support for people who need it most
Continuing to prioritise support through our Council Tax Support Scheme, which ensures that around 16,000 households pay nothing and many more receive reduced bills – and our £2.1m Cost of Living Fund, which provides payments of up to £500 to help people pay for the essentials, like food and household bills.
Investing in council homes to reduce bills
Investing £29.9m to retrofit around 3,000 council homes – cutting energy bills for residents and reducing carbon emissions.
Investing in a cleaner borough
Taking further action to keep our borough clean by investing in new high-performance equipment to ensure our busiest high streets stay accessible, and are clean and welcoming for everyone.
Investing in outstanding services
Setting the standard nationally as the only council in the country to have received ‘outstanding’ ratings for our most recent Children’s, Adult Social Care and Youth Justice Service inspections.
What is Council Tax spent on?
The 4.99% rise in council tax consists of a 2.99% increase to support general council funding and a 2% rise ring-fenced for adult social care.
Council tax directly funds frontline services such as libraries, youth centres, family centres, street cleaning, keeping our communities safe and looking after adults and children who need extra support. The Greater London Authority also issues its own precept which is included in council tax bills. This helps to fund Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade. This levy has increased by 4.1%.
Additionally, as announced recently, Camden’s Council Tax reductions scheme now specifically includes a discount of up to 100% eligible for households experiencing financial hardship with a terminally ill resident.