'A Haringey budget with no news cuts in the coming year'

It is a truly rare privilege for a cabinet member for finance to be able to introduce a council budget with no additional cuts and with real investments in the future.

In addition to our major goals that are already under way, like building 3,000 council homes by 2032, implementing our ambitious green agenda to tackle the air quality and climate change emergencies (through active travel, low traffic, carbon reduction and energy saving initiatives), addressing homelessness and rough sleeping, improving the quality and energy efficiency of our housing stock, schools and other public buildings and investing in our young people who have been deeply impacted by the pandemic, the budget contains an additional £113.8 million of new investments in priorities such as: adult’s and children’s social care, tackling violence against women, investing in parks and public spaces, and funding to realise the council’s ambition of putting collaboration and co-production at the heart of its work.

Cllr Isidoros Diakides is proud of the Haringey Council's new budget (Image: ©David Mirzoeff 2021. All rights reserved.)

I am also proud of the fact that, once again, we have managed to balance our budget whilst keeping fees, charges and council tax rises as low as practicable.

We have achieved this modest success through our determined yet scrupulous work, but also by demonstrating that investing in our policy priorities can save a lot of money whilst improving our services, whether that means building up our public housing stock so that residents can access affordable housing, improving, decarbonising and greening the borough and its buildings to protect us from the impacts of climate change, or insourcing council-run services.

For over a decade now, the government’s austerity measures have decimated local authority government financial (60p in every £1 has been lost) and put an incredible strain on local services; we also know that we are facing the realities and aftermath of a global pandemic and all its socioeconomic impacts - some of which we are yet to understand or even know.

I am proud that, despite these circumstances, we have been able to keep most of our services going and we have protected our most vulnerable fellow citizens. We are a resilient and determined community.

You can find all the details of the budget at haringey.gov.uk/local-democracy/policies-and-strategies/your-haringey-your-future and let us know of any comments, concerns or constructive suggestions you have; there will always be room for further improvements.

I appreciate this is a difficult time for everyone with the rising number of cases but no matter what restrictions we have to observe in the coming days, I hope you manage to spend quality time with family and friends over the festive season.

Cllr Isidoros Diakides (Lab, Tottenham Green) is cabinet member for finance and transformation at Haringey Council.