A letter from the Leader of the Council
Your Council Tax and Business Rates for 2024/25 and our performance and spending plans
Dear Resident
Your Council Tax for 2024/25
I want to start by saying thank you. By paying your Council Tax you are contributing to and helping to maintain this borough as a fantastic place in which to live.
As the cost-of-living pressures continue – from childcare, to energy bills, to rents and mortgages, I am proud that not only did we freeze Council Tax last year, but we also provided a £100 rebate to help 17,000 households manage the squeeze. Following consultation this year, we are continuing to support low-income families in the borough with a £100 payment – help for those who need it the most.
We have agreed a modest Council Tax increase this year – with our own precept increasing by 2.99% and social care contributions increasing by 2%. This means an average Band D property (excluding Garden Squares) will see an increase from £988.26 to £1,037.58, an increase of £49.32 from last year – less than £1 per household per week.
Your Council Tax contribution helps us to deliver a greener, safer, and fairer borough.
Over the last year, we have started work to improve our parks and green spaces – including Kensington Memorial Park, Holland Park and St Luke’s, Chelsea. We have introduced a new Street Enforcement Team to tackle anti-social behaviour across the borough. And at Kelso Cochrane House in North Kensington, we have opened 38 affordable homes. We will also spend an additional £3.5m more to make every Council school in Kensington and Chelsea net zero, as well as committing £10m for two new facilities for residents with social care needs in North Kensington.
We are also going further this year to tackle the issue of empty homes. Where a house lies empty for one year, we will begin charging a premium rate of up to 100 per cent. Additional housing is needed right across London, and it is only fair that we continue to find ways to increase supply.
Finally, we are going to spend the next 12 months looking at how we can innovate and restructure services so that not only can we keep taxes low, but we can make sure our core services are of high-quality.
Elizabeth Campbell
Leader, Kensington and Chelsea Council