Council tax in Brent is set to go up by almost six per cent next month following confirmation of London’s City Hall budget.

Councillors acknowledged the precept set by the Greater London Authority (GLA), which brings the overall increase to council tax bills in the borough to 5.9 per cent.

On Thursday (February 25), the GLA approved a 9.5 per cent increase to the yearly sum it collects from Londoners each year to support services across the capital.

This follows on from Brent Council’s own budget setting process – approved on February 22 – which included a 4.99 per cent increase to the main portion of council tax payments.

It means those living in Band D properties, taken as the median group, will pay an extra £97 in council tax next year – roughly £65.50 to the council and £31.50 to the GLA.

Both Brent Council leader Cllr Muhammed Butt (Lab, Tokyngton) and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, acknowledged the “difficult” decisions taken by their respective authorities.

Cllr Butt said the council had effectively been forced to raise council tax by the maximum amount it could without a local referendum due to lack of support from central government.

“Those critical of the increase need to understand the terms of the Chancellor’s recent financial settlement for local government, [where he] has imposed a near-mandatory maximum uplift in council tax,” he said.

“Even in the best of circumstances difficult choices must be made – we are faced with irreparable damage to this borough’s finances and services that so many people depend upon or manageable pressures on household finances.”

However, the budget was criticised by opposition parties, who put forward alternative proposals which, they argued, would result in fewer costs for taxpayers.

Brent’s Conservative Group proposed alterations to payments covering landlord incentives and the London Living Wage that would cut council tax to 2.99 per cent.

The Liberal Democrat amendment also proposed this smaller council tax increase, suggesting already allocated council reserves were used to cover new costs.

These were ultimately rejected by the Labour-run council, which voted for recommendations outlined by the council’s financial officers.