FOI - London Boroughs precept increases [Feb 2024]

Your request

Please provide:

• The amount, in percentage terms that the GLA has precept been increased (year by year) from April 2016 to date, including the 2024-25 proposed increase.
• Details of how much the GLA is legally allowed to increase the London Boroughs’ precept each financial year.
• Where to access annual GLA financial reports from 2016.
• Where to access details of the Act of Parliament that authorises the GLA to raise precepts on London boroughs.

Your response

The GLA precept has increased or decreased by the following percentages year-on-year from April 2016, as follows:

Details of how much the GLA is legally allowed to increase its element of the precept for each financial year are found in the following policy papers regarding ‘Referendums Relating to Council Tax Increases’:

• 2016-17
• 2017-18
• 2018-19
• 2019-20
• 2020-21
• 2021-22
• 2022-23
• 2023-24
• 2024-25

You can also access the Annual Statement of Accounts consisting of the GLA single entity accounts and the GLA Group accounts dating back to 2016.

Section 39 (1)(aa) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as amended by the Greater London Authority Act 1999, recognises the GLA as a major precepting body. The act, created by Parliament which has received the assent of the Crown and subsequent statutory regulations, sets out the GLA's rights to demand Council Tax to fund services and who is liable to pay.

For a summary of how much the GLA is legally allowed to increase the London Boroughs’ precept each financial year, please refer to the table on page 12 of the ‘Council Tax: Local Referendums’ document produced by the House of Commons.

f you have any further questions relating to this matter, please contact us, quoting reference MGLA130224-6510.