Politics
Mitcham Community Services Referendum to Set Council Tax Allocation for Local Care
Mitcham residents face a September vote on whether to redirect 1.5 per cent of council tax revenue into expanded social services, which would alter funding for day centres, youth programmes and home support across the borough.
How we reported this
The proposed Mitcham Community Services Referendum asks voters on 10 September whether the local authority should ring-fence an extra £4.2 million each year from existing council tax receipts for social care and community programmes. Passage would require the Merton London Borough Council to adjust its annual budget from the 2027-28 financial year onward, affecting every household that pays council tax in the Mitcham wards of Cricket Green, Figge's Marsh and Lavender Fields.
The measure arises because central government grant reductions announced in the 2025 spending review have left the borough with a projected £12 million shortfall in adult social care by 2028. Council documents released in June state that without new local revenue the authority would need to cut contracts with voluntary sector providers that currently run 14 day centres and 22 after-school clubs.
Daily effects on households and services
For a Band C property, the shift would mean an average annual increase of £28 in the social care portion of the bill, while freeing capacity for an estimated 180 additional home-care packages per month. Families with children in receipt of short-break services could see waiting lists shorten from the current 11 weeks, and older residents using the Mitcham Library drop-in centre might gain two extra days of staffed support each week.
Policy analysts note that the legislation requires any surplus from the levy to return to the general fund after three years if take-up falls below 85 per cent of projected demand. Local advocates note the same clause allows the council to expand mental-health outreach teams that currently operate from a single site in Mitcham town centre.
Budget figures and next steps
The council's June budget paper records that adult social care already accounts for 38 per cent of net service expenditure, or £68 million in 2025-26. The referendum question appears on the same ballot as the scheduled local by-election for the Figge's Marsh ward, so turnout projections from the Electoral Commission place participation between 28 and 35 per cent.
If approved, the first quarterly transfer of funds occurs in April 2027. The council must publish an annual impact report by 31 October each year detailing the number of new service users and any changes in average response times for care assessments.