Politics
Mitcham Community Services Referendum to Decide on Local Funding Shift
The July 15 ballot asks registered voters whether to approve a measure that would allocate £850,000 from council reserves to expand elderly care visits and youth outreach in Mitcham wards.
How we reported this
Voters across Mitcham will decide on 15 July whether to pass a referendum measure that creates a dedicated community services fund drawn from existing council reserves. The proposal appears as question three on ballots sent to the 45,000 registered electors in the area. Passage would authorise the local authority to spend the money on designated social programmes beginning in the 2027 financial year.
Central government grant reductions announced in the 2026 spending review have left Mitcham Council with a projected shortfall of £1.2 million in its social care budget line. The referendum offers one route to offset part of that gap without an immediate rise in council tax. Local authority documents state that the fund would operate for three years before any renewal vote.
Services that would change for residents
Approved spending would add 12 extra home-care slots each week for residents over 75 who live alone in the Pollards Hill and Figges Marsh wards. It would also extend the opening hours of the Mitcham Youth Hub by two evenings a week, providing supervised activities for 14-to-18-year-olds. The legislation lists these two categories as the only permitted uses of the new fund.
Current council figures show 1,200 households already receive some form of social-care support. Policy analysts note that an additional 180 households sit on the waiting list for regular visits. The referendum measure would not alter eligibility rules but would increase the number of funded visits available within existing criteria.
Budget figures and timetable
The Mitcham Council budget paper for 2025-26 records £2.3 million spent on community services last year. The proposed £850,000 addition would represent a 37 per cent increase in that envelope for the first year of operation. If the measure passes, the council must publish quarterly spending reports starting in October 2027.
Ballot boxes close at 10 pm on 15 July. Results are expected the following morning. Should the measure receive majority support, the council finance team has stated that the first new care visits and extended youth sessions would begin in January 2027.