Richmond residents will see their council tax rise by almost 5 per cent in April, with average band D households paying £2,264 in the coming year.

Richmond Council approved its budget for the 2024/25 financial year on March 5, including free swimming sessions in summer and birthday cards for teenagers turning 18-years-old encouraging them to vote.

The 4.99 per cent hike includes 2.99 per cent for general services and an extra 2 per cent for adult social care, which is the maximum allowed without holding a referendum.

It means total council tax for the average band D household in Richmond will rise by £122.44 to £2,263.66 in 2024/25.

This includes an increase in Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's share of the bill by £37.26, or 8.58 per cent, to help fund police, fire and transport.

Lib Dem Cllr Robin Brown, lead member for finance, said the council had balanced the books without cutting services, despite rising pressures in adult and children's social care and homelessness services, high inflation and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He told the meeting the authority will "deliver great services and provide essential social care and cost-of-living support" through the budget, along with "continuing the delivery of our manifesto programme, an investment in the borough's future, and finally supporting the transformation of how we run the council".

Cllr Brown said the budget includes an extra £12million for adult and children's social care services and another £1.5m on top of the council's £3m cost-of-living fund to support residents battling rising costs, along with £550,000 per year in its capital programme up to 2027/28 to fix potholes and improve roads.

He added the authority is increasing investment in CCTV to tackle crime, creating more school places for kids with special educational needs, pushing to deliver a pipeline of affordable housing projects and repairing Teddington Lock footbridges.

Overall in 2024/25, the budget allows for the council to spend a net total of £160.7m.

It aims to save £15m over the next three to four years, particularly by running services more efficiently.

A council report added the proposals include launching a scheme to provide cheaper and free swimming sessions to eligible residents in summer and sending birthday cards to all 18-year-olds to remind them to register to vote.

No information has yet been shared on who will be eligible for the free swimming sessions.

Green Cllr Andrée Frieze argued the budget shows the administration "recognises the headwinds it is facing, yet does not seem fully or entirely prepared to really explore the different options to tackle some of the issues". 

Green councillors tabled amendments to the budget at the meeting, including scrapping the 30-minutes' free parking it offers to Richmond Card-holders and reducing the subsidy on electric vehicle parking permits to encourage residents to use more sustainable transport.

The Green's proposed budget amendments also included trialling fortnightly household waste collections, instead of weekly, to improve recycling rates and potentially save £500,000 a year once implemented, hiring another community safety officer to tackle crime and a carrying out a feasibility study into sites which could be better-used for new homes.

Cllr Brown said the council could not support scrapping free parking as it is valued by residents and businesses or trial fortnightly bin collections for reasons that had been outlined by councillors, including that it would be 'unacceptable' for residents with no outside space.

He added: "This administration is presenting a budget that's balanced, doesn't impose any cuts in services, supports our manifesto promises and invests in the long-term future of the borough."

Lib Dem council leader Gareth Roberts said the budget will address housing needs, improve parks and support vulnerable children. 

He added: "We are trying as best as we possibly can in a very difficult financial position, but with the good stewardship of Councillor Brown, with the good stewardship of officers, we are managing to make sure that residents get good services and they get good value-for-money services."

The council rejected the Green's amendments at the meeting and approved the budget for 2024/25.