For the average band D property it will mean an rise of £23.27 (2 per cent) a year for the adult social care precept to care for the elderly, equivalent to 44.8p a week, and £23.16 (1.99 per cent), equivalent to an extra 44.5p a week, in total an increase of 89.3p per week.

Sutton Council has to save £31m from its annual budget between 2015 and 2019 because of unprecedented Government cuts to funding and increased pressure on services. The council has already saved £43m from its annual budget since 2010. Its annual budget for 2016/17 is £144.9m. The council tax increase, which was approved by Sutton Council at the Full Council meeting last night, will generate an additional £1.6m per annum for care for the elderly and £1.6m per annum for other council services.

This will help to reduce the funding gap and protect some key council services that have a significant impact on people’s lives and future costs to the taxpayer, for example, effective prevention and early intervention that can reduce the likelihood of vulnerable adults moving into residential care.

Since 2010, the Council has been reviewing all areas of its work in order to make savings. This has included commissioning services with other boroughs, reducing the number of senior managers and staff, and saving millions in care for the elderly costs by supporting residents to stay in their homes longer through measures including greater day-to-day support and putting people in control.

Between 2010 and 2014 the council was able to make £32m of savings while protecting services.

In 2014, the council launched Sutton’s Future to involve residents in decisions to change, reduce or stop services. Since then, more than 12,000 people have taken part in 11 different consultations, helping to save a further £11m.

Cllr. Simon Wales, Lead Member for Finance and Assets at Sutton Council, said:

“We have to make some hard decisions because of the unprecedented Government cuts to our funding combined with increased pressure on services for vulnerable people. Between 2010 and 2019, we have to save £74m from our annual budget. That is an incredible saving to make and local authorities up and down the country are faced with making very difficult choices to close services and reduce their size.

“We are doing our very best to keep services open by restructuring the council to reduce staff numbers including senior management, share services with other councils and look at innovative ways to save money such as basing health workers in our children’s centres. So far we have saved £43m from our annual budget. We now have £31m more to save. The council tax rise will help to cover some of the shortfall in care for the elderly and other areas, but there is no question that we still have a long way to go in making these radical savings.”

Last month at the council’s Strategy and Resources Committee meeting, the recommended revenue budget for 2016/17 was outlined including a Government revenue support grant reduction of £10m, inflation and other costs of £3.5m and growing pressures of £4.0m which include increases in the cost of care for the elderly and of safeguarding children. It was proposed to be balanced by savings of £9.6m, a council tax increase of 1.99 per cent which would provide £1.6m, the use of central Government’s additional council tax precept for care for the elderly of 2 per cent to raise a further £1.6m, use of reserves of £1.4m and other changes of £3.3m.

Residents who need assistance in filling in the Blue Badge application form can receive the necessary support they need free of charge at any of the borough’s libraries. Successful applicants will be charged a one-off £10 fee when they collect their Blue Badge, renewable every three years.

Carshalton Central’s Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“We would strongly recommend that any disabled people in the borough requiring a Blue Badge to park free near the shops should apply through Sutton Council’s website or in person. Should they need support when applying they should visit one of our libraries, where staff will provide free assistance. Blue Badge applications can be made direct on the Sutton Council website by clicking here“.

Sutton residents can request a Blue Badge paper application form by telephoning Sutton Council on 020 8770 5000.

Residents requiring a Blue Badge can apply either online or in person at Civic Offices in Sutton. They must meet certain criteria and all applications require a passport-standard photograph of themselves, and proof of their identity and where they live in the borough.

Sutton has the third-highest first-preference rate for secondary school places in London, with almost 80 per cent of its families receiving their first choice of school for their child – well above the London average of 68.52 per cent.

Sutton has once again achieved one of the best rates overall, with the percentage of families receiving one of their top-three preferences increasing to 94.5 per cent – up 1.5 per cent from 2015 and almost six percentage points above the London average of 88.64 per cent. Almost all Sutton families (97.5 per cent) now receive a preference secondary school for their child – which is almost four percentage points above the London average of 93.88 per cent.

Parents in the borough were told yesterday which secondary schools have made offers of places for their children for the September 2016 intake. In addition to Sutton’s 80 per cent first preference being much higher than most of the rest of London it was also an impressive 5 per cent rise on the number of pupils who got their first preference school in 2015. In September, these children will start at secondary schools officially ranked as being among the best in England for teaching and exam results. In 2015, the proportion of Sutton students scoring 5 or more A* to C grades including English and Maths was 76.9 per cent, well above the 2014 national average of 53.4 per cent. Across the borough, 83.5 per cent of pupils achieved five or more GCSEs.

Almost two-thirds (65.1 per cent) of students across the borough achieved the highest A-Level A* and B grades in 2015 and the percentage of Sutton students achieving an A-Level pass grade (A* to E) increased to 99.7 per cent from 98.5 per cent in 2014. This was above the UK average as, across all UK students, the proportion achieving A* to E was 98.1 per cent. The small minority of families without a preference school offer are being advised to reconsider all local schools and add these to their applications before further offers are made later this month.

Cllr Wendy Mathys, Chair of the Children, Family & Education Committee, said:

“We are delighted that preference offers for Sutton residents this year are once again well above the London average, and are some of the highest across the capital. We have worked hard with our secondary schools to plan for and provide additional places in Sutton’s excellent schools so that 79.67 per cent of Sutton’s pupils getting an offer for their first preference school, up from last year’s figure of 75 per cent. This is a tremendous achievement. Sutton has an increasing population of children who have reached or are nearing secondary school age and demand continues to increase for secondary school places due to the excellent schools we have in Sutton, which make our borough an increasingly popular place to live and raise a family. The only London boroughs to rank above Sutton for first preference places are Waltham Forest (81.19 per cent) and Havering (80.84 per cent). The percentage of first-preference places in neighbouring boroughs Kingston upon Thames was 75.95 per cent, Richmond upon Thames 67.16 per cent, Croydon 67.11 per cent and Merton 65.0 per cent.”

You can also read more about our parking enforcement and white bar markings.

The drivers – two men and two women – admitted misusing a Blue Badge which belonged to a relative who wasn’t present at the time.

Ms W, aged 54, of Danescourt Crescent, Sutton, parked a Ford car in a mandatory disabled parking bay in Lodge Place, Sutton, on Thursday, 21 January using a Blue Badge registered to her son. Ms Philpot told officers she had parked to do some shopping. The Blue Badge holder was not present. She was fined £90 and ordered to pay £350 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

Mr X aged 25, of Ruskin Gardens, Harrow, parked a Mercedes in a red route disabled parking bay in Grove Road, Sutton, on Wednesday, 13 January. He had used a Blue Badge issued to his 86-year-old grandmother who was out of the country. He told officers he had used the Blue Badge to park because he had been running late for a training course in Sutton. Mr Magdani was fined £80, and ordered to pay £350 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

Mrs Y aged 39, of Wimborne Close, Worcester Park, parked a Volkswagen in a mandatory disabled bay in Lodge Place, Sutton, on Thursday, 21 January. She admitted using a Blue Badge registered to her son, who was at school at the time. Mrs Duckett was fined £40 and ordered to pay costs of £150 and a £20 victim surcharge.

Mr Z, aged 44, of Pear Tree Close, Mitcham, parked a Mini in a mandatory disabled parking bay in Lodge Place, Sutton, on Wednesday, 13 January. He admitted using a Blue Badge registered to his grandmother who was at home. Mr Fenick was fined £40 and ordered to pay £150 costs and £20 victim surcharge.

Carshalton Central’s Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“Misusing Blue Badges is not a trivial matter. Blue Badges are issued to help disabled people have convenient access to busy town centres. As there are only a limited number of disabled parking bays in Sutton, it is really important that they are reserved for people who are genuinely disabled and that Blue Badges are used only by the people named on them. Blue Badges are issued for the sole use of a named individual and are only valid when it is being used by, or for, the disabled person when that person is present. It is stated clearly on the Badge that misuse may constitute a criminal offence. Police and Sutton Council Parking Services’ officers carry out regular joint patrols and use the borough’s CCTV system to gather evidence to stop misuse of the borough’s 500 disabled parking bays which are for residents who have permanent or severe mobility difficulties and want to park conveniently for the shops.”

The vast majority of Sutton’s 7,144 Blue Badge Holders use the Badges as they are intended. However, a small minority of drivers deliberately misuse the Blue Badge privilege and this has led to 49 successful prosecutions in Sutton since the beginning of 2014.  In January 2016, figures produced by the Department of Transport ranked Sutton Council 10th out of all local authorities in England taking the most legal action against disabled badge cheats between the period 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2015.

Sutton Council has launched a major consultation into the development and growth of the borough over the next 15 years.

Sutton 2031 asks people to help shape a new Local Plan, the document that provides the planning framework for future development.

Between 18 February and 8 April, local people are encouraged to give their views online or to attend any of the 22 exhibitions and meetings to discuss the Local Plan with our planners. To find out details or take part in the consultation they should visit www.sutton.gov.uk/sutton2031

Why is Sutton 2031 important?

The Greater London Authority predicts Sutton’s population could rise by 31,272 to 228,521 by 2031. To meet that challenge Sutton must provide new housing, and the infrastructure to support it, including additional schools, employment, improved transport and more health facilities.

The Local Plan designates the location and size of these developments, and also the pace of growth. The amount of people working and living in the borough will determine the amount of infrastructure needed to support them.

For example, the Greater London Authority forecasts Sutton will need 7,000 more jobs by 2031. If they were all office jobs, the borough would need to find the space of around nine football pitches to accommodate them. By being proactive in planning for future growth the Local Plan can help retain the borough’s character and environment by protecting Sutton’s heritage and green spaces, and helping to cut pollution.

The consultation also includes the Town Centre Masterplan and London Cancer Hub Development Framework. Masterplanners are currently working on both of these projects and Sutton 2031 will give people the chance to review and comment on their draft proposals. Their views will be taken into account as part of the design process.

Cllr Jayne McCoy, Chair of the Housing, Economy and Business Committee, said:

“The London housing crisis is already putting Sutton under pressure so now is the right time to decide what the future of our borough should look like. Together, we need to ensure that growth works without losing Sutton’s essential character. We understand people love the suburban nature of our borough, the tree-lined streets, quality parks and open spaces. They also value our heritage, our district centres and high streets whilst seeing plenty of room for improvement in Sutton town centre. We have arranged our widest ever programme of consultation asking residents to help us determine the right places to concentrate growth, and achieve a quality of place that enhances all that is good about the borough. The message to our residents, businesses, developers, landlords and our young people is to get involved, and get everyone you know to get involved. What is in Sutton 2031 will affect you, and it will certainly affect your children. This is your opportunity to shape the future of our borough.”

 Town Centre Masterplan

The Town Centre Masterplan is to help improve Sutton Town Centre so that is it fit for the future. As our main commercial district and the fourth largest centre in south London, its future success is critical to the borough. It must provide high quality services in a high quality setting, while also evolving the retail and leisure offer, increasing employment opportunities, providing new homes and generating revenue for local services.

The London Cancer Hub

The London Cancer Hub is a proposal to expand the operations of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Foundation NHS Trust onto brownfield land in Belmont. It aims to bring together 10,000 scientists, clinical and support staff in a world leading Hub for cancer research, treatment, education and enterprise. Sutton Council has purchased part of the site for a secondary school with a planned specialism in the sciences to help our young people to start careers in this exciting sector.