Good morning
Three stories this week, all pointing the same direction: Richmond Council's finances. The borough is spending reserves like income, redesigning itself to find £39m in savings, and now asking Barnes, Castelnau and Mortlake residents to back its case against Whitehall. Add one lecture on mudlarking at St Mary's for anyone wanting a break from spreadsheets.
The big story
Richmond's reserves could be gone by 2030, council warns
The council now says its reserves, projected to fall from £52m to £28m this year alone, could run out within four years. A funding gap of £19.3m next year is forecast to grow to £30.8m by 2030/31 even at the maximum council tax rise, driven largely by a government funding reform due to cut Richmond's core annual funding by £29m — around 58% of its core allocation — by 2028/29. Ten months ago the council called the settlement an improvement; reserves are a cushion, not a budget, and this one is being drawn down fast. READ →
What's on
Mudlarking through time, at St Mary's
Jason Sandy gives a lecture on mudlarking for the Barnes and Mortlake History Society at St Mary's Church on 8 October at 7pm. SOURCE →
People are talking about
A lower mansion tax threshold would hit Barnes, not Mortlake
Richmond Council says 4,300 more homes across the borough would face a mansion tax if the Chancellor cuts the threshold from £2m to £1.5m at the 28 October Budget, rising to 9,200 at a further cut. The council has not published a ward breakdown or methodology, but the sold-price data tells its own story: the average semi-detached house in Barnes already sells for £2,227,911, above the current threshold, while nothing comparable applies in Mortlake. READ →
Follow-ups
Council backs £18m overhaul to save £39m a year
On 24 September the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee approved the shape of a reorganisation covering six departments, from adult social care to growth and place, with a further £18m invested on top of £1.5m already committed. The plan includes a single 'front door' for service requests and AI tools meant to predict who will need help — a savings target that has grown by £9m since February, and the clearest sign yet of how seriously the council is taking the funding gap set out above. READ →
Council asks Barnes to back its £29m funding fight
A consultation launched 16 September invites residents in Barnes, Castelnau and Mortlake to back a formal funding complaint under the Sustainable Communities Act — the same £29m argument the council nearly took to judicial review last November before the government offered a cash-flat three-year settlement. The consultation can compel nobody to do anything, but it is the council's way of building a paper trail of local support before it tries again. READ →