Commons Levy To Increase By 2.5%

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Following three years freeze

The Levy is charged on dwellings situated within ¾ of a mile from the Commons or in the old parish of Putney. This includes much of Wimbledon, Putney and Roehampton, and a small part of Kingston. The Levy is collected on behalf of the Conservators by the boroughs of Merton, Wandsworth and Kingston through an addition to the Council Tax.

The Conservators state that, despite maintaining efficiencies and stringent financial discipline, the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators have agreed an increase of 2.5% on the Commons’ Levy for 2014-15. This is less than the 3.2% increase in the Retail Price Index (RPI) as recorded last September and to which the increase in the Levy is linked by Act of Parliament.

The Act of Parliament governing the Commons allows the Conservators to increase the Levy in line with change in the Retail Price Index recorded annually in September, for the following financial year.

The Conservators state that the Levy has remained unchanged for three years and that this standstill, together with ever-increasing running costs, the loss of income from the London Broncos leaving the training facilities at the Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields, the costs of defending the litigation brought by the Friends of Putney Common over the Putney Hospital site, and the loss of Single Farm Payments, have all served to erode the Conservators’ financial reserves.

It is important for the reserves to be maintained as the Conservators are not permitted to borrow more than £5,000. Total Levy income will be £990,277. The Conservators believe that this still represents remarkably good value for money for the 46,000 contributing local households. Wimbledon and Putney Commons cost less to maintain per hectare than any comparable open space in London.

January 17, 2014