Council tax is to be frozen for the second year in a row, but expect more cuts and raiding of reserves.

Balancing the books looks set to become increasingly difficult as Wandsworth Council pursues its famed policy of low council tax.

Wandsworth Times: Wandsworth Council leader Ravi Govindia: "We cannot absorb costs beyond our control"

Cuts coming: Leader Ravi Govindia said "savings will become increasingly hard to find" 

This week the council boasted that residents would continue to pay the lowest average council tax bills in the country, but as we reported last week voluntary agencies are fighting for their lives as grants get cut.

Band D properties are set to pay £678 in the 2015-16 financial year – about half the London average.

Figures show council tax would have to increase by 75 per cent in 2016-17 and a further 28 per cent in 2017-18 if the council was to avoid additional cuts or raiding reserves.

The council has already cut spending by £90m since 2010. But a further £50m would have to be slashed in the next two years alone, indicating a further squeeze on local services.

Wandsworth Times:

Projections show the kinds of doubled or tripled tax bills Wandsworth voters would face in the future if there were no cuts or reserve raiding

Departments have been merged, jobs axed, lollipop ladies ditched, meals on wheels cut and the council has outsourced everything from libraries to adult social care.

Members of the public regularly tell this newspaper they would not mind paying more council tax if services were better.

However, the council argues that people who fill in surveys are satisfied with services provided by the local borough.

The borough’s council tax has only been increased twice in the past 12 years.

Wandsworth Times:

Under pressure: Mr Martindale is concerned about the long-term

Battersea's Labour MP candidate Will Martindale welcomed this year’s freeze, which he said would benefit hard-pressed families.

However, he added: “Wandsworth is now hurtling towards a situation where it may not even be able to balance the budget over the next few years.

“According to the council’s own figures, another £35m of savings need to be found over the next year alone, and the Tory administration is quickly running out of ideas to stabilise finances - while protecting services - in the long term.”

Council leader Ravi Govindia said: “In the years ahead savings will become increasingly hard to find and we have to consider more imaginative ways of working.

“Part of our solution will be to share staff with Richmond Council so we can continue to reduce spending while protecting front line services and keeping council tax low. These principles will continue to guide our work in the years ahead.

“Our spending continues to fall year-on-year but unlike many other councils we are not making up the shortfall with higher taxes or widespread cuts to frontline services. Instead we have drastically reduced our back office, slashed our senior staff wage bill and cut down the number of council departments.”

A report on the proposed tax rate will be discussed by the finance and corporate resources committee, Thursday, February 19, and will go before the executive on February 23. It would then be referred to a full meeting of the council on March 4 for final approval.