Brent Council comfortably passed its latest budget that will see more than £7 million of cuts and a council tax increase of almost four per cent.

Its full council agreed to the proposals approved by its cabinet earlier this month with council leader Cllr Muhammed Butt noting another year of “difficult choices”.

As part of the new plan, children’s centres in the borough will be turned into ‘family hubs’ to save the council almost £1.5 million.

Adult social care services will take a hit of £250,000 due to a review of homecare and placement packages and the recommissioning of day care.

The council also plans to dim the borough’s streetlights to save money and energy, while stop smoking services will be reduced to serve only pregnant women and mental health service users.

And customer services are set to be “modernised” and “streamlined” further through digitalisation, which will save the council £425,000.

A council tax increase of 3.99 per cent, including a precept for adult social care of two per cent, means residents will pay, on average, an extra £1.19 a week.

Cllr Butt said: “For another year, this funding squeeze has meant we have faced difficult choices that we have not shied away from.

“We have prioritised younger people and older residents. We are modernising the council for everyone by using technology more effectively and setting up hubs in local communities to make our services more easily accessible.

“Everyone at the council will work tirelessly to ensure no one is left behind and continue to build a better Brent where we value and celebrate everyone.”

The Conservative Group put forward a series of amendments to the budget, which were rejected.

These included a reduction in the council tax increase to 2.5 per cent and the removal of the green bin tax – both of which would have resulted in fewer savings.

It also targeted promotion of the London Living Wage – noting its belief in “fair wages for fair work” – and suggested the landlord incentive scheme, which encourages landlords to rent to those who have been evicted, be scrapped.