Being a council leader is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling jobs. But with the funding crisis facing local authorities across the country it is also one of the most challenging.

The difficulties are particularly acute in London. Collectively, London local authorities are forecasting a £600 million overspend this year alone, driven largely by the cost of providing temporary accommodation for homeless households as well as social care support for vulnerable adults and children.

In Kingston, we are facing stark choices as we continue to confront these financial challenges and look to protect essential services.

We are facing an £8 million overspend this year, equivalent to around 4.5 per cent of our annual budget and are taking immediate action to address this, including a recruitment freeze on all but the most essential roles such as social workers, as well as tight spending constraints.

But with rising demand for essential support, higher costs of providing services and significant long-term underfunding, the challenge for local authorities is huge.

After years of austerity and short-term funding settlements, the government needs to step up and properly support local councils to run the services our communities rely on.

It is local government that is responsible for so many of the frontline services that keep people’s lives on track, like social care, accommodation for homeless families and special educational needs support.

But we are not just there for people in crisis.

We keep parks maintained and open for all to enjoy outdoor space, play and stay active. We are there for the special moments in people’s lives — getting married or registering children’s births. We provide planning services for everything from home renovations to larger developments, business support services, licensing, street lighting and even pest control.

Local government provides so many things that are important to people on a daily basis. We work in partnership with local groups and organisations to enable them to support and enrich people’s lives. If we are not around anymore, who will deliver for our neighbourhoods and communities?

As we face the most challenging time I have ever known for local government, I can assure you of one thing. In Kingston we will continue to do all we can to support and empower our communities.

We are working harder than ever to innovate and transform how we deliver services, to make the best use of the money we do have. We will continue to work with local authorities across London and nationally to call for fair funding from the government to ensure we can keep serving our communities efficiently and effectively for years to come.