Staffordshire residents face council tax rise ‘for five years’

Bosses are considering introducing fines for people who drive in bus lanes among a range of options to generate income.

While they are also looking to make savings where they can including slashing spending on road safety education by £150,000.

It comes as the council prepares its budget for 2018/19.

Leader Philip Atkins has said it is becoming a 'challenge' to balance the books with the biggest pressure coming in the form of increasing adult and child social care costs.

The council is preparing to spend a record £310m in that area over the next five years to meet the need.

Bosses have vowed there is good news for residents including forking out an extra £5m next year on tackling potholes.

But they should prepare themselves for the county council's portion of council tax to increase by 4.95 per cent from April - three per cent of that is ring-fenced for social care.

It means an increase of just over £1 a week on bills for those living in a Band D property.

But a longer term financial plan touts increases ranging from 1.95 per cent to 3.95 per cent in following years up until 2022/23.

Councillor Mike Sutherland, Finance and Corporate Matters, said: "Staffordshire has benefited from one of the lowest county council taxes for a number of years and still will.

"However, while nobody wants to pay more in taxes, we want to be honest with people about the serious uphill financial challenges we face and why we all now have to pay a little more and do a little more to be able to continue to support those who need our help the most.

“The Government recognised the challenge in part by introducing the social care precept, but the issue of funding adult social care in the longer term is something which very much still needs to be addressed at a national level."

Councillor Atkins added: "We have already reduced the running costs of the county council by £195 million over the past eight years, but each year the funding for care continues to rise and the challenge to fund this and deliver a balanced budget continues to grow too."