Council tax set to rise by three per cent in Staffordshire

Bills will increase by the maximum amount allowed before triggering a referendum, under plans.

A finance report had suggested a vote on increasing council tax by more than three per cent could be an option but county council leader Philip Atkins has now ruled that out as a possibility.

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However, families are still facing an increase in bills from next April and have also been warned to prepare for a further hike in 2020/21.

The authority needs to make drastic savings to plug a £35m hole in its budget.

Residents have already had to endure 5.95 per cent increase earlier this year. Part of that rise included funding for social care, which will not be part of the next increase. The move would add around £30 a year to council tax bills.

Councils can ask residents if they are willing to pay more council tax to help fund services. Such are the dire straits at council HQ, it had been suggested by finance experts the authority could seek to convince voters to pay more.

However, the leader said the cost of holding a referendum, combined with the very real possibility it could end in defeat, have swayed them away from the idea.

County council bills make up part of the total council tax paid by Staffordshire residents, with money also going to borough and district councils, the police and fire service.

Councillor Atkins said said: “Although increasing council above the three per cent referendum threshold is an option for every single council, this is not something we are considering in Staffordshire.

“The high risk of associated costs of holding a referendum together with the cost of rebilling all residents would soon cancel out any funding raised, potentially more than 1% on council tax, so we would rule it out on that basis.

“We are currently assuming an increase of 2.95 per cent next year, which means we will still have one of the lowest county councils taxes in the country.

“In the last ten years the council has seen spending on care increase by £100m and, while nobody likes to see taxes rise, there comes a point where we all need to pay a little more in order to continue to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities.

“There needs to be a long-term solution on how we as a nation we continue to fund care and part of this needs to be a debate whether increasing council tax is actually the answer.”