Council tax to rise in Staffordshire to help deliver £62m savings

County council leaders say they are on track to deliver huge savings but have demanded more funding for the Government, warning the current situation is "unsustainable".

They are planning to hike council tax by 3.95 per cent from April, two per cent of which will be used fund social care, an area leader Philip Atkins said was becoming an increasing burden on local authorities.

Staffordshire has one of the lowest council tax rates in the country but Mr Atkins said an increase was now necessary to help balance the books. It will add around £1 a week to bills for the average household.

The leader said he did not believe more cuts would be needed on top of the £62m already planned but a budget report warned demand for road maintenance "continues to outstrip available funds resulting in significant challenges in maintaining the condition of our roads".

"Subject to the savings identified being delivered we'll be alright," he said.

Asked whether more jobs would be at risk at the Tory-led authority, Mr Atkins replied: "Never say never but I think we've done what we needed to do."

The council leader said there needed to be a re-think on how social care is funded. It takes up 65 per cent of the council's budget and Mr Atkins said the authority would inevitably "reach a point" where it would impact on other services.

Several libraries in the county have been taken over by volunteers, while there has been a 75 per cent drop in funding for the voluntary and community sector in Staffordshire.

Mr Atkins said: "As a county council, we have acted swiftly to manage the increasing pressures on our budget.

"Our call now is for the new Government to back the ambitions of well-run councils like Staffordshire by securing a long-term national solution to how we fund care, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities and protect our local roads from further decline.”

He added: "With national Government funding continuing to fall, the council tax we all pay in Staffordshire has to work even harder to not only protect the most vulnerable, but also give everyone the best shot at living as healthy, rewarding and independent a life as possible."