Staffordshire council tax rise to cover increasing costs of care
Council tax in Staffordshire is set to rise by nearly five per cent in a bid to address growing demand in social care.
County Council chiefs have recommended an increase of 4.99 per cent – meaning taxpayers will shell out an extra £64.67 for a Band D property in 2021-22.
The rise includes three per cent for adult social care, and is expected to be signed off at a full council meeting next month.
Bosses say that due to growing demand, nearly two thirds of the entire budget – £346.2m – will be spent on social care for the elderly, adults in need of support and vulnerable children and young people.
It marks an increase of £26m on last year and a record for the authority. Staffordshire County Council leader Alan White, said: “We have taken huge steps to rethink how we approach care in Staffordshire so it can be done affordably, safely and close to home, with a focus on early intervention.
“But despite being a well-run council next year social care will again account for two-thirds of our expenditure and the need to fund this is responsible for more than half of the proposed increase in council tax.
“Growing demand in this sector remains a national challenge and we need central Government to take the lead in finding sustainable long-term solutions.”
As part of the budget a £109m investment package has been unveiled, including £69m on roads and bridges and spending £26m maintaining and extending the schools.
Thrive
It includes £7m on the Stafford Western Bypass, £3m for the 60-acre i54 Western Extension in South Staffordshire, £600,000 for the Eastgate regeneration scheme in Stafford, £300,000 to create more space at business parks in Cannock and Newcastle, and £2.8m towards a new health centre in Burntwood.
New support programmes for businesses will include £860,000 to fund wages for 500 apprentices, a training top-up fund for businesses to upskill employees and a grants scheme to enable small businesses to thrive.
Mr White said the investment was aimed at helping the county “bounce back after the pandemic”.
“We will carry on spending money on schools, business parks, roads and broadband to get the economy moving again so that existing businesses grow and new ones take root here to create the opportunities for a better life for our residents,” he added.
A budget report earlier this month acknowledged the risk Covid-19 posed to the county’s finances.
In the past year Staffordshire has the third lowest county council tax in the country.
It went up by £49.72 a year for a Band D property in 2020-21, a spike of 3.99 per cent. In 2019-20 the rise was 2.95 per cent, or £35.71 a year.
