Staffordshire tax bills will be frozen for year
Council tax bills in Staffordshire will be frozen for a year, but district council bosses are warning they face tough times.
Cannock Chase District Council confirmed it will not put up its share of the bill – avoiding a costly referendum asking taxpayers if they would be willing to pay more.
The Government demands any authority that wants to raise the rates by more than two per cent has to put the decision to a public vote – something that would be almost certain to fail.
Staffordshire County Council has already decided it is freezing its lion's share of the council tax, while Staffordshire Police's share is also set to stay the same.
Residents in South Staffordshire and Stafford will also pay the same as this year. Lichfield Council will make a decision at the end of February.
But it is being warned that the freeze will put pressure on Cannock Chase District Council, with bosses having to find ways of coping with cuts in government funding and the cost of inflation.
Cannock Chase Council's funding from Government is set to fall by £885,000 in 2014/15 and £907,000 in 2016/17.
Bosses insist that they have enough cash to cover the shortfall of freezing the tax rate for the next year, but need to find £693,000 of savings over the next few years.
And they have stressed they will not be reducing any of the services they offer.
Council leader George Adamson said that it will be a 'very difficult year' for the district.
He said: "The council tax freeze is good news for residents in the district in the short term, yet it will be very difficult for the council to continue to deal with the ongoing reduction in Government funding and 2016/17 will be a difficult year for not only Cannock, but all other councils."
