Stafford council tax set to be frozen - despite need to save £1m over three years

Cabinet members of Stafford Borough Council agreed to freeze council tax for residents at a meeting on Thursday night.

A final decision will be made at a full council meeting next month.

Under the proposal, Band D homes will continue to be charged £147.42 a year.

But precepts or charges requested by the parish and county councils, plus the police and fire services, will still need to be added on.

The borough's finance boss, Councillor Ken Williamson, said: "It is a balanced budget for the next three years and that is why we are not raising council tax, despite a £843,000 cut in core funding from the Government.

"Not many councils can boast to have frozen council tax and maintain services. But we have successfully maintained services."

"We are putting money back in the reserves over the next three years."

He added: "In previous years we anticipated that there would be cuts in Government funding so we have had a gradual programme of efficiencies to ease the reduction."

The authority is sharing some services, such as its IT, legal and finance departments with Cannock Chase Council to save costs.

Chiefs are looking to save more than £1 million over the next three years.

It comes after they aside £6 million to build a new leisure centre development at Westbridge Park, in Stone.

Deputy leader Councillor Mike Smith told the meeting: "It is very pleasing to me as the leisure portfolio holder that we are going to sort out the facilities in Stone."

The leisure project is for a new centre with a six-lane swimming pool, a children's play area and youth facilities on the park.

The scheme could also include a new sports hall and artificial soccer pitch at Alleyne's Academy as well as improved football pitches at Walton Common.

Last year the borough council reduced the council tax charge by two per cent.

The decision, which bucked the trend of other local authorities across the country, was made by possible by the council making extra savings to its budget.

It followed a period where the tax had been frozen for four years.