Savings agreed by council chiefs
More than £60 million of savings have been approved by council leaders in Staffordshire.
Staffordshire County Council’s full council agreed to plans including spending £320m on care and council tax rising by 3.99 per cent.
Leader Philip Atkins said despite the pressures of spending a record £320m on the care of increasing numbers of vulnerable adults and children in Staffordshire, the county council remained ambitious for the county and for the people who live and work in Staffordshire.
He said: “65 per cent of our budget is now spent on caring for the frail elderly and vulnerable children, but we have acted swiftly to manage these challenges and will continue to do so.
“Taking this proactive approach has allowed us to be in a strong position today to invest in bringing wider benefits to Staffordshire families by growing the economy, creating better jobs and helping more people lead healthier, independent and more rewarding lives.
“We remain committed to focusing on these key areas and our call now is for the Government to back the ambitions of well-run councils like Staffordshire by securing a long-term national solution for funding areas such as care, special education needs and roads.”
County council tax will increase by 3.99 percent, which includes the Government’s two percent levy towards funding the care bill. This is less than £1 per week more on the average bill for a Band D Property.
It will also continue to implement plans to make the council even more efficient by reducing the council’s own running costs by £62m between 2019 and 2024.
The council’s budget for 2020/21, its Medium Term Financial Strategy and its strategic plan, which sets out the council’s key priorities, were approved at full council following a named voted, with 45 votes “for” the motion and nine abstentions.
