Council tax to rise by 4.99 per cent in Staffordshire

Although two-thirds of Staffordshire’s net budget is earmarked for social care, Staffordshire County Council is also proposing to invest millions of pounds in business sites, superfast broadband, roads and schools.

Leader Alan White said the council’s priorities were to support those in need of help and to use its resources to get communities and businesses moving again after the pandemic.

The authority spent £82m as a result of the pandemic, £2m more than was received from the Government. A cabinet report says the council is forecasting a £2m overspend for this current year.

Councillor White said: "We were particularly keen to get things like PPE quickly and we were very keen to get supplies to shielding people so we did what was necessary.

"It's been a challenge but our staff and our communities have really stepped up in adversity.

"Looking forward we still have a council to run, we are stable, we are well run, we make sure that we are as efficient as we can be, so when we ask people to pay a bit more council tax it's really well spent."

Other investments for 2021/22 include the completion of the Stafford Western Bypass, the completion of the i54 business park extension, the continuation of the Lichfield Southern Bypass and rolling replacement of conventional bulbs in street lights with LED lighting to save energy and cut costs.

The £346.2 million allocated to care for the elderly, adults in need of support and vulnerable children and young people is 65 per cent of the county council’s net budget and is an increase of approximately £26 million on 2020/21.

To reduce some of the costs in this sector, the authority has begun providing more support for families so children can remain with loved ones where it is safe to do so rather than be moved into care, provision of a new children’s home in Stafford, changing policy for Special Educational Needs and Disabled (SEND) pupils so they are educated closer to home at their local mainstream school and working with three neighbouring councils to increase the prospects of looked after children finding permanent homes.

Councillor White added: “In line with the rest of the country most of Staffordshire’s budget is spent on the provision of social care for the elderly and for vulnerable children and young people.

“We are a well-run council but 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.

“The growing demand in this sector is a national challenge rather than a local one and we need central Government to take the lead in finding sustainable long-term solutions.”

The proposed increase of 4.99 per cent comprises a 1.99 per cent general increase and three per cent ringfenced for social care.

This year, Staffordshire has the third lowest county council tax in England and, if approved, this increase equals £1.24 a week for a Band D property.