Council tax set to rise amid plans to save £31m

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has proposed to increase council tax and request more government support as it seeks to make savings of more than £31m.

In its draft budget for 2026/27, the authority revealed plans to raise its portion of tax by 4.99% and ask ministers for £10.5m in exceptional financial support (EFS).

Such an increase would mean those who lived in Band D properties would pay the city council an annual rate of £1,783, up from £1,699 in 2025/26.

The authority said it had an initial savings requirement of £31.2m for 2026/27 as it continued to face pressure from factors including the rising cost of social care.

It also put the budget pressures down to "the legacy of over a decade of austerity cuts", which it said had reduced spending power by about 25%.

Other factors it mentioned included national pay awards and "wider inflationary" pressures on energy contracts and supplies.

As part of the savings, the authority is planning to reduce its number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff by 13.9 during the next financial year.

It said it would seek to avoid or minimise redundancies by creating alternative posts, advertising vacancies internally, and minimising the use of agency staff.

Further savings would also be made via "a number of corporate efficiencies" and budget reductions, the authority said.

Public consultation on the draft budget runs until 9 February before the proposals are presented to the full council for a decision on 26 February.

In a foreword to the consultation document, the leader of the Labour-led council Jane Ashworth said the past decade had been "incredibly difficult" for Stoke-on-Trent.

She said the council was committed to "getting the basics right" and "investing in things that matter", including in flood prevention work, enforcement against fly-tipping and bringing empty homes back into use.

"Our ambition remains to create a city that is strong, growing and works for everyone," she said.

"We remain absolutely committed to working in partnership to drive this growth, provide opportunity, remove barriers to opportunity and build stronger, safer communities."

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