Council tax is to rise by 3.5 per cent in Stockport after last night’s meeting of the council agreed the budget for the next financial year

2.5% (or an additional £43.75 for Band D properties) relates to a rise in the Adult Social Care Precept. This will help to tackle the increasing costs as a result of increasing demand and other pressures in adult social care across the Borough.

• 1.00% (or an additional £17.50 for Band D properties) will go towards ensuring the council can continue to fund essential frontline services, and also make investments which will save or generate funds to prepare the council for a future of self-reliance and sustainability.

The rise is below the 4.5% allowable increase which government expect the council to increase Council Tax by to ensure it has the resources needed to deliver core services such as adults social care, children social care, road maintenance and waste management

Councillor Elise Wilson, Leader of Stockport Council, said: “This is a budget for our times. A budget to balance the immense pressures of today with the extraordinary opportunities of tomorrow. Every pound in every paragraph of this budget factored in the cost of living for the lowest paid and the most vulnerable. It’s why there is a project for veterans, an initiative I am particularly proud of; there is money to protect against future floods and cash to reduce anti-social behaviour. Most of all, It is a budget of fairness and of the future.

“No Council Leader wants to raise council tax, especially when our country is so unsettled. There is a cost of living crisis related to fuel, food and energy costs. Inflation is rising, and an increase in national insurance is on the way. Many will struggle. The choice between heating and eating is real. Every pound in every paragraph of this budget matters. Every pound, and that is why the rise will go towards tackling the increasing cost of adult social care across the borough, which impacts us all and is key to maintaining the welfare of our most vulnerable residents. That is what I mean when I say this is a budget about fairness.

“But it is also a budget for the future. A budget that thinks about our children and our grandchildren and the Stockport they will have many years from now. It is a budget full of investment to begin a new era for Stockport. Our town is on the brink of a once in a generation change. We are committed to transforming Stockport into a world-class place to spend time, creating jobs and learning opportunities. And above all, committed to the people of Stockport.”

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