No rise in Council Tax and new support scheme launched
Published on 23 February 2023
Council tax payers in Staffordshire Moorlands will not face increases in their bills in the coming year after the District Council agreed a 0% increase - meaning Band D payments are frozen at £163.14.
The District Council has set its budget for providing essential services at £11.7m for 2023/34 - and agreed changes to the council tax reduction scheme to allow more support to be given to households on the lowest incomes.
These changes will:
· make it easier for working age applicants to apply
· to provide more support to the lowest income households
· maintain current levels of support for other households
Pension age applicants are not affected by these changes as the support they receive is prescribed by the Government.
Councillor Mike Worthington, Cabinet Member for Finance, said: "The rising costs of living continue to affect us all and, at a time when households are already making difficult decisions about how to spend their money, we were very mindful not to add further pressure to stretched budgets.
"That's why we're pleased to announce that our residents will not face increased council tax bills for the next year. At the same, we're also increasing the support we're able to offer to our lowest income households.
"Both of these measures will be a real help to people in our District and will not impact on the high quality, essential public services we deliver.
"We will, of course, continue to constantly seek ways to deliver these services as efficiently as possible to ensure we are using all of our resources to best effect."
The District Council collects council tax on behalf of the County Council, Police and Fire Authorities and town and parish councils but only spends 9% of the total.
The funding is used to provide Council services including affordable housing, waste and recycling, street cleaning, leisure centres, parks and playgrounds development and maintenance, support for local businesses, crime prevention activities, benefits services and elections.
There's more information about Council Tax on our website where residents can also sign up for a 'My Council Tax' account online enabling them to:
· View information at any time
· change their method of payment
· report a change of address or ownership
· apply for single persons discount
· help save paper and reduce costs by signing up for electronic bills and notifications
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