Conservatives offer residents Council Tax savings and better services

Burton & Uttoxeter residents could enjoy a cut in their council tax bill next year if plans by the Conservative opposition to change the council’s budget are accepted at Thursday' s County Council meeting.

Staffordshire Conservative Group are proposing dropping the council tax increase to 2.5% - the lowest rise for decades and below inflation, offering big savings to local residents. The Conservative budget would also provide:-

• an extra £1.5Million extra cash to repair the County’s deteriorating roads
• an extra £1Million to support new initiatives to raise attainment in schools,
• a further £1Million to invest in targeting anti-social behaviour

Cllr Ian Parry said:-

“We will  propose a relatively small adjustment  to the  Labour Council's budget on Thursday, which will have a major impact on the level of council tax increase as well as  saving  additional cash  which  can be spent on some key priorities for the County – young people, roads and community safety.

The change in council tax to 2.5% instead of the Labour Group’s proposed 4%  is less than  inflation and below  the  likely increase in the state pension. Staffordshire residents have seen their council tax more than double in the last decade under Labour, we want to establish a more efficient and  tightly controlled budget regime." 

The Conservative proposal has been 'signed off' by the Council's senior financial official who has a legal responsibility for ensuring that the final budget set by the Council is within local government rules -  effectively giving the budget amendment validity as financially robust and sustainable.