Council agrees budget for delivering essential services

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has set its budget for providing essential services to residents, businesses and visitors at £14.4 million for the coming year.

A council tax increase of £5.17 (2.99%)has been agreed setting Band D payments at £178.21 for 2026/27.

Councillors also agreed to revise the council tax reduction scheme to:

·       Allow all applicants who receive Universal Credit but who do not have any earnings to receive the maximum amount of support

·       Disregard any compensation payments from the Post Office Horizon and the infected blood compensation schemes and the LGBT financial recognition scheme when calculating any entitlement

·       Align the temporary absence rules in the current working age scheme with those prescribed by the Government for the pension age scheme

Councillor Chris Wood, Cabinet member for Finance, said: "The Council's budget pays for the essential everyday services our residents and businesses rely on including waste and recycling collections, our leisure centres, parks and green spaces, and supporting our town centres and villages to thrive.

"We are always mindful of the need to strike a fair balance between keeping costs for Moorlands council tax payers as low as possible whilst maintaining the high-quality services people rely on.

"We know some people need additional help with their council tax and support is available for those who need it. We've agreed to expand our council tax reduction scheme to ensure it provides sufficient support for our lowest income households and is applied fairly. There's more information on our website and our teams can also help so please contact us if this applies to you."

The District Council collects council tax on behalf of the County Council, Police and Fire Authorities and town and parish councils but only retains around 10% of the total.

There's more information about council tax on our website where people can also sign up for an online council tax account enabling them to:

·       View information at any time

·       Change their method of payment

·       Report a change of address or ownership

·       Apply for a single person discount

·       Help save paper and reduce costs by signing up for electronic bills and notifications

For anyone not able to access our services online, our customer advisors are available to assist either by phoning 0345 605 3010 or visiting our receptions at Biddulph, Cheadle and Leek.

Published on 26 February 2026