Councillors set Tamworth Borough Council’s council tax and budget for 2025/26

• Council tax increase of only 2.99%, despite significant inflationary pressures
• For most, that is less than 10pence a week increase
• Increase due to inflationary cost increases and reducing government grants

At Full Council on Tuesday 25 February, councillors approved the Tamworth Borough Council 2025/26 council tax level and budget. 

Council tax increase has been set at 2.99 per cent. This is an increase of £6.06 per year on the average D property. For most Tamworth residents who live in properties with a council tax band A, B or C the increase is 10p or less per week.

Due to increasing costs and reducing government grants, setting the council’s budget is challenging, and there is a significant deficit forecast between the money coming in and the costs of services. Whilst this can be met from council reserves in the short term, savings of over £3.5m per year are necessary from 2028/29 to balance the budget.

Councillors have however taken crucial decisions to prioritise improvements in council services and increase spending in areas such as increased funding for housing repairs, improvements and compliance works, home adaptions for disabled residents, waste management and recycling, improving play areas, carbon reduction works on council properties and more. Plus, the council tax reduction scheme introduced last year will be continued, providing financial support to those most financially vulnerable within Tamworth communities. 

Leader of the Council, Councillor Carol Dean said: “The prevailing economic climate has increased financial pressures on all public sector bodies and here in Tamworth we’re no exception. 

“The previous administration set a budget and agreed spending beyond their means. Now my cabinet and I are having to fix that while still prioritising spend on critical services Tamworth communities deserve and need.   

"We plan to make savings by critically assessing how we do things while investing in technology to streamline our approach.

“The strong budget we have set is one that prioritises the things that are important to local people and sets a path to making substantial savings in the future while continuing to deliver high quality services to local people.”

If no Council Tax increase is approved in 2025/26, there would be a deficit of £4.1m in 2026/27, £4.1m in 2027/28 and £4.3m in 2028/29. 

Around 10p in every pound in council tax is retained by Tamworth Borough Council which, for the next financial year, will generate £4.93m towards the provision of services by Tamworth Borough Council. Much of the remainder of the council tax bill goes to Staffordshire County Council, plus payments to the police and fire authorities. 

The money that Tamworth Borough Council collects through council tax helps pay for services such as household waste collection and recycling, street cleansing, and maintaining parks and open spaces, Tamworth Castle, Tamworth Assembly Rooms and outdoor events such as St George’s Day celebrations.

Leader of the council, Carol Dean, along with her cabinet, has set out overall plans for general fund and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) revenue spending, and the five-year general fund and HRA capital spending programme, which sees significant improvements to council housing. Council housing improvements are paid for by the rent tenants pay and specific government grants which can only be spent on social housing.

At the heart of the budget decisions is a commitment to continue to prioritise and protect the most vulnerable members of the community.