Stoke-on-Trent Council budget plans risks 200 jobs

New budget plans for Stoke-on-Trent City Council will threaten 200 jobs and could mean raising council tax by three per cent to pay for extra social care.

The council, led by a coalition of City Independents and Conservatives, maintained that cutting 202 jobs could generate £61 million in savings.

The three per cent rise means council tax for a Band D property would increase from £1,183.46 in 2016-17 to £1,218.96 in 2017-18.

The budget proposal also involves moving six children's centres into other council buildings or schools, which the council says would save £3 million.

Other proposals include a £1.5 million refurbishment of Hanley market and building a £9.5 million multi-storey car park near Stoke railway station and Staffordshire University.

The council also claims raising rates will help to pay for 230 carers to help look after older people, while more than 100 of the planned redundancies will be from the Co-Operative Working scheme set up in February to help vulnerable people.

Council leader David Conway maintained that raising tax rates was the right thing to do given the circumstances: "We have to save £61m over the next three years - we have to do it, we have to manage the business.”