Message from the Leader of the Council - Councillor Ken Lupton
Your Council continues our strong commitment to providing quality, value-for-money services closely geared to local needs, at one of the North East's lowest levels of Council Tax.
Our budget this year is the first under power-sharing arrangements following the 2007 local elections. It is designed to continue the good work of recent years by ensuring continued investment in services to better meet residents' needs, whilst also meeting Government efficiency targets. We aim to build on our earlier successes, which have seen the Council achieve national recognition.
The Audit Commission continues to rank Stockton amongst England's best performing councils. Our strong financial management has enabled us to become one of only two authorities in England to achieve the highest rating for the way we use our resources - including value for money. Amongst a host of achievements, our success in winning the Best City Award in the Britain in Bloom competition perhaps deomonstrates best how our Borough continues to change for the better.
These successes and countless service improvements arise from our work to identify the needs of residents across the borough and target our resources into effective services to meet your priorities.
Despite receiving the Tees Valley's lowest percentage increase in government grant, our 4.5% rise in Council Tax equates to just 63p per week more for a Band A home, and we are proposing to reduce the increases over the medium term.
The Council also collects Council Tax on behalf of Cleveland Police (9.97% increase), Cleveland Fire Authority (4.9% increase) and Parish Council's (20.5% increase), leading to a combined increase in Council Tax for all authorities of 5.27%.
