Stockport Council sets its 2025/2026 Budget – protecting essential services amid financial challenges

Despite ongoing financial pressures, the council is working hard to protect the vital services residents rely on while maintaining a stable financial position.

Understanding the challenges

For more than 15 years, government funding to councils has steadily declined in real terms.

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council, said: “Putting more onto local taxpayers is not a choice we would make – but it is the reality we face.

“Everyone knows how tough things are for councils right now. The government simply isn’t funding local services properly. It was only a couple of months ago that Stockport received no share of the Recovery Grant fund from Government, one of only three metropolitan councils across the country to get no money, making our financial position once again extremely difficult. That said, with councils across the country ‘going bankrupt’, I’m proud that Stockport remains financially secure – but this hasn’t happened by accident.

"We’ve made tough decisions year after year to protect services while keeping Council Tax as low as possible. Our teams have embraced new ways of working in a bid to ensure they can be efficient as possible, with this year alone finding efficiency savings to the tune of £3m.

“Unfortunately, we can’t fund the cost of services from efficiencies alone. We know that any rise in Council Tax or new charges will add pressure to household budgets, and we don’t take that lightly. We have looked at every possible alternative to protect key services. But to be clear: Government funding assumptions require councils to increase Council Tax to bridge gaps in local services. This year, Stockport is receiving one of the lowest funding increases of any Metropolitan Borough, at 6.5% compared to the 9.19% average.”

What this means for residents

To set a balanced budget, the council is making a series of changes:

Council Tax increase

• Council Tax will increase by 4.99% (2.99% general increase + 2% Adult Social Care Precept)
• this equals a £1.90 per week increase for a Band D property
• even with this increase, three-quarters of Stockport’s budget supports essential services for vulnerable children and adults

Changes to kerbside garden waste collections

Charging for kerbside garden waste collection is standard practice across the country. Around 80% of councils already charge for this service, with fees of up to £94 per year for a fortnightly collection.

Stockport was one of the few councils still offering free, weekly garden and food waste collection, but rising costs have made this unsustainable. Following approval at the Budget Council meeting:

Garden waste collection will move to an opt-in system. If residents opt-in then collections would be weekly:

• £59 per year (discounted to £39 for residents on Council Tax support)
• food waste collection remains free for all residents
• blue bin (paper) collection will change from fortnightly to monthly

Cllr Mark Roberts, Deputy Leader of the Council, said: “Introducing new charges is never a decision we take lightly. We fully understand the impact on residents. However, this charge helps us reduce the savings we need to find elsewhere, protecting vital frontline services like libraries, pools, parks, and social care. It also ensures that garden waste collection can continue, while food waste collection remains at no additional cost.”

Keeping Stockport’s finances stable

Stockport has been recognised for strong financial management at a time when more councils (30 in total) than ever before are applying to government to increase council tax beyond the existing threshold.

Key 2025/26 statistics

• Council Tax: 4.99% increase (2.99% general + 2% for Adult Social Care)
• government funding: Stockport’s increase is 6.5%, below the 9.19% national average for Metropolitan Boroughs

Where funding comes from:

• £206m raised from Council Tax (including Adult Social Care Precept)
• only £49m comes from government funding
• efficiency Savings: £8.4m in changes, including £3m in efficiency savings to improve service delivery
• Council Tax Impact: £1.90 per week increase for a Band D property

Cllr Jilly Julian, Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources, added: " We’ve had to find savings of £26m this year, £12m the previous year, and £10m prior to that. We’ve spent a year discussing key pressure-points in Scrutiny, Council meetings and working groups. The choices that have been available to us in previous years are simply not there. Tweaks don’t come close to filling the gap, and sticking plasters don’t hold in the face of year-on-year challenges.

“But we are still investing in what matters: cleaning up the borough, keeping our roads and drainage systems maintained, supporting families through the cost-of-living crisis, and improving road safety – especially around schools."

"The Local Government Association has identified a £4 billion funding black hole for English councils over the next two years, eventually rising to £8.4bn by 2029.

“We urgently need the government to fix this broken system. Until then, we will continue making the tough choices needed to protect Stockport’s future.”

In making its decisions, Stockport Council has done its best to minimise the impact on services that support Stockport’s most vulnerable residents and businesses. The council continues to do all it can to support residents and businesses with the rising cost of living. You can visit our cost of living hub, which rounds up the support available for those who need it.

For more information on council tax, please visit the Council Tax page.