The leader of Stockport Council has said "nothing's been ruled out" when it comes to cuts to services as the local authority tries to find more than £40 million in savings by 2027/28.

Lib Dem Councillor Mark Hunter told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that his administration is "looking right across the range of services" to balance the books, but that the situation is set to become increasingly difficult in the coming years.

The council currently spends more than half of its annual budget on care services, Cllr Hunter said, but he vowed to keep libraries and community centres open for residents, and ruled out introducing charges for refuse collection.

Cllr Hunter said: "There will be a council tax increase this year, we've never made any secret of that and it will be consistent with what you'll be seeing in other areas.

"We've got prudent levels of reserves in Stockport, we're always very cautious financially, and I think we've been a well-run authority for many years.

"The bigger challenges are coming down the track in subsequent years, there's no doubt about that. There's going to be savings, we've got to balance the books and we will do that.

"We've been looking right across the range of services that the council offers. We've been looking at everything, nothing's been ruled out."

Despite the pressures, Stockport council is not currently in danger of bankrupcy like some other local authorities across the country (Image - Alasdair Perry)

A report about the council's budget proposals has stated that £48m needs to be saved by 2027/28.

This includes a 4.99 per cent increase in council tax for 2024/25, made up of a 2.99pc general council tax increase, and a 2pc adult social care precept council tax increase.

The budget will be presented by Cllr Jilly Julian, Stockport's cabinet member for finance and resources, on February 22.

Deputy leader Cllr Mark Roberts said the government is "strangling" local authorities by not providing enough financial support to councils run by all political parties.

He said: "Frankly, it's not a party political point, I'm hearing that from Conservative councillors in different councils as well.

"What makes me nervous is that we're not really getting a steer from Labour or the Conservatives over how they're going to handle the challenge of financing local government. It's a difficult time for all councils."

(Image - Alasdair Perry)

Cllr Hunter called for a "fundamental reset" in how local government services are funded.

He added: "Whatever the new government might be, I hope it will be a high priority item for them."

Town halls receive funding from Westminster in the form of the local government finance settlement.

A department for levelling up, housing, and communities spokesperson said: "We recognise councils are facing challenges and that is why we recently announced an additional £600 million support package for councils across England, increasing their overall proposed funding for next year to £64.7 billion – a 7.5pc increase in cash terms.

"This additional funding has been welcomed by leading local government organisations, but we remain ready to talk to any concerned council about its financial position."

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