Leaders at Stoke-on-Trent City Council are proposing nearly £10 million of budget savings – but residents will not be able to have their say on them.

For the first time in years the city council's draft budget does not include any individual savings for public consultation – but it does include £9.8 million of budget management actions and 'non-consult savings'.

Council leaders say that none of the proposed savings will directly impact on frontline services, and so do not need to be consulted on.

But Stoke-on-Trent residents will be able to have their say on the overall draft budget for 2026/27, which includes proposals for a 4.99 per cent council tax rise.

And the council is also planning to ask the government for a further £10.5 million in exceptional financial support (EFS) to balance next year's budget.

This is down on the £16.8 million of EFS received last year, but will bring the total amount of bailouts requested by the council since 2024 to nearly £70 million.

This money will need to be paid back by the council or whichever unitary authority replaces it following local government reorganisation.

Council chiefs say the budget will mean more money for 'people's priorities', such as gulley clearing and dealing with fly-tipping, with a £462,000 investment in 'enhanced' environmental enforcement, and the capacity of the empty homes team being doubled.

The council also hopes to continue to deliver the Money MOT service, and has received Government funding to improve bus services over the next four years.

Council leader Jane Ashworth says that the lack of savings for consultation is a good sign, and criticised previous administrations for making swingeing cuts to services.

She said: "If you are making cuts that attack the frontline services then you have to go out to public consultation. And that's what the previous Conservative administration did.

"They went out to consultation on terrible cuts to things like meals on wheels, museum opening time and addiction services.

"The changes that we are making will not affect frontline services. The rulebook says we don't need to consult, so we won't.

"However, when we have talked with the unions and stakeholders, we will be able to say more about how we are transforming our services to deliver more and cost less.

"The non-consult savings are about transition, they are about improving services, not cutting frontline services.

"They key thing about this budget is that we are internally juggling with money, to make sure that we are able to increase our investment in the critical things that really bother people.

"That's about gulley cleaning, it's about enforcement and action on empty homes. We've been able to create additional resource to do those things."

The non-consult savings will be published later this week, and will be subject to scrutiny by councillors.

This is the first council budget since the government's fair funding review, which has seen the authority's core spending power increase by 5.4 per cent, compared to a national average of 5.7 per cent.

But the council says that it is still under 'significant' financial pressure, largely due to increasing demand for social care for children and adults – these services now account for 58 per cent of the council's budget.

According to the budget consultation document, 'low hanging fruit' savings have already been made, and any further cuts to services could mean the council would be failing to meet its legal duties.

Cllr Ashworth defended the decision to request a further EFS bailout. She said: "The borrowing began long before I was leader of the council.

"It began under the Conservatives, and it still goes on, because we have to get on top of the issue of our children's services. That's the problem.

"When the market is charging so much for private sector placements, we are always going to be under financial pressure."

Public consultation on the draft budget will run until February 9.

Residents can have their say by visiting the Stoke-on-Trent City Council website here.

They can also write to Budget 2026, c/o Executive Assistant to the Corporate Director of Resources (S151 Officer), Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke ST4 1HH.