Could council get bigger slice of cake in funding shake-up?

Bosses optimistic over government plans

- Phil Corrigan Local Democracy Reporter

A MAJOR funding review could leave Stoke-on-Trent with 'a bigger slice of the cake,' councillors have been told.

But officers at Stoke-on-Trent City Council say it is too early to know whether the government's 'fair funding review' would ease the authority's financial difficulties.

The government has launched a consultation on its proposed overhaul of the council funding system, which will affect how local services are supported from 2026/27 onwards.

Proposed changes include a greater recognition of deprivation, a new way of calculating social care funding, and a 'reset' of the business rates retention system.

From next year the government will also introduce multi-year settlements which should make it easier for councils to plan their spending.