Shropshire Council highlights financial support for residents following Council Tax rise

Shropshire Council is keen to highlight the range of support available to any Shropshire residents who have are worried about paying their Council Tax. New pages on the council’s website have been developed that set out the many different ways that the council can help residents with their Council Tax, and money concerns more generally. People are urged to visit Council tax assistance | Shropshire Council 

Following years of real-term reductions in funding from central government, on Thursday 26 February, Shropshire Council approved the proposal to increase Council Tax by 8.99%. The decision to raise Council Tax follows the granting of special permission from the Government. Normally, in England, Council Tax rises are capped at 4.99%. However, as part of Shropshire Council’s application to the government for Exceptional Financial Support (EFS), the council was granted permission to increase Council Tax by an additional 4%.  

There is a wide range of support on offer. The web pages show how residents can: 

Spread the cost: by opting for twelve smaller annual instalments rather than ten 

Reduce the cost: showing who can get a reduction in Council Tax, including people on low incomes, who live with disabilities, who are care leavers, and residents who live by themselves 

Improve household income: Our Household Support Fund (called the Crisis Resilience Fund from 1 April 2026) contains lots of help and advice, including free school meals, help with electricity, water, phone and broadband bills, heating, and what benefits people are entitled to, including universal credit and more. 

Shropshire Council wishes to advise residents that any requests to change/amend Council Tax after 26 February 2026 will not show on the annual bill that they receive through the post or by e-mail, from 9 March 2026 onwards. There’s nothing to worry about: if those changes/amendments have been approved, residents will receive a revised bill after that. This is simply due to when Council Tax bills are produced and sent out. These changes/amendments include: changing instalments from ten to twelve months; discounts including single person discounts; method of payment changes; and Council Tax support awards. There is no need to contact the council – residents will receive a revised bill soon. 

So how much extra will Council Tax rise by? 

This table shows how much extra you’ll pay over the year, and how much each month. (Please note that the annual and monthly increases in Council Tax are shown below for Shropshire Council only. These figures don’t include the police, fire service or town and parish precepts.) 

Councillor Heather Kidd, Leader of Shropshire Council, said: 

“After years of chronic underfunding from central government, we’ve been left with no other choice but to increase Council Tax. It is not a decision any of us want to make, but it’s the only way we can protect the many essential services that the people of Shropshire rely on us to provide. 

“I don’t want this increase to add to the financial pressures that many people and families are under right now. I’m keen to stress that there is a wide range of support on offer from the council for anyone who’s struggling.  

“We really want to help. Many people don’t know what help is on offer, or whether they are eligible for discounts to their Council Tax. For example, if you’re on a low income, if you (or people you live with) have disabilities, or if you’ve recently left care, you may well be eligible for a discount, or in some cases, may not have to pay at all. 

“And that’s not all: if you’re struggling with bills and debt, we can help you with anything from free school meals during term time, heating, and even phone and broadband bills. 

“I urge anyone who is struggling financially to visit the new web pages and get in touch as soon as possible – we want to help, and can only do so if you tell us about your situation.  

“And if you know anyone who might be struggling, please ask them to contact us, too. We want to get the message out to everyone in Shropshire that financial help and support is available.” 

People can see the full range of support offered by Shropshire Council here: Council tax assistance | Shropshire Council