On the streets of Ashton town centre talking about council tax rises

The cost of living is soaring, bills are going up and people are living ‘on a knife’s edge’. It’s no wonder a council tax rise in Tameside has filled Sophie Walton with dread and fear.

The 31-year-old mum uses a powered wheelchair and lives in a disabled household. She says costs are through the roof at the moment. 

Sophie Walton, 31, from Droylsden.

The news that council tax in Tameside is going up by 4.99 per cent in April has come at a bad time for the Droylsden resident. She’s just forked out over £100 to get her daughter a new school uniform because she’s already outgrown the one she got in September. 

The latest town hall meeting saw the 4.99 per cent hike officially voted through by the local authority. No cuts to services were announced by council bosses.

Sophie told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Generally costs are going up and up and up, it’s ridiculous. My income is not going up in line with everything else, the difference is too much. 

“It seems a little bit, 4.99pc, but it all adds up. The council doesn’t take into account daily living. 

“Gas, electricity, council tax, rent – everything is going up in price. My income went up by 2.5 per cent, not in line with inflation, and I have to find the rest.

“My partner and I have to go without to support our children. It’s like teetering on a knife edge, one wrong step and you could go off the cliff. If you go off that it’s the snowball effect. 

“You sit there stressing and panicking as to where to find it, the extra money.

“Community is what keeps you going because you’re scraping and scrimping. Being told there are more rises coming, that brings dread and fear.”

No one likes to see their bills go up and there were many going about their daily lives in Ashton town centre feeling the pinch. Some were more accepting of the tax increase than others. 

Phil Wood was getting his 10,000 steps a day when he stopped to talk about council tax. The 76-year-old retired engineer said: “I don’t think it fair on pensioners and on a lot of other people. For people who are trying to buy houses as well. 

Phil Wood, 76, in Ashton.

“For me, I live in an apartment, two-bed, there is a four-bedroom house across the road with two garages that’s in the same tax band as me – how does that work out? 

“There are bungalows in band D as well, how can that be right? We get the bins done but it’s not as good as it used to be. 

“I think it’s not anyone’s fault, it’s the country as it is. The country is on its knees.

“I was born in 1949 and it was nothing like this. You were well looked after, you could get a hospital appointment, a doctor’s appointment. It was all totally different.”

Most were generally happy to pay more on council tax if it meant a sustained or improved level of service from their local authority. The bin collections both from homes and in town centres as well as street cleanliness took the brunt of the criticism from locals.

Geoff Lockett, 65, taking in the noisy construction work going on in Market Square, said: “I think some of the services are not as good. The bins, for instance, are constantly missing.

Geoff Lockett, 65, from Droylsden.

“I don’t know if they’re short for something. The council tax is going up every year but the services aren’t improving each year.

“I don’t think we’re getting value for money. They always say their overheads are going up and they’ve got to pay their council staff, so whether the wages are going higher than we can afford I don’t know.

“In my opinion the services aren’t getting better. But people get confused as to where council tax is used.

“So I have used the counselling services Tameside council offer, and I found that was really good. So if that comes from council tax I can see things getting better there.

“The demand, however, is going up. The demand for social services is going up and they’re struggling to keep up.

“On the other side of the coin, when we talk about bins, they are just about getting the centre of Ashton sorted. But I come from Droylsden and the centre of Droylsden is a disgrace – the way it’s been left. 

“Many other town centres in Tameside have gone the same way. They’ve just not had investment at all.”

Geoff wasn’t alone in his positive review of the lesser known sectors of where council tax cash is spent – children’s services, adult services, and homelessness. Most people walking the streets would only notice the regularity of their waste collections as the measure of whether they’re getting bang for their buck. 

Few know how the majority of council tax cash is actually spent in the vital children and adult services. Children’s services has been undergoing a massive improvement project in the borough, so when residents heard this is where their tax is going there was more acceptance of it.

Housing and homelessness receives a share of council tax cash as well. One man who has directly benefited from this is Gary Townley, who has recently moved back to Tameside from France. 

Gary Townley, 65, who has just returned from France.

The 65-year-old amputee said: “When I arrived back from France I was first in a homeless shelter and then they’ve moved me now into temporary housing with the policy to re-house me completely. 

“I got all the disability benefits I need to get by in life as well. They’ve been fantastic to me, the level of care has been unbelievable. 

“It’s more than I could’ve thought. I’m totally happy with what they’ve done for me.

“I’m in a bad position as I have to have more of my leg off at the minute. They understand all this and it’s been great.” 

He added that many people who complain about council tax don’t truly know what this cash is used for until they have a family member in a care home or children with additional needs.

Following the approval of the 2026/27 budget on Monday, March 2, Tameside council’s finance boss, Coun Hugh Roderick, said: “We’ve listened to residents, and are investing in the key services identified as the most important to them, while delivering a balanced budget that achieves long-term financial sustainability.

“We’re making savings not by cutting services our residents rely on, but through modernising the council, working more efficiently and effectively by using the latest technology,

“This means we can invest in regeneration – bringing new homes, jobs and life back into our town centres – alongside caring for children and older people, repairing roads and improving waste collection and street cleaning, as well as cultural events and activities.

“The increased government settlement gives us more stability so that we can plan ahead with confidence, invest in essential services and growth that boosts the local economy. We know that increasing council tax is never an easy decision, especially at a time when many households are feeling the pressure. 

“But every pound we raise goes directly back into supporting the people and communities of Tameside – protecting vital services and helping those who need us most.”

The new annual council tax bill broken down by tax bands, including the anticipated Greater Manchester precepts rises, in Tameside (excluding Mossley Parish Council precept):

• Tax Band A: £1,631.08
• Tax Band B: £1,902.93
• Tax Band C: £2,174.77
• Tax Band D: £2,446.63
• Tax Band E: £2,990.32
• Tax Band F: £3,534.01
• Tax Band G: £4,077.71
• Tax Band H: £4,893.26