Rochdale Borough Council is again planning to introduce a Council Tax discount scheme for local residents while protecting funding for vital social services.
Under the proposed move, thousands of households in the borough will be given a two per cent discount on their 2026/27 bills. The discount scheme, which was also implemented in 2023 and 2024, will mean an average £41 reduction on residents’ annual bills over the next 12 months.
To safeguard crucial local services, while reducing the cost to local residents, the council’s proposal will increase bills by the full 4.99 per cent amount permitted by the government, but gives every household in the borough 2 per cent back using money from its reserves.
The proposal has been developed ahead of the council’s budget setting meeting, which is being held later month, and is where the final Council Tax levels will be determined by councillors.
The cost of the discount for 2026/27 is estimated to be circa £3 million.
If the proposals are agreed at the budget setting meeting on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, the discount is planned to be taken off bills before they are issued to households at the beginning of March.
That discount scheme means the annual additional charge for Band A homes, which make up 53 per cent of homes in the borough of Rochdale, will be £1.16 per week. The discount will not be applied to empty properties.
Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of the council, said:
“Our proposal for this year’s Council Tax bills is about ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality value for money services, while ensuring residents have a discount on their Council Tax to help with their household budgets. We are protecting frontline services across Heywood, Middleton, Pennines and Rochdale and ensuring any increase to council tax is fair and balanced.
“Combined with our recent cash injection of £3.5 million through the Ward Capital Fund, this underlines that not only are we protecting services, we are investing in future growth, delivering the bread and butter initiatives that matter most to people and providing a discount off residents’ Council Tax bills. As leader of the council, I am proud of the package of measures we will be putting forward on 25 February 2026 and I hope they receive the backing they deserve.”