Sheffield City Council has raised council tax by 4.99% in their most recent budget meeting.

The council raised the tax in the city by 4.99%, with 2% of the raise being dedicated to adult social care. This is the maximum amount that the council can increase council tax by without triggering a local referendum. 

The council currently spends over a third of its budget on adult health and social care. 

Councillor Zahira Naz, chair of the finance committee, said: “These are not simply pressures on a spreadsheet. They represent children who need support, families who need stability and older residents who deserve dignity in care.

“How we respond is not just a matter of finance, it is a test of our values as a city.”

To try to help vulnerable people with the rising cost of council tax, Sheffield City Council has also increased the Council Tax Hardship fund by £200k for 2026/27 and will now total £2.8 million.

Councillor Angela Argenzio, leader of the Green Group, said: “Labour will say that austerity is over but that is not how it feels for many Sheffielders for whom the cost of living crisis is a fact of everyday life. Council tax is just one of the bills they have to pay for local services.”

She added: “Our council, us all together, will always seek to innovate, to be more efficient, to deliver value for money and to spend every penny of public funding in the most appropriate way.

“However, it is fundamental change that we need at a national level if we are to truly realise how council can make a real positive difference to people’s lives and transform the communities we live in. 

“Then we can really build a brighter future together. For people, prosperity and our planet.”

Band A dwellings, which make up the majority of homes in the council’s area, will now collect £1420.16 and band D homes will charge £2130.23 for 2026/27 after the rise. 

The council will raise £18.2 million more in council tax than in 2025/26, coming to a total of £319.5 million received.