Trafford Council has approved its 2026/27 budget, which leader Tom Ross described as "one of the most difficult tasks" of his political career.
The £273.7 million revenue budget includes £110 million for adult social care and £64 million for children's services. The capital programme includes £11.2 million for road repairs, £14.7 million for schools and £13 million for leisure facilities including the new Partington Leisure Centre.
To balance the books, the council required emergency government support for the second consecutive year - including permission to raise council tax by 7.49% and a £9.6 million loan.
Council tax will rise by just over £2 a week for a Band A property and just over £3 a week for Band D. Despite the increase, Trafford remains the second lowest council tax in Greater Manchester.
While the budget is balanced for 2026/27, council documents reveal a £27.1 million funding gap remains over the following two years.
Finance director Graeme Bentley warned that "the financial risk the Council is exposed to, given the impact of the Fair Funding Review, has never been greater."
Cllr Ross blamed the government's funding formula: "We are still one of the lowest funded metropolitan councils in England. Trafford's funding will rise by only 3.8 per cent over the next three years, compared with a metropolitan council average rise of 20 per cent.
"We are also dealing with a structural deficit in our budget and we will continue our dialogue with the Government to help Trafford get a better deal in the future."
The council confirmed there are no plans for compulsory redundancies and said it would not be going bankrupt.
Cllr Ross said: "I'm proud of the services we provide as a council. They matter and they need to be funded. Our long-term financial stability also matters to me. This is why I am prepared to take difficult, but necessary, decisions for the long term.
"This budget supports the services people need every day including street cleaning, waste collection, recycling and libraries, and parks. It makes sure we are still investing millions of pounds in road repairs and maintenance."
He pledged to support residents struggling with the council tax rise through the council's tax support scheme, local welfare assistance and a new Crisis and Resilience Fund. A 25% discount for single adult households remains in place.
For a typical Band C property in Altrincham - the most common locally - council tax will rise by £141 per year to £2,026.48.
However, property values in Altrincham are higher than the borough average, with over 32% of homes in Bands E to H compared to 17% across Trafford. Band G properties, which account for nearly one in ten Altrincham homes, will see bills rise by £265 to £3,799.75.
The budget assumes further increases of 4.99% in both 2027/28 and 2028/29.
