The leader of Staffordshire County Council says helping residents in Lichfield and Burntwood to “have money in their pocket to lead the lives they want” will be the authority’s key focus in 2018.
Cllr Philip Atkins, who has led the Conservative-controlled council since 2009, made his comments in a New Year message to other authorities and public services across the region.
He added that economic growth would help people to help themselves.
“Ensuring people are in work and have money in their pocket to lead the lives they want remains the most important thing we can do to improve family incomes and reduce demand on public services in a time of tighter funding,” Cllr Atkins said.
“In recent years the county council has been increasingly honest that we can no longer afford all the things we used to do or would like to do.
“We need to find different ways of working that help people to help themselves, take greater personal responsibility for their own lives, health and wellbeing, and greater responsibility for improving their own communities.
“Get this right, and reduce demand on public services, and we can target the resources we have at the people who really need them.”
