CONWY’S leader described the proposed council tax rise of 9.4% as a ‘really difficult, complex situation’ as the figure was agreed at a cabinet meeting this week.
But the leader again took aim at the Welsh Government’s funding formula, insisting neighbours Denbighshire had received a quarter of a billion pounds more than Conwy over eight years.
Cabinet met at the Bodlondeb chamber to discuss and agree the draft revenue budget and council tax increase for 2025/2026.
Conwy is set to rubberstamp the budget and council tax rise at a council meeting at Bodlondeb on Thursday 27 February.
But chairing the meeting, council leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey said Conwy expected an increase of 3.6% in its local government settlement from Welsh Government.
Although the 3.6% is a provisional amount, the leader explained the final figure isn’t expected to change much when it is confirmed on February 25.
Cllr McCoubrey then referred to members raising concerns about the level of the rise at a scrutiny committee earlier this week.
The concerns follow Conwy upping council tax by nearly 10% for the third year running.
“I think it has often been said that the most important thing we do as members is set a budget for our officers to carry out and provide the services that our residents need and require, and it is never more important than in these difficult times,” said Cllr McCoubrey.
“Members quite rightly raised concerns about the level of council tax on the back of the two big increases we’ve had the last two years that have had an impact on our residents and the provision of services, the detrimental effect of further cuts.”
He added: “We all know this is a really difficult, complex situation.”
Cllr McCoubrey then said Denbighshire and Gwynedd received £304 and £160 per head more respectively than Conwy from the Welsh Government.
He said when ‘adjusting the tax base’ this meant Denbighshire received £30m a year more than Conwy.
He added: “I’ve been a councillor since 2017. If we were funded at that level, it would be a quarter of a billion pounds (more). Huge sums of money.”
The leader added this was especially unfair as Conwy had a much more elderly population, with 27% being over 65, the second oldest population in the UK.
Cllr McCoubrey said the formula used by the Welsh Government to calculate how much local authorities received in the local government settlement was 20 years out of date.
Backbencher Cllr Paul Luckock said he’d be voting for the 9.4% increase at the council meeting on 27 February.
Cllr Luckock added he thought council tax should be ‘a bit higher’ because there were ‘grim times’ ahead with school budgets.
The proposed budget allows for £2.517m of cuts to council departments, affecting services. The proposed increase follows a 9.67% council tax rise last year and a rise of 9.9% the year before.
Cabinet backed the budget, which will be recommended to council on February 27.
