The Plaid Cymru group on Caerphilly County Borough Council has urged the ruling Labour group not to increase council tax by 2.35% from April.
Under proposals, a rise of 2.35% would add £21 to Band D household bills in the county borough. The previous Plaid administration froze council tax over the last two financial years.
The Labour group has dismissed the plea.
Councillor Colin Mann, who leads the Plaid group, said: “The recent chief officers’ pay débâcle has created huge public discontent and, we believe, it would now be the wrong to pass on a council tax rise. These pay deals will cost more than £1.1m over four years.
“Families and individuals are struggling to make ends meet – fuel, food and energy bills are rising and many people have seen their take-home pay frozen or reduced. Labour cabinet members have also acknowledged the struggles people are facing so any rise is unwelcome at this time.”
Cllr Mann added: “Caerphilly council should follow the lead set by the former Plaid administration and peg charges.
“The medium term financial strategy prepared under the Plaid administration gave an indicative increase in council tax of 2.35%. But there is no necessity for councillors to follow that and I hope the Labour administration will plump for a freeze.”
“An indication is just that – Plaid would have been working from last year’s elections to reduce the increase. Labour has also benefited from over £5 million in advance savings made by Plaid, which has already fed into this budget.”
Caerphilly Council leader Cllr Harry Andrews said: “This budget proposal will allow us to build on our success to date and continue to deliver improved services to our communities.”
A Caerphilly Labour group spokesperson added: “With this modest council tax rise, we have matched the increase to the rise planned by the last, Plaid Cymru-controlled administration in February 2012. So we look forward to the nationalists’ support for this at the council meeting on February 27.
“Not only can we now protect our council’s essential services – we can also honour Labour’s council election manifesto pledges, by scrapping Plaid Cymru’s unpopular charges for bulky waste household collections, and investing more in youth service provision across the county borough.
“In hard times, Labour will still deliver for the people of Caerphilly County Borough.”
Caerphilly Labour group spokesperson Cllr Gez Kirby added: “The Nationalists are all over the place on council tax. They planned a 2.35% increase this year. Now Labour propose a 2.35% rise, Plaid Cymru have suddenly changed their mind and called for a council tax freeze. They don’t seem to know their tax from their elbow.
“Cllr Mann knows that the Westminster ConDem government has cut grants to councils. If he wants a council tax freeze, he needs to be honest with the public and tell us which Caerphilly council services he’d cut to pay for it.”