Caerphilly County Borough Council has said it plans to increase council tax by 1% in April next year.
The rise, if given final approval by full council, will see Band D properties charged an extra £10.02 a year from £1,001.94 to £1,011.96 – the equivalent of 19p a week.
Labour’s Cllr Keith Reynolds, leader of the council, said: “It is a tribute to the way this council is run that we can put forward a set of budget proposals that have minimal impact on the public.
“This achievement reflects our effective budget management over recent years and the prudent approach we have taken to date.
“I’m sure residents will welcome the news that our council tax increase has been limited to just 1% again this year.
“We know that times are difficult for many people, so we want to do our bit to ease any additional burden on our residents.”
The draft budget proposals, agreed by the local authority’s cabinet, include around £8.6 million of savings.
Of this, around £2m is a result of savings made during this financial year, while a further £3.5m is being saved through changes to the way the council accounts for the cost of assets, such as schools, which have been financed through debt.
Just over £3m is through savings already planned for in previous years. The council is keen to stress these will have no direct impact on public services and will mostly be “back room” savings through vacancy management, budget realignment and minor changes to services.
The remaining savings are being made through the closure of Abertridwr Bowling Green and the scaling back of maintenance at others, and a reduction of historic pension contributions.
The draft proposals are now subject to a public consultation lasting until Friday, January 14.
The final budget for 2017/18 will be agreed at a meeting of full council on February 22 next year.
Cllr Colin Mann, leader of the opposition Plaid Cymru group on Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “Many residents will be pleased that council tax bills are only rising by 1% but given Labour’s performance in running the authority a bigger increase could hardly be justified.”
He added: “Since Labour came into office in 2012, council tax rises for Band D payers have jumped by more than £100 compared to just £25 during the four years of the last Plaid Cymru administration, which ensured excellent value for money for residents.”
In October this year, the Welsh Government announced a better-than-expected settlement of £262.7 m for Caerphilly County Borough Council in its draft budget.
• Caerphilly County Borough Council has said it is clamping down on people wrongly claiming a 25% discount on their council tax.
Single Person Discount is claimed when a resident is the sole adult occupant of a property.
The council will shortly be sending some residents receiving Single Person Discount a letter asking them to confirm their current circumstances.
If residents do not respond to this letter, they will have their Single Person Discount removed and could be investigated.
I feel sure that the people of Caerphilly will be asking themselves , could we have had a zero Council tax increase had millions not been spent on senior officer pay and £400k not wasted on pursuing a taxpayer funed cinema. A 1% increase council tax equates to £900k ,
It’s only 1% because there are local elections coming up next May and they want us all to believe they’re doing a marvellous job and we’re all grateful that the biggest bill we all have to pay is only going up by 1%, and those voters with the memory of a lego brick won’t even remember the £3 million the council has wasted away on the Caerphilly three or the £400K thrown down the drain on a ridiculous cinema idea.
the 1% rise is called a tribute to way the council is run , what about the loss of money and reputation and ridicule CCBC has suffered and the wasted millions , more like a tribute to self delusion and incompetence
It is a wonderful testiment to the brillant fiscal management of the labour Caerphilly Borough Council, whilst retaining front line services, and super macro levels of education and other statutory requirments, that next year Council tax contributions are held at just 1%,
We are told the Senior Officers pay affair is attracting pounds after pounds of ratepayers money; we are also told that the delay in settling the issues is to do with the Council HAVING to follow STATUTORY processes imposed upon them, added to by the external examiners of the issues and the complicated legal position and thier inability for legitimate reasons to bring the issues to a conclusion. With all these forces outside the Councils control, it is remarkable the Labour Council can maintain its impact on the public purse in the way they have.
They are the people to finish the job and prevent so far as possible the impact on the pockets of the ratepayers, The Nationalists would have everyone believe that they had nothing to do with the Senior Officer Pay issue; but do we all really need reminding that the Welsh Nationalist Deputy Leader on the Council was on the sub committee which accepted the alledged dodgy report in the first place. Labour are doing a tremendous job under the current Council leadership and in the most difficult times of fiscal restraints