Opposition councillors hit out at Caerphilly Council tax increase proposals

Caerphilly County Borough Council headquarters Ty Penallta

Opposition councillors have hit out at proposals to increase council tax by 3.9%.

The draft budget proposals, which include the council tax increase, were approved by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet on Wednesday (January 13).

What is Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet?

A council’s cabinet is made up of councillors in charge of different policy areas – such as education, environment, local economy, etc – and a leader.

It is separate to the council’s corporate management structure, which is headed up by its chief executive and various directors. Cabinet is made up of councillors, who are elected and have the ultimate say.

Typically, cabinet members are councillors from the party with the most elected council members.

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet is made up of:

Cllr Sean Morgan (Nelson) – Leader
Cllr Jamie Pritchard (Morgan Jones) – Deputy Leader; Prosperity, Regeneration and Climate Change
Cllr Nigel George (Risca East) – Corporate Services and Property
Cllr Eluned Stenner (New Tredegar) – Finance and Performance
Cllr Carol Andrews (Gilfach) – Education and Communities
Cllr Shayne Cook (Morgan Jones) – Housing
Cllr Elaine Forehead (Van) – Social Care
Cllr Philippa Leonard (Risca East) – Planning and Public Protection
Cllr Chris Morgan (Machen and Rudry) – Waste, Leisure and Green Spaces

Corporate management is made up of unelected employees of the council and has responsibility for day-to-day management of services, such as making sure the bins are collected. Corporate directors work with cabinet members to come up with policy which is then agreed upon by the cabinet.

_{Last updated October 13, 2023}

The leader of the council, Councillor Philippa Marsden, said that this would lead to an 89p increase per week for properties in council tax band D – or £46.28 a year.

The proposals, which don’t include any cuts to services, is set to be debated by councillors next month.

Council tax increase “important part of balancing our budget”

Cllr Colin Mann, leader of the council’s Plaid Cymru group, said: “If this rise is approved, it will mean that Labour will have hiked council tax bills by £172.87 – or £3.32 a week more – in just four years. I can’t think of any area of society where such massive rises in bills have been imposed.”

Cllr Mann said his party finds the increase “unacceptable” and called on the council to “go back to the drawing board and look again at its proposal”.

He added: “Many of our residents are really struggling at present with thousands on furlough and huge numbers have lost their jobs in what is the deepest recession for 300 years.

“The Labour group needs a reality check and to think about those struggling to make ends meet. Perhaps they ought to take a leaf out of the book of Labour Party leader Keir Starmer – who in England is opposing a council tax hike.”

Meanwhile, independent councillors Kevin Etheridge, Andrew Farina-Childs, Bob Owen and Graham Simmonds issued a joint-statement criticising the increase.

They called the proposed council tax increase a “major concern” which is “not justified”.

Fellow-independent councillor Nigel Dix also hit out at the proposals and said: “The reality is that this Labour-led council have wasted millions of pounds of tax payers money.

“The Chief executive pay scandal cost tax payers over £4million, non-disclosure policies, £2.1 million paid to senior staff on retirement and £90k in damages to a fishing club.

“This adds up to over £6million of wasted taxpayers money – or a council tax increase of 9%. The public are paying a high price for Labour’s incompetence.”

However, Labour councillor Eluned Stenner, who is the council’s cabinet member for finance, urged councillors to back the proposals.

Cllr Stenner said: “Our Labour-led administration’s draft proposals ensure a ‘no cuts’ budget, something unimaginable in previous years.

“We will continue to invest in our communities to provide good quality public services to protect our residents, whilst keeping council tax increases down.

“In 2012, when Plaid Cymru controlled the council, council tax for a Band D property in Caerphilly was the second lowest in Gwent. Under Labour, council tax in Caerphilly is now the lowest in Gwent and second lowest in Wales.

“We ask all councillors to support our no cuts budget when full council considers the budget next month.”

Caerphilly County Borough Council

Opposition councillors hit out at proposed council tax increase

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