Council launches consultation on draft budget proposals
Following a meeting of the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Cabinet today, residents are invited to share their views on proposals to increase Council tax by 4.9 per cent and address a budget shortfall of around £9 million.
Even with the proposed increase of 4.9 per cent, Council Tax in the Vale of Glamorgan is expected to remain lower than the average amount charged by other Local Authorities in Wales.
The Council also proposes the careful use of reserves, a review of services with identified savings targets, an increase in charges for some services of between five and 11 per cent and introducing charges for non-statutory services to bridge the funding gap.
Like other Local Authorities, businesses and individuals, the Council has been significantly impacted by a volatile economic environment that has seen energy prices soar alongside climbing inflation and interest rates.
Cllr Lis Burnett, Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, said: “Despite a better-than-expected settlement from Welsh Government, the Council remains in an extremely testing financial position.
“Rising costs mean there is a significant funding deficit to make up.
“We will continue to look for new and innovative ways to bridge this gap and the views of the community will play a role in deciding the way forward.
“I would encourage residents to share their thoughts with us by taking part in our online survey so they can be part of the ongoing budget-setting process.”
The Council’s main sources of income are a settlement from the Welsh Government, which provides around 69 per cent of the £294 million the Council needs to deliver all its services. Thirty-one per cent of the overall budget comes from Council Tax.
The budget setting process is complex and therefore in order to provide residents with more context for these proposals the Council has prepared a short video to explain the various factors. This, alongside a survey inviting residents to share their views on the proposals can be found by visiting the dedicated budget consultation page.
The consultation will run for a period of four weeks until 15 February, during which time Councillors will also scrutinise the budget proposals before setting a final budget at a meeting of full Council in March.