Council Tax Decision

In a Council meeting on Wednesday 24 February, Councillors decided to increase the Council Tax levy in Ceredigion by 5%. This means that a 2016/17 Council Tax for Band D properties will be £1,123.68 for County Council purposes. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

​A period of public consultation was held, and the feedback that was received was considered carefully by Councillors before coming to a decision. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Over the past few years, Ceredigion County Council has had to face a substantial reduction in its funding. This situation looks set to continue with the provisional settlement from Welsh Government reduced by 3% for 2016/17, and when additional costs such as increases to salaries, National Insurance and Teachers’ Pensions are included, the savings required equate to £8.2 million. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Councillor Dafydd Edwards, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Financial Services, said: “The results of the public consultation indicated that the majority of respondents accepted the need to increase Council Tax in order to maintain an acceptable level of services. Although we would have preferred to freeze Council Tax, the reduction in Welsh Government funding has necessitated an increase of 5%.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​