Council Tax To Rise By 5%

Pembrokeshire County Council has today (Thursday) approved the budget for 2016-17, setting a five per cent increase in Council Tax. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

This represents an increase of 77p a week or £40.06 a year. The Band D Council Tax levied by the County Council will be £841.10. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The final amount which Council taxpayers will be required to pay will include sums for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed Powys and their local town or community council. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The report put to Members stated that the 2016-17 budget was developed against the backdrop of the three most difficult financial settlements from the Welsh Government since the Council’s inception in 1996. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr Jamie Adams, Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, said it was ‘the single most challenging budget the Council has ever faced’ and that the Authority would do everything it could to mitigate its effect on vulnerable people in Pembrokeshire. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

He also highlighted the fact that rural local authorities in Wales tended to fare worse than other areas in terms of the settlement from the Welsh Government, and that Pembrokeshire had been unsuccessful in obtaining a Rural Stabilisation Grant – although the three local authorities with a worse provisional financial settlement received increases in funding of between £190,000 and £1.9 million. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“It would be remiss of me not to place on record my dissatisfaction with the fact that the way the formula works unquestionably targets rural local authorities,” said Cllr Adams. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​