February 22, 2020 - 1293 views
Residents from across Conwy have met up outside the council's Colwyn Bay headquarters to protest at a possible 7% increase in council tax.
The leader of the council Cllr Sam Rowlands and Deputy Leader Goronwy Edwards were on hand to answer questions and address the concerns of many people.
During the occassional lively exchange, the leader explained the forces at work which have meant that services across Conwy are now under extraordinary pressure and cited a less than favourable settlement from Welsh Government being partly to blame.
However some residents suggested that some of the issues related to poor practise and a waste of public money.
The group behind the protest 'Refuse another council tax rise in Conwy' aledge that councillors with high salaries face no punishment for failure or waste and that hard pressed residents are struggling to make ends after a sizeable increase in council tax last year.
An example cited was a industrial unit in Mochdre which was leased by the council but could not be used as the building was not fit for purpose. A bill of over £636,000 was picked up by the council tax payer as the building remained empty.
At a meeting of the council's Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee in January, the committee said they were mindful to recommend an increase in council tax for the next year.
Council Leader Cllr Sam Rowlands said: “Since Welsh Government published their funding for local government in December, our Finance Team have been working on the provisional figures to produce a detailed report for councillors to discuss.”
“The indicative budget reflects our priorities, but policies introduced by National Governments have a significant impact on how we allocate our resources.”
“Significant budget reductions are needed to address the increasing demand and pressures on services because Conwy’s grant support has not risen in line with those pressures.”
As it currently stands, Conwy will receive a 3.4% increase in funding from Welsh Government - the second worst settlement in Wales.
“Despite this, we are looking to continue prioritising our available funding. Our draft budget shows schools receiving over £3.5m extra and social care services, supporting the most vulnerable in our community, an extra £3m.”
The Council will meet on 5th March to finalise and agree the budget for 2020/21.
