Council tax rise agreed

Welsh Government settlement up 3.8%

RHONDDA Cynon Taf has approved its budget for next year with a council tax rise.

Funding for public health, flood protection, free car parking and a continuation of business rates relief are included in the budget.

RHONDDA Cynon Taf has approved its budget for next year with a council tax rise.

Funding for public health and flood protection, free car parking and a continuation of business rates relief are included in the council’s budget for 2021-22.

A council tax rise of 2.65% was approved by councillors at a meeting of full council on Wednesday, March 10.

The provisional Welsh Government settlement announced in December which was confirmed earlier this month saw RCT’s funding increase by 3.8% which is the average increase across Wales.

This uplift includes the teachers’ pay grant which is £328,000 for RCT and there is a increase in the social care workforce grant included in the settlement.

Also included is £206m for councils in Wales in respect of extending the Local Government Hardship Fund for six months to provide support to councils for additional costs and income losses due to the pandemic.

After taking into account the updated budget requirement and the provisional settlement increase of 3.8% as well as the increased funding in respect the social care workforce grant and the council’s updated tax base, the council was faced with a remaining budget gap of £4.05m.

The proposed increase increase in council tax equates to 51p per week for a person living in a Band A property and 76p per week for a person living in a Band D property.

The council said that 42% of properties in Rhondda Cynon Taf are Band A and that increasing council tax by 2.65% will increase the remaining budget gap by £182,000.

For schools, the council is proposing to increase the schools budget cover all inflationary and pupil number pressures.

The proposal sees the schools budget increase by £2.2m, from £161.6m to £163.8m. The report said there is no efficiency target or expectation albeit schools may need to take local action to absorb the financial implications of decisions taken locally.

The council has also identified £4.6m worth of cuts it can make in next year’s budget which it said will not impact on frontline services.

In terms of fees and charges, there would be a standard increase of 1.7% apart from in certain areas.

Fees and charges for leisure, car parks and summer and winter playing fields and 3G pitches would be frozen.

Meals on wheels and day centre meal prices would go up by 10p per meal but then be frozen until 2023 and school meal prices would continue to be frozen until 2023.

Bereavement fees would be frozen and so would prices for visiting the Pontypridd Lido and Rhondda Heritage Park. These proposals for fees and charges would cost £187,000.

Councillor Andrew Morgan, the Labour leader of the council, highlighted the level of public support for the proposals included in the budget and said the use of transitional funding is the right thing to do and that they will look at what other savings they can make in the next year.

He pointed out the significant sum of funding for community and children’s services and said that there had been “very substantial budget improvements” for education and social care.

He commended staff and said the budget is a “positive one for RCT considering the difficult year we have been through.”

Councillor Pauline Jarman, leader of the Plaid Cymru group, said: “This budget is public money raised from many sources. We are all custodians of the public purse.”

She then asked if there would be no pay rise for staff and about sanitary products for schools and if there was still a grant in place.

She also asked if it was the case that the Covid investment and grants had assisted the council to bridge the financial budget gap it had anticipated pre Covid.

The finance director Barrie Davies said they are reflecting the pay award situation from Westminster in the budget.

He said the sanitary product was halved and reallocated towards Covid but that it has been reinstated.

Cllr Morgan said staff have been working at foodbanks and food distribution centres handing sanitary products out, the youth service has been handing them out too and that schools and hubs have as well.

Mr Davies said Welsh Government has continued to fund local government for all costs and loss of income attributable to the pandemic.

Councillor Lyndon Walker on behalf of the RCT Independent Group said they support the budget and council tax rise.

Councillor Joel James of the Conservative group asked if a council tax freeze had been considered and Mr Davies said model of 2.85% had been reduced to 2.65% there was a range of scenarios presented during consultation so it was out there.

Cllr James said he there was “disappointment” with another council tax rise especially with the good settlement from Welsh Government and said his group would be abstaining.

Cllr Morgan said: “Nobody wants to see it rise but it is part of an overall package.”

He said they would have to double the rise next year if Welsh Government gave the money need to not raise council tax this year.

Councillor Shelley ReesOwen, of Plaid Cymru, asked when the Section 19 reports on the impact of Storm Dennis would be ready.

Cllr Morgan said it would be a couple of months but they are putting in a base budget of £500,000 towards extra drainage crews.