Contingency plea as city council tax to rise 4.9%

CARDIFF council has agreed to a 4.9% increase in council tax. The rise in council tax will bring in £6.7m to set against a budget gap of £32.4m.

The budget for 2019/20 proposes that the council will increase funding in schools, seeing an extra £10.4m more than last year.

Social services will also receive £5m extra to help cope with increasing demand.

The council will also provide an extra £1m to repair highways on top of already planned spending.

The vote over the council’s Capital Ambition plan was close, with 36 votes for and 34 against.

Opposition leaders urged the council to dip into the £3.5m contingency fund rather than raise council tax.

Cllr Adrian Robson, leader of the Conservative Group, said: “The Labour government were able to bring in their council tax increase, which we believe will hurt all hardworking residents, especially when there is a £3.5m contingency fund available.

“The council has also received a 4.1% increase in their grant from the Welsh Government.

“Our proposal would look to increase income for the council and would look at a rough figure of 2.5% council tax for Cardiff residents.”

Councillor Rodney Berman, Liberal Democrat spokesman on finance, said: “Labour always seem to bring up a council tax rise... whereas we look at it as the last protocol. They bring this up despite not knowing what extra grants and funding they will receive from the Welsh Government.

“Despite having received a much greater increase in funding this year from the Welsh Government than the council has received for a good many years, the Labour administration thinks it’s fine to yet again clobber residents with a council tax rise that’s more than twice the current rate of inflation.

“Last year the council had an increase in funding of £2.2m, but this year it was £18.5m.

“There was no need for such a high council tax rise this year.

“Labour councillors are continuing to keep a £3m contingency fund to bail themselves out if they fail to deliver the savings targets they have agreed.

“We would rather have seen some of that fund being used to set a more reasonable rise in council tax, plus some key investments that could help put the environment first.

“Our alternative budget proposals could have delivered a £0.5m fund for biodiversity initiatives, including green walls and more tree cover across the city, as well as a new demand-led transport service to help replace bus services that have been axed in recent years.”

Cllr Chris Weaver, cabinet member for finance, modernisation and performance, said: “We want to bring forward a budget which protects future generations, protects young people and the vulnerable, and one which begins to set out our stall on how we can begin to tackle the climate emergency in Cardiff.

“Welsh Government wants all local authorities in Wales to be carbon neutral by 2030.

“It’s a challenge we wholeheartedly accept and one we want the city to take up, too.

“I think everyone realises that things have to change and it’s important as a council, and as Wales’ capital city, that we take a leading role.

“Later this year, we will be bringing forward a One Planet Cardiff strategy which will lay out the work we’ve done to date around the climate emergency and set out a vision for how we achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

“There is lots to do, but we have the energy and focus to make the changes that will be required.”