Blaenau Gwent Council considered its level of Council Tax and budget for 2022-23 at a meeting held today.
The Council recognises the impact the rising cost of living is having on already stretched household budgets and the Council has agreed that the Blaenau Gwent element of Council Tax will not increase in 2022–23.
Budget 2022-23
The provisional settlement from Welsh Government will see Blaenau Gwent’s budget increase by 8.4% for 2022-23. This has provided the council with an extra £10.4 million in funding above initial budget estimates.
The extra funding is aimed at addressing some of the increased costs facing all councils including an increase in Teacher’s pay settlement, National Insurance contributions to cover the social care levy, funding the Real Living Wage, increasing energy costs and continuing to deal with the Covid pandemic.
The Council’s priority is to protect front line services. The favourable settlement which is higher than expected means that we can continue to deliver the services valued most by local residents without any budget cuts in the next financial year.
A recent online budget consultation revealed that residents view Education as a top Council priority and Council also agreed an 8.4% increase (worth £3.91 million) to school’s budgets for 2022-23.
The council’s continuing ‘bridging the gap’ programme continues to create efficiencies and financial resilience for the future.
The increase in funding is welcome news however it does not reverse the significant budget reductions of the last 10 years which means that we must continue to be financially prudent and work hard to meet service demands whilst balancing the budget in future years.
Councillor Nigel Daniels, Leader of the Council commented:
‘Household finances in Blaenau Gwent are already under considerable pressure due to higher inflation and energy costs and I am pleased that we are able to freeze the Blaenau Gwent element of Council Tax next year and not add further pressure to already financially stretched communities.
The positive settlement from Welsh Government for next year is welcome news I am pleased that we are able to increase budgets for our schools by 8.4% in particular and we are able to put forward a set of proposals that will see no cuts to vital public services valued by our local residents.
Once again I would like to recognise the role and work of local government staff in our communities in the last year as we continued to deal with the unprecedented pressures of the Covid pandemic.
I’m pleased the 2022-23 budget continues to demonstrate our commitment to improving services for all residents in Blaenau Gwent and building financial resilience for the demands of future years through our ‘bridging the gap programme.’