COUNCIL tax in Conwy is set to rise by 4.7 per cent.
The announcement was made at a Conwy County Borough Council meeting last week, where members agreed the figures for this year's budget and council tax bills.
According to Cllr Meirion Hughes, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, the increase comes as a result of a predicted low settlement from the Welsh Assembly Government.
He said: “The disappointing 1.1 per cent grant settlement for Conwy was expected and as a result we’ve been working on this budget for over 12 months in an effort to protect services for the public."
Cllr Hughes confirmed council tax in Conwy has been the lowest in North Wales for some time, and is currently the sixth lowest in England and Wales.
He believed even after the 4.7 per cent rise, it will still remain one of the lowest.
For the next financial year Band D council tax will be £820,16, which equates to an increase of 71p a week, or £38.82 for the year.
He said: “Our spend for 2010/11 at £186m is significantly below our Standard Spending Assessment, our nationally assessed need to spend of £190m. Our Band D average council of £820.16 is significantly below the Wales Standard Council Tax of £882.17, which is used in the settlement formula.
"To bring our Council Tax in line with the Wales Standard Council Tax, and to meet our SSA, would have required an increase over 13 per cent. Our 4.7 per cent therefore entails tough budgetary discipline.
“To achieve this budget, £4.266m of savings have been made across the authority and we face significant financial challenges over the next few years.
“We believe this is a robust budget for 2010/11.”
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