SCRUTINY Committee members of Conwy County Borough Council will convene on Monday, January 24 to discuss the provisional settlement for the 2022-23 budget for the area.

Speaking ahead of the finance and resources overview to take pace, Councillor Brian Cossey, Conwy’s cabinet member for finance, said: “Since Welsh Government published their funding for local government on 21 December, our finance team have been working on the provisional figures to produce a detailed report for councillors to discuss.

“As it currently stands, Conwy will receive a 9.5 per cent increase in funding from Welsh Government.

“This is certainly a good settlement in comparison with previous years.”

Council leader, Councillor Charlie McCoubrey, added: “This settlement is welcome given the significant pressures we face, particularly in the care sector and supporting our more vulnerable residents.

“Nonetheless, we’re currently looking at a resource shortfall of £7.4million, and with the continuing pandemic and its impact on our communities, inflation and interest rate increases, we’ll still need to make some difficult and challenging decisions when setting the 2022-23 budget.”

Conwy’s final settlement is expected to be announced by the Welsh Government on March 1.

The council will meet on March 3 to finalise and agree the budget for 2022-23.