CONWY County Borough Council members have today (March 2) set the budget and council tax for the 2023/24 financial year.
In a meeting regarding budget amendments for the upcoming financial year, Council members agreed to raise Band D council tax by £142.38 per annum, rising from £1,438.15 to £1,580.53.
The meeting was attended by all but one county councillor, with the recommended changes to this council tax bracket equivalent to £2.74 extra per week in a decision dubbed “most difficult”.
Cllr. Mike Priestley, Cabinet Member for Finance, introduced the report to the meeting of the Council.
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He said: “This budget has been the most difficult that I have ever encountered as a councillor.
“We now know how all the outside pressures have impacted our budget, and I realise this is an uncomfortable report to read.
“Increased housing need, rising energy costs, inflation, and national pay awards have all created significant demand on our services and budgets.
“It’s made addressing the resource shortfall a challenge, despite a better than expected settlement from Welsh Government.
“We’ll do everything we can to protect vital services, but to address the £21.7million shortfall we will need to reduce business cases; reduce budgets, and increase Council Tax.”
Conwy has 55,841 dwellings subject to council tax, of which around 22,951 receive single person discount.
Around 9,658 households are supported by the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (some of whom will also receive single person discount).
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