Blaenau Gwent council tax to increase by 3.3 per cent

RESIDENTS in Blaenau Gwent will see a 3.3 per cent increase in council tax from April.

Blaenau Gwent’s full council agreed to increase council tax by 72p a week for a Band A property and 84p a week for a Band B property.

The report on the budget says there will be no cuts to front line services and an additional 3.6 per cent will be invested into schools.

However, some councillors raised concerns over the 3.3 per cent increase in council tax.

Cllr Keith Pritchard said it would be immoral for people to vote for a 3.3 per cent increase.

He said: “We are taking money out of more people’s pockets.”

Cllr Stephen Thomas said it had been a difficult year and proposed a council tax increase of 0.7 per cent, but this was defeated by the full council.

The leader of the council, Cllr Nigel Daniels, said: “I believe the budget we have approved today is a fair and balanced one.

“This budget protects vital services and helps us plan for a sustainable future as we recover from the demands of dealing with Covid-19.

“I would like to thank everyone who responded to the survey we conducted as part of the budget setting process.

“We have listened to your views to set our spending priorities and we have tried to keep the level of council tax as low as possible in these uncertain times. I am especially pleased that we are able keep the increase lower than in the last financial year.

“The 2021/22 budget not only demonstrates our commitment to protecting and improving services for all residents in Blaenau Gwent in the short term but also and building financial resilience for the demands local government will no doubt face in future years.”