Monmouthshire Council’s Labour cabinet has come under fire for another budget of service cuts, council tax hikes, massive borrowing and a failure to restructure inefficient council services.
Conservative Leader Cllr Richard John has hit out at the proposed rise in council tax the Labour group are looking at to make up the budget shortfall.
He said, “This is a really disappointing budget based on higher taxes, more borrowing and questionable spending.
“The council has a statutory duty to present a balanced budget, but the draft budget has a £2.86 million gap that will need to be bridged by additional income or further cuts to services,” he added.
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On January 8, the council’s Leader Mary Ann Brocklesby told the Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee, “we are not looking at redundancies…rather cuts to services and higher council tax” and that “non-statutory services will fall by the wayside – they have to.”
Council tax is set to rise by 7.8 per cent, which equates to a rise of 23 per cent since Labour came to power in Monmouthshire in 2022. The average Band D property has seen a council tax rise of £428, while the bill for a band I property has risen by £1,000.
The draft budget states that future budget pressures will be managed through a series of “service efficiencies, service reductions and council tax rises.”
22 of the council’s 34 schools are in a budget deficit and face the challenge of cutting back on staff, staff hours and teaching support.
Cllr John went on to say “I’m disappointed that the cabinet has chosen to keep residents in the dark about many of its planned spending cuts by publishing a draft budget with a £2.86million hole in it. This will need to be plugged by even higher council tax and further cuts to services.
“Council tax is rising by 7.8 per cent - more than three times the rate of inflation. This equates to an increase of 23 per cent since Labour took power three years ago, meaning crippling bills for so many residents.
“Again, Monmouthshire received the lowest increase in funding of any Welsh council, just 2.8 per cent, but instead of lobbying the Welsh Government for a better settlement, the Leader said she reacted with ‘relief’.
“The previous Conservative administration had a policy of ringfencing all capital receipts – money from the sale of assets – for investment in school buildings. Labour have scrapped this and have flogged £13 million of assets to cover day to day spending. This means future
investment in school buildings will require borrowing and even higher borrowing charges.
“This budget also includes big increases in fees and charges, cuts to community hub opening hours and the closure of the much-loved Old Station tourist attraction in Tintern.
“I really urge the public to be vocal in sharing their discontent with these lazy and uninspiring proposals. The cabinet needs to go back to the drawing board and develop a better plan to protect local services and cut back on inefficient spending.”