Residents in Denbighshire and Conwy are being warned to expect further cuts to public services and a possible hike in their council tax following last month’s announcement that the two local authorities are to receive a higher than average cut in cash support from the Welsh Labour Government.
The Welsh Government’s Public Services Minister confirmed in October that council’s across Wales will experience an average 3.4% cut, however Conwy faces one of the largest cuts in Wales at 4.3% (£6.8m) and Denbighshire will also experience a higher than average cut at 3.7% (£5.3m) – and it is not the first time they have faced above average cuts to their funding.
It angers and disappoints me that yet again local authorities in North Wales are among the hardest hit by these reductions in Welsh Government support.
It is interesting to note that of the ten councils with the lowest cuts, eight are in Labour majority control, while Labour is in coalition in a further one. Of the seven councils with the deepest cuts, not one has the Labour Party in majority, while Labour is in coalition in just one. There appears to be a cynical and crude attempt to manipulate local government funding to force Conservative, Plaid Cymru and independent-run councils to make tougher choices between raising council tax and cutting services.
We all understand that tough times do indeed require tough decisions, but the Welsh Government has shown time and time again that it takes most from those who have least. It is unfair, it is unjust and the balance must be redressed.
In Denbighshire council leaders are under immense pressure to save money and have already agreed to increase burial charges, reduce street cleaning activity and to charge residents £24 for collecting their garden waste and the next wave of cuts could include withdrawing funding to organisations like Ruthin Craft Centre (£30,000), as well as cutting £166,000 on providing bus routes, and closing a quarter of the county's public toilets to save up to £60,000. The council is also considering the future of council-run care homes and adult services which could save it £700,000.
Because of this poor deal from the Welsh Government, the pressure will also be on decision makers in both counties to implement a big hike in council tax to make ends meet. But with council tax in Wales having rocketed by over 150% in Wales since 1997 and with household bills for energy and groceries rising fast, people in the region just wouldn’t be able to cope with yet another rise.
In England there has been a council tax freeze since 2010 and I have long been calling for the same privilege for residents in Wales. This would have eased the pressure on hardworking families in Denbighshire and Conwy and prevented this latest settlement leading to more rises and further pressure on household incomes. Local services should be prioritised and adequately funded by Welsh Government, not simply cut to ribbons!
This settlement is undoubtedly a brutal blow for front-line services in communities throughout Wales - they will all suffer, it is just a great shame that, yet again, the people of North Wales look set to pay the biggest price.