Plaid Cymru-led Caerphilly County Borough Council today revealed its ambition to freeze council tax bills in the county borough for the next two years.
Plaid councillors have already made savings of more than £12m in a sweeping drive to streamline the running of the authority and ensure council tax bills do not increase.
Councillor Lindsay Whittle (pictured), Plaid leader of the council, said: “Council tax is one of the largest items on people’s household budgets and Plaid is very conscious that many people have had their pay frozen or reduced.
“We did not want to increase their burden further and, therefore, have decided to make it our ambition for no increase in council tax for the next 12 months with the aim of continuing that for a further year,” added Councillor Whittle, who is also Plaid’s Assembly candidate for South-East Wales.
Councillor Colin Mann, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “Since Plaid won control of the authority we have sought to keep council tax rises to the absolute minimum because of the mismanagement of the economy from Westminster.
“We have taken action to improve efficiency further and make the council more streamlined and this has meant taking difficult decisions from time to time. But it has been absolutely necessary, and this is how we’ve been able to set our ambition not to increase council tax next year and in the following 12 months.
“The people of the county borough will be aware that we have ensured that councillors’ allowances have not been increased since 2008 when Plaid took control from Labour. We have been very prudent and that is paying dividends.”
He added: “I’d also like to pay tribute to the commitment and dedication of our staff during these very difficult economic times and the work and professionalism of our senior officers.”
The Welsh Assembly Government’s revenue support grant to the authority for the next financial year represents a cut of 1.7 per cent with an increase of 0.68 per cent in 2012-13 and 1.4 per cent in 2013-14.
A report on the budget proposals will go to the council’s Cabinet on Friday, January 14th.
Among the savings made by the Plaid-led council:
- The closure of the rented council offices at Hawtin Park, Pontllanfraith, has saved £500,000.
- £245,000 will be saved by a senior management shake-up, including scrapping a director’s post.
- The bill for communications and marketing has been cut by £240,000 with axing of departmental printed magazines and replacement by online productions, or not at all.
- Parks management re-organisation will save £180,000.
- Social services premises efficiencies and deletion of assistant director’s post will save £144,000.
- School transport contract efficiencies (£130,000).
