Conwy councillors reduce proposed council tax increase – but “still a huge rise”

Councillors have voted to reduce a threatened 7% rise in council tax at the penultimate hurdle.
Conwy’s cabinet ratified a 4.95% hike in the charge to residents after a morning meeting of the finance scrutiny committee suggested using £1.3m in “unallocated” cash to drop it from the threatened 7%.
Around £280,000 from the money would go towards education to ease financial pressures on schools.
The higher figure would have raised Band D charges by £89.44 per annum, to £1,369.88. The new charge will be £1,343.86, a rise of around £63.
Council leader Sam Rowlands said the majority of cash for council spending came from Welsh Government, with only around 25% coming from council tax.
Cllr Charlie McCoubrey, lead member for housing, said he and the leader had met with a couple of dozen “angry” people protesting against the rise on Saturday outside the authority’s Coed Pella offices in Colwyn Bay.
Another protest by the group “Refuse another council tax rise 2020” outside council offices today garnered 24 people according to a post on the group’s Facebook page, which has 6,000 members.
Cllr McCoubrey said he supported the lower increase of 4.95% but warned: “It’s still a huge rise so we shouldn’t pat ourselves on the back.”
He added: “We can’t keep giving people 5% rises year on year.”
Economic development lead, Cllr Goronwy Edwards said the real challenge would be “delivering” the budget.
Cllr Rowlands said the council had resisted using any capital reserves for the first time which, apart from those earmarked for ongoing capital repayments, effectively stood at around £2.5m.
He added: “This proposal means schools are receiving nearly £3.8m of extra cash to support all the pressures that they have in their budgets next year.
“I would say we support these recommendations. I think it’s a balanced recommendation from scrutiny.
“I recognise that residents last year had a 9.6% rise in council tax.”
The proposal for a 4.95% rise in the council’s portion of the tax will discussed at a full council meeting on March 5, when all members will make the decisive vote.

By Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter