Denbighshire is gearing up for a council tax hike, even with some savings in sight. Budget pressures are pushing the council to make tough choices.
Denbighshire: The council is getting ready to balance its budget for the upcoming financial year starting in April. They’ll be making some tough calls in February.
Even though they got a 4.7% bump in funding from the Welsh Government, Denbighshire is still planning to raise council tax. It’s a bit higher than the Welsh average, which is 4.3%.
This increase means an extra £9.4 million, bringing their total budget to about £215.2 million. But they’re facing around £21.3 million in budget pressures, so they’re in a bit of a bind.
These pressures come from various areas, like staff pay, children’s services, and adult social care costs. It’s a lot to juggle!
Liz Thomas, the head of finance, mentioned that while the funding news is good, it doesn’t cover all their costs. They’ll need to find some savings, which might mean raising the council tax.
Cllr Jason McLellan echoed her thoughts, saying they’ve got a better settlement than expected, but they still have to deal with significant pressures. So, a tax increase seems unavoidable to keep services running.
Cabinet members are still mulling over the report, and they haven’t made a final decision on the tax or budget yet. They’ll meet again on February 18 to discuss it further.
Then, the council will take a look at the report on February 20. It’s going to be an interesting few weeks ahead!
