Denbighshire to consider 2.95% council tax rise

Denbighshire County Council’s Cabinet is set to discuss the draft budget for the 2022/23 financial year.

At a meeting on January 18, members will consider a plan to raise Council Tax by 2.95% ahead of the proposals being put to full council for final approval at a meeting on January 25.

As part of the budget process the council has received the draft budget settlement announced by Welsh Government which suggests Denbighshire’s budget will increase by 9.2% for the 2022/23 financial year, with increases of 3.3% and 2.2% the following two years.

The increase in funding comes with a number of new responsibilities the council will be required to fund, including pay increases, ensuring the Real Living Wage for social care workers and mitigation for the end of the Covid Hardship Fund.

The council therefore has a funding gap of £2.623million to fill for the coming financial year. Proposals to fill this gap include operational efficiencies amounting to £634,000 and an increase in Council Tax of 2.95%.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, said: “This budget comes after a second difficult year dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, which has put an additional strain on resources for example, continued pressure on social services, schools, children’s services and waste services.

“We have previously made a firm commitment to Denbighshire residents to try and protect services that the public value and expect as much as possible.

“The council has a strong track record of doing this and we have tried to lead by example by being as efficient and effective as possible, reducing our budgets and making savings through better ways of working.

“Councillors will continue to scrutinise the budget over the coming weeks before it is put to Full Council for discussion and final approval on January 25.”