MCC’s council tax bills set to rise by 14 per cent
Abergavenny Chronicle - 20 February 2003
COUNCIL tax payers in Monmouthshire are faced with an increase of almost 14 per cent on bills in
the coming year - a rise of £86 on a Band D property.
The council’s cabinet agreed to recommend the increase to full council following a special meeting
at County Hall on Tuesday, after leader Councillor David Waring vowed essential services would not be cut.
If the council backs the proposal, Band D properties will pay £700.38 per year - an increase of £85.83.
Despite the rise Monmouthshire will still have one of the lowest council tax rates in Wales.
Councillor Waring, told cabinet members that the although the budget was ‘difficult’ their task
was ‘save and not cut services, to improve the delivery of services and to make sure that council
employees had secure employment’.
He added that he considered some of the proposed options for reducing the budget carried too much risk of service
reduction but said neither did he wish to place too much burden on council tax payers.
The council’s Standard Spending Assessment the Assembly’s judgement of the amount Monmouthshire needs to provide a standard level
of service - goes up by just under seven percent in 2003-04. This means that the average spend per
person in Monmouthshire is deemed to be £1,497, the lowest in Wales which has a nationwide average of £1,666.
Unlike most councils in Wales Monmouthshire also has to raise some 25 per cent
of its budget from council tax compared to a Wales average of around 18 percent.
“Once again Monmouthshire has been regarded as an affluent county,” said Councillor Waring. “If
we received the Wales average, we would have another £11m to spend and that would make a
great difference to us.”
Monmouthshire County Council will set its council tax rate at full council on March 4.
Related articles:
* MCC’s council tax bills set to rise by 14 per cent
* Service cuts or council tax hike as Assembly funding for MCC is called ‘bad news’
* Monmouthshire council tax payers set to be clobbered again
