COUNCIL tax bills are set to shoot up in Conwy – with band D residents in Abergele looking like they could pay over £2,151 a year.
Conwy County Council is set to agree its final budget on February 29, 2024 when councillors will discuss a huge 9.67% proposed council tax increase.
But whilst the 9.67% rise equates to an overall band D bill of £1,733.37 a year – this is excluding the police and town and community council precepts.
At a meeting at the end of January, a police precept increase of 4.97% was agreed, equivalent to £349.65 per annum, a rise of £16.56 a year per band D household.
Whilst Conwy says residents living in band D properties will pay £1,733.37 a year, the council claim the figures for the average precept for town and community councils is currently unavailable.
But both town and community councils set their precepts in January, and the figures mean bills are set to increase significantly.
For instance, Abergele Town Council has set its precept at £348,286, this equating to £68.29 per annum per band D property.
Consequently, if councillors back the proposed council tax rise, band D residents in Abergele will pay £1,733.37 for council services and the fire service levy, plus £349.65 for North Wales Police’s precept, plus the £68.29 to Abergele Town Council.
This equates to an annual council tax bill of £2,151.31. Band D residents in Llandudno will pay the town council £57.93 per annum; Colwyn Bay band D residents will pay their town council £44.34, and band D residents living in Conwy will pay their town council £43.99.
This means residents living in band D properties in Llandudno will be set to pay £2,140.95; Colwyn Bay band D residents will pay £2,127.36, and Conwy band D residents £2,127.01 a year, the average being £2,136.65.
The average band D property in Conwy paid £1,963,82 per annum in 2023/24.
Llandudno councillor Harry Saville said he was deeply concerned about the proposals and said the information provided in the report due to be discussed at Monday’s finance committee meeting was lacking in information.
“I’m deeply concerned at the lack of information being provided to councillors and the public to enable a properly informed decision to be made regarding the council’s budget,” he said.
“I’ve been astonished that Conwy’s Labour/Plaid Cymru/Green/independent leadership have described reasonable requests to scrutinise their budget as ‘naive’.
“Conwy’s planned council tax increase will be the biggest ever, and it is only right that their budget is properly challenged and scrutinised before it is agreed.”
Conwy’s leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey said: “Cllr Harry Saville is well aware that setting the budget is a process not an event.
“All 55 members of the council have received regular reports and been invited to attend a number of budget working groups.
“All members have had ample opportunity to get involved over this budget setting period.
“Next week, members of the finance committee and cabinet will have the opportunity to debate the matter again before a final decision is made by full council on 29 February.”
He added: “All the reports are available on our website for everyone to read, and the meetings will be webcast if members of the public want to follow the discussions.”
