Council tax to climb despite ‘better than anticipated’ funding settlement

Dale Spridgeon, Local Democracy Reporter

Households in a north Wales county are set to face a 5.17% council tax rise under new budget plans.

At a meeting of Cyngor Gwynedd’s cabinet on Tuesday, February 10, the council’s lead member for finance, Cllr Huw Wyn Jones, laid out the draft proposals for the next financial year’s council tax levels.

It was proposed a council tax increase of 4.75% would be brought in, meaning a Band D household would pay £2,006.11 in 2026/27 – equating to an additional £98.62 as compared to 2025/26.

However, it was noted that the overall increase taxpayers could see in their bills will be 5.17% – once the Fire and Rescue Authority levy was added.

The final budget is due to be set at a meeting of the full council on March 5.

Cllr Jones said the council had seen an overspend of around £5.3m, where departmental budgets had “not been sufficient to meet the demands for services”.

Among the highest costs were providing care, adult health and well-being, and the children and supporting families departments.

However, the settlement from the Senedd this year had been “much better than anticipated” with an additional £10.4m for essential services for the people of Gwynedd.

The increase in council tax is aimed at protecting services amid “demand and inflationary pressures,” a report stated.

Council leader Cllr Nia Jeffreys said: “Any increase will of course hit families struggling with the cost of living already but there is help available in the council.”

She asked the head of finance Dewi Morgan how people could find assistance, adding that it was “important that people claim benefits they were eligible for”.

Mr Morgan said: “Help is available through the council tax reduction scheme administered through the benefit service and within the finance section.

“There is information on the council website and you can call Galw Gwynedd where officers can direct you to the benefit service, there is information there and on the website, to help people with their council tax bill.

“In terms of thresholds, it is not available for all, but there is a feeling that we do still need to to ensure there are not people out there who are eligible but don’t claim, and to encourage people who don’t have sufficient funds to make enquiries to see if they are eligible.”

He added there was a calculator on the website for people to use to assess eligibility.

The council’s chief executive Dafydd Gibbard added there was information on the council website and that it would also be shared on the council’s social media between now and the end of March.

“In terms of the budget, this is the biggest headache that we have every year, and the most important decision the cabinet has to make every year, how to get the equations to work,” he said.

“Under the circumstances, I don’t know if to call it a good budget, but the outcome is good, because you [the cabinet] are able to invest in services that people don’t see until they need them.

“They are very expensive services, things like additional learning needs, special education, care for adults and children, safeguarding, even very visible things such as transport to schools, these are very expensive things, school buses, but we must take children to schools.

“Although the tax is going up, it is being spent on the right things. We are prioritising those services most needed by the people of Gwynedd.”