Four out of six north Wales councils to receive below average local government settlements
Richard Evans, local democracy reporter
Gwynedd and Flintshire are set to receive the third and fourth worst local government settlements of the 22 local authorities in Wales – with Denbighshire again getting the highest increase in north Wales.
The Local Government Provisional Settlement, which is the indicative annual amount councils are likely to receive from Welsh Government, was announced today (Wednesday).
Gwynedd is set to receive an increase of just 3.2% and Flintshire 3.3% compared to Denbighshire’s 4.7% increase, with Denbighshire’s rise being among the highest increases in Wales again.
The Isle of Anglesey is set to receive 3.6%, Conwy 3.7%, and Wrexham 4.4%.
Four of the six north Wales councils fall below the 4.3% national average – with several South Wales councils faring much better from the formula used to work out the percentage increases.
Modest increases
Despite the modest increases, most councils are facing another year of cost-cutting, increasing council tax, and slashing services to make ends meet – with authorities such as Conwy recently estimating a £31m black hole.
Newport is set to receive the highest percentage increase of 5.6% followed by Cardiff at 5.3%, Merthyr Tydfil at 5.1%, Blaenau Gwent at 4.8%, and Swansea, Torfaen, and Rhondda Cynon Taf all at 4.7% with Denbighshire.
Monmouthshire and Powys fared worst with increases of 2.8% and 3.2% respectively.
Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, said: “In 2025-26, local authorities will receive £6.1bn from the Welsh Government Revenue Support Grant (“RSG”) and non-domestic rates (“NDR”) to spend on delivering key services.
“This means the core revenue funding for local government in 2025-26 will increase by 4.3% on a like-for-like basis compared to the current year.”
Additional funding
She added: “The additional funding provided through the Autumn Budget is welcome as we emerge from the prolonged period of austerity imposed by previous UK Governments, as well as a range of economic crises such as spiralling inflation.
“Our overall settlement for 2025-26 is more than £1bn higher than it would have been under the previous UK Government.
“However, fourteen years of constrained public funding cannot be turned around in just one budget, and it will take time for the public finances to recover.”
Summary Table
Summary Table
2025-26 Provisional Settlement compared to 2024-25 adjusted final AEF
2024-25 AEF (£000)1 | 2025-26 AEF (£000) | Change (£000) | % change | Rank | |
Isle of Anglesey | 130,889 | 135,605 | 4,716 | 3.6% | 16 |
Gwynedd | 239,101 | 246,818 | 7,717 | 3.2% | 20 |
Conwy | 210,750 | 218,586 | 7,835 | 3.7% | 14 |
Denbighshire | 205,561 | 215,222 | 9,661 | 4.7% | 7 |
Flintshire | 266,074 | 274,779 | 8,705 | 3.3% | 19 |
Wrexham | 239,036 | 249,511 | 10,475 | 4.4% | 11 |
Powys | 242,414 | 250,184 | 7,770 | 3.2% | 21 |
Ceredigion | 138,958 | 143,938 | 4,980 | 3.6% | 17 |
Pembrokeshire | 224,858 | 232,966 | 8,107 | 3.6% | 15 |
Carmarthenshire | 361,072 | 375,747 | 14,674 | 4.1% | 12 |
Swansea | 447,243 | 468,469 | 21,226 | 4.7% | 5 |
Neath Port Talbot | 293,239 | 306,217 | 12,977 | 4.4% | 10 |
Bridgend | 266,124 | 276,640 | 10,516 | 4.0% | 13 |
The Vale of Glamorgan | 216,058 | 223,420 | 7,362 | 3.4% | 18 |
Rhondda Cynon Taf | 497,940 | 521,279 | 23,339 | 4.7% | 8 |
Merthyr Tydfil | 126,720 | 133,148 | 6,427 | 5.1% | 3 |
Caerphilly | 357,880 | 373,980 | 16,101 | 4.5% | 9 |
Blaenau Gwent | 147,440 | 154,532 | 7,092 | 4.8% | 4 |
Torfaen | 183,576 | 192,215 | 8,640 | 4.7% | 6 |
Monmouthshire | 130,062 | 133,704 | 3,642 | 2.8% | 22 |
Newport | 311,772 | 329,311 | 17,538 | 5.6% | 1 |
Cardiff | 640,615 | 674,571 | 33,955 | 5.3% | 2 |
Total unitary authorities | 5,877,384 | 6,130,839 | 253,456 | 4.3% |
Note: Total may not sum correctly due to rounding
- 2024-25 AEF adjusted for the latest 2025-26 tax base and transfers at 2024-25 prices.
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