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Four out of six north Wales councils to receive below average local government settlements

11 Dec 2024 3 minute read
Gwynedd Council building.

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

  1. 2024-25 AEF adjusted for the latest 2025-26 tax base and transfers at 2024-25 prices.

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