Machynlleth residents to face the highest Council Tax bills in Powys

Elgan Hearn – Local democracy reporter

Machynlleth residents face the highest Council Tax bills in Powys – with the annual Council Tax bill for a Band D property going up to £2550.51 from April.

This is a £177.93 rise on what they paid last year, and the pain will be shared all around the county as Band D bills which is seen as the national standard for comparison –  have now gone over the £2,000 mark.

At a meeting of Powys County Council on Thursday, March 6 councillors met to formally set the Council Tax which is an annual legal requirement that’s needed before bills can start to be sent out to residents.

On February 20, the council had debated and agreed an 8.9 per cent Council Tax increase for the 2025/2026 budget.

Levy

Council Tax is made up of three components, the biggest being payment for services from a principal authority such as Powys which includes education, social services, rubbish collection and highway maintenance, but a levy called a precept is also charged by the local police force, Dyfed-Powys Police  and also from town or community councils.

Earlier this year Dyfed Powys police approved a precept increase of 8.6  per cent increase in which takes the annual cost up to ££360.68 for a Band D property.

In recent months over 100 town and community councils in the county have been meeting to discuss their own financial needs and decide the amount of precept to levy on their areas.

All these elements are brought together so that a total Council Tax bill is calculated.

Director of corporate services and s151 officer Jane Thomas said: “The report you are considering today is required by legislation to ensure that Council Tax rates for the forthcoming year can be implemented so that we can deliver our services.

“It is important to note that this does not re-open the budget process as it council agreed the Council Tax level to be set, and this applies the calculation for those charges.

Deadlines

She added that any delay would have a significant impact on the council’s cash flow as there are “strict deadlines” to get the bills written up and sent out.

Finance portfolio holder Labour’s Cllr David Thomas said: “It’s a very technical report.”

Councillors then went to a vote which saw 29 councillors vote in favour, 11 against and 19 abstained.