Council tax hike is fair says leader (From Western Telegraph)

Council tax hike is fair says leader

9:00am Saturday 1st March 2008 in

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Before unanimously fixing its council tax at an average band D level of £638.53, Pembrokeshire County Council was told the levy was £77 lower than any other authority in Wales and meant a rise of around 6p a day.

Leader John Davies said the 3.95% band D tax figure was the lowest in Wales for the sixth year running.

He expressed disappointment with the 2% Welsh Assembly settlement figure, of which the RPI was far in excess.

Theirs was a prudent budget which struck the right balance, he said, comparing the £638 band D average figure with Ceredigion's £875, Carmarthen's £851.

"Any increase is unpalatable, but this one is realistic," he said.

He referred to capital investment in projects such as new schools at Prendergast and Narberth and Haverfordwest's Wow Factor Leisure Centre. He predicted more money to fund education and social services, where spending had increased by 258% since 1996. During the same period, council spending had gone up by 92%, he said.

The tax demand included sums collected for Dyfed-Powys Police Authority (£8.4.m) and town and community councils (£1.3m).

Cllr Sue Perkins suggested the welcome increase in social services spending was due to pressure from the opposition groups and said the Assembly settlement had gone up by 52% since the council started.

Cllr Rhys Sinnett highlighted concerns about waste management and Cllr Michael Williams said some elderly people found it difficult to make ends meet and the council did not deserve too high a degree of congratulation.

q The Band D figure of £638.53 to rise to £804.04 when police and town and community council precepts are added. The lowest Band A tax on this level is £425.69 rising to £536.03. The highest county council levy is £1,617.79 rising to £2,003.98.

q The highest town council levy is Haverfordwest, at £169,152.70.