The Coalition-led NPT Council (made up of Independents and Plaid Cymru with support from the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party) have yet again failed to deliver a budget for the most vulnerable in our communities, whilst also condemning our children to a second-rate education.

The Coalition administration took office in 2022 after the local elections promising to cut or keep council tax low on their watch, yet in the last three years, council tax has increased by nearly 20% (19.4%). This is particularly stark when compared to Labour’s 12% cumulative rise in their last 5-year administration (2017-2022), which included a council tax freeze in the last year of the council term. In fact, you would need to look at NPT Labour’s last seven years of Council tax rises for the equivalent to the cumulative rise that the Coalition have implemented in just 3 years. In setting their first budget in 2022, the Coalition acknowledged the healthy bank balance and good financial position they had inherited from Labour, yet in the subsequent three-year period they have increased council tax by 19.4%; spent all of the reserves and taken the levels of available money below the 4% benchmark set by the Director of Finance as the safety net to operate the council in emergencies; and failed to
invest in our communities.

Over a third (37%) of our schools across the County Borough – are in  debt, with the overall debt having risen from £180K last year to a projected figure of over £7 million at the end of this financial year. The
figures clearly indicate a lack of investment in our education system and in the future of our children. Continued council tax rises of 7% are unsustainable for our communities and these will push people further into debt. Further council tax
increases over the next two years at the average rate of the last three years will potentially see council tax increasing over 30% by 2027.

This year’s 7% rise is particularly shocking in light of the significantly
improved Local Government Settlement from the Welsh Labour Government, made possible through the record level of cash funding provided to Wales in the new U.K. Labour Government’s Budget last year.

The Coalition is displaying a clear lack of political direction and an utter mismanagement of the Council’s finances.