5p a week council tax rise challenged by councillors

INDEPENDENT councillors on Llanelli Town Council have been accused of ‘making a meal’ of opposing an average 5p a week council tax increase.

Labour voted unanimously in favour of the lower-than-inflation 1.6 per cent rise, which it says will enable council services to be maintained and a new community centre and improved changing rooms to be developed for Penyfan.

But the move, agreed at last night’s (MON) town council meeting, met with “quibbling hostility” from Independent councillor Sean Rees, who read a prepared statement quoting cost-of-living pressures for an alternative, standstill budget, which Labour revealed would have meant cutting services.

Ruling Labour group leader, councillor David Darkin, said: “I can’t help but feel that the Independents and councillor Rees were making a meal of it all, grandstanding, when our efficient running of the council means a lower than inflation rise for the forthcoming year.

“We have managed to improve our parks, create vastly modernised and improved changing rooms at Penygaer, where we have transformed an old building into a modern community hub, and we have exciting plans for a new £400,000 community centre at Penyfan.

“We also have an extensive programme of sports and youth activities throughout the council area which the previous administration could not achieve.”

Councillor Darkin praised the “safe stewardship” of council funds and “financial savvy” of the ruling administration in successfully applying for hundreds of thousands of pounds of Welsh Government grants to boost “our bang for our buck.

“Quite frankly they were showing quibbling hostility.”

Elli ward councillor Nick Pearce said:

I think it’s important to remember that inflation, the cost of living, affects the council the same as it does everything else. We will continue to deliver a progressive, upgrading of the town council’s services with an increase that is much lower than the rate of inflation. The opposition wants to throw the council into reverse gear and I don’t know why that is.

I really would be interested to know if our Plaid town councillor voted against the 7% increase that his party has imposed at County.”

Deputy council leader councillor Andre Mcpherson said budget cuts would have risked key services which “improve the lives of the people of Llanelli”.

“Or would the Opposition want us to cut our much-needed contributions to food banks?
“Set against a Plaid run Carmarthenshire County Council tax rise of about 7.5 per cent, and a Plaid-led Dyfed Powys Police precept riser of over six per cent, both of which will add a lot to people’s bills, our 5p a week rise is much less significant.”

The increase amounts to £2.68 a year on a Band D property.