Powys County Council set for swingeing cuts and council tax rises
More than £16 million of cuts including secondary school closures, moving to three week bin collections and ceasing funding of theatres are being recommended by a council.
Powys County Council's cabinet voted unanimously to agree its 2015/16 budget plans yesterday, which also include a four per cent rise in council tax.
The proposals still need to be approved by a meeting of the full council on February 11, but the recommended council tax increase would see the bill for an average band D homeowner increase by £40.22p, to £1,045.62p per year.
The recommended budget features a raft of service cuts as the council seeks to save more than £16 million.
They include saving £450,000 by handing management of leisure centres to a different company, £350,000 by reducing opening hours at libraries, £283,000 by ceasing funding for theatres, and £300,000 by ceasing to fund seven day centres.
It is also recommended that the council cuts £300,000 from the waste service budget and considers a move to three weekly collections for wheelie bins and refuse sacks (not recycling), and that car parking charges are increased.
The schools service is facing £1.8 million of cuts, including a review of school meals, a reduction in the number of pupils attending schools, and removing the library service from schools' delegated budget.
The council's deputy leader, Wynne Jones, said his group of the Powys Independent Alliance (PIA) would be happy to support the budget but Aled Davies, leader of the Conservatives, criticised plans to increase council tax.
He said: "I am very disappointed to see council tax will be going up by four per cent, one of the highest in Wales, when last year's medium term financial plan showed a budgeted increase of 2.5 per cent."
Councillor Davies also criticised plans to stop funding Newtown's Hafren theatre from 2016.
Councillor David Jones, former council leader and now a deputy leader of the PIA said a rise in council tax is essential to safeguard the Welsh Government "floor" which protects councils which receive the lowest budget settlements from Government. The floor is made up of funding from all councils across Wales and means Powys County Council received an extra £2.2 million of funding for 2015/16.
He said: "I think the paper is right to emphasise that without the floor Powys would have lost £2.2 million, that is in rough terms equal to a four per cent rise in council tax.
"I take a very different view to Aled because I am more concerned about the provision of service and how they are funded."
