Rhondda Cynon Taf council has £207 million available, according to the Labour Government’s own figures but will RCTC put up council tax next year by 4%?
Welsh Conservative comment on enormous usable council reserves
10 of the 22 Welsh councils have usable reserves of over £100 million. Rhondda Cynon Taf council has £207 million available, according to the Labour Government’s own figures.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Local Government Minister, Sam Rowlands MS said:
“Labour’s imposition of top-down diktats has left councils struggling to provide the essential services the public expect. The drastically underfunded universal school meals policy has left councils in a position where they have to plug Labour’s shortfalls themselves, using reserves.
“Some councils, however, have done very well from their funding settlements and are bizarrely sitting on their substantial reserves – including RCT who increased their reserves from £146 million the previous year.
“On top of this, the Labour Government are attempting to introduce new, higher council taxes and a tourism tax that no one is asking for. Delivering essential services should be the top priority for Welsh councils.”
Welsh Conservative Shadow Finance Minister, Peter Fox MS added:
“After years of Labour underfunding Welsh councils there needs to be urgent support for those areas that are struggling. However, at the last count Labour run Rhondda Cynon Taf Council was sat on over £200 million in usable reserves.
“Local people will rightly be asking why at this time is their council holding back such a substantial amount of money – over a quarter of the council’s budget – when it would be better spent in reducing council tax or boosting services.
“In Monmouthshire, the Welsh Conservatives delivered top tier local services, despite having the lowest per-head funding in Wales allocated to us. We did not have the ability to accumulate huge sums in reserves, like so many councils are presently.”
