Newport City Council’s opposition leader Councillor Matthew Evans has criticised proposals to increase council tax by 6.95%.
The increase is part of a range of suggestions made as part of the council’s strategy to save £9 million from the 2019/20 budget.
A rise in annual parking permit charges, staff redundancies in the education sector, reduced customer service provisions and a review of waste collection will also be discussed in a meeting that has been scheduled for tomorrow.
Opposition leader and councillor for Allt-yr-Yn Matthew Evans believes the increase in council tax will have a huge effect on his constituents.
He says: “A lot of people are retired. Many are on fixed incomes. Their pensions won’t go up by 7%, and a lot of people are going to find it really tough. It is unacceptable to penalise my constituents.
They need to look at other alternatives. They need to ensure people get value for money. They need to do more to generate council income”.
The council have been asked for a response but have so been unavailable for comment.
However, in an online article published in the South Wales Argus last week, leader of the council , Councillor Debbie Wilcox said “Although there are more incredibly difficult decisions that will have to be made for the coming year, we are actually in a stronger position than many other councils.”
If the plan is approved, the increased council tax will raise £1.4 million.
The draft proposals will be published for consultation on December 13th, with the final budget to be approved on February 26th, 2019.
