Council tax is set to rise by 3.95% after a meeting of the council on Thursday evening. When the initial propositions were put forward, the council had only suggested a council tax increase of 3%, but the decision was made to up the amount further. The increase is expected to raise an extra £6.5m for the council.
The Welsh government announced extra investment in local authorities as part of their Local Government Finance Settlement. Despite this extra funding, Cardiff Council say they still have a £24 million gap in their budget for the upcoming year. They blame inflation and the increased demands on their services for the shortfall.
Other proposals which were approved in the Full Council meeting included the hotly-contested long-term lease of St David’s Hall. The council were at pains to stress that this doesn’t mean the concert hall will be sold to a third-party events group. They say this decision will save them £700,000 every year. They will still own the building but the day-to-day running of the concert hall will be managed by AMG, who own various music venues across the UK.
The price of parking permits in the capital will also increase at the beginning of April. The permits will increase by over 50% to £24 for your first, and then by £54 for the second parking license – an increase of 39%.
After an increase in garden recycling fees in the past year, people in Cardiff will also see their recycling centers impacted by these new budget proposals. The tip will reduce to being open to 6 days, closing one day of each week.
They say that the savings they make will allow them to invest in essential services, such as school and social care. You can read the council’s full decision here.