People living in Cardiff will see a number of changes to council services after the local authority voted through plans in a bid to close a financial gap of more than \u00a330.3m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting on Thursday night lasted for more than four hours, with councillors from all parties discussing the controversial proposals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The council said that the budget “safeguards schools and education, supports social services, and protects the most vulnerable”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Council Tax<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the biggest takeaways from the meeting was the rise in Council Tax. From April, households will see a council tax rise of 6%. This means for those living in the average household – a band D – bills will increase by \u00a385 a year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During the meeting, one Conservative councillor criticised the plans for “hiking tax beyond the rate of inflation” and accused the Labour-run authority of having their “priorities all wrong”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The council described some of the decisions as “extremely difficult” but said how it is facing a “public sector funding crisis”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bins<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Later on in the year, black bins will now be collected every three weeks instead of every two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The council said this was the Welsh Government’s preferred option to help with recycling rates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, the plans have received mixed reviews from both the public and politicians since they were announced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Councillor Adrian Robson from the Welsh Conservative told CJS News: “In some of the city centre areas, there is a lot of rubbish and people aren’t as diligent with putting out their bins on the right day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “The rubbish will pile up if not collected”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One Cardiff resident said that if the council don’t collect them, the rubbish is “blown all over the road and becomes someone else’s problem”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Street cleansing will continue to be protected and bins in residential areas will be retained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Libraries<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Public library opening hours are also being reduced as well as the number of park rangers in this city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is all in an attempt to try save the \u00a330 million shortfall from the council. <\/p>\n\n\n\n