AN above-inflation council tax rise for Ceredigion won’t “break the bank” for local residents, Ceredigion County Council’s leader has claimed.

Cllr Ellen ap Gwynn said Cabinet members were backing a proposed four per cent increase in the county council portion of council tax, claiming it equates to an additional 44p a week for Band D properties.

An increase in funding for the council from the Welsh Government may have spared residents a five per cent increase in council tax, but Cllr ap Gwynn admitted that the authority could not afford to impose a lower increase in council tax as it needs to meet “unavoidable” spending increases of more than £3.7m, which include costs from staff pay rises, an apprenticeship levy and an anticipated drop in fee income.

Cllr ap Gwynn said: “We’re not going for five per cent this year as we’ve had a bit of an increase, but as I have said we are facing a £3.7m spending increase.

“It isn’t something I wish to do, but I believe we’ve had responses from people in previous years that they would rather see an increase in council tax than the loss of services.

“It sounds a lot, but it’s 44p a week on a Band D property so isn’t going to break the bank.”

But Cllr Ceredig Davies said that any council tax increase would be a disappointment to people who have not seen an increase in their income for years and have also seen council tax bills soar in recent years.

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