THE deputy leader of Ceredigion County Council has defended a council tax increase of four per cent, claiming residents will not have noticed a real reduction in services.

Councillors voted to accept a council tax increase of four per cent for the next financial year.

Including a 1.6 per cent increase in the combined community council precept, and a seven per cent increase in the police precept, this will mean Ceredigion tax payers seeing a combined increase of 4.36 per cent in what they pay the council.

Responding to criticism from some members of the council, deputy leader Cllr Ray Quant, who is member for Borth, said many residents will “not have noticed a real reduction in services”.

Cllr Gethin James said he was “extremely concerned” to see another significant increase in council tax after a five per cent increase last year, and questioned increased staffing costs in the budget.The leader of the council, Cllr Ellen ap Gwynn, defended the budget and staffing costs, and said taxpayers had the choice of an increase in council tax or further cuts to services.

Cllr Ray Quant, deputy leader of the council, received a round of applause for his defence of the budget and his claim that residents of Ceredigion had noticed no reduction in services.

“At the end of the day, I don’t think people outside in Ceredigion, although we are really stressed and struggling in different departments to keep services going and that, I don’t think some of them have noticed a real reduction in services,” he said.

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