Welsh councils to get increase in funding

The Welsh Government has announced a 3.1 per cent increase in local government funding.

Core revenue funding for local government will increase by 3.1% on a like-for-like basis, compared to the current year, with no local authority receiving less than a 2 per cent increase.

Schools, social services and social care, refuse and recycling collections and other key services provided by local authorities will be backed with £5.7 billion in Welsh Government Revenue Support Grant and non-domestic rates.

A 6-week consultation on the provisional settlement will end on 31 January 2024.

Rebecca Evans, minister for finance and local government, said: "In an incredibly tough financial situation, we’ve re-shaped our spending plans so we can protect the core, frontline public services provided by local authorities like schools and social care.

"As I explained yesterday, our overall funding settlement is not sufficient to meet all pressures. This has meant taking difficult decisions elsewhere in the budget to honour our commitment to councils last year of a 3.1 per cent rise in their funding for next year.

"I appreciate the pressures local government is facing and recognise that demand for services, along with the recent very high rates of inflation, mean local government will still need to make difficult decisions on services, efficiencies, and council tax in setting their budgets.

“We will continue to work closely together to face these shared challenges and strive to make the best use of the resources we have in order to make the most difference to the communities we serve."