Bridgend Council intends to freeze council tax during 2022-23. It follows a much better than expected increase in funding through the draft local government settlement. A freeze was also backed by a majority of people who responded to BCBC’s budget consultation last year.
The provisional plans for next year’s council budget (pdf) – due to be discussed at BCBC’s Cabinet next week – state that the freeze would be for one year only. From 2023-24 onwards, the council anticipates council tax increases of at least 4.5%.
Due to the projected 9.4% increase in the council’s available budget, the council only expects to make £631,000 worth of cuts and savings in 2022-23, compared to multi-million-pound cuts in previous years.
Longer-term, BCBC still expects to need to find anything between £13.9-£27.9million worth of cuts and savings by 2025-26 with the most likely figure being around £21million.
It’s worth reminding everyone that just because council tax is expected to be frozen, it doesn’t mean the overall bill will stay the same. Town and community councils will set their own precepts, as will the Police & Crime Commissioner and South Wales Fire Service. The fire service precept is currently set to increase by 2.4%.
