Flintshire cabinet recommends a 9.5% council tax increase and service cuts to address a £23 million deficit; full council to debate.
The budget proposes a 9.5% council tax increase. They plan to make some service cuts too, potentially ending free school meals during holidays and reducing bus subsidies. School crossing patrols might disappear as well.
School budgets may decrease by 2.5%. The Education Committee advised against this cut, given that schools already face £12.3m in cost pressures. The education department will return £2.9m to the council, and a £750,000 school deficit fund will also end.
The council drafted this budget earlier, before the Welsh Government announced a 3.8% funding floor applicable to all local authorities in the area. Flintshire gained an extra £1.2 million because of this settlement.
Council leader Dave Hughes criticized the funding increase, stating they would put it into the council’s reserves. These reserves help with unexpected costs later, such as social care needs and weather events.
Hughes said the increase was tiny and that he expected a bigger boost to funding. Wales’ average increase reached 4.3%, and Hughes thought the Welsh Government could meet that average, which would have given Flintshire £26.9 million more.
The UK Government gave Wales an extra £1.7 billion, and Hughes thinks Wales has enough to support all councils. He says councils with large reserves, deemed deprived areas, get the most funding.
Flintshire is still calculating its current deficit. Finance member Paul Johnson addressed the deficit, which reached £47.5m in December. Measures have helped lower that number since then, and the final number will be available soon.
The budget includes a partnership with D2 Propco, which specializes in temporary housing solutions. This partnership will save approximately £563,000; however, they will cut homelessness prevention and related roles.
Hughes said they already cut £125 million and that they continue to cut. He stated that there is nothing left to cut. Jayne Bryant, a Welsh official, did not comment on the Flintshire budget. The council will debate the budget on February 24.