In a positive development for residents and Powys County Council, the Welsh Government has announced a 2.8% rise in local government funding for the upcoming year.
The financial boost, part of the 2024-25 Provisional Settlement, ensures that no local authority will receive less than a 2% increase. For Newtown and Powys County Council, this translates to a substantial increase in resources to address the needs of the county.
The funding injection, totaling £234m for Powys County Council, represents a 2.8% increase, or £6,381,000 over the current year.
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This financial support will be directed towards crucial areas such as schools, social services, social care, refuse and recycling collections, and other key services provided by the local authorities.
Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, emphasized the challenging financial landscape but underscored the government's dedication to preserving frontline public services. She 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% 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.”
On top of this funding from Welsh Government, Powys County Council will also seek to raise council tax levels, however a increase has not yet been decided.
County Councillors are due to agree their annual budget at the end of February 2024.
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