Flintshire council 'in danger of not setting legal budget'
- Published
Flintshire councillors did not get the cash they sought when they travelled to the Welsh Assembly in February
A county council has warned it is in danger of setting an illegal budget because it faces a deficit of more than £16m next year.
Flintshire council has called on the Welsh Government to provide extra cash to ensure it can balance the books.
The authority wants to cap the council tax increase at 5%, after this year's 8.75% hike sparked anger.
It said its cross-party #BackTheAsk campaign had failed to win the required funding from ministers.
The council claims it is among the lowest-funded in Wales, and its predicted deficit for 2020/21 has risen from £9.5m at the start of the year to £16.2m, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
In a report to the authority's Labour leadership next week, council chief executive Colin Everett will detail how a rise in teachers' pay and pensions is among the reasons for an increase in the budget, now approaching £290m.
"It is essential that adequate funding is provided by Welsh Government from the additional funding announced in the UK spending review," he said.
"In the absence of this additional funding the council will be at significant risk of not being able to set a safe and legal balanced budget."
In February, a cross-party group of Flintshire councillors travelled from County Hall in Mold to the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff Bay in a plea for more cash.
While some additional funding was found for local government, the authority said it did not meet the full amount it had requested.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said it would publish details of its funding for local councils on 26 November.
"This should give local authorities time to plan ahead for the forthcoming year and to engage with their communities to ensure local priorities are met," the spokesperson said.
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