Cardiff council tax rise to plug £25m deficit

Cardiff council has voted to pass a council tax rise of 5% next year in a bid to bridge a £25m budget gap.

The hike will raise an extra £6.4m in the £609m budget as Cardiff look to plug an expected budget deficit of £91m over the next three years.

The council, who have made £200m of savings in the last 10 years, say council tax in total will bring in £165.6m, 27% of their budget.

Cost-saving measures include school meal prices being raised by 10p a meal.

Other saving measures include:

• Increasing the price of re-homing a puppy by £10 and dogs by £20

• Increasing the cost of burials and cremations by £20

• Ceasing publication of the council's quarterly newspaper 'In Cardiff'

"We've tried to create a budget which delivers for the people of Cardiff and we've done this in the face of years of unprecedented cuts to local government budgets," said Cardiff council's cabinet member for finance, Chris Weaver.

The 2018/19 budget was passed with 37 in favour and 20 against.