COUNCIL tax payers in Torfaen are facing an increase in their bills under proposals set to be considered by senior councillors.

The proposed 3.95 per cent increase amounts to paying an extra £54.01 per year – or £1.04 per week – on a band D property in the county borough.

Proposals also include a funding increase for schools, with pressures of £2.88-million fully funded.

An additional investment of £859,000 is also proposed to help meet a spike in demand in children’s services.

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But a council report says an improved provisional Welsh Government settlement – which proposes giving the council a 4.3 per cent increase in funding – has allowed for the “protection of services”.

The proposed settlement has provided the council with nearly an extra £3 million over initial estimates, helping to meet a previously identified budget gap of more than £6 million.

The report says there are “minimal service implications” in the proposals.

Some changes have been made to the draft proposals following recommendations by the council’s scrutiny committee though.

Final proposals include a £53,000 canal officer post, which was previously proposed to be removed, to help support maintenance and development of the canal.

An additional £52,000 has also been allocated to the council’s discretionary housing payment scheme, to help “the most vulnerable” in light of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The proposed council tax increase is in line with the authority’s medium-term financial plan.

This also includes council tax rises of 3.95 per cent for 2022/23, 3.7 per cent for 2023/24 and 3.5 per cent going forward after that.

Cllr Kelly Preston, executive member for resources, said the proposals include “no major service changes and investment in our key priorities”.

“This is a good budget which both protects vital services and provides additional money for our most critical service areas,” she said.

The proposals will go before the council’s cabinet at a meeting next Tuesday, before being considered for approval by full council on March 4.