CALLS have been made to lower a proposed council tax rise of 3.9 per cent in Caerphilly county borough.

Caerphilly council’s Plaid Cymru and Independent groups have said they will oppose the proposed increase, which is due to be decided at a full council meeting next week.

But the council’s leader, Cllr Philippa Marsden defended the proposal and said the authority has tried to keep council tax “as low as possible”.

The proposed increase amounts to paying between 59p and 89p extra for a property in bands A-D, with the authority’s band D rates currently the second lowest in Wales.

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Plaid Cymru has proposed cutting the rise to 2.4 per cent, and instead reducing money set aside for a possible pay increase for teachers and for a ‘transformation team’.

Cllr Colin Mann, leader of the group, said: “We’re in the middle of a terrible pandemic and many people are really struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table. Yet, the Labour council thinks the right thing to do is hike the council tax by almost four per cent.

South Wales Argus: Cllr Colin Mann

Cllr Colin Mann

“Earlier this week the Bevan Foundation reported that the pandemic was deepening existing inequality in Wales with nearly a quarter of Welsh homes seeing their income fall due to a mixture of redundancies and furlough pay.

“Why would a Labour council want to heap a greater burden on the residents of Caerphilly county?”

Cllr Mann said funding of £849,000 could be found to reduce the council tax by 1.5 per cent without impacting on frontline services.

But Cllr Marsden criticised the Plaid Cymru group’s proposals to reduce a budget set aside for a possible pay increase for teachers.

South Wales Argus:

Cllr Philippa Marsden

“Our budget proposals are sensible and are the result of a careful balancing of the needs of our residents with a desire to keep council tax as low as possible, at a time of intense and unprecedented pressure on services,” she said.

“Plaid Cymru’s call to scrap the modest pay increases planned for council staff is disappointing, and a slap in the face to our key workers across the county borough.”

Cllr Kevin Etheridge, the council’s Independent group leader, also called for the council tax rise to be lowered and said money from reserves should be used.

South Wales Argus:

Kevin Etheridge

“We believe it should be far lower,” he said.

“We’ve got people losing their jobs, insolvencies and foodbank use.

“We think it’s totally inappropriate and totally unjustified.”

The proposed increase in council tax would contribute £3 million to a £14.1m budget shortfall, with previously approved cuts making up £2m and the Welsh Government settlement the remaining £9m.