North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has challenged the Labour Welsh Government over its “discriminatory” Local Government Funding Formula, emphasising the negative impact it is having on people in Flintshire.
Intervening in yesterday’s Welsh Conservative Debate, which called on the Labour Welsh Government to commission an independent review of the Local Government Funding Formula, work with Councils to ensure usable reserves are used to keep Council Tax low and introduce referendums for any Council proposing a Council Tax rise above 5%, Mr Isherwood expressed concern that Flintshire County Council have an equal bottom settlement this year, and have received poor settlements in previous years.
He said:
“It's over two decades since I first met the Labour Leader of Flintshire County Council because of the discriminatory Local Government Funding Formula that he was seeking to campaign against.
“It's only two, three months since I raised here the concerns of the current Labour Leader of Flintshire County Council. Because they've got an equal-bottom settlement this year, after years and years - two decades or more - of being at or near the bottom, they're facing a 9.5 per cent rise as school budgets are cut.
“Are you not concerned for the people of Flintshire that this obsolete, discriminatory funding formula is going to impact on them?”
Speaking afterwards, Mr Isherwood said:
“With four North Wales Councils once again among those receiving the lowest settlements in Wales, this funding formula has reached its sell-by date and needs independent review desperately.
“Across Wales, Councils are currently sitting on over £2 billion pounds in usable reserves, yet residents are facing an average Council Tax rise of over 7% - a staggering 9.5% in Flintshire!
“It is therefore both frustrating and disappointing that Labour voted against our plans to address this unfair system.”