Rise in funding for Wrexham Council welcomed

Councils across Wales will receive an increase in funding next year from the Welsh Government.

Local Member of the Senedd, Lesley Griffiths, has welcomed the news Wrexham Council’s budget for the upcoming financial year is set to increase by 8.4%.

Before Christmas the provisional local government settlement for 2023 to 2024 was published, which outlines how much the 22 councils across Wales can expect to receive to spend on social care, education, recycling and other key local services. 

Core revenue funding for local government will increase by 7.9% on a like-for-like basis, compared to the current year, meaning Wrexham Council’s settlement is above the national average.  No local authority in Wales will receive less than a 6.5% rise.

The settlement reflects the Welsh Government’s commitment to support key frontline services and protect the vulnerable.  It includes funding for the real Living Wage for care workers, the teachers’ pay deal and the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

Lesley Griffiths MS said: “We can’t escape the fact we are living through turbulent times and budgets are being stretched like never before.  More than a decade of austerity, imposed by successive Tory UK Governments, has left our nation poorer.  The UK is in recession, inflation is at a 40-year high and energy prices are soaring as living standards fall.

“In spite of all the challenges, I am sure this funding boost from the Welsh Government will be widely welcomed.  It will provide Wrexham Council with a stable platform, enabling the Local Authority to plan ahead and focus on delivering the public services the people of Wrexham rely on.”

The consultation on the provisional settlement will end on 2 February 2023.