THE final amount of funding each council in Wales will be handed in April has been revealed, with Monmouthshire now the only local authority in Gwent facing a budget cut.

Under the Welsh Government’s draft local government settlement announced in October, Monmouthshire was one of only five councils in Wales set to see its budget cut by one per cent, with Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly councils were also in line for cuts. Newport and Torfaen councils were both promised small increases.

But under the final settlement released today, Wednesday, Monmouthshire is now the only council in Gwent to see a cut - with its funding to fall by 0.3 per cent. The council's budget remains the second-lowest in Wales - with only Merthyr Tydfil getting less.

Newport and Torfaen will both get 0.6 per cent more than this year, while Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly will both see small increases, amounting to a zero per cent cut.

Monmouthshire’s total funding is still the second-lowest in Wales – with only Merthyr Tydfil getting less.

Announcing the revised settlement, which includes a extra £23.6 million on top of the draft plans, newly-appointed minister for housing and local government Julie James said, “I believe this provides local government with a realistic settlement for the current financial climate and one which is significantly improved on the indicative settlement approved in the last budget."

She added: "While the settlement is the largest single source of funding available to authorities, it is not the only one.

"In setting their budgets and council tax levels for next year, we expect every authority to take account all the available funding streams and to consider how to secure best value for Welsh taxpayers through effective and efficient service provision.

"We offer considerable flexibility to authorities to exercise autonomy and responsibility in managing their finances."

But the Welsh Conservatives have accused the Welsh Government of "failing to deliver fair funding for local authorities".Shadow local government minister Mark Isherwood said: “The Welsh Conservatives want an independent review of the local government funding formula to prevent further regional inequality in Wales, something which has gone from bad to worse during Welsh Labour’s 20 years in charge.”

FULL ALLOCATIONS

Newport:

  • Final settlement: £214.34 million.
  • Up £628,000, or 0.6 per cent, on this year.
  • Draft settlement proposed: £336,000, or 0.2 per cent, increase.

Torfaen:

  • Final settlement: £132.65 million
  • Up £736,000, or 0.6 per cent, on this year.
  • Draft settlement proposed: £151,000, or 0.1 per cent, increase.

Monmouthshire:

  • Final settlement: £93.23 million
  • Down £330,000, or 0.3 per cent, on this year.
  • Draft settlement proposed: £936,000, or one per cent, cut.

Blaenau Gwent:

  • Final settlement: £110.82 million.
  • Up £118,000, or zero per cent, on last year.
  • Draft settlement proposed: £528,000, or 0.5 per cent, cut.

Caerphilly:

  • Final settlement: £268.61 million.
  • Up £628,000, or zero per cent, on this year.
  • Draft settlement proposed: £1.3 million, or 0.5 per cent, cut.