COUNCIL tax payers in Monmouthshire are facing a rise of nearly five per cent under plans set out for next year's budget.

Monmouthshire council's cabinet will meet to approve the release of budget proposals later this week, with the authority needing to save £9.7 million.

Cost pressures include £5.5 million in social care, £1.5 million funding services around children with additional learning needs and teachers pay and pension increases of £1.2 million.

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A proposed 4.95 per cent council tax rise from April, which would equate to an extra £65.12 a year on a band D property, would raise £509,000 towards total proposed savings of £7.9 million.

A further £1.178 million is still needed to balance the books after the proposals set to be put forward.

Other savings to go out for consultation include a two per cent cut to school budgets.

Usk recycling centre could close, if approved in a separate proposal by the cabinet, with the Mitchel Troy site set to stay open an extra day a week.

The price of school meals could also go up from £2.45 to £2.50, resulting in an increase of £9.50 per year for a family with one school age child rising to £28.50 for a family with three children.

A council report says Monmouthshire received the lowest funding per head of population of any local authority in Wales.

"It is never popular to charge for services but the reality is that we need to do so," the report says.

"We are proposing increases in a number of areas.

"Likewise increasing council tax is never popular but with national funding not keeping pace with demands on local authorities, local taxation is by default having to shoulder a greater proportion of our overall funding."

The Welsh Government is due to announce how much funding each council will receive next year in its draft settlement on Monday.

Further cuts to bridge the remaining £1.178 million funding gap will need to be considered if more cash is not announced.

A public consultation on the plans is due to be held from Friday, December 20 until January 31.

A spokeswoman for Monmouthshire council said: "The budget proposals are set within a context of ongoing funding constraints and the financial challenges facing the council are driven by very real and increasing demographic and demand led pressures.

"This is particularly evident in our need to support our vulnerable children and adults."