BLAENAVON Town Council will not increase its annual precept it receives from residents this year.

The precept was increased for the 2019/20 financial year, with the council receiving £130,000, and following an in-depth review, the council has ratified the budget for 2020/21 and agreed keep the figure the same for the next 12 months.

The council has pledged to continue improving the range of services and projects it delivers in the community.

These include the part-funding of a Healthy Blaenavon Officer, supporting the Blaenavon Townscape Heritage Project with its refurbishment of town centre buildings, and funding events such as the World Heritage Day celebrations, the Remembrance Day parade and the Town Council carol service.

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The precept is the part of the council tax collected by Torfaen County Borough Council on behalf of the town council.

Based on Band D properties, this will cost households £66.97 per year, £5.58 per month or £1.29 a week.

For Band A properties - which make up the biggest proportion of housing in Blaenavon, at 49.63 per cent - it means an annual payment of £44.72, £3.73 per month, or 86p per week.

“Over the past two to three years, the [town] council has supported a wide range of important partnership initiatives and launched a number of exciting new projects, of which we’re very proud,” said Mayor Cllr Jac Denley-Jones.

“We’re pleased to see the success of established ongoing developments such as the Intergenerational project - for which we won the 2019 One Voice Wales Innovative Practice national award for the Best Community Engagement Initiative across the 735 town and community councils in Wales.

“But we’re also adding to these each year and are extremely happy in particular about the progress made to date by the Healthy Blaenavon Officer.

“We’re already seeing great results in just over six months since the officer started.

“We’re continuing to put on and support events that wouldn’t happen without our funding, such as World Heritage Day, our first Christmas Market, and - new for 2020 - a proposed community event at Garn Lakes.

"We hope the townspeople are also happy with the way we’re re-investing their money.”