COUNCIL tax bills will rise in Monmouthshire from April after councillors agreed the budget for the upcoming year.

The 3.89 per cent increase, which was lowered from a previous proposal of 4.95 per cent, was agreed at a full council meeting on Thursday.

It means households will pay an extra £1.03 per week on a band D property.

Investments in social care, waste and recycling, support for the homeless and to ensure apprentices are paid the real living wage are also included.

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Council leader, Cllr Peter Fox, said that although the council received an improved Welsh Government settlement with a rise of 3.9 per cent in funding, it is still the lowest funded authority per capita in Wales.

“While we may have had a slightly better settlement this year, it has not moved us off the bottom,” he said.

“3.9 per cent of very little is still very little.”

But Cllr Dimitri Batrouni, the council’s Labour group leader, said the budget was “a wasted opportunity” following an improved Welsh Government settlement.

“We will not support the poorest in our communities paying the price,” he said.

Independent councillor Debby Blakebrough said she agreed the Welsh Government funding formula was “not fair”, but said she was ‘disappointed’ by the budget.

“People are really struggling financially,” she said.

“Just for one year, if we could just give the people of Monmouthshire a bit of a break.”

Labour councillor Tony Easson said the council tax rise would be “a kick in the teeth” for families on low or middle incomes who were losing money.

But Cllr Bob Greenland, cabinet member for innovation, enterprise and leisure, said opposition councillors opposing the council tax rise had not put forward alternative proposals.

“In these difficult circumstances, it’s incredibly difficult to put forward a balanced budget that doesn’t hurt some people,” he said.

“We would much prefer to be in a position where we did not have to do any of this.”

The budget includes funding to meet demands in areas such as children in care, adult social care and recycling and waste costs.

A £103,000 investment will also be made to ensure apprentices are paid the real living wage and £91,000 will be set aside to build further resilience around the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.