Flintshire council defends a 9.5% tax rise and school cuts after anger over a budget crisis and online “misinformation”.
The council faced a £23 million deficit and said they legally had to balance the budget. Council leader Dave Hughes addressed online “misinformation” and worried about some online comments, as some fake documents inflamed tensions. The council wanted to explain the situation clearly.
A council document explained the finances, highlighting that Flintshire has 6,000 employees and offers residents 600+ services. Their budget was £368 million in 2024/25, with the Welsh Government providing 70% of the funds and council tax providing the other 30%. When the council learned of the draft settlement on December 11, they assumed a 10.2% council tax increase, but their deficit rose to £47.5 million as social care demands kept growing.
The draft settlement gave Flintshire £274.7 million, only a 3.3% increase. Spending cuts happened all year, but Flintshire’s costs rose by 13%, leaving a £23 million gap. Flintshire asked for a larger funding increase, wanting the average uplift of 4.45%, which would have given them £27 million more and allowed them to lower taxes. However, the Welsh Government gave only £1.2 million extra.
Flintshire had low reserve funds left over due to weather events and cleaning up an illegal waste site, leaving only £2.7 million in reserves. One major setback could then drain the pot, potentially making it impossible to grit roads or fix storm damage. Not balancing the budget meant facing a Section 114 notice, which hands control of finances to administrators who would cut costs and raise taxes quickly. Even a £1 overspend could trigger it all.
The council had to balance the budget by March 10 to avoid administrators taking over, resulting in deeper cuts and higher taxes. The planned spending had to match funding. Scrapped cuts included bus subsidies, and free school meals were kept during holidays. The council listened to some committee concerns, but those opposing the budget offered no real plan, and no one proposed a fair and balanced budget.
Someone suggested reallocating £1.2 million extra, and another wanted to reallocate £40,000, but these changes didn’t do enough to balance it out. Northern councils had larger tax increases compared to Southern councils, whose increases were lower on average. One person online felt the council did not understand them, but council members stated they are real people too and that these decisions affect their lives directly.
Council members understood the tax upset people and also did not want to raise council tax. Flintshire received below-average government funding and has been underfunded for a long time, leaving the council with no other choice. Aggression seen online became a worry, but civil debates about improvements were welcomed.