The Labour Administration at Llanelli Rural Council has voted to increase the Council’s tax rate by 32.3% at a meeting of the Full Council held on Wednesday, 26th February. This decision was made despite serious concerns voiced by Plaid and Independent Councillors present at the meeting around the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the inability for residents to afford such asubstantial increase.
This decision by Labour will be even more frustrating and worrying for residents given that Labour held no public consultation ahead of the vote. They also voted to continue paying themselves to attend meetings at a meeting of Llanelli Rural’s Full Council held on Tuesday, 11th February, 2025.
A Notice of Motion was proposed by Independent Pemberton Ward Councillor Sharen Davies and seconded by Plaid Councillor Alex Evans of the Glyn Ward to scrap the ‘Attendance Allowance’ paid to Rural Councillors on the 11th February.
The motion read:-
“Given the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, it is essential that this Council exercises responsible financial management by prioritising core services and reducing non-essential spending.
The Independent Renumeration Panel for Wales did not mandate or recommend that Community Councils introduce attendance payments; it simply allowed them the discretion to do so, up to a maximum of £30 per meeting.
While the administration chose a £15 per meeting payment rather than the £30 adopted by Llanelli Town Council the current financial pressures make it necessary to identify savings and limit any further increases in the precept.
For decades, the role of a Llanelli Rural Councillor was understood to be voluntary. In recognition of the financial difficulties facing our community, this motion proposes a return to this principle by removing the £15 per meeting attendance payment.”
Unfortunately and typically, the Motion was blocked by the ruling Labour Group and the final budget for the 2025/26 financial year includes of a budget of £15,000 for various payments to members of the Council.
Given that Labour’s main reasoning for the eye-watering tax hikeof 32.3% last week was that they have not increased the precept enough in previous years, it is shocking that they have not first looked to reduce costs – starting with these ‘Attendance Payments’ and a budget of £1,000 to redecorate the Council Chamber, which is in perfectly fine condition.
To increase the precept by over 30% whilst voting to continue to pay themselves £15 per meeting is absolutely disgraceful. Over the past 12 months, some meetings have lasted only 2 or 3 minutes but members attending still qualify for the £15 payment.
Additionally, instead of acting responsibly and consulting their constituents, the Labour administration have chosen to repeatedly deplete the Council’s reserves. Now, those very residents who placed their trust in Labour at the ballot box will bear the financial burden of that decision through their massively increased council tax bill.
The Opposition on Llanelli Rural Council, which is made up of Plaid Cymru and Independent members, firmly believe that residents deserve transparency, accountability and a say in how their money is spent.
It is time for this Labour administration to provide answers for their decisions and explain why they have placed this unacceptable pressure on the very people they were elected to represent.
YesCymru