Plaid MS Sioned Williams has called on the Welsh Government to investigate Councils such as Neath Port Talbot who consistently charge higher Council tax rates.
Residents in Neath Port Talbot currently pay the third highest Council tax in Wales and around £250 more than neighbouring councils.
A Band D household in Neath Port Talbot pay £1,996, compared to £1,729 in Carmarthenshire and £1,753 in Swansea.
The Plaid MS raised the matter with First Minister Mark Drakeford MS at the Senedd yesterday (Tuesday, July 13th).
She stated:
“Labour run Neath Port Talbot Council consistently sets one of the highest Council tax levels in Wales, and residents simply cannot understand why it costs NPT Council so much more to deliver services, compared to neighbouring counties.
“It cannot be right that residents in Neath Port Talbot pay £267 more every year for their Council tax than residents in Carmarthenshire, and £243 more than residents in the City and County of Swansea.
“There is an issue of fairness at the heart of this, and whilst accepting each local authority’s democratic right to set its own council tax levels, surely the Welsh Government should be doing all that it can to ensure that Councils across Wales are systematically reviewing their expenditure levels.
“I believe that the Welsh Government should undertake an investigation specifically into higher taxing authorities such as Neath Port Talbot with a view to delivering more consistent council tax levels in Wales.
In response to the question by Sioned Williams, Mark Drakeford MS stated that Neath Port Talbot’s Council tax percentage increase this year was lower than some other Councils, including Plaid Cymru led authorities, however Mrs. Williams stated that the First Minister misses the point.
She added:
“The percentage increase in one particular year is not the issue here. The fact is that Neath Port Talbot Council has consistently charged residents hundreds of pounds more in Council tax than in other parts of Wales, and this has gone on for a number of years. Why is Welsh Labour not interested in addressing this issue?”