Key findings
- Under current proposals for a 16.31 per cent council tax increase in Pembrokeshire,[1] the average band D council tax will rise by over £219.
- If the Welsh government implemented a council tax referendum limit equivalent to the level in England of 4.99 per cent, the average band D council tax in Pembrokeshire would rise by £67, a saving of £152. For those in band A, the lowest band, they would save over £100.
- If Pembrokeshire County Council confirm the proposed council tax rise of 16.31 per cent, it will be the third largest council tax rise in Wales since 1997-98, in percentage terms. The only larger rises were in 2000-01 and 1998-99, when Monmouthshire and Powys county councils increased their council tax by 23.15 per cent and 17.5 per cent respectively.
- Of the ten largest council tax rises in Wales, in percentage terms all but Pembrokeshire’s proposed rise occurred in 2003-04 or earlier, over 20 years ago.
- If Pembrokeshire County Council confirms a 16.31 per cent council tax rise, it will be the largest council tax increase in England and Wales since the council tax referendum principles were implemented in 2012-13, in percentage terms.
- A council tax increase of over 16 per cent will be more than three times higher than the rate most councils in England are allowed to increase their council tax by before requiring a referendum.
READ THE BRIEFING NOTE
[1] Pembrokeshire County Council, Revised Draft Pembrokeshire County Council Budget 2024-25, 12 February 2024, mgenglish.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=73633, (accessed 22 February 2024).