Caerphilly Labour hits back at 'premature' Plaid criticism

Last month, the authority’s cabinet approved proposals to increase the council tax by 3.9 per cent for 2015/16 although no final decision was made.

Caerphilly council has to make savings of £12.8 million in that financial year, with a cumulative savings target of £39 million by 2018, as a result of cuts in its financial settlement by the Welsh Government.

In a letter to the Argus last week, Cllr Colin Mann, leader of the opposition group Plaid Cymru, said residents were used to being “caned by Labour administrations”.

He said: “Readers may be surprised to learn that [the proposed council tax] increase was pushed through without any formal discussion at the public cabinet meeting. I assume that everything had previously been agreed behind closed doors.”

But in response, Cllr Gez Kirby, the Labour group spokesman, said: "Cllr Mann knows better than to try to smear Caerphilly council's Labour cabinet in this way. He knows that the cabinet meeting that discussed draft budget proposals was open to the public.

“He knows that the proposals will now go out to full public consultation, with detailed scrutiny by council committees. And Cllr Mann knows that Caerphilly council may not have needed to make such deep cuts now if his last, Plaid Cymru-controlled, Caerphilly council administration hadn't tried to gain political advantage by failing to raise council tax rates for two years in the run-up to the last council elections.”

Cllr Kirby added: "Instead of trying yet again to score cheap party-political points, it's about time Cllr Mann and his nationalist group stepped up and played their full part in our difficult budget-setting exercise - instead of abdicating their responsibilities and walking out of the council budget meeting, as they did last time.”

The draft budget proposals are subject to a further period of consultation before they are presented to full council next year for a final decision.