A BUDGET with savings of more than £12 million has been set by Caerphilly council for the next financial year.

Members also agreed a council tax increase of 3.9 per cent at a special meeting tonight.

That will mean an extra weekly payment of:

Band a homes - 48p

Band b - 56p

Band c - 64p

Band d - 72p

The council carried out an extensive budget consultation over the last few months asking residents to have their say on savings proposals totalling more than £12 million for 2015/16.

The majority of the cuts will have no direct impact on public-facing services, the council said.

A number of planned cuts and price increases to services were reconsidered by Caerphilly council’s cabinet as a result of feedback from residents.

These included scrapping proposals of a 10p increase in car park charges at pay and display car parks and the introduction of car park charges on a Sunday.

Amendments were also made to two specific proposals including a 50p increase to the Meals on Wheels service instead of the proposed £1 per meal, as well as closing Civic Amenity Sites for one day a week rather than the proposed two days.

An amendment to the budget by Plaid Cymru to increase Meals on Wheels by £1 to make funds available elsewhere was not carried.

Members also voted in favour of a small ‘match-funding’ scheme of £25,000 to retain projects such as the Bargoed Ice rink and the popular ‘Bands in the Park' events programme.

This fund will only be used where local partners, such as community councils, are able to contribute to the events.

Cllr Colin Mann, leader of the opposition group, said his party voted against the budget and the council tax increase, which he felt was too high.

But leader of the council, Cllr Keith Reynolds, called it a "fair" budget and a "fair" council tax increase.

His deputy, Cllr Barbara Jones said: “I'm sure members will agree we are protecting the vulnerable, protecting frontline services, reducing waste and safeguarding jobs.

"We have listened. We have listened to the views of our residents and I'd thank everyone who got involved and had their say."

In a statement on the budget, the authority said: “This has been achieved through effective budget management involving departments across the authority. However, the council is keen to stress that there are still challenging times ahead as further significant savings will be required in 2016/17 and 2017/18.”