Swansea council: Schools to benefit from 6% tax rise

Image caption, Councils fund schools, care services, waste collections and some local transport

Swansea residents will pay 6% more council tax after the council passed a rise in its budget.

The council is facing a shortfall of 拢24m over the next financial year and councillors agreed the rise to help fund schools and social care.

Council leader Rob Stewart said the changes would inject 拢1.6m a day into services across the county.

The Welsh Government said it offered councils "the best settlement possible" after nine years of austerity.

On top of the proposed 2.99% increase in council tax intended as part of budget proposals, a 1% rise will go on teachers' pay and 2% will go on social care services, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It means Band B council taxpayers will pay about 拢1.15 more a week.

Just over 拢140m of the budget has been set aside for school buildings, while 拢4m will be spent on new council homes and 拢2.4m extra has been made available for roads and pavements.

Mr Stewart said: "Every penny of extra council tax raised will go to fund education and social services.

"Despite continued government cuts we intend to spend around 拢1.6m a day on the vital services that people rely on every day."