Commenting on the publication of the Provisional Local Government Settlement for 2013-14, Janet Finch-Saunders AM, Shadow Minister for Local Government, said:

"This represents a challenging settlement for local authorities, which will need to strike a careful balance between keeping Council Tax levels down and fully funding frontline services.

"It is disappointing that Labour Ministers seem unwilling to pass on the funding they received for a Council Tax freeze to hard-pressed families, which would relieve the pressure on household bills and ease the financial burden on local authorities.

"Labour Ministers seem to believe they can spend taxpayers’ money better than people themselves.　 This outdated socialist attitude will do nothing to support the people of Wales or our stretched public services."