Original by Carys Thomas, South Wales Argus - http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/15029384.Council_funding_plans_fo…

AMs voted to approve the Welsh Government’s Local Government Settlement, the amount of money handed from Cardiff Bay to each council in Wales, for the 2017-2018 financial year today.

Although Newport City Council’s settlement is up 0.1 per cent compared with the current financial year at £208 million, this represents a real-terms cut after inflation, which has been around 1.6 per cent over the 12 months. Likewise, although Monmouthshire County Council’s handout is the same as this year’s at £92 million.

Torfaen Council fares worse, receiving £129 million, 0.3 per cent down from this year, while Blaenau Gwent faces a 0.4 per cent decrease, receiving £109 million.

Caerphilly Council’s budget is also down 0.1 per cent to £264 million.

Speaking in the Senedd yesterday Wales’ finance and local government secretary Mark Drakeford said he believed the amounts being handed out were “a fair outcome for local authorities”.

“Now is the time to plan ahead purposely and unstintingly for those decisions which need to be made,” he said.

The Labour minister added it was important councils worked to ensure services were being delivered as efficiently as possible, and said the Welsh Government was working alongside authorities to ensure this happened.

“In the end it is for electors to make sure they hold local authorities to account,” he said.

But the Welsh Conservative’s local government spokeswoman Janet Finch-Saunders described it as “yet another difficult settlement for Welsh councils”.

“Council budgets have been devastated right across Wales, particularly in rural areas” she said. “And that bill has been simply been passed straight on to the taxpayer.”

The settlement forms part of Newport City Council’s draft budget.

A consultation into the draft budget closes on Friday, January 20. Visit www.newport.gov.uk/budget.