“Taxpayers rightly expect all councils to have robust financial procedures in place – particularly in the current climate - and it is clear that radical improvement is desperately needed.

 

“Since Labour, Plaid and the Liberal Democrats agreed an extremely challenging settlement for local authorities, Welsh Conservatives have called for line-by-line budget scrutiny from our councils, and the urgent improvement of tax collection rates.

 

“Communities already facing changes to frontline services will be shocked to see councils’ financial planning so severely questioned.

 

“All local authorities would have had greater financial flexibility had Carwyn Jones and Welsh Labour delivered council tax freezes in the past three years with the funding provided by the Conservative-led coalition.

 

“Councils would also be well advised to follow the lead of Conservative-led Monmouthshire Council in publishing expenditure online. This kind of transparency is the best way to root out waste and boost financial scrutiny.”