By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-03-10 18:26:13 | Updated at 2025-03-10 21:16:43
2 hours ago
A Labour-led council has been harangued by furious residents for imposing a "self-serving" tax hike while public services in the area continue to "diminish".
In the latest meeting on its budget, Flintshire County Council has announced that it will raise council tax bills by 9.5 per cent - despite planning cuts across "vital services".
Such reductions are planned to impact schools, road repairs as well as the library service - although the council has managed to increase senior salary positions for councillors by 25 per cent in two years, leader of the Flintshire People's Voice claims.
Blasting the decision, Sam Swash declared that "the pain is being felt in some places but not others".
Leader of the Flintshire People’s Voice Sam Swash declared that 'the pain is being felt in some places but not others'
Sam Swash/Facebook
For a council to declare bankruptcy, it would require "catastrophic mismanagement."
"They aren’t far off it," Swash claimed.
Boiling such claims down to "scaremongering" by Labour and Independent councillors, one resident suggested: "The councillors keep claiming that the council is near bankruptcy, with no evidence.
"This is scaremongering by the coalition leadership to try to scare backbenchers and opposition councillors into backing unnecessary council tax rises.
"Of course, if they genuinely do believe that they've brought the council to the brink of bankruptcy under their leadership, then that is a huge admission of failure.”
Flintshire County Council has announced that it would raise council tax bills by 9.5 per cent - despite planning cuts across 'vital services'
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Responding to the news of the tax rise, another local said that the rise was "enough to make you weep" and called for a "full and public audit of the finances".
Swash stated that incidents like councillors leaving meetings early were not the first examples of "lazy, self-serving" behaviour, as one frustrated resident described it.
The leader of the Flintshire People's Voice added: "It's scandalous that they keep [voting to finish the meeting early], and it's going down very badly with residents as well."
Swash said that more than 40 per cent of the agenda was left to be discussed and debated during the meeting.
GB News has approached Flintshire County Council for comment.
