Independent councillors in Merthyr Tydfil are calling for a fairer council tax system as they say the current one disproportionately impacts poorer areas. Earlier this month, a 4.7% council tax proposal was passed in Merthyr Tydfil following a casting vote from the independent mayor after a 15-15 split in the vote for and against the proposal with Labour councillors opposing it.
In a letter to the local MP and Members of the Senedd, Merthyr Tydfil independent councillor and mayor Declan Sammon said the proposed revaluation and rebanding process is not happening soon enough and changes need to be made now, and extra funds must be provided to those councils who have been neglected for so long. In his letter, Cllr Sammon said the current system “disproportionately impacts poorer areas such as Merthyr Tydfil” and highlighted figures which show that between 1997/98 and 2023/24 Merthyr Tydfil has always been in the top three for the highest average council tax rates including police and community council precepts in Wales.
He also said the county borough is also ranked as having a high council tax rate on the propertydata.co.uk website and the latest available figures show Merthyr Tydfil is ranked at 240 out of all 362 councils in the UK. But the local Labour MP and MS responded by saying the independent led council chose to hike council tax by 4.7% and that if the council’s finances are now more precarious, the responsibility rests wholly with the independent group who have been in control since 2017.
