IT'S JUST a "matter of time" before a Welsh local authority goes bankrupt unless cash pressures ease, Wrexham Council's leader has said. 

Mark Pritchard, independent leader of Wrexham Council, said the authority faced cutting community care help that would impact NHS services due to the financial strain it's under.

"We are struggling," Mr Pritchard told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement.

"A local authority across Wales will go bankrupt if we're not funded. It's only a matter of time."

He said Wrexham Council had already made £60m in budget cuts and more savings would be needed next year.

"It's only a matter of time before an authority across Wales will go bankrupt," Mr Pritchard added.

He said Wrexham Council is considering axing a £1.4m grant which is used to fund home adaptions such as hand rails, stairlifts and walk-in showers to allow people to leave hospital after suffering falls.

"That will have an impact on the health service," he said.

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In October, The Leader reported that Wrexham Council had £11.7m still to find this financial year but is already estimating it will have to find a further £20m in savings the following year, 2024-25.

In the summer spiralling inflation and increased expenditure on children’s and adult social care were given as key reasons for the excess spending, despite a six per cent council tax rise.

Immediate action was taken which saw an increase to the green waste collection charge, a review of council car parking charges and the cancelling of funding the authority pays towards four PCSOs.

Flintshire Council is currently facing a budget deficit of £14million. 

The Welsh Government told the BBC it was providing increased funding for local authorities this financial year, with a 7.9 per cent increase across Wales on a like-for-like basis, following a 9.4 cent increase in 2022-23.

"But we recognise that local authorities are facing difficult decisions and we continue to work closely with councils to meet the shared challenges we face," it said.