DISCUSSIONS remain ongoing at Wrexham Council over potential increases in council tax for next year. 

Despite budget cuts being made at an Executive Board meeting this morning (January 23) the local authority still faces a budget gap of £10.5m for 2024/25. 

With further meetings set to take place next month, the topic of council tax arose at the Executive Board, with conversations regarding a potential 12.5% increase being raised. 

In December, while discussing next year's budget, leader of the council Mark Pritchard explained that the assumption is a 6% increase and those conversations are ongoing.

However, to deliver services as they currently are, the council say it would need to be increased by 12.5% (this is also down to financial analysis).

The Leader: Main image of the Guildhall - the home of Wrexham Council / Inset image of Mark Pritchard - Council leaderMain image of the Guildhall - the home of Wrexham Council / Inset image of Mark Pritchard - Council leader (Image: Newsquest)

When Cllr Bryan Apsley (Lab) raised the question over a potential 12.5% increase, Cllr Pritchard confirmed a decision was yet to be made. 

He said: "In regards to the 12.5%, it was put out there as an assumption that we would set the council tax at a certain level. 

"The officers do a piece of work and come back to us with what they think the council tax should be set at to keep us sustainable. That was the piece of work done by the finance department, not by us. 

"I would support that, the finance officers were correct and it's up to us to decide what we set the council tax at. 

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"Will the council tax be set at 12.5%? I don't know. 

"What it will be set at is what we agree politically, that's how it works.

"I would want the council tax to be set at a level that keeps us sustainable and we can keep delivering services across Wrexham. 

"For every 1% you don't put it up it's £600,000, so for every 1% we put it up, we're protecting jobs and services in this council."