Council tax in Wales remains lower than in England, new figures published yesterday have revealed.
The average Band D council tax for Wales in 2017/18 stands at £1,420, £171 less than the average for England - £1,591.
Based on estimates published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, the average council tax increase in Wales for 2017/18 is lower at 3.3% than the 4% for England.
The Welsh Government also pointed out that it had maintained its support to almost 300,000 households who need help paying their council tax bills.
Cabinet secretary for finance and local government, Mark Drakeford, said: ‘Councils here are facing some real financial challenges but these latest figures show we are protecting local government from the worst of the cuts handed down by Westminster and, in doing so, protecting the taxpayer - a situation that has not been replicated on the other side of the border.
‘While our council tax reduction scheme is playing a key role in tackling poverty in Wales we’re currently looking at how we can make the system fairer for those who less able to contribute.
‘We’ll make a further announcement on our plans during the course of this Assembly term.’
