Purpose

Approval of the Budget 2026/27 & Medium
Term Financial Plan

Content

A recorded vote was taken, with
members voting as shown in the table below, with 30 members voting
in favour of the recommendations, and eight members voting against
the recommendations:
 

COUNCILLOR

FOR

AGAINST

Stuart Ashley

P

 

Alfie Best

P

 

Ron Burnett

P

 

Nick Byrne

P

 

Richard Clark

P

 

Lynda Clarkson

P

 

Liam Cowles

P

 

David Daniels

P

 

Giles Davies

 

P

Steven Evans

P

 

Joanne Gauden

P

 

Karl Gauden

P

 

Elizabeth Haynes

 

P

Nick Horlor

P

 

Jon Horlor

P

 

Anthony Hunt

P

 

Gaynor James

P

 

Jon James

P

 

Janet Jones

P

 

Mark Jones

 

P

Peter Jones

P

 

Stuart Keyte

 

P

Rosemary Matthews

P

 

Sue Morgan

P

 

Jason
O’Connell

 

P

Mandy Owen

P

 

Norma Parrish

P

 

Caroline Price

P

 

Rose Seabourne

P

 

Nicholas Simons

P

 

Alan Slade

 

P

Chris Tew

 

P

Colette Thomas

P

 

David Thomas

 

P

Jayne Watkins

P

 

David Williams

P

 

Lucy Williams

P

 

Nathan Yeowell

P

 

 
Council agreed, with the
majority voting in favour that:
 
Part 1 –
Revenue Budget 2026/27 and Medium-Term Financial Plan
i.             
The budget for 2026/27 and the Medium-Term Financial
Plan, as set out in Appendices 1-3 and Appendix 7 to the report,
are approved. 
 
Part 2 –
Statutory Council Tax Resolutions
ii.           
It is noted that at its December 2025 meeting,
Cabinet approved the following amounts for the year 2026/27 in
accordance with regulations made under Section 33(5) of the Local
Government Act 1992 (as amended):
                       
a) 34,648 being the amount calculated by the Council in accordance
with regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council
Tax Base) (Wales) Regulations 1995 (as amended), as its Council Tax
base for the year.
                       
b) The Council Tax base estimate for each Community Council levy
for 2026/27 is as follows:
 

Community Council
Area

Council Tax Base

Cwmbran

14,136

Pontypool

13,190

Blaenavon

1,958

Henllys

1,149

Croesyceiliog &
Llanyrafon

3,482

Ponthir

733

 
iii.          
That the following amounts be now calculated by the
Council for the year 2026/27 in accordance with Section 32 to 36 of
the Local Government Finance Act 1992:
 
a.   
£371,219,637 – being the aggregate of
the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in
Section 32(2) (a) to (e) of the Act.
b.   
£104,734,566 – being the aggregate of
the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in
Section 32(3) (a) to (c) of the Act.
c.    
£266,485,071– being the amount by which
the aggregate at (iii) (a) above exceeds the aggregate at (iii) (b)
calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 32(4) of the
Act, as its budget requirement for the year.
d.   
£98,431 – being the amount the Authority
estimates in relation to Section 37 and 49 of the Local Government
Finance Act 1988 (as amended), discretionary non-domestic rate
relief.
e.   
£205,875,149 – being the aggregate of
the sums the Council estimates will be payable for the year into
its Council Fund in respect of the redistribution of Non-Domestic
Rates and Revenue Support Grant.  
f.     
£1,752.15 - being the amount at (iii)(c) above
plus the amount at (iii)(d) and less the amount at (iii)(e) above
all divided by the amount at (ii)(a) above calculated by the
Council in accordance with Section 33(1) of the Act, as the basic
amount of its Council Tax for the year.
g.   
£2,097,796 - being the amount of all special
items referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act.
h.   
£1,691.60 - being the amount at (iii) (f)
above less the result given by dividing the amount at (iii) (g)
above by the amount at (ii) (a), calculated by the Council, in
accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of
its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its
area to which no special item relates.
i.     
The County Borough Tax including Community Council
Precepts Valuation Bands for 2026/27.
 
 

 

A
£

B
£

C
£

D
£

E
£

F
£

G
£

H
£

I
£

Cwmbran

1,165.58

1,359.84

1,554.10

1,748.37

2,136.90

2,525.42

2,913.95

3,496.74

4,079.53

Pontypool

1,169.18

1,364.04

1,558.90

1,753.77

2,143.50

2,533.22

2,922.95

3,507.54

4,092.13

Blaenavon

1,207.74

1,409.04

1,610.32

1,811.62

2,214.20

2,616.78

3,019.36

3,623.24

4,227.12

Henllys

1,153.54

1,345.81

1,538.06

1,730.32

2,114.83

2,499.35

2,883.86

3,460.64

4,037.42

Croesyceiliog &
Llanyrafon

1,159.34

1,352.57

1,545.79

1,739.02

2,125.47

2,511.92

2,898.36

3,478.04

4,057.72

Ponthir

1,155.62

1,348.23

1,540.83

1,733.44

2,118.65

2,503.86

2,889.06

3,466.88

4,044.70

 
           
Being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at (iii)(f) above
by the number which in the properties set out in Section 5 (1) of
the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular
valuation band divided by the number which is that proportion
applicable to dwellings listed in Valuation band D calculated by
the Council in accordance with Section 36(1) of the Act, as the
amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of
categories of dwellings listed in different valuations
bands.
j.             
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent proposes
the following amounts in precept issued to the Council, in
accordance with Section 40(2)(b) of the Local Government Act 1992
for each banding of dwellings:
 

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

£

£

£

£

£

£

£

£

£

269.02

313.86

358.69

403.53

493.20

582.88

672.55

807.06

941.57

 
k.    
That having calculated the aggregate in each case of
the amounts (iii)(j) and (iii)(i) above
the Council in accordance with Section 30(2) of the Local
Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the following amounts as
the Council Tax for the year 2026/27 for each of the categories of
dwellings shown below:
 

 

A
£

B
£

C
£

D
£

E
£

F
£

G
£

H
£

I
£

Cwmbran

1,434.60

1,673.70

1,912.79

2,151.90

2,630.10

3,108.30

3,586.50

4,303.80

5,021.10

Pontypool

1,438.20

1,677.90

1,917.59

2,157.30

2,636.70

3,116.10

3,595.50

4,314.60

5,033.70

Blaenavon

1,476.76

1,722.90

1,969.01

2,215.15

2,707.40

3,199.66

3,691.91

4,430.30

5,168.69

Henllys

1,422.56

1,659.67

1,896.75

2,133.85

2,608.03

3,082.23

3,556.41

4,267.70

4,978.99

Croesyceiliog &
Llanyrafon

1,428.36

1,666.43

1,904.48

2,142.55

2,618.67

3,094.80

3,570.91

4,285.10

4,999.29

Ponthir

1,424.64

1,662.09

1,899.52

2,136.97

2,611.85

3,086.74

3,561.61

4,273.94

4,986.27

 
Part 3 –
Related schemes and policies
iv.          
The Food & Drink Hospitality Rates Relief
Scheme, as set out in Appendix 6, is approved.
v.           
The Reserves Policy, as set out in Appendix 8, is
approved.
vi.          
The Virement Policy, as set out in Appendix 9, is
approved.
vii.         
The Fees & Charges Policy, as set out in
Appendix 10, is approved. 
 
Part 4 –
Capital & Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential
Indicators
viii.       
The Capital Strategy, Treasury Management Strategy
and Prudential Indicators, as outlined in Appendix 11, are
approved.