The new Leader of Caerphilly County borough council has said it’s time to raise spending on public services and for a ‘massive investment’ in cleaning up the county borough.
Cllr Jamie Pritchard’s comments follow the publication of CCBC’s draft budget proposals for 2026/27 which outline plans to increase the council’s cleaning and greening budget by 50 per cent.
Cllr Pritchard said when it comes to issues raised by local residents, improving the cleanliness of our communities was at the top of the list.
“We have listened to the feedback from residents across the county borough and we are proposing the biggest increase in funding to clean up our community,” said Cllr Pritchard. “There is not a single resident that doesn’t want cleaner communities and this proposal goes far above what can be described as routine maintenance.”
“This funding will result in noticeable improvements and is aimed at restoring pride in our county borough. This big increase in funding has to be paid for, and people understand this, so over the coming weeks, during the budget consultation period, I look forward to speaking directly to residents about how we get there.”
The cleaning and greening programme covers enhanced mechanical sweeping, weed removal, sign clearing, vegetation clearance, gateway improvements and more.
The budget proposals also include a commitment to increase spending on Education and Social Services by £13.4m, ensuring young people and the most vulnerable are protected.
Fees and charges are to be capped at 3 per cent increase to ensure consistency across the board.
The council has said they are retaining their existing Home to School Transport policy, maintaining the distances for local children which are more favourable than most other local authorities.
The council’s Cabinet will meet next Monday (12 January) to consider the 2026/27 budget proposals, before residents are asked to have their say during a period of public consultation.
Cllr Eluned Stenner, Cabinet Member for Finance & Performance said, “Our detailed budget proposals have been developed with the resident in mind and I’m sure the whole community will welcome the news that we are investing in core services, transforming the way we do things and taking positive steps to improve public services.”
“We know that residents want us to prioritise key areas such as cleansing, housing, highways, social care, education and waste, so we have developed our budget with these priorities in mind” she added.
Some of the other key highlights of the 2026/27 budget proposals include:
- An extra £9.6m for adult and children’s social care
- Schools will receive an extra £3.7m
- Council Tax to increase by 6.25%. An increase in the Band D precept from £1,560.63 to £1,658.17 (weekly increase of £1.88).
The increases above are net of permanent and temporary savings totalling £12.4million which have been identified to help balance the budget for 2026/27 – including £5.6million savings as part of the council’s ambitious transformation programme.
“The scale of the financial challenge cannot be underestimated, especially as demand for services is higher than ever and increasingly complex,” said Cllr Eluned Stenner Cabinet Member responsible for Finance. “However, we are in a strong position thanks to our prudent approach and the significant savings we are delivering through our ambitious transformation programme.”
“It is important that residents now have their say on our budget proposals and help us shape the way we deliver our services in future,” she added.
