DENBIGHSHIRE County Council has approved its draft budget for the 2023-24 financial year.

At a full council meeting today (January 31), the draft budget, which includes raising council tax by 3.8 per cent, was put forward for recommendation from members.

Full council approved the final report.

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As part of the budget process, the council’s draft settlement indicates Denbighshire’s funding from Welsh Government will increase by 8.2 per cent for the 2023-24 financial year, compared to the Welsh average of 7.9 per cent.

The draft settlement includes a slightly increased indicative average settlement increases of three per cent for 2024/25.

The final settlement is expected in early March but Welsh Government has indicated that there should be few changes.

The funding comes with a number of responsibilities the council are required to fund, including pay increases and ensuring the Real Living Wage for social care workers.

The council is having to fund £25.116million, of pressures including the impact of price and energy inflation and cost pressures in key areas such as social care.

It still has a funding gap of £10.885m to fill for the coming financial year.

Proposals to fill this gap include savings in the capital financing budget amounting to £1.067m and an increase in council tax of 3.8 per cent.

The proposed council tax increase level is at the lower end of indicative increases across Wales.

It is also lower than the average of 4.35 per cent in the last four years.

Cllr Gwyneth Ellis, lead member for finance, performance and strategic assets, said: “The council has come to the end of the budget process for the 2023-24 financial year.

“It comes after a difficult year dealing with the cost of living impact and energy price rises, which has put an additional strain on resources.

“We have taken a balanced approach to this year’s budget which aimed to recognise and remedy service pressures in order to build resilience, to make sure services were challenged to deliver efficient services and to minimise the impact of proposals on services users while keeping the proposed council tax increases as low as practicable.

“The council, in this current climate, is extremely committed to supporting our residents by protecting the services they value and expect as much as possible.

“We have worked hard to be efficient and effective as possible, reducing our budgets and making savings by adapting better ways of working.”