Cllr Ian Chandler’s monthly column for The New Times – Llantilio Crossenny’s parish magazine
I love the first signs of Spring – lambs, snowdrops and earlier sunrises – but over the last month we have also had periods of extreme cold and a few days of potential flooding. As the rivers were rising, council staff and emergency services were on 24/7 standby, ready to evacuate residents in Monmouth and Skenfrith if needed. Fortunately, there was only limited flooding and the council quickly turned to clearing up the mess left by all the water.
One of the impacts of cold and rain is on our roads. All over the ward, residents have been contacting me about potholes and crumbling verges. I report every case to the highways team, but I’m conscious that they don’t have the capacity to repair them all and so the waiting list is growing. Given the impending cuts to council budgets, the situation is likely to get worse.
Because of rising inflation and increased demand for some council services, the council has faced a potential £26 million shortfall for 23/24 if it is to do the same as this year. Increased support from the Welsh government has reduced that gap to around £11 million. The Labour administration is proposing to address the gap by increasing council tax by 5.95% and reducing spending in a number of areas. There is no easy answer to balancing the books and every choice will make some unhappy. My main concern is that big cuts to the social care budget will affect some of our most vulnerable residents. You can find out more and have your say at https://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/budget-2023-2024/ .
At the last council meeting, I joined with Independent and Conservative councillors to vote down Labour’s proposed ‘Community and Corporate Plan’ which sets out their priorities for the council until the next election in 2027. While I thought the plan takes us in the right direction, it did not provide enough specifics on what they want to achieve and what they would prioritise if hard choices are needed. Given this, we could not support the plan. I am meeting with the leaders of all other parties later this week to see if we can work together to produce a better plan.
Warm wishes,
Ian