THE coalition running Monmouthshire Council has been accused of passing the buck to keep down a Council Tax rise.

The council has agreed a 3.95 per cent rise but the opposition Labour group claims town and community councils have had to increase their taxes to protect services.

Labour leader Cllr Dmitri Batrouni (St Christopher’s) said: “Town and community councillors across this county from all political parties and none have been forced into an untenable position where they have been forced to hammer their local residents with tax increases or tell residents that the service is going to have to shut.

“The Tory administration has done this to pass the blame – to say we haven’t whacked up your Council Tax or closed services, it was the town or community that did this.

“Quite frankly it’s a cowardly act.”

He said the average increase in Council Tax for town and community councils was 13.5 per cent.

But deputy leader of the council, Cllr Phil Hobson (Lib Dem, Larkfield) said it was ‘disingenuous’ to claim town and community councils were being forced to put up tax.

He said: “It’s not about force its about choice. Our funding is being cut, demand is going up particularly for adult care services and we can only put up our Council Tax by a certain amount.

“Town and community councils can put up their precept as much as they want.

“Nobody is being forced – it is about choices and the difficulties being faced by county councils.”

Cllr Armand Watts (Lab, Thornwell) said that after money had been secured from town and community councils, the proposed increase in the county’s Council Tax went down from 4.95 per cent to 3.95 per cent.

He said: “What’s happened this year is completely shameful, underhand.

“I look forward to the reception they get next year when they rock up (to town and community councils) and try the same trick because it won’t work.”

Council leader Cllr Peter Fox (Con, Portskewett) said there was no need for town and community councils to put up tax.

He said: “There are other ways of being more efficient – this message of shove up Council Tax is immature and inexperienced.”

He said the proposed increase in the county’s Council Tax was reduced after Monmouthshire’s grant from the Welsh government turned out to be better than expected.

He added: “We thought it appropriate to pass that benefit onto the public while still striving to maintain locally accessible services.”