THE Vale of Glamorgan Council will receive funding totalling £152,507 million from the Welsh Government in 2015/16, a 3.4 per cent decrease on last year's settlement.

Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews said: “The settlement I am announcing today is challenging but this is a consequence of the large scale budget reductions being imposed by the UK Government.

“The Welsh Government’s budget for 2015-16 will be around 10 per cent lower in real terms compared with 2010-11. However, unlike England, we have protected Local Authorities in Wales from the bulk of these cuts over the past five years.

"Spending on local services in England has decreased by around 7 per cent in cash terms, while in Wales it has increased by 3 per cent.

“I am providing an additional £10 million in recognition of the importance of strong local social services to the long-term success of the health service in Wales and will continue to protect schools funding in line with our commitment to provide an increase in resources at 1 per cent above the overall change in the Welsh Budget.

“When Local Authorities draw up their budget plans for next year I expect them to look at all income streams, including council tax and income from fees and charges.

"In setting Council Tax levels I urge them to balance the funding challenges they face with consideration of the financial burden facing households.”