Councils across Wales will receive less than half as much funding next year than their counterparts in England, prompting questions over where the money has gone.
The Labour Welsh Government has announced core revenue funding for local government will increase by 3.1 per cent, with no local authority receiving less than a two per cent rise.
Monmouthshire is towards the bottom of the pile having been awarded a 2.3 per cent budget uplift, meaning its funding settlement next year is £125.36m.
English councils, however, will see an increase in core spending power of up to £4.5b next year from the Conservative UK Government – or 7.5 per cent in cash terms.
This funding boost, worth £600m, also triggered an extra £25m for public services in Wales through Barnett consequentials.
Monmouth MP David Davies said it was “imperative” the Welsh Government gives “every penny” to council budgets rather than wasting the money on “wildly extravagant vanity projects”.
“The UK Government provides Wales with 20 per cent more funding per head of population than is spent in England,” said Mr Davies.
“Yet despite this, Welsh councils are getting less than half as much money as English councils. So it is absolutely vital the Labour Welsh Government passes on the extra £25m in full to local authorities to help our hard-hit public services.
“It is an outrage that Monmouthshire is once again languishing near the bottom of the funding pile, which has resulted in a proposed average council tax increase of 7.5 per cent to cope with service pressures.
“Much worse is coming because we are looking at a monster rise next year under Welsh Government proposals to reform council tax, which could see new property bands created following a revaluation of all 1.5 million homes across Wales.”
Mr Davies said the real question was “where has the money gone?”.
“If England can provide extra funding for councils to deliver vital services for their communities, then Wales should be able to do the same because the money is there,” he added.
“Instead, we all know the Labour Welsh Government is wasting more than £120m on its wildly extravagant vanity project to create extra Senedd politicians.
“I would much rather see better investment in Welsh public services to prevent further council tax hikes.”