Council tax could go up again in the Vale of Glamorgan as the county council looks to save millions of pounds.

Vale of Glamorgan Council has published some of the first details of its proposed budget for 2025/26.

Following the Welsh Governments funding announcement in December 2024, the local authority found out that it would have to save £14.8m in the next financial year.

To help close this funding gap, the council has proposed a number of measures including increasing council tax by 6.9%.

The leader of Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cllr Lis Burnett, said: "We have now been operating within incredibly challenging financial constraints for several years.

"Despite this we have a track record in the Vale of continuing to deliver our most vital services to a very high standard.

"Prioritising investment in social care in recent years means that the Vale has the fewest delays in hospital discharge in Wales and we are able to source home care for those who need it in an average of three days.

"Continued investment in our schools means our pupils learn in some of the most modern facilities and those that need additional support can access excellent provision."

A four week public consultation on Vale of Glamorgan Council's budget proposals will launch on Monday, January 20.

Some of the proposals being considered by the council include increased charges for some of its services, like it's social care alarm system, Telecare; a review of how it provides social care; and selling a number of unused buildings.

Cllr Burnett added: "This year's increased settlement from Welsh Government is better than we had expected.

"It is encouraging to see the pressures on local authorities being recognised by both the Senedd and Westminster Governments.

"However, the additional resources whilst appreciated fall well short of what is needed to sustain essential local services.

"It is also the case that the Vale is one of the lowest funded councils in Wales. We are actively lobbying ministers to address this.

"As Leader I have always tried to be very clear with residents about the seriousness of the situation and the issues we must balance when spending public money.

"The reality is that our costs are increasing much faster than our funding. This makes it impossible to maintain services at current levels.

"The Council Tax increase proposed is one that offers the best balance between increasing what we are asking residents to contribute and protecting the services we know matter to them.

"If any additional funding becomes available we will prioritise reducing the proposed Council Tax increase alongside investing in critical services.

"Once again this year we will be taking difficult and unpalatable decisions in order to reach a balanced budget for the year ahead. To enable this we will continue to find new and innovative ways to deliver our services and better serve our residents.

"In line with recent years our absolute priority will be maintaining services for those in our communities that need them most."

Last year, Vale of Glamorgan Council faced a budget gap of more than £7m and it approved a council tax rise of 6.7% in March.

It also voted through a number of other proposals to help it save and generate more money, like removing 50% of public bins across the Vale of Glamorgan and increasing the cost of car parking at a number of locations in the county.

A council document states that a draft budget will be brought before council cabinet members on February 27 before being voted on by full council at a meeting on March 10.