Senedd rejects council-tax referendum plan by 51 votes to 35

The Senedd has rejected a proposal to require local referendums on council-tax rises above 4.99 per cent. Members voted against the original Reform UK motion by 51 votes to 35 on Wednesday 14 October, with no abstentions. They then approved a replacement amendment, and the motion as amended, by the same margin.

What members approved

The replacement, tabled by Heledd Fychan, recognises that local authorities are accountable to people in Wales when setting budgets and council tax according to local service needs. It removes the proposed referendum trigger. Reform’s motion had called on the Welsh Government to introduce the requirement. It was a demand for a policy change, rather than legislation that would itself have changed council-tax rules.

The arguments and the outcome

Opening the debate, Reform’s Cai Parry-Jones argued that residents should be able to approve or reject increases above the proposed threshold. Finance Minister Elin Jones opposed a fixed national threshold, saying annual decisions should be taken by locally elected councillors accountable to their communities. The adopted text concerns accountability for local decisions. It does not cap future rises, approve any council’s budget or change a household’s bill. The official record below contains the motion, debate and three vote results.