Council leader responds to 4.1% Flintshire funding settlement
Flintshire County Council says a 4.1% increase in funding for 2026-27 signals progress, but will not remove the significant pressures facing local services.
Council leader Dave Hughes said the authority welcomed the final Welsh Government settlement, which confirms Flintshire will receive an additional £11.7m next year.
“We welcome the publication of the final Welsh Government budget for 2026-27 and the confirmation that Flintshire will receive a 4.1% increase in funding through the local government settlement,” he said.
“For many years we have been clear about the pressures facing our services, from rising demand for social care to inflationary cost increases across all departments, and we have consistently made the case for fairer funding for Flintshire. This settlement does not remove these challenges, but does signal progress.
“We are now carefully considering this final settlement as part of the Council’s budget-setting process for the next financial year.”
Figures published alongside the Welsh Government’s final budget show Flintshire’s core funding will rise from £282.4m in 2025-26 to £294.1m in 2026-27.
While the uplift meets the Welsh Government’s guarantee that no council would receive less than a 4% increase, Flintshire ranks joint bottom in Wales for percentage growth.
Data shows Flintshire placed 18th out of 22 local authorities. Gwynedd, Conwy, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire all received the same 4.1% rise, with no council receiving a lower percentage increase.
By comparison, Denbighshire will receive a 4.5% increase, while Wrexham’s funding will rise by 4.9%. The largest uplift was awarded to Newport at 6.1%, followed by Swansea at 5.2%.
The settlement forms part of the Welsh Government’s final budget for 2026-27, which includes £1.2bn more funding for people, public services and businesses across Wales than in the current financial year.
As part of a deal between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, an additional £112.8m of revenue funding has been allocated to local government. In total, councils across Wales will receive £6.6bn through the Revenue Support Grant and non-domestic rates.
Welsh Government finance secretary Mark Drakeford said the budget provides extra resources while protecting departments in real terms, with uplifts to account for inflation and pay.
Cabinet secretary for housing and local government Jayne Bryant said the final settlement reflects consultation responses and recognises the financial pressures facing councils, particularly in education and social care.
The Welsh Government said decisions on council budgets and council tax levels remain the responsibility of individual local authorities.
The impact on Flintshire residents, including any changes to council tax, is not yet known.
Last year Flintshire received a 2.4% increase in core funding and later approved a 9.5% council tax rise to balance its budget amid rising costs and demand.
The Local Government Finance Report for 2026-27 is due to be debated and voted on in the Senedd on 27 January.
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