ALL external funding that comes to Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority – which includes the levy from its seven constituent council areas – comes from the Welsh Government.
At a meeting of the National Park Authority (NPA) on Friday, February 6 members received a report outlining how much money they will raise from each council for 2026/2027.
This levy is set to make up £1.132 million of Bannau Brycheiniog’s £7.196 million budget for next year.
This sum, when added to the £3.396 million from the Welsh Government’s National Park Grant, take the budget up to £4.528 million worth of external funding.
The remaining £2.668 million will be made up of £1.54 million coming from income and £1.128 million coming from the authority’s reserves.
How the levy is decided
The levy is shared out depending on how much land each county has inside the national park.
This means that Powys County Council, which makes up 58.8 per cent of Bannau Brycheiniog, will pass over the most money, while Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen County Borough Councils, who have 3.1 per cent each inside the national park boundary, will provide the lowest amounts.
Head of Finance and S151 officer Richard Griffiths explained that the legal basis for the charge from the constituent comes from Local Authorities under the National Park Authorities (Levies) Wales Order 1995 which includes “how and when” the notices are sent to the councils.
Mr Griffiths said: “The primary thing to recall is that the ratio of the levy is three to one.
“For every three pounds we get from (Welsh Government) national park funding, one pound is raised by the levy.
“Each local authority is awarded a grant from the Welsh Government equal to the levy they pay us.
“It’s worth noting that the national park grant is up £161,000 for next year, which is around four per cent.”
This also means that the levy goes up by a similar four per cent.
This will net the authority an extra £44,000 next year.
NPA Chairman Cllr Gareth Ratcliffe (Powys council) said: “It is an in/out process, so 75 per cent is Welsh Government funding and 25 per cent comes through the levy.
“The local authorities are reimbursed for that levy, so it does not impact Council Tax.”
He explained that the levy is a mechanism for “processing” funding to the NPA and stressed that it’s not actually council money.
“It is system we would like to see reviewed but the one we’ve actually got,” said Cllr Ratcliffe.
Members unanimously agreed the levy.
The amounts to be levied are:
- Powys County Council – £665,616.
- Carmarthenshire County Council – £166,404.
- Monmouthshire County Council – £126,784.
- Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council – £57,732.
- Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council – £45,280.
- Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council – £35,092.
- Torfaen County Borough Council – £35,092.