THE Vale Council is facing huge shortfalls in its finances, making it extremely likely it will have to make cuts in essential services and jobs, a report published by UNISON claims.

Vale of Glamorgan Council reportedly has a funding shortfall of more than £6 million.

Across Wales as a whole, this black hole is an eye-watering £352 million.

The research, Councils Under Pressure, shows that all bar six of the 22 local authorities in Wales are at least £10 million short of their planned spending requirements, while seven are as much as £20 million adrift.

The scale of the budget shortfall across local government means a growing number of councils are teetering on the brink, UNISON warns.

Most councils are said to be responding to the crisis by cutting services and activities.

According to UNISON, Newport City Council has already cut back on some bin collections and rural bus services across Wales are at risk because of the lack of funding.

The union says the figures, based on financial information gathered from Welsh local authorities, show the true scale of the dire state of local government funding.

Barry And District News: A list of Welsh councils and their funding gaps according to UNISONA list of Welsh councils and their funding gaps according to UNISON (Image: Supplied)

UNISON Wales regional secretary Jess Turner said: “Communities rely on their local authorities for all manner of essential services, such as waste collection, social care, road repairs and parks and other open spaces.

“But councils are on their knees. Ministers seem to care very little about public services and local government has been hit hard over very many years.

“Essential services can't run on thin air. Staff levels have already been cut to the bone in desperate attempts to balance the books.

“Yet more service cuts and job losses are sadly inevitable across the country unless the government intervenes with the lifeline of significant extra funding. Not just for those on the brink, but to councils everywhere.”