‘Hard times’ as council is set to impose £15m of cuts

ACOUNCIL has admitted “tough times” lie ahead as it announced more than £15m worth of cuts over the next year.

Caerphilly council said it would need to make “tough decisions” in order to balance its budget next year.

Following the announcement of the UK autumn Budget last week, the council said it could be facing cuts in the region of £15.6m next year alone, with potential cuts of £60m over the next five years.

The amount of Welsh Government money received by the council is set to decrease by around 0.5%, with the amount allocated to Caerphilly being just over £266m.

David Poole, leader of Caerphilly council, said: “These are unprecedented times for local government, and it’s essential that local councils, and the crucial services we provide, are able to benefit from any additional funding allocated to Wales.

“It remains a deeply worrying time for local government, and while we’ve been doing all we can to maximise back office savings over the past few years to protect our residents, the financial situation facing us means that it is inevitable that we’ll need to make a number of difficult decisions over the coming months to deliver a balanced budget.

“As the impact of the Chancellor’s statement becomes clearer, cabinet will consider a list of saving proposals for 2019/20 when we meet on Wednesday, November 14.

“Details of the proposals will be announced next week ahead of the meeting and a period of public consultation will then take place to ensure residents get the chance to have their say.

“I would like to assure residents that while the situation is deeply concerning, we are working hard to protect and prioritise key frontline services. We know it will be tough but we are up for a challenge.”

The council said it has already made savings of £89m since 2008.