Concerns over where budget cuts will fall

CONCERNS have been voiced about Bridgend Council’s 2023-24 budget proposals.

Bridgend council had previously said it would need to save around £3.2m in the next financial year, based on the proposed net budget of almost £320m made available to them.

Its strategy will include an initial proposal for council tax to increase to 6% for 2023-24, along with potential cuts to a number of services used across the borough.

These could include cuts to highways, fly-tipping enforcement, and home to college transport, contributing to a sum of about £17.8m, which the council says needs to be found over the e next four r years.

One of the main areas as of concern raised aised at the latest meeting of the council’s cil’s corporate over overview and scrutiny committee was the 2% proposed cut to the school budget, which could result in the loss of one teacher in each of the larger primary schools across the borough, and up to five teachers in larger secondary schools over the four-year period.

Members questioned if the cost of making some sta staff redundant would outweigh any potential savings found, as well as expressing concerns over the possibility of more schools ending up with a budget deficit as a result of the 2% reduction.

Safety issues were flagged over cuts of around £38,000 to RNLI lifeguard funding in Porthcawl, given the rip tides at Rest Bay and the increased popularity of water sports at this beach.

There were also concerns over a potential removal of funding from flytipping enforcement, as the committee expressed concern over the removal of the waste enforcement team and the impact this could have on tackling issues such as fly-tipping, which could result in an increase costs in cleaning further down the line. The committee also recommend a review be undertaken on the Bridgend council’s reserves, particularly the historical reserves, with regards to how they are managed and operated.

The budget will now undergo further scrutiny before it is presented to full council on March 1.

Schools could lose teachers and cuts could be made to RNLI lifeguard services as part of Bridgend council's proposals to save money