Have a say on council’s £440m spending

RESIDENTS across Swansea are being given the chance to have their say on council spending plans of around a net £440 million over the coming financial year.

The consultation is now under way as the council’s Cabinet agreed to go out to consultation on a package of measures that will see investment of around £1.6 million a day in vital services.

Residents can give their feedback online at www.swansea.gov.uk/budgetsurvey while hard-copy questionnaires will be available at a later date. The deadline for people to have their say on the budget is February 1, 2019.

The cabinet agreed to consult on plans which aim to increase spending on education to more than £170 million next year, more than £150 million of which will go directly to head teachers to spend on their school budgets.

This includes £3.8 million of additional funding for schools on top of the £140 million of capital funding the council is earmarking to build new schools.

More than £115 million is due to be spent on social services for adults and children, more than £4.5 million on poverty and prevention strategies and a further £56 million on services like waste, recycling, streets, cultural and library services.

The council is facing unprecedented budget pressures due to reduced government funding, rising demand for services and increased expenditure such as extra teachers’ pay and pension costs.

This year alone the council has to find £24.5 million in savings and an anticipated further £60 million in savings during the next three years.

Rob Stewart, council leader, said: “Despite announcements by the government that austerity had ended, it certainly doesn’t feel like it.

“The council is funded back at 2008 levels again. We’re reducing our own costs by becoming smarter, leaner and more efficient. Over the last five years we’ve saved more than £70 million, but we are having to go even further again this year.”

Mr Stewart added: “The money raised through council tax doesn’t even cover the cost of our social services, let alone the other services we provide, so simply raising council tax alone is not an option.

“Balancing all of these things will mean taking difficult decisions, and that’s why we want the people to give us their ideas.”