NEATH PORT TALBOT COUNCILLORS FACE UP TO SCALE OF THE BUDGET CHALLENGE

Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet and Cabinet Scrutiny Committee will next week (12 September) consider a report from Council officers setting out the very challenging budget situation that the authority faces and this warns of the very difficult decisions ahead over the next six months or so.

The report confirms that the Council needs to find another £64 million of savings before 2022 (a further cut of 27% in its revenue budget) and outlines a number of factors that Councillors face in the months ahead including:

• The inexorably rising share of the Welsh budget that goes to the NHS, meaning less money for other public services;
• The increasing financial pressures on local authorities as a consequence of pay awards and the likely impact of this on jobs plus other demands outside of the Council’s control;
• Further financial pressures arising from Welsh legislation which offset the relative protection afforded to the budgets of Welsh Councils in recent years compared to England;
• The still unknown impact of Brexit – particularly a “No Deal” Brexit; and
• The likelihood that, taken together, this will result in further major cuts to front line services including social services and education and also involving the possible closure of community facilities.

Councillor Anthony Taylor, Deputy Leader of the Council said:

“This is the start of the Budget process for 2019/20 and beyond. No decisions have yet been taken; but there is no point in pretending that the situation is anything other than grim after a decade of austerity. The Council will be carefully weighing up options during the autumn and assessing the potential impact on our communities and staff”.

Councillor Carol Clement Williams, Cabinet Member for Finance added:

“We will have a clearer picture of the scale of the budgetary challenge once the Welsh Government publishes its provisional Local Government Settlement next month. We urge the Welsh Government to treat the County Borough with a view to the high deprivation levels when considering our settlement.We are already in intensive discussions with trade unions and wider partnerships about the impact of these cuts and detailed proposals will be brought forward for public consultation later in the autumn.”

CYNGHORWYR CASTELL-NEDD PORT TALBOT YN WYNEBU MAINT HER Y GYLLIDEB

Bydd Cabinet a PhwyllgorCraffu Cabinet Castell-nedd Port Talbot yncwrddyrwythnosnesaf (12 Medi) iystyriedadroddiadganswyddogion y cyngorsy’nnodi’rsefyllfagyllidebolherioltuhwnt y mae’rawdurdodyneihwynebu ac ynrhybuddio am y penderfyniadauanoddiawnsyddo’ublaenaudros y chwemisnesaf.

Mae’radroddiadyncadarnhau bod ynrhaidi’rcyngorddod o hydi £64 miliwnarall o gynilioncyn 2022 (toriadpellach o 27% yneigyllidebrefeniw) ac mae’namlinellunifer o ffactorau y maecynghorwyryneuhwynebudros y misoeddnesaf, gangynnwys:

• Y gyfrangynyddolddiddiwedd o gyllidebCymrusy’nmyndi’r GIG, sy’ngolygu bod llai o arianargyfergwasanaethaucyhoedduseraill;
• Y pwysauariannolcynyddolarawdurdodaulleol o ganlyniadigodiadaucyflog ac effaithdebygolhynarswyddiynghyd â galwadaueraill y tuhwntireolaeth y cyngor;
• Mwy o bwysauariannol o ddeddfwriaethCymrusy’ngwrthbwyso’ramddiffyniadcymharol a roddirigyllidebaucynghorauCymruyn y blynyddoedddiweddaro’ucymharu â chynghorauLloegr;
• Effaithanhysbys Brexit – ynarbennig Brexit “HebFargen”; a’r
• Tebygolrwydd y byddhyn, gyda’igilydd, ynarwain at doriadaumawrpellachyn y gwasanaethaurhengflaen, gangynnwys y gwasanaethaucymdeithasol ac addysg a hefyd y posibilrwydd o gaucyfleusteraucymunedol.

Meddai’rCynghorwyr Anthony Taylor, DirprwyArweinydd,

“Dymaddechrau proses cyllideb 2019/20 a thuhwnt. Ni wnaedunrhywbenderfyniadaueto; ond does dim pwyntgwadu’rffaith bod y sefyllfa’nerchyll a hynnyarôldegawd o gyni. Bydd y cyngorynpwyso a mesuryropsiynau’nofalusdrosyrhydref ac ynasesu’reffaithbosibareincymunedaua’n staff.”

Ychwanegodd y Cynghorwyr Carol Clement Williams, Aelod y Cabinet drosGyllid,

“Byddgennymddarluncliriach o hyd a lledyr her gyllidebolunwaith y byddLlywodraethCymru’ncyhoeddieisetliaddrosdroiLywodraethLeolfisnesaf. Rydymeisoesyncynnaltrafodaethaudwysâ’rundebaullafur a phartneriaethauehangach am effaith y toriadauhyna’rcynigionmanwl y byddwnynymgynghori’ngyhoeddusarnyntynhwyrachynyrhydref.”