Council publishes draft budget proposals / Cyngor yn cyhoeddi cynigion cyllideb drafft

Council publishes draft budget proposals

Neath Port Talbot Council will invest £420m in services across the County Borough in 2020/21.

Neath Port Talbot Council has published a set of draft budget proposals designed to reduce its budget by £2.1 million in 2020/21, with a further £28m needed over the next 3 years.

Members of the Council’s Cabinet will be asked to agree to a public consultation on the proposals when they meet later this week.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Rob Jones said:

“We warmly welcome the provisional settlement of 4.5% from the Welsh Government, which is the best in 10 years. However, even with this increase we are still fighting the legacy of more than a decade of austerity. We will still need to make cuts to cover rising costs such as utilities, pay claims, the move towards the higher minimum wage and the living wage.

“In determining the Local Government settlement, the Welsh Government made an assumption that Council Tax will increase by an average of 7.1% across Wales. This Council has worked hard to keep the Council Tax increase to the lowest possible level, balanced against the need to provide services and our draft proposals include a 5% increase in Council Tax, which will be reviewed further before final decisions are taken.”

“Our proposals would also see a continued investment in education, with an increase in the budget of more than 4%.”

Councillor Carol Clement Williams, Cabinet Member for Finance added:

“I echo the Leaders’ sentiments in welcoming the Provisional Settlement from the Welsh Government. Neath Port Talbot has been prominent in lobbying for fairer funding for local government for a number of years and it is good to know that our voice has been heard.

“Whilst this is a positive outcome, we will still need to make cuts, albeit not on the scale that we have become accustomed to over the past decade.

Subject to approval from Cabinet, the consultation will commence straight after the Cabinet meeting on Friday 10^th January 2020 and run until Tuesday 4^th February 2020.

The Council’s Budget for 2020/21, including Council tax bands for the county borough, will be set at the beginning of March 2020, following the public consultation and receipt of the Welsh Government’s Final Local Government Settlement.

You can read the report on the council’s website www.npt.gov.uk under ‘your council’, ‘councillors and committees’.

Cyngor yn cyhoeddi cynigion cyllideb drafft

 Bydd Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot yn buddsoddi £420m mewn gwasanaethau ar draws y Fwrdeistref Sirol yn 2020/21.

Mae Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot wedi cyhoeddi set o gynigion cyllideb drafft a luniwyd i sicrhau gostyngiad o £2.1 miliwn yn ei gyllideb yn 2020/21, ac mae angen arbed £28m arall yn ystod y 3 blynedd nesaf.

Gofynnir i aelodau o Gabinet y Cyngor gytuno i ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus ar y cynigion pan fyddan nhw’n cwrdd yn ddiweddarach yr wythnos hon.

Dywedodd y Cynghorydd Rob Jones, Arweinydd y Cyngor:

“Rydym ni’n croesawu’n gynnes y setliad dros dro o 4.5% gan Lywodraeth Cymru, y gorau ers 10 mlynedd. Ond hyd yn oed gyda’r cynnydd hwn rydym ni’n dal i frwydro yn erbyn effeithiau dros ddegawd o gyni. Mae angen o hyd i ni dorri’n ôl er mwyn talu am gostau cynyddol fel cyfleustodau, hawliadau cyflog, y symudiad tuag at isafswm cyflog uwch a chyflog byw.

“Wrth bennu setliad Llywodraeth Leol, rhagdybiodd Llywodraeth Cymru y byddai Treth y Cyngor yn cynyddu 7.1% ar gyfartaledd ledled Cymru. Mae’r Cyngor hwn wedi gweithio’n galed i gadw’r cynnydd yn Nhreth y Cyngor ar y lefel isaf sy’n bosibl, gan gydbwyso hynny â’r angen am ddarparu gwasanaethau, ac mae ein cynigion drafft yn cynnwys cynnydd o 5% yn Nhreth y Cyngor, a fydd yn cael ei adolygu ymhellach cyn dod i benderfyniad terfynol.”

“Rhan arall o’n cynigion fyddai parhau â’r buddsoddiad mewn addysg, gyda chynnydd o fwy na 4% yn y gyllideb.”

Ychwanegodd y Cynghorydd Carol Clement Williams, Aelod y Cabinet dros Gyllid:

“Rwy’n ategu teimladau’r Arweinydd wrth groesawu’r Setliad Dros Dro gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Mae Castell-nedd Port Talbot wedi bod yn flaenllaw yn lobïo am gyllido tecach i lywodraeth leol ers sawl blwyddyn, ac mae’n dda gwybod bod ein llais wedi cael ei glywed.

“Er bod hwn yn ganlyniad cadarnhaol, bydd angen toriadau o hyd, er nad ar y raddfa yr ydym wedi ymgyfarwyddo â hi yn ystod y degawd diwethaf.

Yn amodol ar gymeradwyaeth y Cabinet, bydd yr ymgynghoriad yn cychwyn yn union wedi cyfarfod y Cabinet ddydd Gwener 10 Ionawr 2020, ac yn parhau tan ddydd Mawrth 4 Chwefror 2020.

Pennir Cyllideb y Cyngor ar gyfer 2020/21, gan gynnwys bandiau treth y Cyngor ar gyfer y fwrdeistref sirol, ddechrau mis Mawrth 2020, yn dilyn yr ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus a derbyn Setliad Llywodraeth Leol terfynol Llywodraeth Cymru.

Gallwch chi ddarllen yr adroddiad ar wefan y cyngor, www.npt.gov.uk, o dan y pennawd ‘eich cyngor’, ‘cynghorwyr a phwyllgorau’.