Swansea
Leader
Newspaper of the City and County of Swansea
Issue 101
January 2016
inside
Your 2016 recycling and rubbish collection calendar - see centre pages your city: your paper
Investment How we’re helping create jobs in city plus
page 5
LDP • TOP CLASS RECYCLING: The High Street is not the only place to pick up a bargain this time of year. Why not give our Corner Shop a go and help boost city recycling rates? More on page x Picture by Jason Rogers
Schools and social services will be Swansea Council’s main funding priorities as it looks to save more than £90 million the next three years. Last year the Council carried out a wide-ranging consultation and prioritised schools and social care in line with feedback from the public. Rob Stewart, Leader of the Council, said the authority has already been making significant savings but more needs to be done to close the gap between what the council needs to spend on services and the amount it receives. He said: “We are living in unprecedented times. Austerity is not over and the money we receive from the Government is falling at a time when demand for our services is rising.
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Time to have your say on budget proposals YOU CAN have your say on the budget proposals by picking up leaflets at almost 30 libraries and district housing offices around the city or simply by going online at www.swansea.gov.uk/budgetsurvey Residents’ views and those of council staff will be taken into account prior to reports going to Cabinet and Council in February and March. The consultation will include questions on specific budget proposals as well as seeking views about how the Council can transform services. Staff and trade unions are being consulted and the council has given a commitment to minimise redundancies through redeployment, voluntary redundancy, early retirement and flexible working.
“Every area of the council will be affected by reductions in funding, but we’ve made schools and social services our priority in line with the public’s views. He added: “People understand we are facing very difficult choices and that services will change dramatically. “This isn’t just about reducing funding; it’s about finding new ways
of working, modernising services, being smarter and more efficient so that we meet the needs of people in the years ahead. “We spend an average £4,000 a year per household on council services which equates to around £1m a day being spent on vital services valued in our communities. “Due to the massive challenge we face this means other areas like
environmental services and cultural services may see their budgets reduced more significantly. In the last two years £50m has been cut from council budgets and further budget reductions and Cllr Stewart said that another £38m is needed in the next financial year. The council is also looking to save millions more by using the internet, streamlining administration and backoffice services and generating additional income so it can use the money to help pay for services. He said: “Putting up council tax on its own wouldn’t work simply because a 1% increase would generate £800,000. It would take over a 100% increase in council tax to bridge the gap we face in the next few years. That’s not fair and no-one would support it.” • Please turn to page 4 for more information.
Make your views count on blueprint page 2
Independent ‘Social care staff are true friends to my family’ page 6
New term means new schools page 9