Swansea
Leader Issue 93
September 2014 inside
Newspaper of the City and County of Swansea
your city: your paper
City centre Setting scene for economic regeneration plus
page 3
Local plan • GREAT IDEA THAT GROWS ON YOU: Ryan Lewis is helping sow the seeds of a sustainable future at Vetch Veg, but we can all do it from the comfort of our own back-yards. Find out how on page 7 Picture by Jason Rogers
CITY residents are being asked to join in the debate about the future of their council’s services. Local people are being given the chance to speak up on the future shape of city services and look at what they would be willing to undertake instead of the council, building on existing examples of community action across Swansea. The debate is called Sustainable Swansea - Fit for the Future, Continuing the Conversation and is about taking the council’s ambitious transformation programme to the next stage. It’s dedicated to ensuring the services we provide meet residents’ needs and are affordable, given the significant financial challenges which face all public services in Wales. Dean Taylor, Corporate Services Director, said: “The Welsh Government has told local councils to expect 4.5% cuts in grant every
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Transforming services at heart of great debate SWANSEA Council will be heading out to meet community groups in their own backyards over the coming weeks to continue the conversation about Sustainable Swansea – Fit for the Future. A number of events and opportunties will be on offer for community groups at centres dotted around the city. The public will also have the chance to join in the debate by going along to one of those community meetings, getting involved online or by contributing to an online survey. Booklets are being distributed in the coming weeks to libraries, leisure centres, community buildings and other locations. The Council’s dedicated web pages www.swansea.gov.uk/sustainableswansea will also be updated in the coming weeks or you can email sustainableswansea@swansea.gov.uk if you’d like to invite the Sustainable Swansea – Fit for the Future team to give a presentation.
year over the next few years. In Swansea that means we now have to make at least £70m of savings in the next three years compared to the £45m savings we thought we faced last year. He said: “This is a difficult reality which we all have to face up to and it is vital that we go out and ask local
people what they think the priorities are, what part they can play in delivering some services in the future and what services we should reduce or stop doing altogether.” Mr Taylor said that since the launch of Sustainable Swansea: Fit for the Future last September millions of pounds have been cut
from budgets by reducing management costs, efficiencies in purchasing and specific service savings. “But there’s still a lot to do and we need our residents, staff, local business and other organisations to look ahead and join in the debate about what the Council should be doing in years to come because the budget reductions mean the future shape of the Council will have to be very different to what it is now. “We also want ideas about what residents and communities are prepared to do for themselves and others, rather than always expect the Council to do it and what role other agencies might play as well.” Mr Taylor said: “Our residents will also be asked about what services the Council should no longer provide, perhaps because they can be delivered more effectively or more sustainably by someone else.”
Latest step for city’s planning blueprint page 2
Tidy like Children lead communities clean-up page 4
Schools set to benefit from £73m upgrade page 5