Swansea
Leader
Newspaper of the City and County of Swansea
Issue 95
January 2015
inside
Your 2015 recycling and rubbish collection calendar - see centre pages your city: your paper
Market
New roof but same great experience
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page 3
Potholes • BARGAIN STORE: If you’re looking for a bargain this January, there’s no better place than the Corner Shop at Swansea Council’s Baling Plant in Llansamlet. Find out more on page 5 Picture by Jason Rogers
CITY residents are being urged to have their say on ambitious Council proposals that aim to give relative prioritisation to social care and education in the coming years. Residents are being urged to get involved in a major public consultation which offers them the chance to have their views taken into account on proposals which aim to save £81m over the next three years. The proposals are at the heart of the Sustainable Swansea – Fit for the Future transformation programme which will see the Council spend more than £700m on public services in the next financial year. While all areas of the Council will need to change how they deliver services and to continue the drive for efficiency, the proposals will mean the reductions in social care and
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You can speak up on council’s budget plans THERE will be a range of ways in which the public and stakeholders will be able to have their opportunity to get involved including: • Online consultation via the Council website at www.swansea.gov.uk/sustainableswansea • Hard-copy consultation documents and feedback forms at libraries, district housing offices and some community centres.
education will be less than in other areas at a time when local government budgets across Wales are coming under increasing pressure because of reduced resources and rising demand. No decisions on the proposals have been prior to a Full Council meeting on February 24. Dean Taylor, Corporate Services Director, said: “The first round of consultation with staff, residents, community groups and other organisations has been very successful.
“This is the second year of the Sustainable Swansea – Fit for the Future programme and we’ve been continuing the conversation with drop-in sessions and community group meetings. Residents and staff have also had the chance to have their say online too. “Although we have to reduce our budget significantly over the next 3 years, even If these proposals are approved we’ll still be spending £1.5m a day in Swansea supporting communities and the local economy.” The public consultation process is
due to go on until January 21. After that a further Cabinet report will be prepared, taking into account feedback from public, staff and other organisations. The savings programme being proposed includes tightly-controlling spending, continuing to drive down management and business costs, increasing income, doing things differently, working with others, providing more services online and encouraging people to help themselves. Mr Taylor said: “Sustainable Swansea – Fit for the Future will change the way we work and the look and feel of the council. But, most important of all, it will help us improve outcomes for our residents over the longer term. • Find out more about the proposals and the consultation process so far by turning to page 4.
On our way to fix streets near you page 2
Tidy city Schools will be helping keep it clean page 5
A new you is waiting at Active Swansea page 7