Welsh Government draft budget for NCC
Posted on Wednesday 11th October 2017
Today’s draft budget settlement from Welsh Government has confirmed that Newport City Council will receive a cash reduction to its year-on-year revenue support grant.
After taking into consideration specific grants which will now be transferred into the general settlement, Newport will receive a cut of 0.3 per cent for 2018/19, taking it to under £207.7 million.
Leader of Newport City Council, Councillor Debbie Wilcox, said:
“This draft budget puts us in a very difficult position – despite making savings year-on-year we have even less money to spend when demands on protected services such as education and social services are growing.
“Welsh local authorities will again bear the brunt of the austerity measures on-going in the UK while still doing their best to maintain and deliver public services.
“There are a number of proposals being drawn up as part of Newport’s budget process and today’s announcement will influence what changes we will need to take forward. We have the difficult challenge of protecting the services our most vulnerable rely on, while trying to invest in our city and continuing to build a better Newport.
“Around £41 million of savings have already been made in the last five years, and the council will still need to find further savings for the foreseeable future, which makes for some very hard decisions.
“However, nothing will be brought in via the back door – every option will be given full consideration and will be subject to an open and transparent public consultation.”
The Welsh Government’s settlement grant accounts for around 80 per cent of the council’s net funding with council tax from residents contributing less than 20 per cent to the pot.
The council has already made significant financial savings through reducing staff, developing new service models, finding innovative ways of delivering services, and in some instances, even having to stop services that it has traditionally provided but can no longer afford.
At the November Cabinet meeting, a series of proposals will be considered which will then go out for public consultation. The results will be considered again by Cabinet in the New Year, before any decisions are made.