Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet is set to discuss a report this week, which is designed to bring a warmer prospect for keeping council tax bills down in this cold economic climate.
Cllr Colin Mann, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Procurement and Sustainability said, “Caerphilly is better placed than many other local authorities thanks to our careful strategic planning, so we want to send out a clear message that we aim to cut costs, but protect services for our local communities”.
He continued, “One of the council’s main priorities is to keep council tax increases to an absolute minimum and we are determined to carefully manage our budget so that we can achieve this. Our next Cabinet meeting has a report which sets out our ambition to bring about no increase in council tax over the next two years”.
The council has already made significant savings in the region of £12 million by implementing a range of ongoing changes to help make the organisation more streamlined and efficient, including: –
- £500,000 from office rationalisation, including the closure of the rented council offices at Hawtin Park.
- £250,000 savings will be achieved by reshaping the council’s senior management structure, including the deletion of a Director’s post
- £240,000 will be saved by streamlining the team delivering communications and marketing for the authority
- £180,000 will be saved by restructuring the council’s Parks and Outdoor Facilities Service
- £106,000 saved within social services by deleting a senior post and support staff
Cllr Allan Pritchard, Deputy Leader said, “The council has a dedicated workforce that are helping us implement a planned programme of efficiency measures to ensure the organisation is well placed to meet the financial challenges that lie ahead. These restructures are the first of many that will take place across the authority to ensure we are fit for purpose and in a strong position to tackle the uncertain financial times that lie ahead”.
