At a meeting of the full Council today (10 December), Gwynedd councillors endorsed a comprehensive Savings Strategy for the 2010/11 – 2012/13 period. Due to the significant government funding shortfall which is expected to hit all Welsh Councils, it is anticipated that Gwynedd will need to deliver at least £16 million of savings.
The £16 million savings minimum which the Council anticipates it will need to deliver over the next three years is made up of:
- efficiency savings – delivering the same with less money (74%)
- creating additional income (10%)
- service cuts (16%)
The Savings Stategy includes:
- plans which will be implemented immediately
- plans which will be implemented but for which the final plans will be returned to the Council Board for approval
- plans categorised as being unacceptable in their current form where further work will be undertaken during 2010/11 to consider alternative options as regards for example potential savings affecting public toilets, street lighting and leisure centres
- plans which will not be implemented at this time.
Gwynedd Council Leader, Councillor Dyfed Edwards said:
“During recent months, councillors from all groups on the Council have worked together tirelessly to identify and scrutinise a wide-range of possible savings. Whilst this has been a difficult and sensitive task for us all, the Savings Strategy which has now been adopted is the positive result of this combined effort.
“In accordance with the views expressed by councillors and members of the public, the education and social services budgets have been treated as special cases and protected as much as possible. As a result, the proportion of savings to be delivered from schools and social services will be substantially lower when compared to the 11 other Council departments.
“We are determined to ensure that the Council’s spending goes hand in hand with our priorities and what we are trying to achieve for the people of Gwynedd, despite these challenging times.”
Council Chief Executive, Harry Thomas added:
“National public finances are in a perilous state, and it is clear that Gwynedd, like all other councils will unfortunately face the effects of unprecedented funding constraints for the foreseeable future.
“The financial squeeze is the biggest strategic challenge facing the Council. By adopting this strategy, councillors have now put in place a clear strategic framework that will allow us to minimise the potential impact upon key front-line services.”
