Following a better than anticipated Local Government Settlement of 0.8%, which was announced by the Welsh Government before Christmas, the Council must still make savings of £5.7 million for the next financial year. This is due to a number of factors including the cost of inflation, the new UK Government apprenticeship levy and the growing demand for social care.
The Council initially anticipated the need to make savings of £11.2 million and consulted on that basis. The settlement means that the Council has therefore been able to revise some of the original proposals, and this has been done in light of feedback from more than 600 people during the three month public consultation which ran from September until December 2016.
Many of the consultation responses received concerned proposals to transfer the library provision in Baglan and Skewen to the community. This has been amended and the Council will now continue to run both these libraries, but to work with the community to help reduce the running costs. Other proposals relating to the lifeguard service at Aberavon Beach and Margam Park have been removed.
Investment in schools has also been prioritised with a £336,000 increase in the delegated budget, taking this to around £80 million for the year. The proposed savings from the Special Education Needs budget will now made from management cost savings rather than from provision to pupils.
The original proposal to increase Council Tax by 3% has been changed to 2.5%, making Band D equivalent to £1443.30.
£22.8 million will be invested in Children and Young People social services, but the Council will continue its work to safely reduce the number of Looked After Children with an anticipated saving of £614,000.
There will be an investment of £48.9 million in Adult Social Care, with £1.7 million of new monies from the Welsh Government to be invested in homelessness, Domiciliary Care and other service provision. The Council will also be investing £827,000 to help deal with increased demand and the costs attached to paying the living wage.
The Council will invest £32.7 million in Environment spend, with £2.5 million to support the street scene, planning, travel and waste and recycling. There is still a target of £1.1 million of savings from procurement of waste services and around £460,000 of transport savings linked to the recent day services review.
Cllr. Ali Thomas, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council said:
“The Council has a legal duty to set a balanced budget and since 2010 this has required savings of more than £72 million.
“Faced with additional savings of more than £5 million in the next financial year, it has been more important than ever to ask people living in the county borough where they think money should be saved. I give my thanks to all those who participated in the consultation process. Residents, service users, community groups, Councillors, Officers, Council staff and Trade Unions have all played their part in delivering this budget.”
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Cymeradwyo Cyllideb 2017/18 y Cyngor
Ddoe (1 Chwefror), cymeradwywyd cynlluniau cyllidebol Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf gan gynghorwyr.
Yn dilyn Setliad Llywodraeth Leol gwell na’r disgwyl sef 0.8%, a gyhoeddwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru cyn y Nadolig, rhaid i’r cyngor arbed £5.7 miliwn o hyd yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf. Mae hyn o ganlyniad i nifer o ffactorau gan gynnwys cost chwyddiant, ardoll prentisiaeth newydd Llywodraeth y DU a’r galw cynyddol am ofal cymdeithasol.
Yn wreiddiol, roedd y cyngor yn meddwl y byddai’n rhaid arbed £11.2 miliwn a bu’n ymgynghori ar sail hynny. Mae’r setliad yn golygu bod y cyngor felly wedi gallu ailystyried rhai o’r cynigion gwreiddiol, a gwnaed hyn ar sail adborth a gafwyd gan fwy na 600 o bobl yn ystod yr ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus tri mis a gynhaliwyd rhwng mis Medi a mis Rhagfyr 2016.
Roedd llawer o’r ymatebion i’r ymgynghoriad yn ymwneud â’r cynigion i drosglwyddo darpariaeth y llyfrgell ym Maglan a Sgiwen i’r gymuned. Mae hyn wedi’i ddiwygio a bydd y cyngor bellach yn parhau i gynnal y ddwy lyfrgell hyn, ond bydd yn gweithio gyda’r gymuned i leihau’r costau cynnal. Mae cynigion eraill o ran y gwasanaeth achub bywyd ar draeth Aberafan a Pharc Margam wedi’u dileu.
Mae buddsoddi mewn ysgolion hefyd wedi’i flaenoriaethu gyda chynnydd gwerth £336,000 yn y gyllideb ddirprwyedig, sydd oddeutu £80 miliwn ar gyfer y flwyddyn. Bydd yr arbedion arfaethedig o’r gyllideb Anghenion Addysgol Arbennig bellach yn dod drwy arbedion yn y costau rheoli yn hytrach na’r ddarpariaeth i ddisgyblion.
Mae’r cynnig gwreiddiol i godi Treth y Cyngor 3% wedi newid i 2.5%, gan wneud Band D gyfwerth â £1443.30.
Bydd £22.8 miliwn yn cael ei fuddsoddi yn y gwasanaethau cymdeithasol i blant a phobl ifanc, ond bydd y cyngor yn parhau â’i waith i leihau’n ddiogel nifer y plant sy’n derbyn gofal gydag arbediad arfaethedig o £614,000.
Bydd buddsoddiad gwerth £48.9 miliwn mewn Gofal Cymdeithasol i Oedolion, gydag £1.7 miliwn o gyllid newydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru i gael ei fuddsoddi mewn digartrefedd, gofal cartref a gwasanaethau eraill. Bydd y cyngor hefyd yn buddsoddi £827,000 i fynd i’r afael â’r galw cynyddol a’r costau sy’n gysylltiedig â thalu’r cyflog byw.
Bydd y cyngor yn buddsoddi £32.7 miliwn er mwyn gwario ar yr amgylchedd, gyda £2.5 miliwn yn cefnogi’r strydlun, cynllunio, teithio a gwastraff ac ailgylchu. Mae targed o hyd i arbed gwerth £1.1 miliwn drwy gaffael gwasanaethau gwastraff ac oddeutu £460,000 o arbedion trafnidiaeth sy’n gysylltiedig â’r adolygiad diweddar o’r gwasanaethau dydd.
Meddai’r Cynghorydd Ali Thomas, Arweinydd Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot,
“Mae dyletswydd gyfreithiol ar y cyngor i bennu cyllideb gytbwys ac ers 2010 mae hyn wedi galw am arbedion gwerth mwy na £72 miliwn.
“Gan wynebu mwy o arbedion, gwerth mwy na £5 miliwn yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf, bu’n bwysicach nag erioed i ofyn i bobl sy’n byw yn y fwrdeistref sirol lle dylid arbed yr arian. Rhoddaf fy niolch i bawb a gymerodd ran yn y broses ymgynghori. Mae preswylwyr, defnyddwyr gwasanaethau, grwpiau cymunedol, cynghorwyr, swyddogion, staff y cyngor a’r undebau llafur wedi cymryd rhan i gyflwyno’r gyllideb hon”.
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