skip to main content

Agenda item

DECISION

 

      i.        That the budget mentioned in the cabinet member's report for 2016/17 should be adopted which means a budget of £227,227,120 should be set for 2016/17, to be funded by  £166,950,760 of Government Grant and £60,276,360 Council Tax income, with an increase of 3.97%, namely an increase of £46.09 in the Band D Council Tax from £1,161.07 to £1,207.16 per annum..

 

    ii.        Also, to accept the medium-term financial strategy, and consequently plan to increase the Council Tax by 3.97% in 2017/18 which would mean having to meet a financial deficit of £4.94m over the next two years after meeting the efficiency savings of £14.054m noted in clause 21 of the report "2016/17 Budget and 2016-17 - 2019-20 Financial Strategy".

 

   iii.        To establish a capital programme of £22.141m in 2016/17 and £12.286m in 2017/18 to be funded from sources noted in clause 9.4 of the appendix to the report. "2016/17 Budget and 2016-17 - 2019-20 Financial Strategy".

 

   iv.        To meet the deficit of £4.94m noted in part (ii) above, that the following cuts regime should be implemented -

 

No.

Possible cut

Amount

£

C2

Delete 2 posts out of 7.5 in the Systems Support Unit within the Adults Service

80,000

C3

Delete 3 posts out of 20.6 in the Workforce Support Unit which supports adults and children's services

90,000

C4

Delete 2 posts out of 10.5 in the Workforce Development Unit within the Adults Service

75,000

C5

Delete 1 post out of 2.5 within Housing Management and Strategy

37,500

C7

Delete 1 post out of 3 in the Information Unit which deals with Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act

30,000

C8

Close Frondeg Pwllheli and Beach Road Felinheli offices but that the Service should be requested to report back to the Cabinet on the business case of scheme C8 (Frondeg) before moving on to realise it to ensure that there are acceptable solutions to the needs of those who are currently there

60,000

C9

Delete 1 post out of 8.5 in the Building Maintenance Unit

28,000

C10

Delete 1.5 post out of 7.2 in the Estates and Facilities Unit

40,000

C11

Delete 2 posts out of 37.62 in the Finance Units

50,000

C12

Stop providing Information Technology support outside normal working hours

39,500

C13

Delete the Gwynedd Trainee scheme and the Professional Trainee scheme

258,720

C14

Delete 2 posts out of 8.8 in the Health and Safety unit

80,000

C15

Remodel the Gwynedd and Anglesey partnership due to the changes in the Public Service Boards

130,000

C16

Delete the contribution towards the Gwynedd Environmental Partnership

7,620

C18

Delete the budget to support alcohol and drugs misuse

28,900

C19

Delete 1 post out of 2 within Project Management

31,060

1

Grass cutting main areas of our towns 6 times a year rather than 8 times however consideration should be given to whether more efficiency savings can be found on Scheme no. 1 (Grass Cutting in Town Centres) by reducing basic cuts further and asking local communities to pay if they want a better standard

120,000

2

Delete 1 post out of 10.5 in the Joint Planning Policy Unit

15,000

3

Reduce 50% of the strategic grants for the arts budget, but to be implemented on 1 April 2017 in order to give the Service an opportunity to discuss its implementation with the organisations supported and seek to attract assistance from other sources to replace the reduction in grant from the Council

84,850

4

Cut 2 posts out of 7 in the Street Enforcement Unit

64,500

5

Reduce the opening hours of the Dolgellau archives from 3 days to 2 and Caernarfon archives from 4 to 3 days per week

41,670

6

Grass cutting in 131 children’s playing fields every two months rather than every month

60,000

8

Reduce an element of the "Gwynedd Ni" budget, focusing on the statutory element

70,000

9

Delete 1 post out of 27.7 in the Council Tax Processing unit

25,000

10

Cut 50% of the maintaining promenades, benches and street name signs budget

40,000

11

Stop providing a hard copy of the ‘Snowdonia Mountains and Coast’ booklet

46,000

12

Reduce 50% of the grants given to voluntary organisations for specific projects

62,500

13

Stop paying the fee to pay Council Tax in post offices

40,000

14

Reduce frequency of grass cutting in the Council’s cemeteries from 7 times per year to 5

60,000

15

Cut 10% on the budget for purchasing library books

26,000

16

Delete 1 post out of 14 in the Building Control unit

40,000

17

Delete a second post out of 10.5 in the Joint Planning Policy Unit

15,000

19

Reduce the time and / or raise a fee for childcare element within the Free Breakfast scheme in primary schools

100,000

20

Keep the CCTV service but rather than delete the resources which continually monitor it, that the savings should be achieved by seeking to reduce the Council's contribution and make any operational changes that can be made without affecting the effectiveness of the system

90,000

21

Delete 1 post out of 2.45 in the Biodiversity unit

30,000

22

Reduce 50% of the traffic management budget

65,000

23

Delete 20% of the public footpath budget including 1 post out of 7.2

110,000

25

Delete 1 post out of 8.5 in the Pollution Control Unit

35,000

26

Delete the Noddfa Centre grant

5,000

27

Delete 1 post out of 13.8 in the Food Hygiene Unit

36,000

28

Delete 1 post out of 21.7 in the Council Tax and Housing Benefit unit

25,000

29

Delete the Arfon Community Gang service

70,000

30

Cut the highway maintenance budget (and note that the amount of the cut was adapted in accordance with the recommendation in the report)

850,000

31

Rather than the original proposal of closing 30 of the 42 Youth Clubs, that the scheme in question should be changed to realise the savings of £200,000 (along with the expected efficiency saving of £70,000) by redesigning the Youth Service and accepting that the grants to youth organisations will have to be considered as part of the entire review

200,000

32

Cease running the Lloyd George Museum but to be implemented from 1 April 2017 in order to give the Service an opportunity to hold discussions with any organisation that would wish to take responsibility for the museum

27,000

33

Increase the price of primary schools meals from £2.30 to £2.50 (and note the change in the maximum price to be charged)

105,000

37

Delete 2 posts out of 85 in the Social Workers, Occupational Therapists and Care Workers Unit within the Adults Service

80,000

38

Reduce the frequency of cleaning villages and industrial estates to every 3 months rather than every month and increase the time to respond to incidents

130,000

39

Cut 25% on the budget for purchasing library books 

39,000

40

Delete 1 post out of 12 in the Housing Enforcement Unit

30,000

42

Reduce 12.4% of the budget of £801,790 paid by the Adults Service to voluntary / charitable
organisations

100,000

43

Delete 10% of the budget of Derwen Children’s Service (which employs 19.4)

75,000

44

Delete the Healthy Living schemes

54,050

46

Delete the budget to maintain Nature Reserves

59,400

47

Delete the Community Safety and Domestic Violence project budget

24,250

48

Manage Blue flag and Green flag beaches only

24,200

49

Delete 1 post out of 7.7 on managing flood risk

40,000

50

Delete 1 post out of 7 in the unit which manages grants and adaptations for the disabled

30,000

51

Close 50 out of 73 of the county's public toilets

244,000

52

Delete 1 post out of 21 in the multi-agency Youth Justice Service

25,000

53

Delete the sports development schemes

71,180

58

Close the Council's Tourist Information Centres

155,000

63

Delete 1 post out of 7 on road works management

30,000

65

Delete 4 posts out of 85 in the Social Workers, Occupational Therapists and Care Workers Unit within the Adults Service

80,000

71

Delete 1 post out of 21.4 in the Homelessness Unit

25,000

 

    v.        Also, to note that whilst we would not expect the cuts element of £28,000 noted against scheme 55 (Libraries), that we would continue to expect changes for the libraries service which would be restricted to the efficiency saving amount targeted for them which will possibly involve implementing a large element of the change noted against scheme number 55.

 

   vi.        For Scheme 66 (Women's Aid), whilst it should not be cut at present, this should be subject to them satisfying the Service that they have looked for all possible opportunities to be as efficient as possible, including any saving which would derive from that in the efficiency savings.

 

  vii.        For Schemes 72 (Barmouth Bridge) and 78 (Aber Bridge), that these budgets should not be cut at present, but this should be subject to reaching the target of significantly reducing the cost to the Council of contributing to their future, including any saving which would derive from that in the efficiency savings.

 

viii.        For Scheme 59 (Neuadd Dwyfor), that this budget should not be cut, but this is subject to discussing options with any local organisation with a view to them taking responsibility for it with the aim of reducing the costs for Gwynedd ratepayers, and that any savings should be included in the efficiency savings.

 

   ix.        With recommendations vi), vii) and viii) above, that we should receive a report back within a year and review the situation at that time as a result of any developments.    

 

    x.        The Head of Finance Department is authorised, in co-operation with the Cabinet Member for Resources, to review the level of specific funds (as suggested in paragraphs 8.6 - 8.8 of the appendix "2016/17 Budget") in order to fund the need to "bridge" £2,106,050 in 2016/17 as it would not be possible to implement all the cuts at once from April 2016.

 

   xi.        The Head of Finance Department, in co-operation with the Cabinet Member for Resources, to arrange to finance a revised amount from reserves, as necessary, in order to protect the Council's decisions on the budget and tax should there be marginal changes in Government grant, following the Welsh Government's decisions, which will lead to the announcement of the final grant settlement for local government on 2 March, and a vote thereon in the Assembly on 9 March 2016 to confirm.

 

 

 

Minutes:

Please see minute of item 10 above.