Funds are still short despite Welsh Government boost. Cuts are needed impacting Gwynedd Services.
The Welsh Government gave 3.2% more money. The cabinet was told this was still not enough to keep services as they are. The chief executive, Dafydd Gibbard, said the Welsh Government helped more than expected, and the council’s money problem went from £22m to £8m. This is still a significant problem, though.
The cabinet heard their savings plan was smaller because of the extra money. They already made cuts last year, making it hard to find more savings and leaving almost no efficiency savings left.
They have cut £74m over 14 years. Now they can only make cuts, a process that involves getting people to agree on cuts, which is hard, and affecting the people of Gwynedd when they stop services.
The council faces higher staff costs because the UK government raised employer’s National Insurance, adding £4.5m to their costs given they employ 6,000 people.
The cabinet approved a plan for £519k in savings to help with the 2025/26 budget problem. They told departments to move forward with the plan, where cuts include higher pest control fees, reduced Fleet Services resources, and reductions to the Grounds Maintenance Service.
The cabinet gave power to the chief executive to change the cuts plan. He will consult with the council leader and also needs to talk to the finance member.
The chief executive is sad to discuss this yearly and said nobody wants to cut services. They have no choice but to face the situation, while the government helped, but it’s still bad, and the situation is still very poor.
Council leader Nia Jeffery spoke too. They knew they would have a budget gap, so they must make changes to balance it, even though it feels against what they want, which is the best for Gwynedd’s people.