Service cuts possible as Swansea tries to find £45m in savings
By News Wales
The council is asking residents to help it find the answers by launching a major consultation campaign as part of the countdown to next year’s budget.
Cutting down on services, reducing management and other staff, selling off land that is “not needed” and transferring operations to the private sector or independent trusts.
These are just some of the options Swansea council will be considering as it seeks to find a towering £45m worth of savings over the next four years.
The authority has now asked people in Swansea to help it find the answers by launching a major consultation campaign as part of the countdown to next year’s budget.
It’s called Sustainable Swansea – Fit For the Future and asks people to give their views on the future of services like education, transport, leisure, social services and waste collection.
Rob Stewart, the council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “Swansea council is committed to improving the lives of residents every day and protecting the frontline services that matter so much to the communities we serve.
“We also have to deliver savings of around £45m by 2017 and that means if we are going to continue to improve the lives of residents we have to change.
“But this isn’t simply a money-saving exercise. We have an opportunity to transform the Council by finding better ways of doing things and improving the services we provide.
“By being innovative and thinking differently we can provide high-quality services that have a long-term future.
“By the end of 2017 the council will look very different to the one we have today. We will have to do things differently and also do different things. Precisely what services we provide and how we provide them is what the debate is all about.”
Among the options the council has for meeting its huge savings target are:
* Working “smarter”.
* Services being delivered by other organisations such as trusts or the private sector.
* Reducing management, voluntary changes to contracts, early retirement and voluntary redundancy.
* Reducing overall staff.
The first step in the consultation process is starting with a series of “pop-up” community events in Swansea where council off