Budget Confirmed

Budget plans and council tax levels for the next 12 months will be confirmed at a meeting of Powys County Council on Wednesday. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The council is being recommended to increase council tax by 4.25 per cent and confirm £10m in savings to produce a balanced budget for the coming financial year. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Wynne Jones said; “We have now received confirmation of our budget settlement for the coming financial year and are in a position to set the budget and level of council tax. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The final settlement, which was received on March 2, included confirmed that our budget for 2016/17 would be cut by three per cent, the largest cut in Wales. The figures in the final settlement were in-line with our expectations and mean that we can now complete the budget plans and set the level of council tax for the coming year. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“As a result we will require savings of £10m and an increase in council tax to achieve a balanced budget for the next financial year. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The situation will not be any easier in the coming financial years and the council will have to find a further £19.88m in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 financial years and continue to increase the rate of council tax in the county. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Our target is to reduce spending by £29.8m over three years and that is on top of the £53.5m that we have cut from our budgets in the previous three financial years. Powys has a track record of delivering but we know the next period is going to be difficult and the necessary changes will not be easy. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“This year’s budget has seen reductions in our major spending services schools, social care, highways and waste, as well as the central and support services. The work will have to continue as will greater integration with public partners and a greater reliance on others for community service delivery. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“With national public spending likely to come under pressure for some time to come, the work on the next financial period will have to get underway immediately,” he added. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​