Caerphilly County Borough Council is to consider a series of proposals from its engineering division to save £600,000 over the next three years.
The engineering division is responsible for maintaining the roads and pathways.
A number of money-saving proposals will be presented at the council’s Regeneration Scrutiny Committee this week.
These include:
Cutting £200,000 in street lighting maintenance over the next three years. The council argues that investment in recent years in street lighting posts has meant they will require less maintenance over the coming years.
£150,000 in highways maintenance over the next three years (£50,000 per year), through the use of improved machinery such as the ‘jet patching’ machine which repairs potholes.
Savings will also come from traffic management schemes – £50,000, car park maintenance – £40,000, drainage maintenance – £30,000, canal maintenance – £30,000.
The council is also working alongside neighbouring Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council in its lighting contracts to bulk buy across the two councils and save money.
Councillor Rob Gough, cabinet member for transportation and planning said: “While we are committed to delivering services of the highest standard, we are conscious that we must consider ways of doing so in a more cost-effective manner.
“These proposals have been deemed manageable by the officers responsible for each service area, and we are confident that these proposals would help us deliver real savings, while still maintaining the level of service which helps make Caerphilly one of Wales’ leading local authorities.”
“These substantial savings would be made possible thanks to innovative new schemes, new technologies and more collaborative working. Despite these possible savings, we are determined that we will continue to provide a first class service to our residents and visitors to the county borough alike.”