Caerphilly County Borough Council has had a “rethink” about its budget, with cuts totalling £600,000 scrapped.
The changes follow a public consultation on the council’s draft budget for 2023/24, which proposes to raise council tax by 7.9%.
Council leader Sean Morgan said: “We have listened carefully to the views of our residents and, as a consequence, we have had a rethink about a number of our original savings proposals.”
The changes to the budget cuts include:
- Markham community leisure centre’s cut of £10,000 is to be spread out across three years instead of one.
- The Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) will be reduced by 30% rather than withdrawn completely.
- A 10% cut to the Sensory and Communication Support Service (SenCom) has been postponed, pending a regional discussion.
- Sports pitch fees will be raised by 12%, instead of 20%.
- Community centres will have to fund four hours of caretaker hours, instead of five and half hours. This will be rolled-out over three years from October 2023.
The cuts to these services had been criticised by Labour and opposition councillors.
In a voluntary sector liaison committee meeting on February 2, Argoed councillor Walter Williams said the the worst thing the council could do was “attack” community centres.
He added: “Surely let’s take a little bit more from the reserves and keep these centres open, because once they’re gone, that’ll be the end of it.”
Cllr Morgan, who represents Nelson, said: “Caerphilly, like all local authorities across Wales, is facing significant financial challenges at the moment, but we have worked hard to protect the community from deep cuts thanks to our prudent financial management.
“One of the key proposals is a one-off use of council reserves totalling £15.35 million.
“Caerphilly has healthy reserves at present, the majority of which are ring-fenced and ear-marked for specific schemes. However, an element of the funds can be used as a contingency for a ‘rainy day’.”
The final budget proposals will be confirmed by the cabinet on Wednesday February 22 before being put to full council on Thursday February 23.
What is Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet?
A council’s cabinet is made up of councillors in charge of different policy areas – such as education, environment, local economy, etc – and a leader.
It is separate to the council’s corporate management structure, which is headed up by its chief executive and various directors. Cabinet is made up of councillors, who are elected and have the ultimate say.
Typically, cabinet members are councillors from the party with the most elected council members.
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet is made up of:
- Cllr Sean Morgan (Nelson) – Leader
- Cllr Jamie Pritchard (Morgan Jones) – Deputy Leader; Prosperity, Regeneration and Climate Change
- Cllr Nigel George (Risca East) – Corporate Services and Property
- Cllr Eluned Stenner (New Tredegar) – Finance and Performance
- Cllr Carol Andrews (Gilfach) – Education and Communities
- Cllr Shayne Cook (Morgan Jones) – Housing
- Cllr Elaine Forehead (Van) – Social Care
- Cllr Philippa Leonard (Risca East) – Planning and Public Protection
- Cllr Chris Morgan (Machen and Rudry) – Waste, Leisure and Green Spaces
Corporate management is made up of unelected employees of the council and has responsibility for day-to-day management of services, such as making sure the bins are collected. Corporate directors work with cabinet members to come up with policy which is then agreed upon by the cabinet.
Last updated October 13, 2023
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