Authority facing ‘significant financial challenges’ – Council leader

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Sean Morgan is the leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, and a Labour councillor representing the Nelson ward.

Readers will be aware of the significant financial challenges facing local government at the moment. Here in Caerphilly we need to deliver £45 million in savings over the next two years – and this is on top of £20m that has already been identified.

I’ve been preparing the community for difficult decisions ahead over the past 12 months and unfortunately we are now starting to see these become a reality.

This week, the council’s cabinet met to consider the future of our Meals Direct service and Llancaiach Fawr Manor House in Nelson.

These particular services are under review because we are initially targeting areas which receive the highest level of subsidy (£444,000 a year for Meals Direct and £495,000 a year for Llancaiach Fawr). 

Residents have had the chance to have their say about the proposals during a major consultation exercise held over recent months.

The council’s cabinet has now considered the feedback and we have agreed to continue providing the Meals Direct service, while developing a range of further options to make the delivery of Meals Direct sustainable over the long-term.

I’m sure residents and service users will welcome this decision, which clearly shows we have listened to the feedback from the community and responded accordingly.

At the same meeting, the cabinet agreed to mothball Llancaiach Fawr Manor House at the end of December this year and explore options for the facility to be run in a different way in the future.  

We appreciate many will be disappointed by this decision, but the current subsidy of £485,000 to run the site is unsustainable in the current financial climate.

A similar decision was made earlier this year to close Coffi Vista in Caerphilly and we are now looking forward to that building reopening with an exciting new future, without requiring a council subsidy. This is what we hope to replicate at Llancaiach Fawr. 

There is still more to do and we will have to consider further unpalatable options to deliver savings, but please continue to get involved and have your say to help us shape council services in future.