Council prepares to launch consultation on budget

COUNCILLORS in Neath Port Talbot are preparing to launch consultations for next year’s budget this month, with a turbulent financial year in 2022 leaving it facing a budget gap of around £23m.
The budget, which councillors say will focus on protecting hundreds of vital services and safeguarding jobs, will go before the council’s cabinet at a meeting on Thursday, January 19, asking for permission to consult with the public on the proposals.
It comes after the provisional local government settlement saw a funding increase of 7.1% announced for Neath Port Talbot for the 2023-24 financial year, ranking it as 17th out of all 22 Welsh councils and below the Welsh average increase of 7.9%.
It means Neath Port Talbot Council will be left with a huge funding gap of around £23.867m for the year, with one of the main challanges the authority faces including an estimated 162% rise in energy costs totalling approximately £8m.
Among the proposals to combat this are a number of savings measures such as a reduction in council buildings, as well as a potential rise in council tax, which would mean residents on Band A to C, would pay between 96p and £1.28p per week extra for their essential services.
A spokesperson for the authority said: “The proposed budget has been drawn up against a background of the Ukraine war, the Covid pandemic and Brexit.
“The combined impact of these has made the financial pressures for the council, some of the most, if not the most, challenging it has ever faced, just as it has been for businesses and local households.
Cllr Simon Knoyle, Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Social Justice, added: “We are keenly aware the cost of living crisis is impacting heavily on our residents.”
Any final decisions on the budget will now be made by the cabinet and full
council in March 2023.