| Swansea 2025 budget 15:31 - Jan 9 with 2224 views | Boundy |
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/government-funding-a-lot-better-than-expec
Swansea Council is to get more central Government funding than anticipated next year but still plans to make savings and increase council tax to balance the books.
Most council funding comes from the Welsh Government, which receives it from Westminster, and Swansea is in line to get £33.4 million more in 2025-26 compared to this year, including extra money from business rates. That's good news for key departments like education and social care. The council is also expecting an additional £7 million to cover the increase that it has to pay in employer national insurance contributions from April.
However, budget papers show the authority is facing cost pressures of just under £69 million - driven by things like pay awards, rising homelessness costs and other demographic pressures - meaning steps have to be taken to cover the shortfall. It is therefore proposing to raise an extra £9.8 million in council tax, leaving it £18.4 million short. This £18.4 million will be resolved by making savings and increasing various fees and charges. For the latest Swansea news, sign up to our newsletter here
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The papers don't say what the proposed £9.8 million council tax hike equates to in percentage terms and the figure could well change between now and when councillors set the budget in two months' time. It went up by 5.99% last year - meaning Band D householders paid £1,641.95, excluding police and any community council precepts - and by 5.95% the year before that. The papers note that the Welsh Government assumed a 10% council tax rise in its spending calculations for the forthcoming year, but council leader Rob Stewart said it would not go up by that amount.
The Swansea Labour leader described the central government funding position, which became clear in the October budget, as "a lot better" than the council had been planning for. Every department, he said, would get additional funding with schools and the education service in line for an extra £22.3 million.
"Our proposed budget for the coming year would see the biggest-ever spend on education and schools of more than £226 million - a significant investment in our children's futures that will have a lasting impact for families right across the city," he said.
Opposition group leader, Cllr Chris Holley, questioned the need for so many savings given the additional government funding, and said he would like any council tax rise to be minimal. "Times are difficult - people are really struggling," he said. The Liberal Democrat councillor also wanted to see extra investment in road repairs.
The budget papers identify where the £18.4 million savings need to come from, and several of the proposals are to raise fees rather than make cuts. Schools, it said, would need to make £4.5 million of savings, while the figure for the social services department is £8.7 million. Proposals include reducing expenditure on care commissioned from the private sector, and cutting back office staff costs through "natural vacancies".
The place department, which includes roads and the environment, would need to save £2.6 million by, for example, changes to waste collection, increasing burial and cremation fees and Swansea Market rent charges, and generating more camera car parking ticket income. The in-house education department is being set a £1.7 million savings target while corporate services needs to cut its cloth by £400,000.
The papers said 15.5 full-time equivalent posts were at risk, although all efforts would be made to avoid compulsory redundancies. Any job losses at schools would be decided by schools themselves.
The budget proposals will be discussed be cabinet on January 10 and then go out for consultation. Discussions will also take place with trade unions. There will be a further budget report prior to a meeting of full council in early March when the 2025-26 budget will be set.
Cllr Stewart said the council was determined to protect services that people valued most. "In the last year we've seen record investment in schools and social care, the biggest ever support package to help residents deal with winter pressures, and huge investment in homes and housing," he said |  |
| "In a free society, the State is the servant of the people—not the master." |
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| Swansea 2025 budget on 20:07 - Jan 11 with 656 views | SullutaCreturned |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 14:33 - Jan 11 by Boundy |
And against that number there are many who claim the money and the free car tax is |
700,000!!!! Then how mnay taxi rides per year costing how many millions?
Surely it's cheaper to have more local resources. | | | |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 16:10 - Jan 12 with 547 views | Scotia |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 13:51 - Jan 11 by Dr_Winston |
Surely the point of the mobility car is to enable the child to get where he needs to without the taxi? Mum can get the bus to work. |
Yes it is. It's not used for that. In fact we collect him in our car and take him to day centre.
They also have use of his blue badge. In his own right he's got plenty of spare cash.
Our previous respite care placement was referred to (jokingly) by their parents as their cash cow, to the point only one of them needed to work. | | | |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 20:46 - Jan 12 with 481 views | SullutaCreturned |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 16:10 - Jan 12 by Scotia |
Yes it is. It's not used for that. In fact we collect him in our car and take him to day centre.
They also have use of his blue badge. In his own right he's got plenty of spare cash.
Our previous respite care placement was referred to (jokingly) by their parents as their cash cow, to the point only one of them needed to work. |
Where we used to live we had a neighbour who was fighting for her son to be diagnosed with ADHD, a family member told us it was because she wanted to give up working. She could just have been bitching I guess.
The benefits system regards this kind of thing, it's out of control but a lot of people feel entitled to this "help" so no wonder there's no money. | | | |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 21:55 - Jan 12 with 445 views | Boundy |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 20:46 - Jan 12 by SullutaCreturned |
Where we used to live we had a neighbour who was fighting for her son to be diagnosed with ADHD, a family member told us it was because she wanted to give up working. She could just have been bitching I guess.
The benefits system regards this kind of thing, it's out of control but a lot of people feel entitled to this "help" so no wonder there's no money. |
On the other side of this , I have no idea what benefits a parent with a child who's Autistic and has ADHD and ODD and the parents would give up anything just to have a normal child. | |
| "In a free society, the State is the servant of the people—not the master." |
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| Swansea 2025 budget on 07:43 - Jan 13 with 377 views | Scotia |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 21:55 - Jan 12 by Boundy |
On the other side of this , I have no idea what benefits a parent with a child who's Autistic and has ADHD and ODD and the parents would give up anything just to have a normal child. |
The vast majority if not all would. I'm not belittling the condiditons at all. Some definitely look to get their children statmented for various reasons.
But some people who calim benefits with even mild disabilities are comparitively wealthy becasue of it.
A good friend and his wife would need to find jobs paying around £30k a year each to match the cash benefits and other help they get for their children.
My wife, in her previous role, used to spend a lot of time getting people to spend money from their bank to keep the account limits under £16k so their benefits continued. | | | |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 10:05 - Jan 13 with 347 views | Boundy |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 07:43 - Jan 13 by Scotia |
The vast majority if not all would. I'm not belittling the condiditons at all. Some definitely look to get their children statmented for various reasons.
But some people who calim benefits with even mild disabilities are comparitively wealthy becasue of it.
A good friend and his wife would need to find jobs paying around £30k a year each to match the cash benefits and other help they get for their children.
My wife, in her previous role, used to spend a lot of time getting people to spend money from their bank to keep the account limits under £16k so their benefits continued. |
I can only speak from personal experience and what my son and his family are going through is sheer hell , of course as like everything people will chance their arm but to use a child's condition to gain reward when there thousands of genuine cases who have yet to be diagnosed let along be absorbed into the system is a disgrace. | |
| "In a free society, the State is the servant of the people—not the master." |
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| Swansea 2025 budget on 16:18 - Jan 14 with 219 views | union_jack |
It’s not my problem in Carms (I’ll have enough of one here) but everyone will just pay it and complain to neighbours and friends.
In France, they flatly refuse and take to the streets. We are far too compliant in this country. |  |
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| Swansea 2025 budget on 18:59 - Jan 14 with 152 views | Boundy |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 16:18 - Jan 14 by union_jack |
It’s not my problem in Carms (I’ll have enough of one here) but everyone will just pay it and complain to neighbours and friends.
In France, they flatly refuse and take to the streets. We are far too compliant in this country. |
That's just it , we as a nation seem to be so accepting of what's thrown at us and those in power , major shops , energy companies, any where in which we are just the consumer know that .As you say the French have the bottle to display their anger and good on them for doing so. | |
| "In a free society, the State is the servant of the people—not the master." |
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| Swansea 2025 budget on 19:24 - Jan 14 with 123 views | majorraglan |
Thanks for flagging this up, I live down that way and am tamping about the prospect of a 9.75% rise. I’ve completed the online questionnaire which highlights the options, but in truth the costs and changes they’re putting up for consultation are minimal and certainly nowhere near the scale of £18m.
£160 over the year is a fiver a week, but it’s not just the giver everything else is going up and people are feeling the pinch. | | | |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 20:04 - Jan 14 with 102 views | Boundy |
| Swansea 2025 budget on 19:24 - Jan 14 by majorraglan |
Thanks for flagging this up, I live down that way and am tamping about the prospect of a 9.75% rise. I’ve completed the online questionnaire which highlights the options, but in truth the costs and changes they’re putting up for consultation are minimal and certainly nowhere near the scale of £18m.
£160 over the year is a fiver a week, but it’s not just the giver everything else is going up and people are feeling the pinch. |
I know it says proposal but when figures like that are bandied about it tends to be there or there's about. I just don't know how they believe we as a taxpayer ,energy, food, fuel etc can continue carrying the financial burden. | |
| "In a free society, the State is the servant of the people—not the master." |
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