Budget pressures

Having not been here for almost three years one of the first things that has struck me on my return is the severity of the budget pressures.

We’re coming towards the end of this year’s budget process with the proposals approved by Cabinet now heading to Council. I know from speaking to staff that process has been quite painful because there are budget savings to be made whilst pressure on services grows and the Government chooses to prioritise funding in other areas such as the NHS.

Since leaving here in 2016, I’ve spent time working in a number of other authorities and it’s clear that we’re no different to elsewhere. They all face similar pressures and are making the same difficult budget choices.

But in my view there has to be a point where national governments will have to look how they fund services like education and social care because there comes a time when it becomes unmanageable. I’m not suggesting we’re there yet, but each year it gets harder delivering the savings especially when the world doesn’t stand still and new pressures emerge.

We need to strengthen Cabinet and CMT oversight of the delivery of savings next year because if we don’t and we carry on overspending we’ll be in an even worse position. So it’s essential we have strong monitoring in place to ensure we make the agreed savings.

And amid all of these issues and pressures, we mustn’t lose sight of the impact on staff and how they feel. This is still a place where the vast majority of staff are doing a great job and providing vital services to people who need them and, despite the painful cuts we face, they will continue to do so.

I know it’s tough, and without wanting to sound glib, we are grateful to our staff who continue to work hard every day.

The other area I’ve been focusing on is regional working, particularly the City Deal which Phil and Martin Nicholls have been leading on. You couldn’t have failed to have seen the recent media coverage regarding the university and others. We have to make sure the reputational damage and fall-out don’t impact on us.  Those issues will be resolved and the important thing is to ensure the City Deal projects are viable and funded because they are the big prize at stake.

Cabinet yesterday agreed plans for a new primary school in Gorseinon. It’s been a long and protracted affair with applications for village green status on the new site delaying our plans. Those applications were rejected by an inspector and we can now move forward with this vital investment. Thank you to all the officers from a number of services who’ve worked hard on this over a number of years.

One of the most enjoyable things during my previous time as Chief Executive was the opportunity to learn about the great things staff do and to highlight them in my blog. Regardless of how long I’m here this time, I want to do that again so please let me know if a team or colleague has done something noteworthy.

With that in mind, thank you to marina staff who carried out emergency repairs to pontoons in 70mph winds. They worked in extremely tough conditions and their actions meant no boats were damaged. My thanks to Steve Kern, Dan Whitehouse, Andrew Hoey, Owen Gibbon, John Butt and Ioan Price

Finally, we’ve received a letter from the Mr X Appeal thanking our staff for their help and support last Christmas. Those involved are too many to mention by name but thanks to their efforts more than 6,000 underprivileged children in the region, who would otherwise have gone without, received lovely presents.