P-05-921 Earlier notification of council budgets by the Welsh Government #SaveOurServices
P-05-921 Earlier notification of council budgets by the Welsh Government #SaveOurServices
P-05-921 Earlier notification of council budgets by
the Welsh Government #SaveOurServices
This
petition was submitted by UNISON Neath Port Talbot having collected a total of
191 signatures.
Text of Petition
We call on Welsh
Government to give budgets to councils no later than mid-January 2020 in order
that firstly, local authorities comply with all legislative requirements in
relation to budget setting process for council tax, and secondly so that they
can give appropriate legislative budgets to schools in order for them to be in
compliance with their own guidelines set by Welsh Government.
UNISON Neath Port Talbot
Branch believes that every council in Wales is under extreme budgetary
pressure, with some service provisions lost and others on the verge of
collapse, and with a spending review also underway, public services now have no
understanding of any of the implications of this review.
Welsh Government have
proposed that the Draft Budget will be issued on the 19th November 2019, with a
its Final Budget being given in February, but to date still no notice of when
the actual Local Government Budget will be. This will have resounding,
legislative implications for ALL local authorities when they will have to
approve budgets based on draft settlement figures to ensure compliance to
statutory requirements around setting Council Tax Bills.
The prosed timetable gives
councils very real difficulties insomuch as all scrutiny meetings, subsequent
Cabinets and Council meetings will now need to be changed. An outcome of this
may be that council tax rates may have been inflated only to discover at a
later date that settlement figures would have allowed more flexibility.
Councils are the major
employer in their areas and any reduction in funding will also have a
detrimental impact on employment and the ability for these vital services to be
sustainable whilst remaining in-house.
Additional Information
We fully support
Welsh Government's vision that everybody in Wales should live in
well-connected, vibrant, viable and sustainable communities with a strong local
economy and a good quality of life, but in order for this vision to succeed, we
must safeguard public services which will in turn ensure the safety and
well-being of our residents across Wales with better outcomes for all.
Current spending plans end
in March 2020, however all current indications inform us that the timetable for
settlement figures will not give us any approved funds until March 2020. This
is outrageous: no employer can sustain a multi-million pound venture without a
budget.
The number of councils now
in a position of setting an illegal budget is frightening and is being exacerbated
by ill-timed grant offers, some of which have not been received until the end
of the budgeting year.
European Funding grants
and Welsh Government specific grants contribute immensely to services
delivered. Additionally, we need to consider timelines when awarding grants
which appear to be given after the financial year has started. This is not
supportive of workforce planning or the delivery of services.
Significant reform is
required to ensure the long term financial sustainability of local services and
to end the systemic inequalities between the funding of public provisions.
Local authorities need increased autonomy and control for generating revenue
with mechanisms in place for local authorities. Public Audit Watchdogs have
been highlighting the significant damage to essential services and without
major investment in these same services, local authorities will be unable to
provide services to the most vulnerable in society, such as the young or very
elderly, at a time when there is increased demand on service provision.
Status
This petition was
considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 07/01/2020.
The Committee considered the petition for the
first time. Members agreed to thank the petitioners for raising this matter
through the petitions process but to close the petition because there is little
action that the Committee is able to take, given that delays this year were
caused by the timing of the UK General Election and following the publication
of the draft budget and provisional local government settlement on 16 December.
Full details of the
consideration of this petitions by the committee and related documents can be
seen on the Meetings tab above.
It was first considered
by the Petitions Committee on 07/01/2020.
Assembly Constituency and
Region
- Aberavon
- South Wales West
Further
information
Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 18/11/2019