21/01/2025
This sounds promising.
But, RCT has the biggest reserves of any council in Wales, yet are only the 3rd biggest in terms of population. Don't let the council tell you it's one thing or the other, they need to save the care homes, the school transport, and the schools that are being threatened with closure. They do not need to put the causes up against one another.
Decisions are being made on the care homes on Wednesday. A public meeting is happening tomorrow at the Council offices where they will discuss the care home funding.
The meeting will be available online, as well as in person. Link below.
https://rctcbc.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=132&MId=50005062&LLL=0&fbclid=IwY2xjawH82nxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUhpPTDDNq_ieabOXOrmxLXJynEleKgDois8GlLcpw7YW9AbS3PXBpz34w_aem__Aje-jwO4RI5pIRDVxS3Jg
IT's COMPLICATED: It's going to be a busy week. The decision as to whether Cae Glas shuts or not will be discussed, first in Overview and Scrutiny Meeting on Tuesday and then the final decision will be made in the Cabinet meeting on the Wednesday.
The Care Homes issue is one item on the agenda, discussed before the budget strategy which comes later.
Why is this important?
Well, there is a £6.8M gap remaining (a small gap as compared to where we were before UK Govt Budget announcement last year).
How is this gap to be met? Officers have found yet another £5.7M of efficiency savings (often this means job losses, but not so much this time round luckily), Council tax is being modelled at 4.5% not as originally planned at 4%, bringing in another £549,000 (yes, that is ALL), and fees and charges are going up by about on average 5% (some are more some are less) bringing in an extra £633K.
However, previously, it was planned for £2m to be saved from schools budgets in relation to in year costs (WHAT exactly these are at present, I am not clear about - BUT I am asking) but this has been put back IN. Essentially this would have been an efficiency saving by another name. The effect per school is unknown, as schools as a whole have a credit balance of approx £8million and ONLY 25 are in deficit budgets. So, this could conceivably affect some schools not at all, and others quite a bit.
SO – the new budget gap after these changes (see table below) is now £1.8m – WITHOUT taking any care home closures into account AT THIS POINT.
Thus, IF the two care homes are closed, the budget balances.
There is therefore a choice - give £2m to the schools, OR not and save the care homes – for this year (next year – well the same problems would then be there…).
OR – maybe keep one care home open, and close the other, and take just £1m from the schools?
Whatever the decision on Wednesday - NEXT comes the budget consultation where residents can HAVE THEIR SAY on the RCT Budget Strategy - whether you think schools should be fully protected when every other sector has experienced efficiency savings (aka 'cuts') OR not.
Thoughts please?
You can read the documents at;
https://rctcbc.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=132&MId=50005062&Ver=4&LLL=0
(Agenda Item 5)
I point you to the Phase One Budget Consultation Report - Appendix 5 on the list - interesting comments made about who should be protected and where efficiency savings should fall.
