SNeptemeber 2w013 pThe officiral ntew spaMper ofa Newtpotrt Ceity Crous ncil Changing council Inside... services in Newport Every day, Newport City Council aims to deliver the best possible service to its residents. We have a clear mission, “Improving People’s Lives – providing the best affordable services”, which guides our activity to deliver the ambition set out in the corporate plan – to make Newport a better place to live, work and visit. However, the council is facing an £254 million budget unprecedented challenge –a in 2013/14 significantly reduced budget combined Newport Food Festival – special pull with an increasing demand for, and bin schools out programme expectations of, council services. collections In simple terms, the council can’t afford to carry on doing all of the repairing £220 million budget roads things it does currently and we want leisure by 2017 your views on this challenge. centres That’s why the council launched its care Prospectus for Change this summer. homes food hygiene ? This is an ambitious scheme of work checks ? to ensure that the council can continue to improve people’s lives by providing the best affordable services. City centre It’s also the start of an open and honest regeneration – conversation with the people of changes to bus stops Newport on which services the council provides in future years. We want to start by explaining how we get our money to deliver your Just some of the ... but how will they services. For every £100 we spend, £80 services we look in the future? comes from Welsh Government grant, deliver now... £12 comes from your council tax and we need to plan properly for the money as you do today and this would affordable. the remaining £8 comes from charges future. In this financial year (April have an impact on what you would be The council knows a reduced we make for services or other grants. 2013 - March 2014) we have £254m able to do. This is exactly the position budget of this scale will inevitably This shows how dependent we are on to spend on public services across the Newport City Council faces. result in fewer services being provided, the Welsh Government grant. So any city. By 2017 this will reduce to £220m To meet this reality we must think fewer staff being employed and fewer New city cut in this grant means we have to – a 13 per cent cut from this year. carefully about what we have to do, buildings being occupied. play areas totally rethink the type of services Newport City Council has a legal what we have to stop doing, how we do There are some things that the currently provided. requirement to deliver a balanced things and who we do them for, and we council is required to provide by law. Everyone knows that money for budget every year; we just cannot set a want to share this serious challenge These are called statutory services and public services is being cut. So far local budget that we cannot pay for. with you. we will have to find a way to deliver government in Wales hasn’t been Therefore with less money from Welsh A budget reduced by £34m means these. Everything else is a choice, a affected as badly as councils in Government the council is being that the council has to have a clear choice that we want to be informed by England who have already faced the forced to make even more cuts. view of what services it can provide to listening to the people of Newport. brunt of the UK/Westminister public Imagine if your income was continue improving people's lives. And So, imagine facing a cut of 13 per services austerity programme. reduced in a similar manner. You for those services we continue to cent to your household income. Where However, this is about to change and wouldn’t be able to spend as much provide, they must be the best but would you decide to save money? Continued on page 2 Recycle your metal – resident competition Recycle for Newport – pop me in your blue recycling box Council has already made Leader’s message considerable savings In the first year of this Continued from front page administration we were faced with making Cut back on leisure activities, put off The council is working hard to will be heard, read and considered as decorating your house, stop buying meet the financial challenges it faces, part of the process. extremely difficult decisions books or sell the car? That is the reality using the Prospectus for Change to On 12 December Newport City in the face of tough facing Newport City Council over the deliver a new way of working, but we Council’s cabinet will consider financial challenges. next five years as it faces significant want to listen to your opinions as well. proposals on how to achieve the The situation this year has not reductions to its budget, and has to To share our thinking with you, the required savings, which will include improved – in fact, it is worse and make some very hard decisions about council is approaching this challenge residents’ feedback. This meeting will that is going to continue for the where to spend its money. with these four key themes at the inform a report to a full council foreseeable future. Councillor Bob Bright, leader of The economic conditions facing all heart of the Prospectus for Change: meeting in February 2014 when I’m not going to sugar coat this Newport City Council local authorities across the UK has • Achieve savings by being more decisions will be voted on, and future with words such as “efficiencies” or over the coming years. been well publicised, and Newport City efficient in the way we work budgets set. “savings”. Over the next four years, it We will not be able to deliver all Your responses are appreciated by Council has already made £50 million • Redesign the ways in which we is predicted that Newport City the services we have traditionally of cuts. It is estimated that a further provide services, collaborate with the council as they will help to give an Council will have to make cuts of delivered and we will also have to £12 million of cuts needs to be made other organisations and look at new insight into the views and wishes of around £34 million. In 2013/14 look at innovative ways of providing in the next financial year alone, quite ways of working to make services local residents. Send your suggestions alone we will probably have to spend others. literally every penny counts and every more cost effective to [email protected] £12m less than this year. For Newport, this will not just be option must be considered. • Prioritise our statutory services such There will be further detailed Figures such as these are difficult about saving money – although that These are the most severe cuts that as education and social services information on the proposed changes to imagine so in this edition of the council has ever had to make, and • Where possible, protect vulnerable to the budget and which services will has to be an important part of our deciding where we will have to reduce groups in our communities from be affected later in the year. There will Newport Matters we will try to deliberations – but about ensuring spending is an extremely difficult the wider impact of budget cuts and also be other opportunities for you to explain what that means in real that residents receive the best possible decision. This is why we are sharing the welfare reform programmes have your say on these proposals. terms. services that we can provide. this information with you, so that the introduced by central government. Information will be in future editions We will do all we can to protect We would like to invite you to help voices, ideas and suggestions of our We can’t guarantee that we will be of Newport Matters and also on the frontline services but we should not us with this process by letting us residents and recipients of our services able to act on all of the suggestions we council’s website be in any doubt that all councils in know which services are important to can inform this process. receive but we can promise that they www.newport.gov.uk/changingservices the UK, and Newport is no exception, you and if you have any ideas about will have to undergo seismic change potential savings. Local government Cultural leaders warn of strategy Newport City Council is harsh times ahead looking for your views on a Councils across Wales, and significantly downwards. cultural strategy. the rest of the UK, are all Unprotected service areas like Newport is a city with a proud having to deal with a new transport, leisure, highways and sporting and cultural tradition and culture, are all likely to experience financial reality. heritage. Such activities improve and significant and increased financial enrich the lives of people enabling In June, the Welsh Local pressure in the future. them to have fun, learn and gain Government Association (WLGA), Councillor Aaron Shotton qualifications, enjoy physical health which represents all 22 councils in (Flintshire), WLGA deputy leader and and mental wellbeing, or be Wales, said local government was spokesperson for finance, said: “This employed in the cultural sector. braced for “a harsh financial future” latest round of cuts to public The excellence of the city’s in the wake of the UK government’s spending will have a huge impact on sporting and cultural facilities also comprehensive spending review.