Communities to get extra support in months ahead

A report to Cabinet on July 20 reports that there has been some overspending in some areas of the budget, underspends elsewhere will enable the council to make a difference for communities across the city in coming months.

Prudent financial management of the council's finances as the city recovers from the pandemic and deals with the cost of living crisis and soaring energy bills has enabled the council to protect most of its planned access of £28m from reserves in 2022-23 and it means this can now be used to help further in the coming financial year instead.

It also means some of the money can be released as planned for spending with £2m to be set aside for 15 outdoor play areas and just over £1m for new community skate facilities.

Apart from the £3m boost for play areas and skateboarding, the report to Cabinet also identifies a further £1.5m of spending from the Economic Regeneration Fund on supporting domiciliary care travel costs, including investment in electric vehicles for staff over the next five years.

In addition to that, it also provides scope for the council to provide further financial support to its leisure partners at Swansea Arena, Freedom Leisure and Wales National Pool to help them with energy costs.

The plans come as part of an annual revenue financial outturn report looking at the council's position for 2022/23 and forward to the coming years. It sets out what money was spent on council services, identifying savings made and year-end over and under spends achieved.

Rob Stewart, Leader of the Council, said that despite the challenges of a volatile economic climate, rising costs and soaring demand for services like social care, the report shows tight and prudent financial management and savings delivered by departments across the council has enabled the council to conserve most of its reserves for another year.

This will leave the Council in better shape as it wrestles with the current cost of living crisis, interest rate rises and inflation.

Cllr Stewart said: "Despite the pandemic, the ongoing cost of living crisis and the continuing economic uncertainty which are challenges not of our making, a combination of prudent cost controls and savings by departments has helped keep our financial position in good shape.

"This prudent approach to financial management has given the council extra room to invest more in our growing network of outdoor play and skate facilities, support our key workers in domiciliary care and cushion the impact of soaring energy costs.

"People keep asking us for more outdoor play and skate facilities and thanks to our current budget position we're planning to do more.

"Elsewhere in the UK, arts and leisure facilities are under pressure with many either closing or at risk of closure due to the impact of inflation and rising energy costs.

"In Swansea the council recognises the vital role for jobs and for people's wellbeing played by facilities like the arena, swimming pools and leisure centres. Thanks to prudent financial management of our resources we're able to support them and our residents through tough times.

"Domiciliary care, our leisure facilities and our play areas initiatives helped change lives, during and after the pandemic and now in the cost of living crisis. It's why the council has made policy commitments to continue to support them now and in the years ahead."