Agenda item

To consider the report

To accept the information, consider the general risks arising from slippages with some of the savings schemes, and support the Cabinet's relevant decisions.

Submitted – the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance requesting that the Committee notes the position and relevant risks in respect of the Savings Overview, considers the Cabinet's decisions of 13 October, 2020 and provides comments as required.

As a general point at the beginning, the Cabinet Member for Finance noted:-

·         In implementing the savings and innovation strategy, that the Council had been very fortunate e.g. before the pandemic, 138 users were able to work from home, but by March this year, 1,292 were using equipment from home. He thanked everyone in the Information Technology Service for their work in ensuring that all the work required for the items under consideration at this meeting could be completed.

·         He wished to thank all the staff for the incredible work that had been achieved in a very tight timescale.

The Cabinet Member for Finance then set out the context for the report in question and noted:-

·         That there were clear signs of difficulties in achieving the savings, and that there was concern about the Children and Supporting Families Department and the End to End scheme specifically.

·         Although realising that these were challenging times, it was essential that the process of achieving savings was resumed soon.

He noted that the Cabinet had considered the report at its meeting on 13 October, and had resolved as follows:-

·         To accept the information in the report and to note the progress towards realising the savings schemes for 2020/21, 2019/20 and previous years.

·         To approve the alternative schemes outlined in Section 6 and Appendix 5 to replace the historical schemes that cannot be delivered.

·         To note that the impact of Covid-19 has contributed to a slippage in the savings programme, as the Council has given complete precedence to safeguarding the health and lives of the people of Gwynedd in response to the crisis, which has meant that we were unable to continue with the performance challenging and savings arrangements during the crisis period.

·         To support the intention of the Chief Executive and Head of Finance Department to arrange to meet each Cabinet Member with their Head of Department, to discuss how the procedure of delivering the proposed savings can be resumed, so that the Council can proceed with a proportion of the savings programme, despite the crisis.

During the discussion, members raised the following matters:-

·         It was noted that it was very difficult to realise the savings required of the Children and Supporting Families Department and the Flying Start Scheme. The member enquired whether a timetable had been drawn up for the review that was taking place. In response it was explained that although the Children's Budget Taskforce had begun looking at the savings, they had had to postpone the work as the officers had been drawn into other priorities during the crisis. However, they now intended to move forward and try to come to a conclusion on this. It was noted further that the numbers and the pressure on the Children and Supporting Families Department had increased, and perhaps the assumptions made at the time when setting the savings target for the service had now changed, but the taskforce review would confirm the situation regardless.

·         It was noted that the entire care budget was very difficult, and there was concern that there was a genuine risk to children and also adults if we considered further cuts in these fields, particularly during the crisis. In response, the officer referred to the Cabinet's decision to support the intention of the Chief Executive and Head of Finance Department to meet with the responsible Cabinet Member and Head of Department in the five departments where there are risks to the delivery of the historical savings.  The pandemic was not the only obstruction, the Council had been battling to find savings for almost 15 years, and the situation grew continually more difficult as time went by. The nature of the demand had shifted in terms of the intensity of the requirements of children and families in need, and had intensified further during the crisis. When discussing with the Cabinet Members and the heads of department, we would have to balance the need to find savings against the needs of the service and the people of Gwynedd, and to do so sympathetically. Also, because of the pressures on the services to cope during the crisis, the Cabinet had not supported the aim to list savings and cuts yet during this period, preferring to wait and see what the draft settlement would be in December.

·         A member expressed concern that the second wave of Covid-19 would be very hard on families, with many people losing their jobs.

·         In response to a question regarding a Highways and Municipal scheme to transfer playgrounds to others (page 191 of the agenda), it was explained that although some of the schemes were progressing, the pandemic had stalled this process.

·         Reference was made to the scheme for changing the operating arrangements of recycling centres and charge fees (page 193 of the agenda), and it was emphasised how important the recycling centres were for the residents. In response, it was explained that the scheme to change the recycling centres' operations replaced two historical schemes to charge traders and to charge a fee for the disposal of DIY waste.

·         The members welcomed the Chief Executive and Head of Finance Department's intention to look at the savings with the Cabinet Members and heads of department, and they hoped that the situation would be examined carefully before considering ending any resource or service. It was also noted that should the Council find in due course that it needed to re-establish a resource, the cost of doing so would be high.

·         It was noted that any proposal to charge for using recycling centres would lead to decreased use of the resource, and increased fly-tipping. In response, it was noted that the finance officers could not respond in full on every scheme, and that the Cabinet Members and heads of department were meeting with the Chief Executive, or Corporate Director, and the relevant scrutiny members. The savings were being scrutinised in different ways, and the members were asked to trust the officers to have the right balance in moving forward with this. The Cabinet Member for Finance added that there was no reference here to a cut to the Highways and Municipal Department, and that savings should not affect the service for the citizen. It was a challenging time for everyone, but he assured the members that he would look at the departments' situation sympathetically.

RESOLVED to accept the information, to note the risks arising from slippages with some of the savings schemes, and support the Cabinet's relevant decisions.