Agenda item

To accept the information in the report and to note the progress towards realising the savings schemes for 2021/22 and previous years.

It was noted that the impact of Covid-19 had contributed to a slippage in the savings programme, as the Council had given the utmost priority to safeguarding the health and lives of the people of Gwynedd in response to the crisis.

In preparing the 2022/23 budget, as set out in Appendix 3 for the 2022/23 savings
plans: - acknowledge that the situation had now changed so much that savings schemes totalling £489,750 cannot be achieved, by deleting them from the budget, namely

·           End to End Review (Children and Families Department) worth £279,750

·           Transfer of playing fields to others (Highways and Municipal Department) worth £210,000

¾    move the delivery profile for schemes worth £1,290,250 to 2023/24 and subsequent years

¾     it was noted that the savings value of the remaining schemes to be deducted from the 2022/23 budget, as set out in Appendix 3, is £595,000.

The report was submitted by Cllr Ioan Thomas.   

DECISION

To accept the information in the report and to note the progress towards realising the savings schemes for 2021/22 and previous years.

It was noted that the impact of Covid-19 had contributed to a slippage in the savings programme, as the Council had given the utmost priority to safeguarding the health and lives of the people of Gwynedd in response to the crisis.

In preparing the 2022/23 budget, as set out in Appendix 3 for the 2022/23 savings
plans: - acknowledge that the situation had now changed so much that savings schemes totalling £489,750 could not be achieved by deleting them from the budget, namely

·         End to End Review (Children and Families Department) worth £279,750

·         Transfer of playing fields to others (Highways and Municipal Department) worthI£210,000 

¾    move the delivery profile for schemes worth £1,290,250 to 2023/24 and subsequent years

¾    it was noted that the savings value of the remaining schemes to be deducted from the 2022/23 budget, as set out in Appendix 3, was £595,000.

DISCUSSION

The report, which summarised the situation with the Council's savings was submitted.  It was explained that since 2015/16, £35 million in savings had been approved to be realised between 2015/16 and 2021/22.  It was noted that by now over £32.8 million of these savings had been realised, this was 94% of the required sum over the period. 

It was explained that departments had focused on responding to the pandemic since April 2020, and the impact had contributed to the slippage in the savings programme.   When looking at the savings plans for the period from 2015/16 to 2020/21, it was noted that 96% of the savings had now been realised. It was reiterated that the main schemes to be achieved were the schemes of the Adults, Health and Well-being Department and the Highways and Municipal Department.

It was highlighted that 45% of the 2021/22 savings had been realised, but that the departments with the highest value of schemes that were yet to be achieved were the Highways Department and the Adults Department. It was emphasised that realising savings to the value of £32.8 million since April 2015 had been challenging, and risks were highlighted in terms of realising schemes to the value of £0.8 million.

It was explained that following a recent review conducted by the Chief Executive, Corporate Director and Finance Officers of the savings schemes for 2022/23, it had to be acknowledged that the situation had changed to such a degree that it would not be possible to achieve two savings schemes that came to a value of £489,750.
Attention was drawn to two schemes; the 'End to End' review in the Children and Supporting Families Department, and the 'Transfer of Playing Fields to others' in the Highways Department, and the Cabinet was asked to remove the two schemes from the budget.

A request was also made to re-profile savings schemes within the Economy and Community Department and in the Adults, Health and Well-being Department from 2022/23 to 2023/24 as a result of the pandemic's impact on these departments. After removing and slipping savings, it was noted that the value of the savings schemes that remained for 2022/23 came to £595,000.