Agenda item

To consider the report

DECISION:

·        To accept the report

·        To note the progress towards realising the savings schemes for 2025/26 and previous years

Submitted - the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance requesting that the committee noted the position and relevant risks in respect of the Savings Overview, considered the decisions for the Cabinet (11-11-2025) and provided comment as necessary. It was noted that the report highlighted the situation until the end of August 2025.

It was highlighted, in the 2025/26 Budget report to the Full Council on 6 March 2025, it was reported that £3.5 million worth of savings were profiled for the 2025/26 budget which was a combination of savings to the value of £100k which were newly approved in 2025, and £3.4 million approved in previous years.

It was reported, over the past few years, and as reported to the Committee regularly, difficulties were seen with the delivery of savings in some fields. Attention was drawn to the new savings, as well as the savings approved previously, such as historical savings schemes for the period of the 2015/16 financial year to the 2025/26 financial year, with 98% of the historical savings delivered, namely £33.8 million of the £34.3 million of savings, had now been delivered. In the context of plans still not delivered, the value was £627k, with the majority of them in the Adults, Health and Well-being Department.

In the context of new savings schemes worth £15.6 million, it was reported that 77% of the savings had already been delivered, with a further 4% on track to deliver on time. However, it was noted that risks to deliver the savings were prominent in some fields, such as in the Adults, Health and Well-being Department.

It was reported, following the Chief Executive’s recent review of the savings schemes, it was concluded that there was a need for the following:

·        to remove one savings scheme in the Customer Contact field to review the Siop Gwynedd opening hours in the three main offices, which was worth £25k

·        to reduce the income target from £100k to £20k on a temporary basis on the Neuadd Dwyfor plan by the Economy and Community Department for a two-year period to give time to identify opportunities to act. It was suggested that the saving would be removed by using the savings provision set aside in the corporate budget.

In summarising the situation, it was reported that £46 million of savings had been realised (92% of the required £50 million over the period) and a further 1.3% was forecast to be realised by the end of the financial year (although there was a delay and some risks to delivering the remaining schemes).

The members thanked the officer for the report

Matters arising from the ensuing discussion:

-        What was the rationale behind reducing the Neuadd Dwyfor income target?

-        There was a need to be vigilant of the recommendations in the Care field - if the savings could not be delivered, there was a need to revoke or review.

-        Departments were now scraping for places to make cuts and the legal, statutory liabilities that had to be delivered were increasing

-        It was a continuous battle to provide services and keep the financial balance

-        The Care field needed more funding, not face more savings; the demand for services and the statutory demand was increasing.

RESOLVED

·       To accept the report

·       To note the progress towards realising the savings schemes for 2025/26 and previous years