Leader welcomes budget settlement news

The Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council has welcomed news that the authority is set to receive a higher settlement that what was originally expected for 2020-21.

Welsh Government has announced that the council will receive an increase of 4.7 per cent on last year’s budget. While this does not restore the authority’s funding to previous levels, it represents the first significant increase in core grant funding for almost 12 years.

As well as reviewing some of its financial plans for next year, the council will use the money to help meet budget pressures covering additional costs in education, social services, teachers’ pay and pensions and more.

It will also look at how the money might be used to ease some of the more difficult and challenging reductions and cuts in services.

I am extremely grateful to Welsh Government, in particular the First Minister, finance minister and local government minister, for listening to our concerns about the huge pressures faced by front-line services such as schools and social services.

In 2019-20, it will cost Bridgend County Borough Council almost £270.8m to provide a full range of public services for 142,000 residents.

This increase to our core grant funding is most welcome, and we will now be reviewing our original financial plans for 2020-21 to ensure that the money can be used as effectively and as efficiently as possible.

Council Leader Huw David