A surge of central Government money will enable Swansea Council to increase spending on all of its day-to-day services from April, and do things like extend the promenade lighting and freeze the price of school meals, but it is likely to represent the high tide mark for years to come, it has been stated.
Councillors have approved a budget put forward by the Labour administration which will pump £535.9m into schools, environment services and other departments in 2022-23, as well as financing borrowing repayments. This net budget is £45m more than the current year.
Schools will receive £179m - nearly £12m more than this year.
Social services will get £144.7m - £16m more than this year.
Environment services will benefit the most from the largesse - receiving £74.8m, over £14m more than this year.
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But a chunk of the extra money will be absorbed by inflation, and the Welsh Government plans much smaller funding increases for local authorities in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Council tax will go up by 0.95% from April - the lowest rise for years - with councillors from all parties acknowledging the inflationary squeeze gripping householders.
Band B householders will pay £1,372, which includes a South Wales Police precept of £235. They will pay a bit more if they have a local community council.
Band D householders will pay £1,764, including a £302 police precept.
Speaking at a meeting of full council, Labour leader Rob Stewart said it was "a really, really positive budget".
A rolling economic recovery fund set up during the Covid pandemic gets a £20m boost, on top of £25m allocated so far.
Cllr Stewart outlined spending pledges, including:
- £1m for additional local area coordinators, who help people needing council support before their situation deteriorates
- £1m for skate and youth facilities
- £570,000 for community-based cleansing teams
- £400,000 to extend the promenade lighting at West Cross to Mumbles and the other direction to the Slip Bridge
- £330,000 to reduce rough sleeping
- A freeze on school meal prices for the next three years
- No pitch fees for sports clubs
- No road closure fees for the Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations in June
- More free bus travel on selected dates until at least Christmas.
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The £535.9m budget will be funded by the Welsh Government's revenue support grant (£297.4m), council tax (£136.1m), a share of business rates (£89.1m), plus some council reserves.
Savings measures of £4.7m will be required.
Opposition leader, Cllr Chris Holley, likened Cllr Stewart to "Father Christmas from Morriston", given the extra funding the Labour leader and Morriston ward member had at his disposal.
Cllr Holley nevertheless said he supported much of the spending proposals, but asked Labour not to cut school crossing patrols by £25,000 as planned.
Cllr Lyndon Jones, leader of Swansea Conservatives, said he also backed "some really good" spending proposals, but added it was the extra money coming to Wales from the UK Government which made them possible.
Cllr Stewart said it was good "to see the taps finally being turned on in London".
A Labour amendment ensuring the council's lowest paid staff received a minimum of £10 per hour - equating to a £19,240 annual salary - was approved. And the council will work with external social care providers it commissions to try to ensure their employees receive the £10 per hour minimum.
But an amendment calling for a new support hub to help hundreds of residents in Swansea Marina and SA1, who face huge costs to ensure their flats comply with fire regulations, was voted down.
It was submitted by the Liberal Democrat opposition group, which said 850 to 1,000 flat owners were affected - some facing bills of up to £60,000 to rectify cladding and other defects.
Cllr Stewart said Labour councillors representing the affected areas had requested funding in order to support flat owners, and it would be prudent to await the outcome of a Welsh Government review into fire safety defects.
But Lib Dem councillor Peter Black said the £80,000 his party sought to set up a support hub was a "very modest sum of money" and flat owners had been under strain since the Grenfell fire tragedy in 2017 .
"How much longer are they going to have to wait?" said Cllr Black.
Councillors also approved an £86.4m capital project for 2022-23, covering projects such as school upgrades and city centre regeneration schemes.
Big-ticket items include £25.9m towards the new high-tech office development at the former Oceana site on The Kingsway, £5.4m towards the redevelopment of Castle Square into Castle Square Gardens, and £3.8m towards the renovation of the Palace Theatre.
A further £2.2m is allocated to new building work at Bishopston Comprehensive School, Gower, while £4.1m is to be spent on a new 3G pitch at Cefn Hengoed comprehensive, Bonymaen.
A 3.1% rise in council housing rent was also approved, taking the average rent for the authority's 13,600 houses and flats to £102.72.
The council will spend £58.1m in 2022-23 on housing upgrades and new-build properties.
New cycling and walking schemes will be announced in due course. Lib Dem councillor Cheryl Philpott said prior consultation and communication with people affected by new routes was needed.
Labour chiefs said a consultation took place on a county-wide network of planned routes in 2017, but said they wanted to engage again with those affected.
Cllr Mark Thomas, cabinet member for environment enhancement and infrastructure management, said the authority consulted when it could but was often up against tight time scales to design and deliver cycling and walking routes.
He added: "In some cases people just don't want these schemes."
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