Bridgend Council has published its final budget plans for the 2025-26 financial year (pdf). A debate and vote will be held in full council next week (26th February).
There’s some uncertainty over precisely how much BCBC will have to spend as the Welsh Government currently faces difficulties getting its budget (which partially sets council budgets) through the Senedd. BCBC had to find £9.1million in cuts and savings this year – which is down by around £4million compared to last year.
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As mentioned, BCBC had to find just over £9.1million in savings (pdf). As a result of the decision to not cut the Bridgend Music Service, only around £8.4million of cuts and savings have been locked in.
Education & Family Support (-£2.61million)
- 1% in cuts and savings to school budgets (-£1.19million).
- Savings arising from changes to home-school transport policies (-£675,000).
- Cuts to various behind-the-scenes and administrative roles including pupil admission services, business support, corporate health & safety, and school performance (-£350,000).
- Cuts to early years and childcare (-£90,000).
- Cut to BCBC’s contribution to the Central South Consortium (-£88,000).
- Cut to support for students receiving education in places other than school, such as the Bridge PRU (-£75,000).
- Withdrawing all funding to the “Meals on Wheels” Service (-£56,000).
- Cuts to school counselling services (-£50,000).
- Cuts to Additional Learning Needs staff (-£44,000).
Social Services & Wellbeing (-£1.82million)
- Savings from leaving vacancies unfilled (-£697,000).
- Cuts to, and reviews of, staffing in: prevention & wellbeing, home remodelling, business support, performance & commissioning, children’s services and management (-£574,000).
- Cut to supported living accommodation units (-£190,000).
- Additional income from increasing charges for non-residential services by 10% (-£100,000).
- Savings from transferring control of several co-located leisure facilities to full school control (-£71,000).
- Cuts to family group conferencing service as alternatives are in place (-£60,000).
- Cuts to safeguarding (-£57,000).
- Cut to social worker professional development (-£50,000).
- Additional income generation from redeveloping part of Bridgend Indoor Bowls Centre (-£10,000).
- End funding for corporate parenting events (-£5,000).
- Review of Caswell Clinic Social Services budget (-£3,000).
Communities (-£717,000)
- Withdrawal of free blue household waste bags at some point after April 2025 (-£220,000).
- Cuts to the waste enforcement team (-£156,000).
- Extra income from increased bereavement fees (-£100,000).
- Extra income from BCBC’s commercial property portfolio and the commercial let of Pandy Depot (-£65,000).
- Cuts to asset maintenance (-£45,000).
- Review of cleaning frequencies and cleaning staff (-£35,000).
- Cut to the Porthcawl Programme (-£35,000).
- Cuts to staff mileage budgets (-£32,000).
- Extra income from increased bulky waste charges (-£10,000).
- Review of asbestos and legionella team (-£10,000).
- End funding to the South Wales Tourism Group (-£9,000).
Chief Executive, Administration & Council-Wide (-£3.23million)
- Release of uncommitted funding from previous budgets (-£1.54million).
- Savings from changes to how BCBC pays back its borrowing (-£1million).
- Review staffing of customer services, finance, IT and the Chief Executive’s office (-£253,000).
- Cut to BCBC’s contribution to the Shared Regulatory Service (-£153,000).
- Savings from using HMOs instead of more expensive options as temporary housing (-£120,000).
- Cuts to employee training (-£84,000).
- Cut to the corporate apprenticeship budget (-£58,000).
- Cutting a post in democratic services (-£20,000).
