We are all very
mindful of the economic difficulties facing our council at present,
and some difficult decisions have to be
made about cuts to various services in order to balance the books.
However cuts to social services can lead
to significant stress and trauma for adults and children across
Newport who rely on these services as a lifeline, including the
children and their families who have access to the vital services
provided by the Oaklands Children’ Home in Rogerstone. Now
that the RSG from the Welsh Government has been confirmed at a much
higher rate than originally anticipated, will the leader commit to
instructing her cabinet members to look again at the proposed
budgetary cuts to Oaklands with a view to scrapping them
completely, thereby relieving the parents and children of the
stress and anxiety they have suffered since the proposed budget was
announced and reaffirming in them the comfort of knowing that
Newport cares about its’ most vulnerable
residents?
Councillor Mudd responded:
The significant
financial pressures currently facing all local authorities has
created a situation where all savings proposals, however
challenging they may be, have to be
given initial consideration and an opportunity for them to be
consulted upon.
Whilst the RSG
settlement is better than anticipated, there remains a significant
shortfall in the Council’s medium-term financial plan, which
must be addressed through a range of budget proposals and service
readjustments.
As with all potential
revisions to Council services, proposed changes to the services
provided by Oaklands, are yet to be formally agreed. I can assure Cllr Reeks that the Cabinet will
carefully consider all feedback to the public consultation exercise
when making its final decisions on all proposed budget
options.
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