Sustainable Powys

The way Powys County Council services are delivered will dramatically change as the Council transforms to meet future budget pressures.

Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation, Councillor David Thomas said an innovative approach to public service delivery was needed to ensure the Council lived within its means in the face of funding pressures.

The Council is forecasting funding shortfall, based on national fiscal analysis, of more than £18 million for the current budget year with that figure rising to £64 million or more over the next four years, meaning a radical change in service delivery is needed.

"Delivering valued local government services is at the heart of all we do. With changing times and economic conditions, we need to be innovative and forward-thinking to sustain quality public services and deliver a stronger, fairer greener Council for the future.

"The financial pressures facing Powys and every authority in Wales is presenting us with a considerable gap in our available finances. Put simply, this means we can't afford to continue delivering our services in the same way.

"In previous years, the Council has looked to services to become more efficient. This is not sustainable in the long-term and we now need to be more radical and change our approach. We need to invest in core areas and provide quality services that cost less and are within the budget available.

"Sustainable Powys is about working together to design a future, and also building resilience so community-led solutions can help meet local need. It is about being here for those who need support most.

"Although we are in initial stages of planning, we are making progress in developing ideas about how we will deliver services in the future. Our work is looking at the Council's assets, the way we manage important services such as education, social care, leisure and transport.

"No decisions have been made, we are determined to work with our communities and the people of Powys in shaping future service delivery. We are on a journey with a vision of building a stronger future. A future for our young people, a place where they can grow, where people can do business, a vibrant economy, a broader curriculum in our schools.

"One thing is very clear the scale of change facing us means the Council of the future will look very different to the one of the past," he added.

On Tuesday (July 16) the Council's cabinet agreed programme principles for Sustainable Powys together with the place-based planning areas and principles which will be used to plan future services. For more information visit:  https://powys.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s87952/2024 07 Cabinet Report - Sustainable Powys.pdf