Warning of changes to Powys council services
Severe funding pressures will force Powys County Council to consider far-reaching changes in the coming years, the authority's cabinet has said.
Among the options include raising the school starting age, charging for post-16 school transport and major changes to care for the elderly.
Continuing reductions to public sector funding have left the council having to reduce its spending by £27 million over the next three years.
This spending squeeze is in addition to the nearly £40 million the county council has already cut from its costs since 2012.
Councillor Wynne Jones, the council's deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said: "The decision to move to a three-year budget strategy will give us some time to redesign service delivery, to reduce costs and protect front line services as much as possible, but we will still have to face some very difficult choices.
"The result is that all council services have been asked to find 20 per cent savings and for our big service departments the figures are quite daunting.
"Highways will have to find £6.4 million, adult social care £4.8 million, education £4 million and children's services £2.8 million.
"The scale of the issue means that the cabinet will have to consider some unpalatable options such as raising the school starting age, charging for post-16 school transport, major changes to care provision for our older people and changes to the way we provide our children's services.
"The cabinet is also having to look at all services that are non-statutory, which could mean the removal of support for tourism information services, village hall grants, the concurrent functions scheme (which only currently operates in north Powys), and a reduction of grant funding for voluntary organisations."
He added: "We will have to consider large scale reductions in support staff and our back office functions and look at innovative ways of delivering some services perhaps through a joint venture company or by commissioning others to deliver services on behalf of the council, as we have done with Freedom Leisure for our sport and leisure facilities, saving £450,000 this year and a further £350,000 in future years.
"Working with others, whether in the public, private or voluntary sector, and the council will have to become far more commercially aware and develop opportunities for future income generation."
