CUTS look set to be made to education and services across Flintshire as the council look to meet budget demands for next year.
Ahead of Flintshire County Council's Cabinet and Full meetings next week (February 20) a report detailing the authorities budget for 2024/25 has been published.
The council was faced with an initial £12.8m budget gap, which had increased to just shy of £14.5m following increased demand in homelessness and Out of County Placements.
Since 2008, the council has had to cut spending by £110 million and per person, Flintshire ranks 20th out of 22 councils across Wales for the money received to deliver services, which equates to £159 less per person than the Welsh average.
If Flintshire Council received the national average, it says it would be about £24m better off, dramatically reducing the current pressures on services and staff.
Last year, the Welsh Government announced that core revenue funding for local authorities would increase by 3.1%. Yet Flintshire will receive only 2.2%.
Amid the current pressures and lack of funding, the authority has proposed several cuts to ensure they meet the budget for next year.
The proposed cuts include a £3.552m saving on portfolio cost reductions, £1.686m from Social Care commissioning costs, and a £4.698 saving from schools.
While the budget for schools will still increase, a saving will be made from a 3% budget reduction as well as energy costs and reducing pupil numbers.
The council said: "Ensuring our learners receive the highest standards of education in our schools has always, and continues to be, a priority for the council.
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"The council has always sought to protect front line education services (schools’ budget) as far as possible. The school’s budget is the largest budget within the council and given the scale of the challenge in setting a balanced budget this year it has not been possible to fully protect the school's budget from reductions.
"However, the council recognises the increasing demands, challenges, and risks that schools are currently facing."
Neal Cockerton, Flintshire Council chief executive said it was the "most challenging" budget the authority has ever faced.
He added: "The landscape has been challenging, but the solutions we've come up with are pragmatic, constructive and deliverable.
"It may mean that services are delivered differently, they may be in different places, but they will still be delivered."
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Councillor Dave Hughes, Flintshire Council deputy leader added: "We don't want to cut services but we have to change to balance the budget.
"Even though it is dire, what the budget is, we are positive that we will keep services going. However way we can we will do it, because we've got to.
"We owe it to the public to do that and I want the public to know the pressures we are under to keep things going the best we can.
"No stone has been left unturned, we've had to look at everything if we were to make the savings."
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