Caerphilly county borough council, like many other local authorities across Wales, is facing a huge financial challenge over the next few years and difficult decisions will need to be made in order to balance the budget.

The council must deliver savings in the region of £45million over the next two financial years and this is on top of the £20million of permanent savings that have already been identified.

We can’t continue to run our services in the way we always have. We need to explore all options and consider ways of doing things differently.

I want to be honest with the community, because it is clear that the scale of savings means we need to make some very difficult decisions over the coming months.

The council is currently consult on a number of key proposals that, if agreed, will help deliver significant savings:

Blackwood Miners Institute – The council is proposing to withdraw its subsidy, which could see the venue 'mothballed’ at the end of December 2024. The authority would then explore options for the facility to be run in a different way in the future. The council currently provides a subsidy of £347,000 per year to run Blackwood Miners Institute.

Llancaiach Fawr Manor House – The council is proposing to ‘mothball’ the venue at the end of December 2024 and will explore options for the facility to be run in a different way in the future. The council currently provides a subsidy of £485,000 a year to run the venue.

Meals Direct Service – The council is proposing to cease delivering its home meals service at the end of November 2024 and will support current users to access alternative providers, who can offer a similar level of service. The authority would also close its staff catering facilities within its HQ at Penallta House. Currently the cost to the council of delivering the services each year is around £444,000.

We have a duty to protect the public purse, so we will be looking at a range of savings options, particularly services that are subject to high subsidy, are non-statutory or can be delivered in a different way.

I want to ensure that residents have a voice in this process, so there will be opportunities to get involved and have your say as we consider these options. It is vitally important that you engage in this process to help shape the way we deliver our services in future.

The consultation will run until 10th September 2024. You can view the consultation documentation, view the online survey and find out where the drop in sessions are for each of the consultations here:

Blackwood Miners’ Institute and Llancaiach Fawr:

https://conversation.caerphilly.gov.uk/blackwood-miners-institute-and-llancaiach-fawr

Meals Direct:

https://conversation.caerphilly.gov.uk/meals-direct-service

Cllr Sean Morgan is the leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council.