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One week left to air your views on Neath Port Talbot Council’s budget and pandemic recovery plans!
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25 January 2022
No increase on Council Tax rates, investment in the recovery of our communities and local economy, and monies to help tackle the climate and nature emergencies locally…these are just some of the proposals in the Council’s draft budget for 2022-23.
The council is currently inviting people who live in, work in or visit Neath Port Talbot to have their say on the budget proposals and the draft corporate plan for 2022-27, but there is only a week left. The consultation closes on Tuesday 1 February 2022, the council is urging people to let them know what they think of the proposals as soon as possible.
Details on how to give feedback can be found at: www.npt.gov.uk/letstalk
Council Leader Ted Latham said: “The pandemic has hit many parts of our communities very hard and in the summer of last year we heard from many residents, businesses and partners through our Let’s Talk campaign.
“The campaign was aimed at giving people a greater say in where our priorities should lie. People spoke clearly about the things we should concentrate on and what should be done in the near future as we start to recover, reset and renew from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our draft corporate plan now reflects that feedback.”
Other proposals include an increase in youth and outdoor leisure services to boost the wellbeing of young people and new funding for schools to support children with additional learning needs.
The council also aims to strengthen support for vulnerable people and this includes many who have become lonely and isolated due to the Covid-19 emergency.
There are also proposals to step up the number of neighbourhood teams as part of a drive to “catch up, clean up and green up” towns and villages right across Neath Port Talbot.
Cllr. Latham added: “We believe it is very important that people have a say on how our services are planned and run and how their Council Tax is spent so please give us your views.”
Final decisions, taking in views from the public consultation exercise, are due to be taken on the budget strategy and corporate plan on February 28th, 2022.
Online is the easiest way to provide feedback but for those wanting paper copies of questionnaires (which come in English and Welsh with a pre-paid return envelope) these can be obtained at council run libraries (Port Talbot, Neath, Skewen, Glynneath, Cwmavon, Baglan, Sandfields and Pontardawe).