Scrutiny: Healthier Merthyr Tydfil

There is no summary of this meeting yet. Summaries are written once the council publishes the minutes, which are its official record of what a meeting decided. They usually appear a few weeks after the meeting.

1. 1

   Apologies for Absence

   Minute

   Apologies were received from Cllr Claire Jones and Cllr Louise Minett?Vokes.

2. 2

   Declarations of Interest (Including whipping declarations)

   Minute

   None.

3. 3

   Draft Revenue Budget 2026/2027

   Minute

   Cllr Anna Wiliams-Price, Cabinet Member introduced the report. In response to questions from the committee members, offices confirmed: • Welsh Government settlement uplift improved from 3.1% to 4.7%. • Identified cost reductions of £3.58m (Appendix 5). • Budget deficit reduced from £9.005m (Autumn 2025) to £509k. • Medium Term Financial Plan assumes 5% Council Tax increase (1% = £330k). • Final settlement changes from WG expected to be minor. · Noted all scrutiny committees observations will be appended to the final budget report for Cabinet and Council on 23 February 2026. • Final settlement from WG is only expected to have minor changes relating to council tax base confirmation. · Members were advised that the cash figure for uplift from 3.1% to 4.7% equates to £2.2m in cash terms. · Noted that Education and Social Services remain the top priorities. · Council tax 5% figure is based on the assumption made in the MTFP. · The 5% council tax figure was used because it is the Council’s MTFP assumption. Inflation is not necessarily a direct measure of local authority cost pressures. However, feedback is noted. · Social Services proposals are mainly via grant maximisation, with minimal service impact. · Noted that the employer pension contribution is a recurring annual saving for each of the three years in the MTFP. · Noted that there is no further update on SPF beyond the briefing issued last week.

   Papers: Draft Revenue Budget 2026-27 - Scrutiny Report (updated 21 Jan 2026), Appendix 1 - Prov Revenue Settlement (Table 1), Appendix 2 - Prov Revenue Settlement (Briefing), Appendix 3 - Prov Revenue Settlement (WG Budget Agreement), Appendix 4 - Additional Demands (Final), Appendix 5 - Cost Reductions (Final)
4. 4

   Any Other Business Deemed Urgent by the Chair

   Minute

   None.

Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.

Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.

• Claire Jones, Vice-ChairIndependentSent apologies
• Gareth Richards, ChairLabourPresent
• David Isaac, Committee MemberLabourPresent
• Ian Thomas, Committee MemberLabourPresent
• Julia Jenkins, Committee MemberIndependentAbsent
• Louise Minett-Vokes, Cabinet MemberLabourRecorded

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