That is how one Welsh council spends greater than £170m a 12 months
Native authorities present some very important public providers that many individuals throughout the nation depend on every single day.
Whether or not it’s colleges or social care, waste collections or street upkeep, councils oversee the spending of public cash on providers designed to enhance folks’s lives.
As we strategy the festive interval what higher time than to take a deeper dive into how and the place councils spend their cash.
Welsh councils’ budgets are made up of funding from Welsh Authorities and enterprise charges, which in Merthyr Tydfil offers £133.14m, and council tax from residents, which offers £39.37m.
The most recent general council finances is value £172.51m which matches on providers similar to beginning registrations of which there have been 2,725 within the final monetary 12 months.
The council has supported 648 youngsters during the last 12 months with a care plan and as at March 2025, the council was answerable for 169 taken care of youngsters.
In Merthyr Tydfil there are 19 major colleges together with two Welsh language colleges, three secondary colleges, one particular faculty, one pupil referral unit and one 3-16 faculty which offer schooling to eight,998 pupils.
There are 23 early years settings in Merthyr caring for kids aged 0-4 together with 11 pre-schools, 5 Cylch Meithrin and 7 day nurseries.
From April 2025, all two-year-olds had been eligible for half time funded childcare and within the autumn time period of 2025, 532 youngsters had been being funded to entry half time Flying Begin childcare.
Within the final monetary 12 months, Cwm Golau Built-in Youngsters’s Centre made 22,833 childcare locations obtainable with 7,540 accessing the sensory room and 560 infants and fogeys accessing breastfeeding and child massages.
The Merthyr Tydfil Borough Extensive Youth Discussion board offers a platform for younger folks aged 11-25 to have their voices heard on points that have an effect on them. Keep knowledgeable on every part Merthyr Tydfil by signing as much as our publication right here
It offers assist with youth golf equipment, street-based youth staff and a younger folks’s participation service.
Final 12 months, the council’s planning division handled 289 planning functions together with faculty and hospital refurbishments, a brand new faculty, city centre works, housing developments and renewable vitality initiatives.
There have been 421 inspections at meals companies to make sure hygiene requirements had been met. 581 licence functions had been vetted and 31 take a look at purchases came about to see if youngsters had been being offered age restricted items.
The CCTV group handled 1,686 incidents and group wardens intervened on 1,279 events.
There are 5,974 social homes in Merthyr and using short-term lodging similar to mattress and breakfasts has lowered from a peak of 120 placements to 18 as on the finish of March 2025.
The council rehoused 349 households via the social housing register in 2024/2025, a ten% enhance on the earlier 12 months.
The housing intervention group helped 3,203 households with recommendation and assist to cease homelessness and three,079 didn’t want to make use of homelessness providers in consequence.
The council’s contact centre handles greater than 87,000 interactions a 12 months with 560 nose to nose guests at reception, 6,569 telephone calls answered and 142 emails dealt with each month.
Within the final monetary 12 months, 110 marriage and civil ceremonies have taken place.
The council has round 190 miles of street to take care of together with 7,500 road lights, 168 miles of footpaths, 66 miles of bridleways and round 14 miles of byways open to all visitors.
Round 1,456,056 tonnes of waste, recycling and meals waste is collected and processed annually and final 12 months the council carried out 714,766 waste, meals waste and recycling collections because it goals for the Welsh Authorities’s 70% recycling goal.
There are 2,068 lively companies within the county borough and the council offers recommendation, monetary assist and signposting for funding.
Final 12 months, the council’s employability group supported 323 again into work, 508 folks gained new {qualifications}, 39 folks accessed volunteering alternatives and 46 apprenticeships had been created and stuffed.
There have been over 220,000 guests to leisure centres and over 60,000 public swimming periods had been organised.
Greater than 800 youngsters and adults are enrolled in swimming classes and there have been 25,000 fitness center exercises recorded.
The council’s grownup social care service helps 264 adults in long run care and 456 adults obtain group primarily based care.
Group alternative planners have supported 20 folks to entry group teams, volunteering and employment.
Merthyr Tydfil is dwelling to 4 libraries and two museums.
There have been 1,188 demise registrations within the final monetary 12 months and the council takes care of 5 cemeteries.
Is the native authorities settlement system truthful?
Is the native authorities settlement system truthful?