Madam,

I feel I must reply to Ian MacIntyre’s comments in your letters page last week accusing the council’s chief executive of leading people astray, yet trying to “prove” his case by misinformation showing a disturbing lack of understanding of the rudiments of public finance.

He quotes the “real” cuts in 2016/17 and 2015/16 as being £2.6m and £1.284m respectively and suggests therefore that the basis of Gwynedd Council’s figures are incorrect.

A cursory glance at our published budget report for 2015/16 would show that the reduction in grant suffered in that year was nearly £7m, and as for the 2016/17 figures, whilst he is right to note that our grant will reduce £2.6m in 2016/17 (which is slightly better than the £3.5m we had envisaged), it is still a significant reduction, and we will also have to contend with substantially increasing costs many of which were introduced by the Westminster Government.

All in all therefore, due to the slight improvement in our grant position, we can now plan for having to implement cuts of £5m as opposed to the original £7m.

Both our chief executive and I consider it our duty to try to ensure that the people of Gwynedd are given facts so that they can be informed of what the council is doing and why. I am satisfied that the information provided is both correct and accurate and reject his unfounded allegations.

It is a matter of fact that Gwynedd Council’s chief executive has over 25 years’ experience of public finance and that he has served as chair of the Society of Welsh Treasurers. Given this, it is disappointing that Mr MacIntyre constructs a picture which suggests that the council’s current financial constraints are somehow a figment of our imagination! I am sure our chief executive would be happy to give some of his time to carefully explain to Mr Macintyre where he has gone wrong.

Yours etc

Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn

Deputy leader of Gwynedd Council.