GWYNEDD residents have had their say on daunting council cuts proposed for the next two years.

In March 2016, Gwynedd councillors will decide on the package of service cuts that will be needed to help bridge a funding shortfall the council faces over the period up to 2017/18.

Before then, councillors will have the opportunity to evaluate all the evidence presented by members of the public and local organisations during the Gwynedd Challenge public consultation exercise that was held before Christmas which was an opportunity for them to have their say on 118 possible service cut options.

Only 2,100 residents took part in the data-gathering exercise which will dictate the future of the council’s service provision.

Several concerned residents have lamented that the document was overly complicated and difficult to fill out.

Speaking about the proposed cuts, Gwynedd council leader, Cllr Dyfed Edwards said: “The Government’s decision to continue to constantly cut public spending means that councils throughout the UK no longer have a choice but to cut some services.

“Here in Gwynedd, rather than implementing knee-jerk cuts, we have been determined to base our response to this austerity agenda on the priorities of local people and communities.

“That’s why, over recent months, we have started the discussion on which services to cut by seeking the views of Gwynedd residents and organisations.

“This ‘Gwynedd Challenge’ process has been the largest public consultation the council has ever held and must be one of the most comprehensive exercises of its kind ever held in Wales.

“From Corris to Caernarfon, Barmouth to Bangor and online, it has been extremely encouraging to see so many local people of all ages taking an active part in the debate.

“From school councils, youth clubs and local historical societies through to county-wide and national organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses, the National Trust, North Wales Police and the Arts Council of Wales, in total well over 2,000 responses have been received.

“As a council, we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took the time to participate in what was undoubtedly a detailed and challenging process.”

Commenting on the finalised local government settlement figure for Gwynedd which will see the Council’s budget cut by £2.6 million in 2016/17 rather than the £3.5 million cut the council had previously been planning for, Gwynedd council chief executive Dilwyn Williams said:

“Our latest budgetary analysis suggests that the funding shortfall Gwynedd will face in 2016/17 will be £2.6 million - around £900,000 less than originally anticipated - with a similar budget reduction currently forecast for 2017/18.

“Taken together, this means that Gwynedd Council may not need to implement the whole of the £7 million service cuts we were previously anticipating would be required for the next two years.

“We are now hopeful that we will be able to achieve a balanced budget for the two year period by implementing £5 million of service cuts instead.

“Despite this slight improvement in the financial outlook, we will be continuing to do everything we can to maximise efficiency savings in order to drive down the needs for outright service cuts.”

A report on the findings of this exercise has now been published and can be read online by visiting: www.gwynedd.gov.uk/gwyneddchallenge.