Swansea council needs to save £45m by 2017

The council has launched Sustainable Swansea which gives residents a chance to have their say

Swansea council says it needs to find £45m of savings by 2017.

The authority has appealed to residents to give their views on how they think savings could be made ahead next year's budget.

But it says the Sustainable Swansea consultation is not about simply being a money-saving exercise.

The call comes as local authorities in Wales brace themselves for cuts in funding from the UK government via the Welsh government.

Rob Stewart, the council's cabinet member for finance, said: "Swansea council is committed to improving the lives of residents every day and protecting the frontline services that matter so much to the communities we serve.

"We also have to deliver savings of around £45m by 2017 and that means if we are going to continue to improve the lives of residents we have to change.

"But this isn't simply a money-saving exercise. We have an opportunity to transform the council by finding better ways of doing things and improving the services we provide.

"By being innovative and thinking differently we can provide high-quality services that have a long-term future.

"By the end of 2017 the council will look very different to the one we have today."

He added that no decisions had been made and that different methods of providing services were needed as well as different types of services.

In the current financial year, the council has a £7.7m shortfall to plug and is aiming to make savings through "staff reductions" such as early retirement and voluntary redundancy.

It also increased council tax by 3.8% - about a £38 annual rise for Band D property holders - and is using £2.2m from its reserves.