COUNCIL chiefs warned of “no fat left to cut” with leisure centres and libraries across Wales facing the threat of closure due to “unprecedented” financial constraints.

The Senedd culture committee took evidence from councils on October 24 as part of an inquiry on the impact of cuts on the arts, culture and sport.

Emily Owen, deputy leader of Conwy Council, said: “Everything’s on the table that isn’t statutory at the moment, we’re in that much of a difficult financial situation.”

The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), the national voice of Wales’ 22 councils, warned spending on culture, recreation and libraries has fallen by up to 43% over a decade.

Cllr Owen said: “Last year, our economy and culture service had a 20% cut and the year before it had an 11% cut. That’s a serious amount of money that has gone from services.”

With the WGLA warning of a £432m funding gap across Welsh councils, Cllr Owen told the committee the council is trying to avoid closing leisure centres.

“We strongly believe that once they’re gone, they’re gone,” she said.

The Labour councillor cautioned cuts have had a considerable direct impact on participation of the most vulnerable people amid a mental health epidemic.

“It’s really not good,” she said. “If we’re having to remove facilities and access for people to be able to manage their mental health and wellbeing … we are having a really big impact.”

She pointed to plans to turn Venue Cymru in Llandudno into a culture hub, hosting library services, tourist information and welfare benefits advice.

Huw Thomas, leader of Cardiff Council, warned the scale of the budget gap leaves councils little latitude to continue to fund loss-making facilities they are not legally required to provide.

Cllr Thomas, who is culture, arts and leisure spokesperson for the WLGA, told the committee Cardiff is facing a £60m gap in the coming year.

He said: “We’re at the toughest point of budget setting I think we’ve experienced even in 14-15 years of austerity.”

Setting out the scale of the deficit, the Labour councillor told committee members the city’s combined annual budget for parks and libraries totals about £12m.

He said the council felt obliged to move away from a £1m-a-year subsidy for St David’s Hall.

Cllr Thomas cautioned it is increasingly difficult to find savings after 14 years of austerity, adding that councils are overwhelmingly prioritising services in areas of higher poverty.

He made a case for additional funding for Cardiff as the capital, raising the example of other cities in the UK receiving help with policing costs for major events.

Sarah Ecob, head of culture at Conwy Council, said: “We’re fighting really hard to keep our buildings and our services open in a backdrop of extremely severe financial difficulties.”

She expressed concerns about a lack of longer-term investment in facilities, warning: “We still have leisure centres that are desperately, desperately in need of major capital funding.”

Amanda Davies, managing director of Byw’n Iach which runs 12 centres across Gwynedd, cautioned: “There’s no fat left to cut. We’re running on a basis of individual staff running some facilities – you can’t cut back further … it’s not possible.”

Ms Davies raised concerns about a crisis in terms of ageing leisure facilities across Wales, with increasing costs and some centres set to close for maintenance.

Asked about cultural venues, Roland Evans, assistant head of economy at Gwynedd Council, said numbers are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.

He warned that without the shared prosperity fund (SPF), which replaced EU structural funds, the council would be facing a “cliff edge” with little arts and museums activity.

Ms Ecob echoed this, saying: “The SPF has absolutely rescued us this year.”

She warned core staff are “very much under threat” when the funding comes to an end, which would have knock-on impacts in terms of applying for grants.

Mr Thomas agreed about the importance of the SPF as he similarly raised concerns about uncertainty surrounding funding beyond March 2025.

A CALL for a council director on a community interest company connected to Neyland’s community hub saw Pembrokeshire’s leader label it a question designed to pour criticism on the council’s deputy leader.

The ‘hub’ is home to Neyland’s library, town council offices and bar/restaurant, as well as providing space for a variety of leisure and sports activities.

Councillor Alan Dennison, in a submitted question heard at the October meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, asked: “The outcome of the Cabinet meeting in September 2019 determined the need for a PCC representative on the board of directors of Neyland Community Interest Company (The Hub).

“This move was in accordance with the terms of the investment agreement between PCC and Neyland CIC, which mandated the presence of a PCC representative on the board of directors. This decision would not only ensure compliance with the agreement but also foster closer collaboration and communication between PCC and Neyland CIC, enhancing transparency and governance.

“The involvement of a PCC representative on the board of directors would provide a valuable channel for PCC to have a direct impact on the strategic direction and decision-making processes of Neyland CIC, ultimately leading to a more harmonious and productive partnership between the two entities.”

His question finished: “Who is PCC’s representative on the board of directors of Neyland CIC?”

Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller declared a personal and prejudicial interest, as a director of Neyland CIC, and left the meeting.

Responding, Leader Cllr Jon Harvey said there was no council representative on the board, and no requirement for there to be so.

In a supplementary question, Cllr Dennison said a delay in submitting accounts by the CIC had “highlighted the need for an independent director of the board appointed by Pembrokeshire County Council”.

He added: “Effectively what’s happened is Neyland CIC has been loaned money by the council on a leasehold building, the asset lock has been transferred to a private company, in the name of one councillor and one accountant only; should Neyland CIC go into administration the whole of the asset transfers across to the private company.”

He finished: “The question is, will the leader make immediate arrangements with Neyland CIC to appoint a council-appointed director to represent the interests of Pembrokeshire County Council?”

Cllr Harvey responded, saying the 2019 meeting did not contain a requirement for a council representative.

“I think your question is designed to be critical of a director of Neyland CIC, and we know who that is because he’s left the room. If you have any issues with Neyland CIC I think you should report that to the Section 151 officer.

“I think it’s an absolutely wonderful facility; I don’t see what the issue is. If you can come back with evidence of any wrongdoing please direct it to the Section 151 officer or the head of legal services.”

MARK DRAKEFORD criticised a “Mystic Meg”-style motion on next week’s UK budget.

Wales’ finance secretary responded to a Plaid Cymru debate held in the Senedd exactly a week before the new Labour UK Government’s first budget announcement on October 30.

He said: “I lost count of the number of times in which Plaid Cymru members used the word ‘demand’ as though the volume of our voice mattered more than the quality of our argument.

“And, alongside that student union approach to debating, you have a sort of Mystic Meg approach to the construction of propositions for debate.

“We don’t know, and actually you don’t know, what is going to be in the budget next week – yet your motion tells us already that it’s let Wales down.”

But Heledd Fychan, Plaid Cymru’s shadow finance secretary, stressed that the premise of the debate was to try to influence rather than predict the budget.

Her motion called for £4bn from HS2, devolution of the Crown Estate, a new funding formula for Wales, a U-turn on the winter fuel allowance, and an end to the two-child benefit cap.

Ms Fychan said: “In the run-up to the general election, Wales was promised change. For years, we have heard government ministers in this place say time and time again, ‘once we have a Labour government in Westminster, it will be different for Wales’.

“To date, the so-called partnership in power has underdelivered.”

She criticised the Welsh Government for “watering down” previous demands and seeking to delete all five calls from the motion.

Raising the example of HS2, she said the Welsh Government is now “requesting a commitment to further discussion” rather than reiterating previous calls for £4bn.

Peter Fox agreed with much of the Plaid Cymru motion, aside from the devolution of the Crown Estate which he argued would not be in the best interests of Wales.

The Conservatives’ shadow finance secretary said next week’s “long-awaited” budget will follow in the “incredibly disappointing” footsteps of the first 100 days of Labour.

He said: “We have seen nothing but spin, deception and U-turns from Labour ministers in Westminster and, sadly, their colleagues in the Senedd seem to be jumping into line.”

Mr Fox raised a warning from the older people’s commissioner for Wales that cutting universal winter fuel payments could lead to 4,000 excess deaths.

He also accused Rachel Reeves of backtracking on a manifesto pledge, with the UK chancellor expected to raise employers’ National Insurance contributions.

Luke Fletcher said Crown Estate assets generate hundreds of millions yearly “but none of that wealth actually stays in Wales” as he called for devolution of powers.

His Plaid Cymru colleague Peredur Owen Griffiths focused on HS2, which he described as the “great Welsh train robbery”, and Labour’s previous calls for Wales to receive billions.

And Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Plaid Cymru leader, accused Labour of putting its own interests before those of the people of Wales.

Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrats’ leader in Wales, criticised Labour’s “appalling, head-in-the-sand” attitude toward the “cruel” two-child benefit cap.

Calling for taxes on the rich to fund public services, she said the burden of clearing up the Conservatives’ legacy of economic devastation should not fall on ordinary people.

Alun Davies, a Labour backbencher, said: “It’s certainly good to see Plaid Cymru registering their disappointment at a budget that hasn’t yet been delivered.

“I would certainly advise anybody today to listen to the budget before they condemn it.”

Responding to the debate on October 23, Prof Drakeford agreed with Ms Dodds on the “collective amnesia” of the Conservatives.

The former First Minister said: “I think the budget next week will make a start on repairing the damage of those 14 years of the starvation of our public services.”

The Senedd voted against Plaid Cymru’s motion and the Conservative amendment.

The Welsh Government’s “delete-all” amendment was also rejected, 28-27, with David Rees, the deputy speaker or Dirprwy Lywydd, using his casting vote in line with convention.