PEMBROKESHIRE County Council, which has had many fears of budgets firmly in the red in recent years, is on course to end the financial year £1m in credit.

A report to be heard at the council’s corporate overview and scrutiny committee, meeting on November 20, will outline the financial position for the second quarter of the current financial year, with a projected outturn of £325.6m for the agreed £326.6m budget, representing a £1m saving.

However, that figure is lower than the first financial quarter of 2025-’26 picture, which predicted an underspend of an even more impressive £2.2m.

Pembrokeshire County Council actually ended the last financial year underspending by £2m, in part due to an extra £1.2m raised through second homes tax, councillors have previously heard.

In recent years the situation has been far bleaker, with third quarter projections for the 2023-24 budget of an overspend of £6.6m, £3m up from quarter two’s £3.6m, which in itself was a reduction of the previous quarter one figure of a £4.8m predicted overspend.

The end of the 2024 financial year reduced that to a £3m overspend, and by November 2024 – the 2024-25 year – the council was predicted to overspend by £3.9m, later, this February that prediction reduced to £1.4m, before the final underspend.

The November 2025 committee report, and any responses, will later by considered by Cabinet on December 1.

A report for members says: “The increase in rolling budget expenditure and income is due to the receipt of grants confirmed during Q2, where possible this has been used to fund core expenditure,” adding a reduced net contribution from reserve relates to additional appropriations made into reserves as a consequence of waste management Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) payment requirements.

It says a “continued increase in level of demand, complexity and cost of packages within our School ALN provision, Children’s Services and Adult Services experienced during 2023-24 and 2024-25 has been recognised in base budget increases in these service areas for 2025/26,” adding: “It is hoped that the work being undertaken to try to manage the increase in demand and reduce the cost of packages will help to flatten these demand levels into 2026-27 and over the medium term financial plan.”

It says pressures include a shortfall of £1m on budgeted assumptions in funding towards the increased cost of Employers’ National Insurance Contributions, and a 2025-26 teachers pay award resulting in an additional £0.4m pressure on school budgets in 2025-26 and a further £0.7m full year base pressure for 2026-27; but there is   a projected underspend of £3.281m in Capital Financing Cost.

Director of Resources Jon Haswell in the report says: “It is pleasing to note that we are still projecting a year end underspend at the end of Quarter 2, albeit less than that projected at Quarter 1, primarily due to an underspend in capital financing costs more than offsetting all other additional budget pressures.”

Members are recommended to back the budget monitoring report.

Safety concerns deepen as Cabinet prepares to discuss full roof replacement

SIGNIFICANT new detail has emerged about the structural issues affecting Tenby VC School, with a Pembrokeshire County Council feasibility study confirming that the building’s roof system has deteriorated to the point where only a full replacement will make the site safe.

Built in 2016, the school has suffered ongoing water ingress and damage to its Structural Insulated Panels. The council commissioned a detailed investigation earlier this year, which has now concluded that “Design Option 5” – a complete roof replacement – is the only viable long-term solution. Cabinet is due to consider the findings at its meeting on Monday (Nov 3).

Urgent health and safety measures remain in place at the site, including the installation of 510 acro props across affected sections of the building and the closure of the Early Years and playgroup wing. The council has confirmed that a full decant of pupils and staff will be required while construction takes place, with options for temporary accommodation currently being reviewed.

Routine monitoring is continuing on a half-termly basis, alongside monthly checks of the acro props. A further report setting out a full decant strategy is expected to come before Cabinet no later than January 2026.

Cllr Guy Woodham, Cabinet Member for Education and the Welsh Language, said the safety of pupils and staff remained the council’s priority. He added: “The findings of the feasibility study are clear. Only a full roof replacement will provide the secure and modern learning environment our children deserve. We are committed to working closely with the school community to minimise disruption and ensure continuity of education throughout the process.”

Further updates on the council’s decision and the decant arrangements will follow as more information becomes available.

CYMDEITHAS YR IAITH has launched preparations to oppose Carmarthenshire County Council’s plans to close three rural Welsh-medium schools, following a contentious decision by the Cabinet on Monday (Nov 17).

The Cabinet agreed to publish a statutory notice to close Ysgol Llansteffan at the end of the 2025–26 academic year, while also approving a statutory consultation on proposals to close Ysgol Meidrim and Ysgol Y Fro, Llangyndeyrn. The move forms part of the council’s long-running Modernising Education Programme, under which a number of small rural schools have already faced review because of falling pupil numbers, surplus places and ongoing budget pressures.

Campaigners say the latest proposals could have serious consequences for rural communities, the sustainability of Welsh-medium education and the Welsh Government’s national Cymraeg 2050 language growth strategy. All three schools serve areas with strong Welsh-speaking populations, and parents have repeatedly argued that closures will force young children to travel further and weaken the cultural and social fabric of their villages.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith has criticised the process followed by the council, highlighting comments made during Monday’s Cabinet meeting that the required Stage 0 discussions with the schools “did not happen properly”. Stage 0 is the statutory preliminary engagement that must be completed before councillors consider formal closure proposals.

Speaking on behalf of Cymdeithas yr Iaith in Carmarthenshire, campaigner Ffred Ffransis said the Cabinet should not have proceeded.

He said: “The cabinet should not have voted for a consultation after admitting that the initial statutory stage of discussion with the schools, known as stage 0, did not happen properly. The council officers’ reports say clearly that a consultation or a statutory notification to close should not be authorised unless councillors were sure that it was the best option.

“The preparation work to ensure responses to the consultations and objections to the statutory notice to close, together with the three schools, will start straight away.”

Cymdeithas yr Iaith is now expected to coordinate its response with parents, governors and local groups across the county, setting the stage for a significant battle over the future of Welsh-medium schooling in rural Carmarthenshire.