CARMARTHENSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has approved its revenue budget for 2026-27, confirming a 4.9% increase in council tax alongside £9.6 million in spending reductions.

The agreed rise is lower than the originally proposed 6.5%, following a period of public consultation with residents, schools, businesses and other stakeholders across the county. The reduction was also made possible by a £5 million saving from the Dyfed Pension Fund employer contribution and additional funding from the Welsh Government.

Council tax currently raises around 17% of the authority’s income, with approximately 70% of the net budget funded through Welsh Government grants.

Cabinet Member for Resources Cllr Alun Lenny said the final budget reflected feedback gathered during the consultation process.

“The Budget Strategy approved at Full Council responds to the valuable feedback raised as part of the public consultation process and ensures, as far as possible, that service levels and standards are maintained,” he said.

He added that additional Welsh Government funding — almost £6.5 million — had improved the council’s financial position by nearly £3 million and removed a projected £3.5 million shortfall.

More than 1,200 people, including residents, school staff, town and community councils, unions, scrutiny committees and young people, responded to the consultation.

As a result, the final budget includes amendments totalling £850,000 and removes some previously proposed cuts.

Changes include the restoration of £160,000 for highways, a 50% reduction in the planned increase to school meal costs, and the removal of a proposal to close Pendine Outdoor Education Centre in 2027-28 to allow further feasibility work.

Savings affecting the Families Together Team have also been withdrawn.

The council said the budget also includes additional investment in property maintenance, the modernising education team, increased support for the Welsh language in education, and further investment in highways.

Concerns raised over consultation process as governors’ community hub proposal gains attention

CYMDEITHAS YR IAITH has criticised Carmarthenshire County Council’s proposal to close Ysgol Meidrim, describing the move as an “illogical conclusion” and questioning whether the statutory presumption against closing rural schools has been properly applied.

The campaign group issued a formal response to the consultation, arguing that local authorities are required to begin any review of a rural school by seriously considering how it can be sustained and developed, with closure considered only as a last resort.

Speaking on behalf of Cymdeithas yr Iaith locally, Ffred Ffransis said: “Nobody could understand why the council would come to the illogical conclusion of wishing to close a school which Estyn said was improving educationally, where pupil numbers were increasing, where the school served as the Welsh-medium heart of the community, which acted as a safe haven for pupils with additional learning needs, and where the council would save almost no money at all by closing it.

“However, when we followed the initial stages of the consultation process, it became clear that officials were treating all rural schools under review as problems from the start, and data was collected to back up the preconception. In presenting the legislation to the Senedd in 2018, the then Secretary for Education, Kirsty Williams, emphasised that proposing closure of a rural school should always be the ‘last resort’, but it is now being treated as the solution of choice.”

He added that the organisation welcomed signs the council was taking seriously an alternative proposal from the school’s governors to develop a costed community hub alongside the school, working in cooperation with neighbouring schools.

Council response

Carmarthenshire County Council has previously stated that it has a statutory duty to review school provision to ensure education is delivered in suitable facilities and remains sustainable for the future. The authority says proposals are developed following detailed assessments, including pupil numbers, building condition, financial considerations and long-term viability.

The council has also confirmed that consultation responses, including alternative proposals, will be considered before any final decision is made by elected members.

The consultation process remains ongoing.

Residents invited to help shape five-year strategy before March deadline

PEMBROKESHIRE residents are being invited to share their views on how the Welsh language should be promoted across the county over the next five years, as part of a new consultation launched by Pembrokeshire County Council.

The draft Welsh Language Strategy 2026–31 sets out the council’s proposed objectives, targets and action plan for increasing the use and visibility of Welsh locally. The authority is required to produce a five-year plan under the national Welsh Language Standards framework.

An Integrated Impact Assessment has also been published alongside the draft strategy, outlining the potential effects on the Welsh language and other policy areas. Council officials say the information will help residents respond to the consultation questions.

Cabinet Member for Education and the Welsh Language, Cllr Guy Woodham said: “This Welsh Language Strategy focuses on developing the use and visibility of the Welsh language across the county and is supported by our Welsh in Education Strategy.

“Please take the chance to have your say on how we support the Welsh language over the next five years.”

Residents can submit their views through the council’s Have Your Say webpage. Paper copies are also available by contacting the council’s customer contact centre.

The feedback gathered during the consultation will be used to help councillors decide the final version of the Welsh Language Strategy 2026–31. Cabinet is expected to consider the responses at a meeting in July 2026, with a final decision due to be made by full council later the same month.

The consultation closes at 5:00pm on Sunday, March 22.