PEMBROKESHIRE County Council ended its recent financial year underspending its budget by more than £5.5m after massive overspends  in recent years, the savings being set aside for initiatives which it is hoped may help further savings.

In a report before the July 6 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, presented by Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance and Efficiencies Cllr Jon Harvey, members heard the council ended the 2025-’26 financial year with an underspend of £5.6m, £1.6m better than the end-of-year forecast at the end of the third quarter of the financial year of £4m.

This was set against a net expenditure of £321m from a budget of £326.6m.

Speaking at the meeting, former leader Cllr Harvey said the majority of the council’s services were in, or below, budget, with more than 95 per cent of budget savings targets achieved.

He also referenced the report which said: “Additional council tax income has resulted in £2.4m more than anticipated being collected during 2025-26,” which would have effectively increased the underspend to £8m.

“A large proportion of this relates to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) backlog in assessment of self-catering properties, with a continued increase in properties moving from Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) and qualifying for Second Home Council Tax (SHCT) premium as a result of not meeting the required 182-day occupancy threshold.”

It said that council tax arrears had increased to £19.5m, with a £2.1m second homes premium level of arrears, relating “specifically to properties that have transferred from NDR to council tax and are currently subject to appeals to the Valuation Office, with the aim of reverting back to NDR”.

It added: “There is likely to be additional debt within this category that has not yet been quantified. It would be prudent therefore, for an element of the £2.4m surplus to be held in reserve for likely refunds following VOA determination and to support the collection of outstanding council tax arrears, and this is recommended.”

Members backed a recommendation to note the report, and to approve the appropriation of the £5.6m budget underspend to the initiative fund to provide resources for improvement and prevention projects to make further potential savings.

They also backed £1m of the additional council tax collected to make provision for repayment of second homes council tax premiums to those who successfully appeal the 182-days occupancy threshold with the Valuation Office Agency; the remaining £1.4m appropriated to the Initiative Fund reserve.

The previous £4m underspend prediction, back in February, In the previous financial quarter report, back in February, compared with a predicted end-of-year underspend of £1m in the previous financial quarter, and predictions of a £2.2m underspend from figures from the first quarter of the financial year.

Pembrokeshire County Council ended the previous 2024-’25 financial year underspending by £2m, in part due to an extra £1.2m raised through second homes tax.

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.

PEMBROKESHIRE is to introduce an additional separate kerbside waste collection service for soft plastics following a backing by senior councillors.

At the July 6 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members backed a recommendation to introduce a weekly kerbside soft plastics collection service for all households in Pembrokeshire, joining the existing recycling collections.

The service will enable the separate collection of soft plastic packaging such as carrier bags, food wrap, and plastic film alongside the council’s existing kerbside recycling system, in line with Welsh Government expectations, a report for members said.

Cabinet was asked to approve the scheme be implemented by the end of March 2027 and to procure the necessary materials and treatment arrangements to support delivery.

At present soft plastics are not included in the ‘core’ set of materials collected by Pembrokeshire County Council.

A report presented by Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett said the four UK governments have previously stated that “recyclable plastic film and flexible packaging is to be collected for recycling from both households and businesses across the UK by March 31, 2027”.

The Pembrokeshire proposal could generate approximately 419 tonnes of recyclable soft plastics a year.

Residents will be issued with an initial supply of red tie-handle bags (equivalent to 52 weeks’ supply), the same colour as the existing plastics and cans recycling bags; the proposed plastics bags collected on a weekly basis alongside existing kerbside recycling.

The additional plastics bags will be placed inside the existing red cans/plastics bags for collection, Cabinet members heard.

In order to meet the Welsh Government’s target implementation deadline of March 31 of next year, it is proposed that bag distribution will take place from mid-February, with free additional bags available after the initial roll-out.

The report says, at present, the recycling costs for soft plastic is above the cost for the material to be sent to Energy from Waste, but it is anticipated that the cost difference will decrease over time, with all costs for rollout and recycling offset through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funding.

The report added: “The cost of implementation is expected to be lower than the long-term financial risk of non-compliance, including increased residual disposal costs (following the introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme in 2028) and loss of EPR income.”

It was recommended to approve the introduction of the scheme, along with a procurement exercise for the supply of soft plastics collection bags and a supporting offtake arrangement for the treatment of collected materials, with an estimated contract value of £272,000.

Members heard from Cllr Sinnett the changes would improve recycling performance by some 0.7 per cent, adding that, although the figure sounded small, it would be “significant in terms of overall waste” collected, with “around half a black bag” per collection that could be included in the new red bags.

He said “doing nothing isn’t an option,” citing the reasons given in the report, adding there would be no additional costs to the council in adopting the scheme.

Dr Madeleine Havard re-elected as Chair as key committee positions are agreed

PEMBROKESHIRE COAST NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY has confirmed its Chair, Deputy Chair and key Development Management Committee roles following its Annual General Meeting.

Dr Madeleine Havard has been re-elected as Chair of the Authority, with Cllr Claire George continuing as Deputy Chair.

Cllr Dr Simon Hancock has also been re-elected as Chair of the Authority’s Development Management Committee, with John Hogg MBE confirmed as Deputy Chair of that committee.

The appointments were agreed by Members at a meeting of the National Park Authority held on Wednesday, June 24.

The Authority is made up of 18 Members. Twelve are county councillors appointed by Pembrokeshire County Council, while six are appointed by the Welsh Government.

Together, they oversee the work of the Authority and make decisions on matters affecting the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

Dr Havard said: “It is an honour and a privilege to continue serving as Chair of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.

“Our National Park is one of Wales’ most treasured landscapes, and the Authority has an important role in protecting it for future generations while supporting the communities who live and work here.

“I look forward to continuing to work with all Members, staff, partners and local communities as we respond to the opportunities and challenges facing the National Park.”

Cllr Dr Simon Hancock said he was pleased to continue as Chair of the Development Management Committee, which considers planning matters within the National Park.

He said: “The Committee’s work requires careful judgement, balancing the need to conserve and enhance this special landscape with the needs of local people.

“I look forward to continuing to work with fellow Members and officers in carrying out this responsibility.”

Members spend an average of two days a month on formal committee business, as well as representing the Park Authority at a range of formal and informal events.

These include Welsh Government-related meetings, workshops and seminars, formal launches, and presentations by the Authority and partner organisations.

The current Members of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority are: Cllr Maureen Bowen, Cllr Di Clements, Ms Fiona Day, Cllr Claire George, Dr Madeleine Havard, Ms Helen Gwenllian, Mr John Hogg MBE, Sarah Hoss, Cllr Dr Simon Hancock MBE, Cllr Mike James, Mr Gwynn Angell Jones, Cllr Huw Murphy, Cllr Bethan Price, Cllr Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Cllr Anji Tinley, Cllr Vanessa Thomas, Cllr Chris Williams BEM and Cllr Michael Williams.

Caption:

Dr Madeleine Havard, Cllr Claire George, Cllr Dr Simon Hancock and John Hogg MBE have been confirmed in key leadership roles following Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s Annual General Meeting.