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Politics

Impact of Brexit on Wales discussed

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Progress being made: Carwyn Jones

PARLIAMENTARY questions last Thursday (Oct 26) were not easy for Secretary of State for Exiting the EU David Davis.

Nailed to the spot about pronouncements he had made to a committee of MPs the previous day which had rapidly been contradicted by the Prime Minister, he managed to combine apparent certainty that there was no tension between his position and government policy (whatever that turns out to be) with an unwillingness to acknowledge that anyone could conceivably be concerned about Parliamentary sovereignty being bypassed by the refusal to give it a vote on Brexit’s terms.

For those who backed Brexit on the principle that parliamentary sovereignty and the ability of the House of Commons to make and scrutinise legislation was of paramount importance, it was uncomfortable listening.

Bluster and bloody-mindedness, it is rapidly turning out, are no substitute for the ability to master a brief, understand it, express it, and stick to it.

In fact, the position was rendered even worse by statements made by the Ministers of State in Mr Davis’ own department the previous day that they had not even bothered to read, let alone understand, briefing papers prepared for them by their own civil servants on the potential impact of leaving the EU. You might suppose that ignorance is bliss and, if it is, the Minister wished to share its blessings widely by refusing others the opportunity to examine that of which they remain willfully – and, no doubt ecstatically, ignorant.

After being offered sympathy by Labour’s shadow Brexit minister Sir Kier Starmer for the difficulties in which he found himself, Mr Davis was successively hit by a series of exasperated questions – some from his own colleagues – to which he offered increasingly snappy and impatient answers.

Plaid Cymru’s Jonathan Edwards, who has the misfortune of seeming to be more familiar with Mr Davis’ brief than Mr Davis does himself and doomed to try to educate pork as a result, attempted to get a straight answer on whether or not the UK Government would seek endorsements for the Brexit deal – if any – from devolved administrations.

Jonathan Edwards reminded MPs that national and regional Parliaments within EU member states will all be consulted on the final withdrawal deal and that six months have been allocated for that process.

Mr Edwards asked Brexit Secretary David Davis that ‘in order to ensure that the future relationship works for every part of the British state’ did he agree that ‘the formal endorsement of the National Assembly for Wales, the Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly should be sought before any final deal is reached—or is it going to be a case of “Westminster knows best”?’

In response, Mr Davis again failed to guarantee Wales a voice in the deal, stating ‘this is a treaty for the United Kingdom’.

Bearing in mind the continued absence of any commitment to discuss with ministers within the devolved administration on any substantive points, it seems that the UK Government is increasingly determined to go its own way and drag the other nations of the UK along behind it.

Speaking after Mr Davis’ shambolic and ill-tempered performance, Jonathan Edwards said: “As I and my Plaid Cymru colleagues have said before: the British Government is using the Brexit process as a means of re-centralising power in Westminster, rolling back the progress we have made towards self-government in order to reinstate Westminster-rule.

“In his answer to me this week the Brexit Secretary once again fails to guarantee our democratically elected representatives in the Welsh Parliament a formal role in influencing the deal with the European Union. This is particularly concerning when we consider the profound economic differences between Wales and England.

“The position of the British Government is even more insulting when we consider that devolved governments within the other EU member states will have an opportunity to influence and effectively veto the deal. The British government needs to say why it refuses to afford the same right to the devolved governments here.”

However, on Monday (Oct 30) the UK Government made an effort to – at least partly – assuage those concerns.

First Minister Carwyn Jones met with Theresa May in Downing Street in an attempt to at least break down the conflict between the Senedd and Westminster on how a way forward might be found in relation to what Mr Jones had previously described as ‘a constitutional crisis’.

Speaking to BBC Wales after the meeting, Mr Jones said: “Progress is now being made in making sure there is agreement as to the way forward, not imposition. But that progress needs to continue. We’re not in a position yet to support the bill.

“The bill needs to change so the warm words that we hear are reflected on the face of the bill, and that means making sure that powers meant to come to Wales do come to Wales.”

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said: “I’m optimistic that the Welsh government will be able to respond to the new powers that they’ll get, but also that we’ll have a common framework around the UK that will work for business and for stakeholders and for investors.”

A No 10 spokesperson said Mrs May and Mr Jones ‘spoke about constructive dialogue at the recent Joint Ministerial Committee and the progress made on working together to establish principles on common frameworks’.

Politics

Pembrokeshire County Council huge overspend expected

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PEMBROKESHIRE County Council is expected to overspend in its annual budget by nearly £4m, with the potential for huge budget pressures next year, senior councillors heard.

Members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s November meeting of Cabinet received a report on the quarter two figures for the 2024-25 budget, highlighting an expected overspend of £3.9m by the end of the financial year.

The budget for 2024-25 was approved by council on March 7. This is the second budget monitoring report for 2024-25, with the predicted overspend up from £2.9m in the quarter one figures.

A report for members, presented by Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance and Efficiencies Cllr Joshua Beynon said the budget for 2024-25 is “set against a backdrop of increased level of demand, complexity and cost of packages within our School ALN provision, Children’s Services, Adult Services and Homelessness”.

It added: “This increase in demand, complexity and cost of packages has continued into 2024-25 with material projected overspends within social care & housing totalling £8.8m. Although work is being undertaken to try to reduce the cost of packages, it should be noted that these demand levels are projected to continue into 2025-26 and future years, creating further additional permanent budget pressures that will either need to be met through additional budget savings, income generation or increased council tax.

“The projected outturn at Q2 2024-25 is £307.1m, representing a projected overspend of £3.6m.  There is also a projected shortfall in 2024-25 council tax collection which will result in a £0.3m reduction in funding received. The resulting £3.9m shortfall will need to be funded from reserves in 2024-25.”

Cllr Beynon said a hoped-for increase in funding from Welsh Government following increased funds from Westminster announced in the UK Budget was not confirmed at the moment, but was expected to lead to an increase in funds to Pembrokeshire of one or two per cent; that funding figure due to be announced next month.

Members also noted a predicted funding gap scenario of £33.6m for 2025-’26, which, with the current medium term financial plan budgeted council tax increase for 2025-26 of 11.14 per cent would leave a shortfall of £23.2m to be met through budget savings, dependent on what the final settlement from Welsh Government is.

Cabinet agreed that, if the projected overspend of £3.9m is not recovered during the financial year, it will be funded from reserves, and that relevant members and officers work to identify potential savings to assist in addressing the indicative budget gap of £33.6 million for 2025-26.

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News

Social care funding position ‘unsustainable’, says Welsh Local Govt Association

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COUNCILS are calling for urgent investment in the upcoming Welsh Government Budget to help meet huge funding pressures in social care.

A WLGA survey of council budgets has identified £106m of in-year pressures in social services (2024-25). An additional £223m pressure is anticipated next year, representing 40% of the overall pressure for local government (£559m) just to stand still.

The Welsh Local Government Association has written to the Welsh Government outlining the severe outlook for social services.

Councils warn that without further help, meeting care and support needs will become increasingly difficult, impacting NHS and health care service delivery with residents waiting longer for care in the community.

Councillor Charlie McCoubrey, WLGA Health and Social Care Spokesperson said: “Councils across Wales support the First Minister’s priority in improving access to social care and to create the healthier Wales that we all want to see. But the gravity of the financial challenge faced by social services and local government cannot be overstated. Simply put, the position is unsustainable.”

“More and more, councils are having to focus social care spend on addressing increasing demand for services and rising cost pressures in critical frontline services, leaving fewer and fewer resources available for preventative support. Prevention and early intervention support is vital for helping people maintain independent, healthy lives, improving life chances, preventing homelessness, and avoiding individuals and their families from reaching crisis point.

“Sustainable investment in social care also needs to be seen as an essential component to the ambition of building an NHS that is fit for the future, where health is about more than healthcare and hospitals. Services such as, housing, culture, youth, and economic development, have a huge role to play in influencing the conditions that keep people well and healthy in their own communities. Investment in such services delivered by councils brings multiple benefits, including for individuals and longer-term savings to the public purse.

“The harsh reality is that without additional investment, councils will face difficult choices and decisions on how best to balance their budgets whilst focusing on maintaining essential services. Any new legislative requirements or expectations of councils will need to be fully funded – the hope of doing more with less is long passed. Without increased funding for social care, the existing financial pressures will grow and unfortunately, will severely affect the ability of councils to provide timely, high-quality care and support to those who need it most.”

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Education

Tenby school built just eight years ago could need new roof

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A £75,000 feasibility budget to look at ways of tackling roof leaks at Tenby’s VC school, including a complete new roof for the school built just eight years ago, has been backed by senior councillors, with the potential of seeking redress from those who built it.

A report for Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet members at their November meeting, presented by Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language Cllr Guy Woodham, said: “Since being established in 2016, and having been built as part of the Band A tranche of the Council’s 21st Century Schools Programme, the Tenby VC School building has experienced water ingress in roof areas.

“A number of these have been repaired, but unfortunately a number of leaks have resulted in a weakening of the structure and components within the roof construction. In order to reduce the load on the roof, the PV/Solar array which was installed at the time of the school’s construction has been removed; furthermore, a number of ‘props’ remain in place internally in order to support vulnerable areas of the roof.

“Over the past months, a number of discussions have taken place between the council’s professional construction services team and an external structural engineer to determine some possible options going forward.

“Such options range from limited intervention with a reliance on ongoing repair and maintenance, to a replacement of the entire roof structure. Given that the preferred option could result in a funding requirement in excess of £300,000, the council’s Capital Strategy requires Cabinet to approve feasibility funds.

“A project board has been established to review progress until the agreed works have been completed, the membership of which includes the headteacher and chair of the governing body.”

The report added: “As an operational school, it is considered essential that the roof issues at Tenby VC School can be resolved at the earliest opportunity. A feasibility exercise is required to be undertaken, but due to the constraints imposed by the terms and conditions of the most recent Welsh Government Capital Maintenance Grant, it cannot be funded via this grant.

“In accordance with the council’s Capital Strategy, Cabinet is asked to approve a £75,000 feasibility budget to explore the above options. Unless funded from an existing revenue budget, the feasibility study will be funded from the programme for administration reserve.”

Members agreed to approve a budget of £75,000 to fund a feasibility exercise to explore the options identified and to see whether there is potential redress from the contractors involved in building the school.

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