News
£5m Pembrokeshire council budget overspend on cards
A MORATORIUM on non-essential council expenditure is now in place as cash-strapped Pembrokeshire is on course to overspend its budget by nearly £5m this year.
Members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, meeting on September 4, will hear a report on the quarter one figures for the 2023-24 budget, highlighting an expected overspend of £4.8m.
A budget of £287.6m was approved by council on March 2, but he projected outturn – based on the latest figures – is £292.4m.
Pressures include a projected £8.7m overspend in School ALN provision, Children’s Services, Adult Services and Homelessness, partly offset by a projected underspend of £3.5m in Capital Financing Costs and Investment Income.
The report also highlights a bleak longer-term picture for council finances.
The 2023-24 budget identified a potential funding gap of £33.1m over the period 2024-25 to 2026-27; with £15.9m in respect of 2024-25, to be funded from a 7.5 per cent council tax increase, and £10m of budget savings.
That is expected to increase to £37.3m 2024-25 to 2026-27, and £ 46.9m up to ’28, with £20m in respect of 2024-25.
In the report, the council’s Interim Director of Resources Paul Ashley-Jones states: “The projected overspend of £4.8m for 2023-24 is very concerning.
“There is still a high degree of uncertainty around pay awards, inflation, interest rates, service demand and Welsh Government funding which could have a further detrimental impact on this position as the year progresses.
“The majority of schools continue to set budgets that exceed the funding received in year, with school balances projected to reduce by a further £4.877m during 2023-24 to £1.005m. This is not a sustainable position and will require continual review of school staffing structures and organisation over the medium term.
“Current levels of increased demand, complexity and cost of packages within School ALN, Children’s Services, Adult Services and Homelessness have resulted in material projected overspends in each of these areas for 2023-24 which are likely to continue into future years.
“It is critical that packages are continually reviewed to identify more cost-effective provision to pull back these overspends for 2023-24, and reduce the pressure on 2024-25 and the medium term financial plan.
“The overspends outlined have been partially offset by higher levels of investment income and delayed borrowing costs resulting from slippage of the 2022-23 Capital Programme.
“However, if interest rates remain at current levels, or increase, this will put further pressure on Capital Financing costs in 2024-25 and future years. For those schemes that have not commenced, potential delay to the start on site will need to be actively considered.
“In line with the approved Budget Strategy for 2023-24 and beyond, a moratorium on all nonessential expenditure is now in place. The aim of this is to try to bring the budget back into balance by the year-end, with any use of reserves only being a last resort.”
The interim director added: “Financial pressures experienced during the first quarter of 2023-24 are going to continue into 2024-25 and the medium term, so there are going to be some significant financial challenges to be addressed, and difficult decisions to be made.”
Members are recommended to note the report and cost-saving works.
Farming
Animal health and welfare workshops help family farm shape future business
AN eagerness to learn new skills and knowledge is helping mother and son Dianna and Iestyn Spary to continually improve their livestock farming enterprise and build a financially sustainable business fit for the future.
Technical expertise and good business sense are not qualities the Sparys lack since embarking on an impressive number of Farming Connect workshops, covering a range of animal health and welfare topics.
“It’s been an amazing opportunity, we have learned so much that we can apply within the day to day running of our farm and herd, and we can draw on that knowledge as we look at developing new enterprises and diversifications,’’ says Dianna.
She is the fifth generation of her family to farm at Goytre Farm at New Church West, Chepstow, Iestyn the sixth.
Together they farm 110 hectares, running a Hereford-cross beef suckler herd and also rearing beef cattle purchased as baby calves, including more recently British Blues, taking these through to slaughter.
Although they have been immersed in agriculture all their lives, they recognise that it is an industry that is constantly changing as new research and ideas are rolled out and applied.
This is where the Farming Connect workshops have been so incredibly valuable, says Dianna.
“You are never too old to learn, things are changing all the time. If we hadn’t got involved in attending the workshops, we would never have known about some of those new ways of doing things.’’
From learning how to maximise suckler cow productivity and protecting youngstock health to understanding diseases such as Johne’s and bovine TB, the animal health and welfare training workshops have been “enormously valuable’’, she adds.
The pair have tapped into Farming Connect accredited training courses covering areas such as calf management, health and housing, body condition scoring and safe use of veterinary medicines.
“You name it we have done it,’’ says Dianna.
They were announced the winners of the 2023 Farming Connect Animal Health and Welfare Award at the Lantra Cymru Awards in January.
The knowledge gained through Farming Connect workshops and training has helped inform changes in the business.
“We now monitor cattle weights more closely and have introduced different ways of feeding,’’ Dianna explains.
“We have also been revamping all the cattle sheds and have a couple of new ones that will be going up.
“We’ve also invested in calf jackets and if there are any drops in weights, we are more responsive with feed intakes, little things like that.’’
Iestyn has also benefited from a number of sheep-related topics offered through the animal health workshops.
Through the Farming Connect Advisory Service, they have received specialist veterinary advice on their Herd Health Plan with a focus on incoming stock and biosecurity. They have also had guidance on soil health through the soil clinic.
The Sparys largely use traditional farming methods at Goytre Farm where they have several hay meadows.
All feed is produced on-farm. “By doing everything in-house we know exactly what we are feeding and that’s important to us,’’ says Dianna.
That distinctiveness, which sets them apart from some of the more mainstream farming systems, has given them the confidence to consider establishing a diversification into meat box sales, what Dianna describes as a ‘farm to fork’ approach.
Working with a local butcher who has an abattoir licence, they hope to do everything on-site, from slaughter through to hanging the carcass for 28 days, and then selling cuts direct to the consumer.
“We have also spoken to a chef who is going to produce some recipe cards for us to include in the boxes along with a bit of history of where the meat has come from,’’ says Dianna.
Another future project could be converting stone barns in the farmyard to holiday accommodation.
To help focus their minds on their plans, the Sparys will get guidance at a Farming Connect diversification surgery; they have also signed up for a ‘planning a diversification’ training course and will attend a ‘Dos and Don’ts of Diversification’ event in the coming weeks.
For Iestyn, another form of diversification, into agricultural contracting, has provided a secondary income stream.
His customer base is largely farms with smaller acreages with crops that require harvesting or spraying.
Farming Connect has helped with this process too as Iestyn has gained his Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Pesticides (PA1) and Safe Application of Pesticides Using Vehicle mounted Boom Sprayer Equipment (PA2).
He also offers field maintenance and fencing and works on a neighbouring farm during the lambing season.
This is where Farming Connect has again helped; through the animal health workshops, he has covered modules advising on the prevention of lambing losses and lameness, improving lamb performance post-weaning and parasite controls.
Dianna says the opportunities available through Farming Connect have really helped to drive the family farming business forward.
“We have a good relationship with our local Farming Connect development officer Lisa Powell, she has been brilliant in giving us advice on which courses and workshops are right for us and signing us up for those,’’ she says.
All your achievements, training and knowledge transfer activities are saved within your personal, online Storfa Sgiliau account, the unique, online professional development tool, available for you to view and download at any time from your BOSS (Business Online Support Service) account.
Education
Lib Dem leader meets student union after scrapping of teacher training
Last week, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds visited Aberystwyth University to meet students following the announcement that the University will be scrapping their Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) program.
The announcement comes after the publication of an Estyn inspection report last year, which found that the institution had “been too slow” when it came to prioritising student support.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have now called for the University to produce and implement an action plan that will enable the reintroduction of this course at the earliest opportunity, as well as for the Uni to rectify any similar shortcomings in other training programs.
Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:
“Aberystwyth university has long been seen as a cornerstone of education here in Wales, and its role in shaping the future of Welsh-medium education is pivotal.
However, the decision by the Education Workforce Council to withdraw accreditation for their teacher training program now puts this at risk.
The report published by Estyn rightfully identified several flaws in the Uni’s approach to supporting student teachers, along with requiring the University to make significant improvement.
The decision of the EWC suggest that these improvements have not been made.
We are now calling on the University to get their act together, fix the shortcomings in this program and begin plans to reintroduce the course as soon as possible.
Commenting, a spokesperson for the Welsh Young Liberals said: “There was an overwhelming lack of support, especially for Disabled Students, which has been consistent since 2020.
Previous lecturers were always late, and assignments were marked late and inconsistently.
As a joint honours student my timetable is very erratic, and this has an adverse effect on my wellbeing.
This does not however, mean that the course should be cut, Aberystwyth university should be looking to improve the course and help deliver the next generation of teachers.”
Commenting, the Welsh Liberal Democrat PPC for Ceredigion Mark Williams said: “The reputation of Aberystwyth University as a well-respected centre of education is rightfully a source of pride for many residents here in Ceredigion.
This is why it is so dis-heartening to hear that the Uni have failed to take the recommendations in the 2023 Estyn report seriously, leading them into the embarrassing position of losing their accreditation which risks delivering a severe blow to the future of Welsh-medium education.
The lack of foresight from the Uni in this regard is deeply worrying and I hope that, for the sake of both the students and the wider community, they take all the steps needed to restart the course at the earliest opportunity.”
Crime
Manslaughter charge following death in Carmarthenshire
DYFED-POWYS POLICE have confirmed Jason Thomas, 39, from Llanelli, has been charged with manslaughter following an incident on Saturday, March 25.
Police were called to a property in Robinson St, Llanelli to concerns for the welfare of a man.
Liam Rhys Morgan-Whittle, 22, was taken to hospital where he sadly passed away.
Jason Thomas was quickly arrested and later released on conditional bail while the police investigation continued.
He will appear at Llanelli Magistrates Court on Thursday, May 30, it has been confirmed.
-
News6 days ago
Police and air ambulances at ‘serious incident’ at West Wales school
-
Business4 days ago
Largest Welsh port appoints communications and marketing director
-
Crime6 days ago
Pembrokeshire pensioner accused of 17 sexual offences against children
-
Crime5 days ago
All three school stabbing victims discharged from hospital, police confirm
-
Community7 days ago
County Hall to offer space for community banking
-
News2 days ago
‘Honest’ caravan site owner ran site ‘under the radar’ for 20 years
-
Community4 days ago
Suspected explosive device found on west Wales beach
-
Politics7 days ago
Next stage of £19m Haverfordwest interchange backed