News

Why is Pembrokeshire looking at a massive council tax hike?

Published

3 months ago

February 12, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

SENIOR Pembrokeshire councillors are expected to call for council tax increase as high as 21 per cent next week against a backdrop of the council facing its worst-ever financial position.

Pembrokeshire is currently facing a projected funding gap of £31.9m, by far the largest funding gap ever seen by the council.

This figure is even bleaker in the next few years; the projected funding gap for the Medium Term Financial Plan 2024-25 to 2027-28 is £82.2m.

A report before Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, meeting on February 12 says: “This projected funding gap will need to be bridged through a combination of an increase in council tax, use of council tax premiums and budget savings.

“Any use of reserve funding will only be considered where there is a clear plan in place to reduce base budgets by the levels required for 2025-26 onwards and to replenish the reserve balances over the term of the Medium Term Financial Plan, in line with the Strategy for Holding and Utilising Reserves.”

In total, Pembrokeshire is facing financial pressures totalling £41.3m, partly offset by funding – some of which is yet to be fully confirmed – bringing that figure down to £31.9m.

Simple options to address this gap are

to cut expenditure, which would require £31.9m in savings
increase funding through a council tax rise alone, which would need an eye-watering 42 per cent rise
a combination of the two, which is proposed.

Cabinet members are asked to recommend one of three options for a council tax increase, along with large budget savings.

The increases range from 16.31 per cent, 18.94 per cent, to a 20.98 per cent increase.

These increases would raise the annual council tax bill by £219.02, £254.34, and £281.73 respectively for the average Band D property.

Associated savings needed for the three levels would be £12.8m, £10.9m, and £9.3m.

A report for members stated: “Any Band D Council Tax increase below 16.31 per cent will have very significant impact, including statutory failure in some service areas and so is not considered to be a financially sustainable option.”

The report said options for a 15 and 12.5 per cent council tax increase were modelled, but “this would have resulted in very significant budget savings being required and some services no longer being able to meet their statutory requirements”.

One of the reasons for the financial situation in Pembrokeshire – and in neighbouring Ceredigion – is a lower-than-expected Provisional Local Government Settlement from Welsh Government.

Every year the Welsh Government allocates funding for each local authority, and for 2024-25 Pembrokeshire will only receive a 2.5 per cent increase in that funding against a 14.4 per cent increase in service costs.

This equates to £5.3m additional Aggregate External Finance (AEF) funding for Pembrokeshire County Council, £1.3m lower than assumptions of a 3.1 per cent increase.

This lower than-expected settlement is part of a general decline in central government support for councils, council Leader David Simpson has said.

“During the past decade, funding levels from UK Government to Welsh Government and on to councils have not kept pace with the ever-increasing pressures.

“Due to this, we have had to make significant budget savings of £96.7 million over this time, supported by your suggestions in our annual budget consultation. We have always endeavoured to minimise the impact to service users, especially the most vulnerable in our communities.”

Council Tax accounts for 26.05 per cent of the council’s general funding, with more reliance on council tax funding due to AEF reductions during the austerity period whilst council tax increased.

Council tax accounted for only 18.4 per cent in 2013-14.

Pembrokeshire is also facing an “unprecedented” increase in demand for both adult and children’s social care that has added more than £23m in pressures.

In five years, children’s social care costs have risen from six per cent of the budget to 10.3 per cent.

Social care and education costs now make up 78 per cent of overall pressures with social care costs exceeding education costs for the first time this year, Council Leader David Simpson has said.

In 2024/25 the budget for social care will be more than all other services combined, excluding schools.

There has also been a huge increase in the number of people needing temporary accommodation, from 78 in March 2019 to 507 in March 2023, leading to a £1.145m pressure for 2024/25.

Another issue in Pembrokeshire has been historically low levels of council tax, the county still having the lowest rate in Wales, despite having increases of 12.5%, 9.92%, 5.00%, 3.75%, 5.00% and 7.50% since 2018-19.

The average Band D base council tax for Pembrokeshire is £1,342.86, compared to Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire at £1,553.60 and £1,490.97 respectively.

If the council had Ceredigion’s level of council tax for 2023-24, it would have had an additional £11.758m income and if it had Carmarthenshire’s it would have had an additional £8.264m.

Ceredigion County Council Cabinet’s has proposed a 13.9 per cent increase in council tax, which would take a Band D property to £1,769.55 per year; if Pembrokeshire increased its Band D rate to £1,769.55 it would generate an additional £23.902m.

The final decision on the council tax level – and any savings – will be made by full council when it sets the annual budget on March 7.

Neighbouring Ceredigion will make its final decision on February 29.

Community

Carmarthen Youth Opera receives King’s Award for Voluntary Services

Published

16 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Tom Sinclair

CARMARTHEN and District Youth Opera has been honoured with the King’s Award for Voluntary Services in recognition of its outstanding contributions to providing musical theatre opportunities for young people in the West Wales area.

Recognising outstanding examples of voluntary work, the King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) was created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and previously known as The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS), the Award has been shining a light on the fantastic work of voluntary groups from across the UK for many years. Equivalent to an MBE, KAVS is the highest Award given to local voluntary groups in the UK, and they are awarded for life.

Established in 1979, Carmarthen and District Youth Opera has been a cornerstone of the performing arts community in Wales for over four decades. What began as a small group of dedicated individuals at Carmarthen’s Further Education Centre youth club has flourished into one of Wales’s most successful cultural societies, thanks to the dedication of volunteers.

Under the leadership of the late Elizabeth Evans MBE and her husband David, Carmarthen and District Youth Opera has grown from strength to strength, showcasing high-quality musical entertainment and earning accolades such as the Lord Snowdon Award for its first annual music production of “Snow White” in 1979. Over the years, Carmarthen and District Youth Opera has continued to captivate audiences with productions ranging from “Oliver” to “Jesus Christ Superstar,” garnering national praise.

Further major Lyric refurbishment works in the early 1990’s and later, gave a home to the Youth Opera with a venue and facilities in which it could deliver productions of the highest quality to an audience of approximately 500 people. For a period of 15 years, it functioned as an entertainment centre run voluntarily by the Lyric Trust, drawn from the Youth Opera’s supporters. The theatre is since owned and run by Carmarthenshire County Council as a venue for current and future generations.

Carmarthen and District Youth Opera’s impact extends beyond the stage, with many former cast members pursuing successful careers in music and dramatic arts. The organisation’s commitment to excellence and inclusivity has earned it widespread recognition, including from Her Majesty the Queen, the Emir of Qatar, and their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

As Carmarthen and District Youth Opera celebrates this prestigious award, it remains firm in its commitment to nurturing young talent and enriching the cultural landscape of Wales.

Councillor Hazel Evans, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture & Tourism said: “Carmarthen and District Youth Opera embodies the spirit of community and dedication to the arts that enriches our region. Receiving the King’s Award for Voluntary Services is a testament to the unwavering commitment of its volunteers and the profound impact the organisation has on nurturing young talent. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and look forward to their continued contributions to the cultural vibrancy of West Wales.”

Business

Port welcomes first vessel to new workboat pontoons

Published

16 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKE PORT, which is owned and operated by the Port of Milford Haven, has welcomed the first customer to its new workboat pontoons. Installed as part of the Pembroke Dock Marine project to modernise the Port’s infrastructure, the pontoons are available for use by a range of vessels including workboats, barges and other small vessels.

CRC Sentinel, a dive support vessel owned by Commercial Rib Charter which is undertaking work on the Milford Haven Waterway, was the first to use the new pontoons.

Sharon Adams, Commercial Manager for Pembroke Port commented: “It’s great to see these new assets being utilised. Pembroke Port is perfectly positioned within the Port of Milford Haven to act as a hub for operations associated with marine activity taking place within the Port and the Celtic Sea. The pontoons are available for short and long term berthing and have secure access, as well as electricity and water hook ups.

The workboat pontoons compliment the other infrastructure upgrades we made as part of the Pembroke Dock Marine project including new laydown space and an expanded slipway.

We look forward to working with our existing customers, and welcoming new ones, to use the new facilities at Pembroke Port.”

The new infrastructure at Pembroke Port forms part of the Pembroke Dock Marine project to create a world-class energy and engineering centre of excellence and act as a focal point for capturing the economic value from wind, wave, and tidal renewable energy projects.

Alongside the Port’s own investment, Pembroke Dock Marine – a Swansea Bay City Deal project – is part funded by the UK Government and the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government as well as other private sector partners.

During construction, the project supported over 50 jobs including 6 apprenticeships. Contractors BAM, Walters Group and R&M Williams undertook community activity during the project, with the local community benefiting from over £11m local spend.

For further details on the facilities at Pembroke Port, and how the Pembroke Dock Marine investments have readied Pembroke Port for future energy, please visit www.pembrokeport.com.

Education

Young people dive into My River project to learn about Cleddau

Published

16 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Tom Sinclair

DURING the Easter Holidays, young people from The Edge Youth Centre and the Army Welfare Service took part in a two-day environmental project in Haverfordwest in partnership with the Cleddau Project.

The ‘My River’ project enabled young people to connect with the River Cleddau, learn about the importance of looking after rivers and discuss what their river means to them as young people.

At the start of the project, the young people linked up with the West Wales Rivers Trust for the Big River Clean Up in Haverfordwest.

The young people helped clean up a stretch of the Western Cleddau River that runs alongside Bridge Meadow Park and Morrisons.

In the afternoon, they enjoyed an engaging session delivered by the Darwin Centre looking at the mini-beasts that live in our rivers under microscopes.

On day two the young people reflected on their findings creating a story with illustrator Fran Evans.

The young people created a piece of art telling the story of their river and the importance of looking after the river.

The story is called the ‘adventures of the trash trio’ and will be exhibited to the public at the ‘My River’ Art Exhibition at HaverHub, Quay Street, Haverfordwest at the end of June.

The young people will be coming back together in May Half-Term to explore the river in Haverfordwest by canoeing up the Western River Cleddau.

Steve Lewis, Senior Youth Worker said: “This project educated young people on the importance of our rivers and how they support wildlife, ecosystems and recreation activities. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm from the young people and to see them connecting with their river.”

This project has been made possible by funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.