IN THIS week’s Pembrokeshire Herald, we speak with former Pembrokeshire County Council leader Cllr Jamie Adams.

Cllr Adams and the IPG propose using some of the Council’s reserves to shrink a proposed rise in Council Tax to 5.5%.

The Council’s Cabinet endorses a 7.5% increase.

The IPG leader explained using the Council’s “a rainy day” money would help Council Taxpayers cope with the current economic downpour.

He understands using the reserves would be a sticking plaster. However, he says the Council must look at every avenue to reduce Council Taxpayers’ burden while preserving Council services.

“In a sense,” he tells The Herald, “this is not dipping into reserves but exploiting savings the Council has made in this year’s budget. It makes sense to me to use that money to make any Council Tax increase as small as possible.”

Cllr Adams also says he supports using the second homes levy to reduce pressure on service budgets. While accepting a wider debate exists about using second homes Council Tax in this way, he questioned what benefit many residents get from subsidising second home owners’ street cleaning and bin collections in hotspots like Tenby.

Read our exclusive interview with Cllr Adams in this week’s Herald. For more on this story and analysis of the Council’s options in next week’s crucial budget meeting, pick up your Pembrokeshire Herald this Friday.