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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED that subject to the amendment raised being made, the minutes of the meeting of Council held on the 10th September, 2025 be signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED THAT the following recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted: 6.1.1 the Annual Treasury Management and Prudential Indicator Report for 2024-2025 be approved
RESOLVED that the Motion be supported and referred to the Cabinet.
RESOLVED that the Motion be supported
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors, M.D. Cranham, S.A. Curry, C. Davies, R. Evans, P.M. Hughes, R. James and B.D.J. Phillips
There were no declarations of personal interests.
· The Chair announced that she had had another busy month marked by the joy of celebrating a gentleman’s 100th birthday in Councillor Kevin Madge’s ward. · The Chair recently attended the Welsh Motorsport Festival at Pembrey racing circuit. · The Chair wished members currently in hospital best wishes. · Councillor Michael Thomas congratulated the organisers at Pembrey racing circuit for the recent success of the Welsh Motorsport and Supercar Festival, which drew in over 5,000 visitors to the area. · Councillor Sean Rees extended congratulations to the recent success of Havelock Park Bowls who were recently crowned Champions of the Llanelli and District Bowls League. · Councillor Linda Evans announced the launch of this year’s 2025 Christmas Toybox Appeal. Contributions towards the appeal, can be made on line, by calling the main County Council phone number or by donating new toys at various locations across the county.
Councillor Jane Tremlett, Cabinet Member for Integrated Health and Children and Adult Social Services, extended her congratulations to the Integrated Services Communities Team for their achievement of the Silver Award in the Investment in Carers programme, led by Hywel Dda University Health Board. She highlighted that the team was the first to receive the Silver Award, a significant accomplishment as many only achieve Bronze. The award was presented to the team last Friday.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that subject to the amendment raised being made, the minutes of the meeting of Council held on the 10th September, 2025 be signed as a correct record.
The following amendment was raised:- minute 10.2 it should read under the recorded vote - For the Motion and Against the Motion and not For the Amendment and Against the Amendment. RESOLVED that subject to the amendment raised being made, the minutes of the meeting of Council held on the 10th September, 2025 be signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED THAT the following recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted: 6.1.1 the Annual Treasury Management and Prudential Indicator Report for 2024-2025 be approved
The Council was informed that the Cabinet, at its meeting held on the 29th September, 2025 (minute 6 refers), had considered a report which set out activities that took place during the year and confirmed compliance with the Code of Practice. The Council adopted the Treasury Management Policy and Strategy and the five-year capital programme for 2024-2025 on the 28th February 2024. The annual report detailed the activities that took place during the year and confirmed compliance with the Code of Practice. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the actual Prudential Indicators were within the limits set by the 2024-2025 Budget and the Treasury Management Policy and Strategy for the reporting period. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED THAT the following recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted: 6.1.1 the Annual Treasury Management and Prudential Indicator Report for 2024-2025 be approved
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the Motion be supported and referred to the Cabinet.
Council considered the following Notice of Motion submitted by Councillors Alun Lenny and Glynog Davies:- “Carmarthenshire County Council notes with dismay the continuing disparity in rail investment between Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom, as well as within Wales itself. Council is concerned that the ten-year £445m rail investment package for Wales, announced by chancellor Rachel Reeves in her spending review, is a fraction of what Wales would get as Barnett consequential for the £80b HS2 railway development in England. It is not a fair distribution of UK Government rail investment. Council is also concerned that the greater part of the £445m will be spent in south-east and north Wales by 2030, with no detail on where or when the rest will be spent within the next ten years. Council believes that this is detrimental to the economic, social and environmental interests of Carmarthenshire. We note that this Council continues to lobby for improvements to rail infrastructure in Carmarthenshire – such as the reopening of the old Amman Valley line to passengers, improving the Mid Wales line service, and a new train station at St. Clears. But at present there is no clarity on Welsh Government funding. Council resolves to: 1. write to Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Ken Skates, asking for greater clarity and accelerated investment in the rail infrastructure in west Wales as a matter of urgency; and 2. support the devolution of railways in Wales, so that England-only schemes would ensure Wales would get our fair share of Barnett consequentials to fund future rail investment.” The motion was duly seconded. The proposers and seconder of the Motion were afforded the opportunity of speaking in support thereof and outlined the reasons for its submission. A number of statements were made in support of the motion. Council was advised that if the motion was supported it would be referred to the Cabinet. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Motion be supported and referred to the Cabinet.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the Motion be supported
Council considered the following Notice of Motion submitted by Councillors Sharen Davies and Giles Morgan:- “Concerns regarding the WRU recent decision to move away from equal funding for the four professional rugby regions and to terminate the current Professional Rugby Agreement early, with significant implications for the Scarlets region. The Scarlets is not only a long-standing cornerstone of the Llanelli Community but also play a vital role across Carmarthenshire and the wider region, with deep cultural significance and substantial economic impact through employment, hospitality, retail, tourism, and community initiatives. Parc y Scarlets is recognised as one of the premiers’ stadiums in Wales, offering excellent facilities, accessibility, and value, and its loss as a home to professional rugby would represent a major setback for the area, the county, and Welsh Rugby as a whole. The potential relocation or removal of the Scarlets professional status would have a severe and lasting negative consequence for the local and regional economy, community cohesion, and Carmarthenshire’s cultural identity. 1. Carmarthenshire County Council formally reaffirms its support for the Scarlets as one of Wales professional men’s rugby teams, recognising their importance to the county’s economy, identity, and community wellbeing. 2. That the Chief Executive on behalf of the Council: 1. Write to the Welsh Rugby Union and Welsh Government to register the Councils position and to advocate for the retention of the Scarlets within Wales professional rugby framework. 2. Engage with the Scarlets management to demonstrate the County Council’s support and willingness to work collaboratively. 3. Publicly express the Councils support to residents and Scarlet’s supporters across Carmarthenshire, highlighting the importance of maintain professional rugby in the county.” The motion was duly seconded. The proposers and seconder of the Motion were afforded the opportunity of speaking in support thereof and outlined the reasons for its submission. A number of statements were made in support of the motion. It was noted that the Council had submitted a Scarlets Economic and Social Impact Assessment and a joint letter from the Council’s Leader and Chief Executive to the WRU, as part of the consultation process into proposals to help shape the future of regional rugby in Wales. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Motion be supported
The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.
Question by Councillor John James: “Hydrodynamic forces have caused the built up of sand and silt in Burry Port Harbour for many years. Effective management and a comprehensive monitoring system needs to be in place so that similar negative outcomes do not occur in the future in the Carmarthen Bay area. What has this Council been doing to track the shift in sand dune movement as well gauging other key factors such as wind speed, vegetation, and topography over the last 10 years?” Response by Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability: “Thank you very much Chair and thanks John. As you will know, Carmarthen Bay is a highly dynamic environment, and we are never going to stop it from being that – and neither would we want to. Sediment movement in Carmarthen Bay is influenced by a wide range of natural factors and as a result of human activities. For example, Cefn Sidan and Ferryside are experiencing sediment erosion at a significant scale; this highlights the complexity of sediment dynamics in the area. In terms of actions, earlier this year we regained management of Burry Port Harbour which will give us better control over its management. We have committed £2m in our Capital budget towards dredging works. We are in the process of applying for a license from NRW to dredge the harbour and hope to have secured this for dredging to progress in early 2026. In terms of coastal monitoring, we have an annual coastal monitoring/surveying programme, operated by the Welsh Coastal Monitoring Centre but supported by us financially. The programme the WCMC delivers, allows us to monitor our changing coastline. We are supporting a project called Coast Snap. This captures time lapse photos from a fixed location along the coast and, in time, builds up a picture of our changing coastline. The first capturing point at Pendine is already up and running. I can send you the link, and we are finalising arrangements to install these at Burry Port, Bynea, and Laugharne. We will seek to add more next year. Also, we have recently appointed a coastal adaptation officer to work with coastal communities. Their brief is to continue these conversations about our changing coastline, climate change, rising sea level rise and how we adapt together to manage that.” Supplementary Question by Councillor James: “I would like to thank Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen for his answer, very comprehensive. This question came from what was decided by the Cabinet and appreciate the support the Cabinet gave the Burry Port harbour area in the Capital Programme. We don’t want it to happen again, that’s why I’m asking this question to work together. I and Cllr Shelley Godfrey-Coles are aware of the Coastal Snap and how it works and we’d like to invite Councillor Vahgan Owen to meet us and two members of the public who have a lot of knowledge of the harbour and coastline.” Response by Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability: “Thank you for the invitation and I know there are a lot of passionate people in Burry Port with a lot of data, statistics and evidence that will help us but more importantly the story behind every picture and map. I would be very pleased to meet you. But there is growing political pressure from some parties and leaders to turn away from science, evidence and commitments that we have `made to tackle climate change, now and for future generations. For some, this may sound attractive in the short term, but it’s a false economy ignoring evidence will not let the problem go away. I am happy to meet I think it’s important that we acknowledge the problems that we have and work together to tackle climate change and to not turn our back.”
Question by Councillor Palfreman: “Regular attendance at school is of obvious and fundamental importance to a child’s development. Parents have a right to know that, wherever they live in Carmarthenshire, adequate services exist to provide safe home to school transport for their children. Notwithstanding the national 3-mile limit for free school passes, the provision of affordable public transport for pupils living within this radius, in some cases just short of 3 miles from their school, remains a fundamental need. This is particularly acute where parents don’t have access to a car or where they work away from the area. For many families this need is not currently being met, and this is causing genuine anguish and hardship for families. In some cases it can interfere with school attendance. Ahead of the groundbreaking Welsh Labour Government’s Bus Reform Bill, what is this Council doing now to ensure this unacceptable situation is addressed, including putting pressure on bus operators to prioritise pupils’ needs over commercial considerations?” Response by Councillor Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services: “Thank you Councillor Palfreman for the question. We currently provide transport to approximately 25% of the County’s learners, exceeding our statutory obligations under the Learner Travel Wales Measure. We also provide spare seats on contracted school buses, provided free of charge where available — last year we provided 285 such seats. You refer to the Welsh Government’s Bus Reform Bill as groundbreaking, but in terms of its aim at improving public transport through franchising, it falls short in many areas including in terms of addressing school transport needs, much of that due to lack of proper funding. From current proposals there would be no immediate improvements expected for public transport in Carmarthenshire. In fact, the rollout of franchising—starting in south west Wales in 2027—may present some risks to existing school transport services. Concerns have been raised by our officers and our regional transport partners about the potential impact on municipal and small operators who currently deliver many home-to-school journeys. It should be noted that the Welsh Labour Government’s 2024 review of learner travel legislation did not achieve the comprehensive reform that had been widely anticipated. Instead, the review suggested limited updates to existing guidance—which have yet to be implemented—and indicated that school transport services would increasingly be integrated with scheduled bus routes, despite clear evidence that public transport is not a viable solution in many rural areas, especially ours in Carmarthenshire. Without legislative reform and targeted WG funding, and an attempt to increase the number of buses and drivers on our roads, the current system will continue to cause problems to those who live within three miles. We will continue to lobby Welsh Labour Government for reform and the required funding, and I would encourage members across the Chamber to do the same.” Supplementary question by Councillor Palfreman: “I do, thank you Chair and thank you Councillor Thomas for your response. I want to ask you first, how you can justify the County Council’s current stance, I am talking about the County Council to be clear and not Welsh Government, on this matter, which clearly places children and families who don’t have access to a car at a material disadvantage? Secondly, I would ask whether you commit to looking into the extent to which the current lack of school transport here in Carmarthenshire for such families is contributing to the stubbornly high levels of absenteeism in Carmarthenshire schools? Thank you.” Response by Councillor Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services: “I honestly don’t think I can reply to that, in what is it, in 30 seconds? But we will address that problem in an email to you. If that’s alright with you Councillor Palfreman?”
The Chair stated that the minutes outlined on the agenda under 10.1 – 10.6 were available for information on the Council website.
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