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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, in order for the Council to comply with legislative requirements, the report and recommendations of the Director of Corporate Services on the setting of the Council Tax for the financial year 2026/2027 be adopted.
RESOLVED that: 6.1 the amended and updated Inter Authority Agreement (IAA) set out in Appendix 3 be approved. 6.2 the exercise of certain functions be delegated to the Joint Governance Committee as set out in the amended terms of reference of the IAA. 6.3 the exercise of the remaining functions reserved to Council be delegated to the Dyfed Pension Committee as set out in the amended IAA. 6.4 any further minor amendments required to the IAA as a result of legislative changes be delegated to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Chair of the Pension Committee. 6.5 the final approval and signing of the IAA be delegated to the Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer as appropriate, in consultation with the Chair of the Pension Committee.
RESOLVED that the Pay Policy Statement 2026/27 be approved.
RESOLVED that the following recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted: To implement the proposal to discontinue Ysgol Llansteffan as laid out in the Statutory Notice.
RESOLVED that the report of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 16th February, 2026 be received.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors L.R. Bowen, A. Davies, W.R.A. Davies, C. Davies, A. Evans, N. Evans, R.E. Evans, S. Godfrey-Coles, D. Owen and J. Seward.
Councillor Minute Number Nature of Interest D. Cundy, S.A. Curry, G. Davies, S.L. Davies*, H.L. Davies, K. Davies, D.C. Evans, H.A.L. Evans, W.T. Evans, G.H. John, H. Jones, D. Nicholas, S.L. Rees, B.A.L. Roberts, E.M.J.G. Schiavone, H.B. Shepardson, E. Skinner, D. Thomas, J. Tremlett, P.T. Warlow, J. Williams and S. Williams 6 - Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) Inter Authority Agreement They and/or close family members are in receipt of a pension from the Local Government Pension Scheme M. Donoghue, A. Lenny, D. Thomas and D. E. Williams 6 - Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) Inter Authority Agreement Member of the Dyfed Pension Fund D. Thomas 6 - Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) Inter Authority Agreement Member of the Dyfed Pension Fund Committee D. E. Williams 6 - Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) Inter Authority Agreement Chair of the Dyfed Pension Fund Committee J.M. Charles, D. Cundy, B. Davies T.A.J. Davies, Ll.M. Davies, D.C. Evans, L.D. Evans, T.M. Higgins, M. James, G.H. John, A.C. Jones, H. Jones, M.J.A. Lewis, K. Madge, D. Nicholas, M. Palfreman, E. Rees, B.A.L. Roberts, F. Walters and J. Williams 7 – Pay Policy Statement 2026/27 Family member/close personal associate is employed by the Authority. E. Rees 8.1. MODERNISING EDUCATION PROGRAMME - To consider the objection report for Ysgol Llansteffan following the statutory notice period. In respect of his role with UNISON to support school staff A. Lenny 8.1. MODERNISING EDUCATION PROGRAMME - To consider the objection report for Ysgol Llansteffan following the statutory notice period. His grandson is a pupil at Ysgol Llansteffan. A.C. Jones 8.1. MODERNISING EDUCATION PROGRAMME - To consider the objection report for Ysgol Llansteffan following the statutory notice period. She is a school governor on the Ysgolion Bancyfelin, Llangain and Llansteffan federation. E. Skinner 8. 8.1. MODERNISING EDUCATION PROGRAMME - To consider the objection report for Ysgol Llansteffan following the statutory notice period. Has a personal and prejudicial interest. *interest declared immediately prior to consideration of item 6. NOTE: The Monitoring Officer declared an interest in agenda item 7 – Pay Policy Statement 2026/27 - on behalf of all officers present in the meeting, and advised that they would leave the meeting for consideration of this item. The Democratic Services team would remain to facilitate the meeting and provide assistance to the Chair.
• The Chair announced that she had attended a number of recent events which included the St David’s Day Grand Parade in Carmarthen, St David’s Day Concert in the Ffwrnes theatre, Llanelli and the St David’s Day Civic Service hosted by the Lord Mayor of Cardiff. • Councillor G.B. Thomas congratulated Lauren Evans from Hendy who had been awarded the BAFTA for Best Casting Director in respect of her work on the critically acclaimed film ‘I Swear’.
The Chair advised that there were no announcements.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that, in order for the Council to comply with legislative requirements, the report and recommendations of the Director of Corporate Services on the setting of the Council Tax for the financial year 2026/2027 be adopted.
The Council received a report which provided the financial details relevant to the setting of the Council Tax for the 2026/2027 financial year, together with the Council Tax amounts in respect of the different Council Tax Valuation Bands, as applicable to each of the individual Community and Town Council areas. The recommendations contained within the report brought together the Authority’s budget requirement and the precepts for the Police Authority and the Town and Community Councils into the consolidated Council Tax amounts in respect of the individual Council Tax Valuation bands. It was noted that the setting of the Council Tax represented the final stage in the process for the council’s budget for 2026/27. In this regard reference was made to the potential impact and uncertainty surrounding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East on the Council’s budget in terms of increased oil, gas and electricity costs. In closing it was considered that the report reflected the requirement for the Authority to balance the need to maintain essential services whilst minimising the financial impact on residents. RESOLVED that, in order for the Council to comply with legislative requirements, the report and recommendations of the Director of Corporate Services on the setting of the Council Tax for the financial year 2026/2027 be adopted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that: 6.1 the amended and updated Inter Authority Agreement (IAA) set out in Appendix 3 be approved. 6.2 the exercise of certain functions be delegated to the Joint Governance Committee as set out in the amended terms of reference of the IAA. 6.3 the exercise of the remaining functions reserved to Council be delegated to the Dyfed Pension Committee as set out in the amended IAA. 6.4 any further minor amendments required to the IAA as a result of legislative changes be delegated to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Chair of the Pension Committee. 6.5 the final approval and signing of the IAA be delegated to the Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer as appropriate, in consultation with the Chair of the Pension Committee.
[Note: Councillors D. Cundy, S.A. Curry, G. Davies, S.L. Davies, H.L. Davies, K. Davies, M. Donoghue, D.C. Evans, H.A.L. Evans, W.T. Evans, G.H. John, H. Jones, A. Lenny, D. Nicholas, S.L. Rees, B.A.L. Roberts, E.M.J.G. Schiavone, H.B. Shepardson, E. Skinner, D. Thomas, J. Tremlett, P.T. Warlow, D. E. Williams, J. Williams and S. Williams, having earlier declared an interest in this matter, remained in the meeting for its consideration and voting thereof]. The Council considered a report seeking agreement on proposed amendments to the Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) governance arrangements, including the Inter-Authority Agreement (IAA) in order to meet the government’s “Fit for the Future” ambitions expected to become legislation from 1 April 2026. An overview of the new governance arrangements, including a summary of the main features of the revised IAA and updated IAA were set out at Appendices 1-3 to the report. The Council was advised that each of the eight Pension Funds in Wales making up the Wales Pension Partnership was required to approve the revised IAA. The proposed amendments related to: · the creation of a new Shareholder Forum to oversee the Investment Management Company and act as the forum for decision-making in respect of shareholder “reserved matters”; · changes to the Terms of Reference of the Officer Working Group (OWG) and Joint Governance Committee (JGC); · the development of new legal documents necessary to support Wales Pension Partnership’s future investment pooling arrangements: a Shareholder Agreement (SHA) and a Client Service Agreement (CSA); · a revised IAA to reflect required changes to the governance arrangements. The Dyfed Pension Fund Committee, at its meeting on 24th February 2026, recommended that the proposed amendments to the IAA be approved by the Council. The Council was appraised of the legal implications as set out in the report and noted that a review of the governance arrangements and related legal documents would be scheduled for 2027. RESOLVED that: 6.1 the amended and updated Inter Authority Agreement (IAA) set out in Appendix 3 be approved. 6.2 the exercise of certain functions be delegated to the Joint Governance Committee as set out in the amended terms of reference of the IAA. 6.3 the exercise of the remaining functions reserved to Council be delegated to the Dyfed Pension Committee as set out in the amended IAA. 6.4 any further minor amendments required to the IAA as a result of legislative changes be delegated to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Chair of the Pension Committee. 6.5 the final approval and signing of the IAA be delegated to the Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer as appropriate, in consultation with the Chair of the Pension Committee.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the Pay Policy Statement 2026/27 be approved.
[NOTES: · Councillors J.M. Charles, D. Cundy, B. Davies, T.A.J. Davies, Ll.M. Davies, D.C. Evans, L.D. Evans, T.M. Higgins, M. James, G.H. John, A.C. Jones, H. Jones, M.J.A. Lewis, K. Madge, D. Nicholas, M. Palfreman, E. Rees, B.A.L. Roberts, F. Walters and J. Williams, having earlier declared an interest in this matter, left the meeting for the duration of the item; · All officers in attendance were deemed to have a personal interest in this item and left the meeting prior to its consideration with the exception of the Democratic Services Manager, Democratic Services Officer and officers who were facilitating the webcasting of the meeting]. The Council received for consideration the Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27 which had been produced in accordance with the requirements of Section 38(1) of the Localism Act 2011, and also had regard to the ‘Pay Accountability in Local Government in Wales’ Statutory Guidance issued by the Welsh Government in November 2021. The Pay Policy Statement set out the Authority’s policies for the financial year relating to the remuneration of its Chief Officers, the remuneration of its lowest paid employees and the relationship between the remuneration of its Chief Officers and its employees who were not Chief Officers. It was reported that the politically balanced Pay Policy Advisory Panel had had input into the formulation of the Pay Policy Statement, and its recommendations had been incorporated into the final document for approval by County Council. Furthermore, the Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27 reflected the outcomes of national pay negotiations, the impact of which would result in the removal of Spinal Column Point (SCP) 2 to keep pace with the National Minimum Wage. Council was informed that the Pay Policy Advisory Panel had recommended a review of the Authority’s current pay model to resolve the issue of overlapping pay grades at the bottom end of the pay scale as a result of the removal of SCP2 and had also recommended that work be undertaken, when appropriate, to align the Authority’s terms and conditions due to the proposed changes brought about by new Employment Rights Act legislation, and any significant changes agreed nationally in terms of pay. The report put forth for consideration proposed to continue to pay a supplement equivalent to the Real Living Wage of £13.45 per hour from 1st April 2026 which would benefit more than 400 members of staff, subject to the effect of any National Pay Award applied from April 2026. In closing it was reported that the Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27 confirmed the Authority's commitment to ensuring that staff were remunerated in a way which was fair, transparent and responsible and which recognised the importance of attracting and retaining talented individuals, while ensuring the best value for taxpayers. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Pay Policy Statement 2026/27 be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the following recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted: To implement the proposal to discontinue Ysgol Llansteffan as laid out in the Statutory Notice.
[NOTE: Councillors A. Lenny, A.C. Jones, E. Rees and E. Skinner, having earlier declared their interests in this item, re-iterated their respective declarations and left the meeting for the duration of the item]. Council received the objection report on the closing of Ysgol Llansteffan following the statutory notice period which had been considered by the Cabinet at its meeting held on the 23rd February 2026 [minute 5 thereof refers]. The Cabinet Member for Education referred to the Estyn Inspection of the Local Authority undertaken in 2023, the extended Estyn visit in 2025 and the WLGA Peer Review in 2025 which highlighted that the Authority had not addressed its plans to re-organise and modernise education in full in accordance with the Welsh Government Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. Accordingly, the report put forth for consideration outlined the Modernising Education Programme (MEP) proposals in respect of Ysgol Llansteffan, which had been identified for review following a county‑wide viability assessment of primary schools. The recommendation of the Cabinet was for Council to implement the proposal to discontinue Ysgol Llansteffan from 31 August 2026 and transfer pupils to Ysgol Llangain from 1st September 2026, as laid out in the Statutory Notice. In presenting the report, the Cabinet Member for Education highlighted the significant challenges faced by Ysgol Llansteffan; these included extremely low pupil numbers, high surplus places, a high proportion of pupils attending schools outside the catchment area, limited prospects for an increase in enrolment numbers, and a projected budget deficit at year end. The Cabinet Member for Education advised that the Authority had a responsibility to respond to the circumstances facing the school and act in line with the MEP strategy and the School Organisation Code (2018). The Council was appraised of the process followed to date, as detailed within the report and in accordance with both legislative requirements and council procedures. In this regard it was clarified that due to the number of pupils attending the school being fewer than 10 at the January 2025 Pupil Level Annual School Census (PASC) point, the Authority was able to undertake a streamlined procedure in line with the School Organisation Code 2018, progressing straight to the publication of a statutory notice. The Cabinet Member for Education referred to the appended Objection Report which summarised the feedback received from stakeholders, together with the Authority’s responses thereto. A total of 201 submissions had been received, comprising 3 supportive comments and 198 objections. The objections included concerns in respect of community impact, capacity at Llangain school, active travel and transport implications, data accuracy and the effect of the new housing development. The Cabinet Member for Education assured Council that the Authority had given careful consideration to the valuable feedback submitted and robust, evidence-based responses had been provided to address the concerns raised, as detailed within the report. In this regard it was acknowledged that consideration of a school closure was both difficult and emotive, however the Council had a duty to ensure that resources are allocated responsibly and fairly for the benefit of all pupils within the county. RESOLVED that the following recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted: To implement the proposal to discontinue Ysgol Llansteffan as laid out in the Statutory Notice.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the report of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 16th February, 2026 be received.
UNAMIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 16th February, 2026 be received.
The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.
“The announcement of new investment in Llanelli by the UK Labour Government, totalling £20 million over the next decade, is great news, as is the requirement for a representative Neighbourhood Board giving all local people and relevant organisations a genuine say in how the money is spent. Will the Cabinet Member commit to applying an equally robust and co-productive approach to future engagement on other town centre developments across Carmarthenshire, thereby guaranteeing that local voices are properly heard and acted on?” Response by Councillor Hazel Evans, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture & Tourism “Carmarthenshire County Council has always prided itself on meaningful, transparent and genuinely inclusive engagement with our communities. Whether it’s town‑centre or rural regeneration, placemaking, economic development or major funding programmes, our approach has consistently been about ensuring that local people help shape local outcomes. Over recent years, we’ve shown this commitment through wide‑ranging consultation work in every town across the county. At the moment, we’re carrying out extensive public engagement to help develop Placemaking Plans for each of our primary towns. These conversations — with residents, businesses, elected members and partners — will directly shape the priorities in those plans, making sure they reflect what people tell us matters most to them. We’ve taken the same approach with the Ten Towns Economic Growth Plans, each of which was built on thorough consultation and collaboration with residents, town and community councils, businesses and local groups. And importantly, engagement doesn’t stop once the plans are published. We’re preparing a fresh round of consultation events across the Ten Towns to review progress, look at what has worked well so far, and gather updated priorities so that investment continues to be targeted where it can make the biggest difference. So yes I can absolutely commit that we will continue to apply a robust, co-productive and ongoing approach to engagement for all town centre developments. I am sure you would agree with me that all Councillors have the best interests of their communities at heart and would proactively ensure that they promote any consultation that are ongoing to ensure full engagement with the process. Diolch” Supplementary Question by Councillor Martyn Palfreman “Would you not agree that unwanted strip lights in the pavement in Llanelli Town Centre and the delayed Carmarthen Hwb project in Carmarthen Town Centre, which is well over budget and was described during recent consultation variously as a white elephant and a needless duplication of existing facilities, provide examples of when meaningful consultation might have led to better informed choices by the council and a more appropriate use of public funds? Diolch” Response by Councillor Hazel Evans, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture & Tourism “Thank you Chair. As that was nothing to do with the response that I gave you I will not answer. Diolch.”
The Chair stated that the minutes outlined on the agenda under 12.1 – 12.2 were available for information on the Council website.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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