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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL: 6.1 to note the findings and recommendations of the Carmarthenshire Panel Performance Assessment; 6.2 to agree to the recommendations and response to the report.
RESOLVED to proceed with the publication of a statutory notice to implement the proposals as detailed in the report.
RESOLVED to proceed with the publication of a statutory notice to implement the proposals as detailed in the report.
RESOLVED that: 9.1 Approval be given in the sum of £240,000 for the introduction of a new ANPR barrier system at Pembrey Country Park; 9.2 The repayment for the scheme be over five years; 9.3 The repayments commence in 2026/27.
RESOLVED to agree the progress on the Notice of Motion.
An apology for absence was received from Councillor A. Lenny.
There were no declarations of personal interests.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 12th January, 2026 be signed as a correct record.
The Chair advised that no questions on notice had been submitted by members.
"What has been the current cumulative spend and is the forecast total spend compared to the original forecast, on the former Debenhams store project in St Catherine's Walk, Carmarthen?’’ Response by Councillor. Linda Evans, Leader of the Council:- Thank you for the question. As of last Wednesday – 21st January 2026, the current cumulative spend on the project stood at £33.26 million, with a forecast total spend of £41.003 million. This significant investment is supported by a combination of external funding totalling £28.216 million from sources including the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund and Shared Prosperity Fund, as well as Welsh Government programmes and partner contributions. Alongside this, we have committed £12.787 million in match funding. When the original grant was awarded in October 2021, the anticipated project cost was £19.608 million. However, as with many major capital schemes, several factors have contributed to the rise in overall cost. Initially, the bid was based on a conceptual design. After funding was secured, more detailed work was undertaken to confirm the services that would be delivered from the building. This deeper design process provided a clearer understanding of the costs involved. In addition, £12 million in extra funding was successfully secured from both Welsh and UK Governments and Project Partners. This enabled the expansion of the original vision to include a Family Entertainment Centre, additional healthcare provision, and an overall increase in the usable floorspace. These additions are key to delivering greater economic and social benefits for the town in Carmarthen. Further design developments particularly around healthcare provision have required enhanced mechanical and electrical installations to meet clinical standards. The project has also been affected by post pandemic inflation within the construction sector, reflecting national cost pressures. And, as is common with refurbishing older buildings, several unforeseen issues have been uncovered during work on the existing structure. Large-scale projects like the Atriwm inevitably present various challenges and this happened in our case. However, following the closure of Debenhams in 2021, we responded promptly to prevent a significant central space in Carmarthen from facing an uncertain future. Our actions have ensured that this area is now positioned to become a pivotal development for the town. Before long, this modernised facility will soon become home to: • A gym and sport offer • A Customer Services Hwb • A visitor information outlet • A range of Hywel Dda University Health Board services • And University of Wales Trinity Saint David sport and exercise therapy clinics. This redevelopment will breathe new life into the town centre and bring meaningful health, social, and economic benefits to our local communities. Thank you. Supplementary question by Mr Havard Hughes: What was Carmarthenshire County Council’s initial assessment of the future financial liability to the council tax payers from the covenants and obligations they took on when they entered into an inalienable 999 year lease. Response by Councillor. Linda Evans, Leader of the Council to the supplementary question:- I can assure you that as a Council we look after our residents and the council tax is our work to provide services but here we have a building where we’ve had around £26 million in grants and on top of that, we’ve then had £12 million. With a building like Debenhams which is right in the middle of St Catherine’s Walk, it is a huge building, and it is important for us in Carmarthenshire and for us as a Council that we maintain that building for the benefit of the people in the future. So, with the plan that we have, it will be of benefit to generations to come in relation to health, well-being and leisure as well. And with that the footfall in Carmarthen will increase and I am very confident of that and I am aware that people are looking forward to seeing this place open and thriving. It would have been a big mistake for us as a Council to leave that building empty because who knows, it could still be empty today. Thanks.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL: 6.1 to note the findings and recommendations of the Carmarthenshire Panel Performance Assessment; 6.2 to agree to the recommendations and response to the report.
The Cabinet considered the Carmarthenshire Panel Performance Assessment Report and the Council response. It was noted that the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 placed a duty on Councils to arrange for a panel to undertake and respond to a corporate, organisational level assessment, at least once during the period between two consecutive ordinary elections of councillors to the Council, of the extent to which the Council was meeting its performance requirements. The Carmarthenshire PPA was undertaken between 10-13 June 2025 with the Council now at Stage 3 (Follow Up) of the process and had received the final report and recommendations of the Panel. The overall conclusion of the report was that ‘’Carmarthenshire is a well-run and values-based organisation with strong and visible leadership at political and officer level and has an awareness of its key challenges’’. The report and the Council’s response was presented to the Governance & Audit Committee for consideration on the 19th December, 2025 meeting. The Committee welcomed the report and Council response and had no further comments or suggestions for Council to consider. It was noted that the Authority was fully aware of the financial deficits within schools and assurance was given that the Authority was working on resolving the matter. UNANAMOUSLY RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL: 6.1 to note the findings and recommendations of the Carmarthenshire Panel Performance Assessment; 6.2 to agree to the recommendations and response to the report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to proceed with the publication of a statutory notice to implement the proposals as detailed in the report.
The Cabinet considered a report on the Modernising Education Programme proposal to change the age range from 4-11 to 3-11 at Cwrt Henri, Llanybydder, Tumble and Y Ddwylan schools from September, 2026. It was noted that the proposals to change the age range of the schools had been prepared in response to the Cabinet’s decision to remove Carmarthenshire’s Rising 4s Policy, where children were historically eligible to enter full-time primary education at the start of the school term in which they turned four years of age. Following a period of public consultation held between 19th January, 2024 and 1st March, 2024, Cabinet resolved on the 25th March, 2024 to remove the Rising 4s Policy. This meant that as of 1st September, 2025, children would be eligible for full-time school at the start of the term following their fourth birthday. From this date, there would be no children in full-time provision who are three years of age. It was highlighted that the proposals aim to address the gaps in provision of a minimum of 10 hours non-statutory 3-year-old education in the Cwrt Henri, Llanybydder, Tumble and Y Ddwylan areas by proposing to change the age range of the schools from 4-11 to 3-11. UNANAMOUSLY RESOLVED to proceed with the publication of a statutory notice to implement the proposals as detailed in the report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to proceed with the publication of a statutory notice to implement the proposals as detailed in the report.
The Cabinet considered a report on the Modernising Education Programme proposal to reconfigure the nursery provision in Ammanford. The report included the responses to the proposal to remove Carmarthenshire’s Rising 4s policy, where children were historically eligible to enter full-time education at the start of the school term in which they turned four years of age. It was noted that following a period of public consultation held between 19th January, 2024 and 1st March, 2024, the Cabinet resolved on 25th March, 2024 to remove the rising 4s policy. As a result, as of 1st September, 2025 children would be eligible for full-time school at the start of the term following their fourth birthday. From this date, there would be no children in full-time provision who are three years of age except for Ammanford Nursery School. In accordance with Cabinet’s instructions on the 14th July, 2025 a formal consultation exercise was undertaken from 4th September 2025 to 16th October, 2025. UNANAMOUSLY RESOLVED to proceed with the publication of a statutory notice to implement the proposals as detailed in the report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that: 9.1 Approval be given in the sum of £240,000 for the introduction of a new ANPR barrier system at Pembrey Country Park; 9.2 The repayment for the scheme be over five years; 9.3 The repayments commence in 2026/27.
The Cabinet considered a report on the Development Fund Application. It was noted that the Authority had £804k available for new projects. The report seeks approval for the sum of £240,000 to finance the replacement of the existing barrier system at Pembrey Country Park with the introduction of a new and improved Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) barrier system which would create a more positive experience for customers, reduce expenditure and generate increased income. UNANAMOUSLY RESOLVED that: 9.1 Approval be given in the sum of £240,000 for the introduction of a new ANPR barrier system at Pembrey Country Park; 9.2 The repayment for the scheme be over five years; 9.3 The repayments commence in 2026/27.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to agree the progress on the Notice of Motion.
The Cabinet considered a report on the Notice of Motion referred to Cabinet by County Council on the 12th November, 2025. It was noted that at Council on the 12th of November 2025 a notice of motion on Wind and Solar Farms was agreed and as a result a letter was sent to the relevant Cabinet Secretary. The letter called on Welsh Government to pause its open invitation to submit any more DNS (Developments of National Significance) and future Strategic Infrastructure Project (SIP) application for major on-shore wind and solar farms in Carmarthenshire until a review has been undertaken to establish the cumulative impact of DNS applications and that coherent plans are put in place. It was highlighted that while Carmarthenshire was calling on Welsh Government to pause it also supported the principles of generating renewable energy. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to agree the progress on the Notice of Motion.
The Chair advised that there were no items of urgent business.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED, pursuant to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007, that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items as the reports contained exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Act.
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