Loading
The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED that the Annual Report be received.
RESOLVED that the revised Corporate Safeguarding Policy be approved.
RESOLVED that the revised Waste and Recycling Services Policy be approved.
RESOLVED that the Budget Monitoring report be received.
RESOLVED that Cabinet: 10.1 receives the initial budget outlook and considers the level of Council Tax rises and the level of budget reductions across all services that it considers appropriate for developing the Medium Term Financial Plan. 10.2 considers the significant financial risks that are currently underlying the budget outlook, in particular the schools and children’s services financial position. 10.3 endorses the proposed approach to identifying the required savings. notes the proposed approach to the Budget Consultation.
RESOLVED that Cabinet: 11.1 receives the capital programme update report. notes and agrees the new projects in the report.
RESOLVED that the report be approved.
RESOLVED that the report be received.
RESOLVED that the policy be approved.
An apology for absence was received from Councillor P.M. Hughes.
There were no declarations of personal interests.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 7th September 2026 be signed as a correct record.
The Chair advised that no questions on notice had been submitted by members.
The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the Annual Report be received.
The Cabinet received the Corporate Safeguarding Annual Report for 2025/26, which informed members of the work ongoing to ensure robust corporate arrangements are in place for safeguarding children and adults at risk. The Cabinet Member for Integrated Health & Children & Adult Social Services presented the report and noted that it was a priority to ensure everyone associated with the Council was aware of the importance of Corporate Safeguarding, as well as how and when to raise concerns. The Cabinet was advised that the Annual Report updated members on the work being done on the focus areas of Safe Governance, Safe Workplace and Workforce, Safe Practice and Performance, Safe Partnerships, and Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence (VAWDSASV). UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Annual Report be received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the revised Corporate Safeguarding Policy be approved.
The Cabinet considered a report on changes to the Corporate Safeguarding Policy and was asked to endorse the revised policy. The Cabinet Member for Integrated Health & Children & Adult Social Services presented the report and noted that the policy set out how the Council will meet its obligations to safeguard vulnerable children and adults. She noted that all employees, contractors, volunteers and councillors have a role to play in this. The Cabinet recognised the hard work of staff on Corporate Safeguarding, noted the importance of safeguarding vulnerable children and adults and agreed that continuous improvement in this area remained a priority. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the revised Corporate Safeguarding Policy be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the revised Waste and Recycling Services Policy be approved.
The Cabinet considered a report seeking approval for the updated Waste and Recycling Policy. This report provided a comprehensive overview of the strategic and operational policies that will underpin the waste service changes to be implemented in Autumn 2026. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services presented the report and advised that the changes within the report would improve recycling performance and provide a clear and consistent framework for delivering the Welsh Government Collections Blueprint and maximising reuse and recycling rates. The Cabinet thanked officers and acknowledged that the changes were not easy but encouraged all residents to read the information sent to them to familiarise themselves with the new system. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the revised Waste and Recycling Services Policy be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the Budget Monitoring report be received.
The Cabinet considered the Revenue Budget Monitoring Report that provided it with an update on the latest budgetary position as at 30th June 2026, in respect of 2026/27. The Cabinet Member for Resources presented the report and advised that the monitoring position currently forecasted an overspend of £11.3m on the Authority's net revenue budget, with total departmental overspends of £15.9m including schools. He noted the seriousness of the position, particularly the projected deficit of school balances, which was forecast to exceed the level of the Authority's General Fund balance if no corrective action was taken. He noted that other key factors included Children’s Services, Adult Social Care and savings delivery. The Cabinet was also advised that of the £2.6m set aside in the 2026/27 budget to assist with service pressures, £300,000 had been committed following the authority’s decision to pay staff the increased HMRC mileage rates, recognising the still mounting cost of petrol and diesel. The Cabinet Member also noted that the authority was around £150m worse off in real terms than it was 10 years ago, and that if funding wasn’t increased in future the situation would not improve. The Cabinet Member for Education noted his concern regarding schools’ financial situation and advised that there was a lot of work being done with schools and governing bodies to look seriously at their budgets. He advised that the authority would do its best to help, but that individual governing bodies had to take responsibility for their schools’ budgets. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Budget Monitoring report be received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Cabinet: 10.1 receives the initial budget outlook and considers the level of Council Tax rises and the level of budget reductions across all services that it considers appropriate for developing the Medium Term Financial Plan. 10.2 considers the significant financial risks that are currently underlying the budget outlook, in particular the schools and children’s services financial position. 10.3 endorses the proposed approach to identifying the required savings. notes the proposed approach to the Budget Consultation.
The Cabinet considered the Revenue Budget Outlook report that apprised members of the current financial outlook and updated them on the Council’s current financial model covering the next financial year. The report outlined the proposals for taking forward the budget preparations for the next year. The Cabinet Member for Resources presented the report and advised that while the authority continued to deliver services and maintain a balanced budget strategy, the external economic and political environment remained volatile with significant financial risks. He noted that the authority continued to face substantial local pressures – including overspends in schools and the increasing demand-led pressures within Adult Care, and in Children's Services, the latter of which remained one of the most significant risks within the authority’s medium-term financial planning assumptions. The Cabinet was advised that robust intervention and support arrangements would continue, alongside work with governing bodies and school leaders to restore long-term financial sustainability. The Cabinet Member noted that the assumptions were made with the best information currently available and that it was important that Cabinet began the budget preparation process early. The purpose of the report was not to make final budget decisions, but rather to establish the planning assumptions, timescales and framework necessary to prepare a balanced and sustainable budget for 2027/28 and beyond. He further noted that the UK's political situation made it hard to forecast key assumptions such as Welsh Government funding levels. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that Cabinet: 10.1 receives the initial budget outlook and considers the level of Council Tax rises and the level of budget reductions across all services that it considers appropriate for developing the Medium Term Financial Plan. 10.2 considers the significant financial risks that are currently underlying the budget outlook, in particular the schools and children’s services financial position. 10.3 endorses the proposed approach to identifying the required savings. notes the proposed approach to the Budget Consultation.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Cabinet: 11.1 receives the capital programme update report. notes and agrees the new projects in the report.
The Cabinet considered the Capital Programme 2026/27 update which provided an update of the latest budgetary position for the 2026/27 capital programme, as at the 30th June 2026. The Cabinet Member for Resources presented the report and noted his pleasure in being able to provide a positive update, including several significant achievements by the authority. He advised that the report included the budgets approved by Full Council for both the HRA and General Fund, together with funding from ongoing projects that have been carried over from the previous year. Collectively, the total budget for capital projects in 2026/27 was £213.2m gross and £106.7m net. As at the end of June the forecasted net spend for the year was £73.2m against the budget, giving a variance of £33.5m. The Cabinet Member highlighted several capital projects, including new housing at Cwrt Lliedi and Maes Griffiths; the redevelopment of the Plas y Bryn care home for adults and the new children’s home at Harddfan in Llanelli; the new leisure centre for Llanelli at Pentre Awel; the Tywi Valley Path; and the Oriel Myrddin redevelopment in Carmarthen. The Cabinet expressed their pleasure with the delivery of the projects in the Capital Programme, and in particular noted the positive impact of new homes on the lives of tenants. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that Cabinet: 11.1 receives the capital programme update report. notes and agrees the new projects in the report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the report be approved.
The Cabinet considered the Annual Treasury Management and Prudential Indicator Report for 2025-2026. The Cabinet Member for Resources presented the report and advised that the Treasury Management Policy and Strategy for 2025-2026 was approved by Council on 26th February 2025. The Policy stated that Treasury Management activity reports including an Annual Report would be presented to the Cabinet and County Council during the year. This report outlined the Treasury Management activities for the full year 2025-2026 and confirmed the Prudential Indicators for the same period. He noted that total investments made and repaid to the Council during the year amounted to £1,985.50m and congratulated investment staff on over-performing against the investment benchmark during the year by 0.03%, earning an average return of 4.08%. This can be quantified as £33,600 more when compared to the average benchmark rate. The Cabinet Member noted that £30m of new Public Works Loan Board borrowing was taken during the year and that the total value of the borrowing outstanding at the year-end was just over £434m, well below the set ceiling of £600m. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the report be received.
The Cabinet considered the Revenue Budget Outturn Report which provided it with an end-of-year position in respect of 2025/26. The Cabinet Member for Resources presented the report and advised that the final position confirmed the pressures monitored throughout the year by Cabinet and the Scrutiny Committees. He noted that at departmental level, the Council recorded an overall overspend of £9.4m, including movements in school balances. Corporate underspends, capital-financing savings and movements in reserves reduced the net impact on the Authority to £1.755m. This amount was met from General Fund balances. He noted that the result was considerably better than indicated by the in-year monitoring reports and demonstrated the effectiveness of the Council’s corporate financial-management arrangements. The Cabinet Member noted that the pressures were, as previously noted in the Budget Monitoring report, largely in Schools, Children’s Services and Adult Social Care. He additionally noted that the £2.7m underspend in the Place, Infrastructure and Economic Development reflected a year-end accounting adjustment rather than an equivalent improvement in operational performance. New Extended Producer Responsibility funding was transferred to reserves; excluding this adjustment, the department’s performance was broadly in line with the February monitoring forecast. The Cabinet was advised that although the service pressures were concerning, several corporate budgets performed better than expected. Savings on capital financing and other corporate budget lines helped offset departmental overspends and materially reduced the Council’s net outturn position. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the policy be approved.
The Cabinet considered a report on the Authority’s Neurodiversity Policy, which was developed to demonstrate the Authority’s commitment to supporting neurodiverse applicants and employees in the workplace and in response to its staff survey. The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture & Tourism presented the report on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Organisation & Workforce, who was unable to attend the meeting, and noted that the policy would help realise the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce, and the strengths and skills that neurodivergent individuals could bring to the authority. She noted that neurodivergent conditions could include: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism/Asperger’s, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and Tourette's syndrome, amongst other conditions. Acquired neurological conditions, such as traumatic brain injuries, strokes, and Alzheimer's disease, could also lead to neurodivergence. The Cabinet Member noted that neurodivergent conditions affected people in different ways, and some individuals may be diagnosed with one or more neurodivergent conditions with overlapping symptoms. She noted that neurodivergent individuals could bring strengths to the workplace in many areas such as attention to detail, thinking outside the box, visual imaging, pattern recognition and analytical skills. It was noted that the authority believes that efforts to create and maintain a neuro-inclusive organisation will help foster creativity, different viewpoints, richer ideas and innovation, which will help drive improved organisational performance. The Cabinet was advised that neurodivergent individuals can experience barriers in the workplace but that the authority was committed to making changes to address these, including reasonable adjustments, help from Occupational Health and e-learning to help enhance understanding of neurodiversity. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the policy be approved.
The Chair advised that there were no items of urgent business.
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.
Lists the council's current councillors only. Co-opted members, officers and former councillors aren't shown.