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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: 4.1. the Revenue Budget Strategy Consultation 2026/27 to 2028/29 be Received; 4.2. the proposals for delivery of efficiency savings as identified in Appendix A(i) be received; 4.3. the Charging Digest detailed in Appendix C to the report, be endorsed.
RESOLVED that the Five-Year Capital Programme 2026/27 – 2030/31 be endorsed.
RESOLVED that the 2026-27 Divisional Business / Delivery Plans for Financial Services; Revenues & Financial Compliance; People, Digital and Policy; Law Governance and Civil Services and Health-Related Capital Projects, be received.
RESOLVED that the Revenue and Capital Monitoring Report 2025/26 be received.
RESOLVED that the 2025/26 end of Q2 Performance Report, relevant to this scrutiny, be received.
RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting be received.
An apology for absence was received from Councillor D. Nicholas. Apologies were also received from Councillors P. Hughes, Cabinet Member for Organisation and Workplace, A. Lenny, Cabinet Member for Resources and L. Evans, Leader.
There were no declarations of personal interest. There were no declarations of any prohibited party whips.
No public questions had been received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that: 4.1. the Revenue Budget Strategy Consultation 2026/27 to 2028/29 be Received; 4.2. the proposals for delivery of efficiency savings as identified in Appendix A(i) be received; 4.3. the Charging Digest detailed in Appendix C to the report, be endorsed.
The Committee considered the Corporate Revenue Budget Strategy Consultation 2026/27 to 2028/29, which provided a current view of the revenue budget for 2026/27 together with indicative figures for the 2027/28 and 2028/29 financial years. The report is based on projections of spending requirements and took account of the provisional settlement issued by Welsh Government (WG) on 24th November 2025. Members were reminded that the report had been considered by Cabinet at its meeting on 15th December 2025 and members of the Committee had recently attended consultation events which had provided an opportunity to analyse and seek clarification on various aspects of the budget. The Committee were advised that the final settlement was expected to be published by Welsh Government on the 20th January, 2026 alongside the Welsh Government budget. The report indicated that the proposed financial model for 2026/27 had been shaped by significant uncertainty and required savings of £9.6 million combined with a 6.5% council tax increase. Despite that, a funding gap totalling £3.5m remained which would need to be bridged through a combination of additional savings, additional council tax and/or an emergency use of reserves. The Committee was informed that the announced provisional settlement represented a 2.3% increase for Carmarthenshire, which, taking account of the ‘transfers-in’, equated to £17.9m and would leave a substantial funding shortfall due to the scale of the additional cost pressures facing Carmarthenshire, particularly in respect of the Employers National Insurance rates. In terms of Welsh Government Service Specific Grants, it was noted that most would remain at the same cash value to previous years, thereby resulting in a detrimental impact on outputs due to the increase in general inflation and pay awards. An overview of the updated position on the current financial outlook, as set out in the report, was provided to the Committee which took account of the provisional settlement and also other recent validation changes. The Committee thereupon considered the following detailed budget information appended to the Strategy, relevant to Corporate and Performance Scrutiny:- Appendix A – Corporate Budget Strategy 2026/27 to 2028/29 Appendix A(i) – Efficiency summary for the Chief Executive and Corporate Services departments Appendix A(ii) – Growth Pressures summary for the Chief Executive and Corporate Services departments Appendix B – Budget monitoring report for the Chief Executive and Corporate Services departments Appendix C – Charging Digest for the Chief Executive and Corporate Services departments The Chair on behalf of the Committee thanked officers for their hard work in producing a comprehensive report and for the informative seminars provided, which members found extremely helpful. The Committee noted that the budget consultation period was closing on 1st February, 2026 and emphasised the importance of public feedback in the budget process. Amongst the issues raised during consideration of the report were the following: · In response to a query on the alignment between the budget savings and the Business Plans, the Director of Corporate Services confirmed that they were linked, though timing issues sometimes required further departmental consultation in specific areas. · Clarification was sought regarding the effectiveness of the efficiency measures and specifically how £1m in net savings were being reviewed to ensure changes were embedded. The Director of Corporate Services advised that they were regularly monitored by the managers and were reviewed by the Corporate Management Team (CMT) and Cabinet on a bi-monthly basis. · Reference was made to the financial pressures in schools, and it was asked where the pressures were for the overspend. The Director of Corporate Services explained that agency staffing costs were a significant factor, noting that one school had already reduced the use of agency staff with positive results. The Head of Financial Services added that pupil numbers had fallen by around 1,000 over the past five years, resulting in reduced funding while teacher staffing remained unchanged. Given the low settlement and declining pupil numbers, the Council was required to absorb increased financial pressures locally. · It was asked whether IT had a list of priorities for efficiency savings. The Chief Digital Officer confirmed that there was a list of priorities and that a comprehensive, authority wide assessment would be undertaken in the coming weeks, to identify where AI automation could improve better ways of working. Financial savings were expected to take several months to materialise. · An update was requested in respect of the most recent budgetary forecast whereby it was highlighted that the information presented may not reflect the most up to date budgetary position due to the delay in receiving the data. The Head of Financial Services advised that due to the scheduling of meetings and the timing of data availability, the figures presented reflected the most current information obtainable. UNANAMOUSLY RESOLVED that: 4.1. the Revenue Budget Strategy Consultation 2026/27 to 2028/29 be Received; 4.2. the proposals for delivery of efficiency savings as identified in Appendix A(i) be received; 4.3. the Charging Digest detailed in Appendix C to the report, be endorsed.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the Five-Year Capital Programme 2026/27 – 2030/31 be endorsed.
The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture and Tourism, presented the 5-year capital programme which provided an initial view of the 5-year Capital Programme from 2026/27 to 2030/31. The report formed the basis of the budget consultation process with members and other relevant parties and any feedback, along with the final settlement and would inform the final budget report which would be presented to Cabinet, and in turn to County Council in February 2026. The proposed gross expenditure on the capital programme for 2026/27 is £70.336m with the projected funding being £44.435m from the county council’s own resources through the application of borrowing, reserves, direct revenue financing, capital receipts and general capital grant, with the balance of £20.273m coming from external sources. The report noted that a balance of £5.628m needed to be identified for the first year, at time of consultation. It was also noted that £2.810m was unfunded. Future funds would need to be identified, or the scope of investments amended accordingly. The Committee praised officers for a clear, ambitious Capital Investment Programme. Amongst the issues raised during consideration of the report were the following: · Reference was made to the excellent work being undertaken across the authority, however concern was raised that this was not being effectively promoted to the community. The Director of Corporate Services stated that he would contact the Media and Marketing team to improve promotion. RESOLVED that the Five-Year Capital Programme 2026/27 – 2030/31 be endorsed.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the 2026-27 Divisional Business / Delivery Plans for Financial Services; Revenues & Financial Compliance; People, Digital and Policy; Law Governance and Civil Services and Health-Related Capital Projects, be received.
The Committee considered the 2026-27 Divisional Business / Delivery Plans for Financial Services; Revenues & Financial Compliance; Law, Governance, Civil Service; People; Health-Related Capital Projects and People, Digital and Policy. While the focus remained on which actions and measures would be included in each division’s plan for 2026/27, the format of the divisional plans had been revised to include further contextual information. The Assistant Chief Executive in presenting the report, highlighted that the Business Plans were working documents and may be subject to change over the course of the year in response to changing circumstances. In the completion of the business plans, divisions have considered the outcomes that were hoped to have been achieved (as noted in the Corporate Strategy), the findings of the most recent resident’s consultation and the conclusions of the most recent Self Assessments. The comments/observations were responded to as follows: · Law, Governance, Civil Services – in response to a query regarding a lack of covert surveillance this year, the Assistant Chief Executive advised that this was scheduled to be reviewed in January, 2026 and that the relevant officer would be asked to report on the outcome. · People, Digital and Policy – in response to a query asking which public facing services and internal services will be prioritised with the transformation team, the Assistant Chief Executive confirmed that application of AI was being prioritised over the next 6 months corporately. · Financial Services – reference was made regarding the 2025 Residents Survey Response, which highlighting that individuals would not be willing to pay any additional Council Tax. It was suggested that this may stem from limited awareness of how council tax is allocated. The Director of Corporate Services clarified that the Cabinet Member for Resources regularly emphasises this information, supported by an explanatory video on the consultation webpage and an information leaflet provided to householders with the annual council tax bill. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the 2026-27 Divisional Business / Delivery Plans for Financial Services; Revenues & Financial Compliance; People, Digital and Policy; Law Governance and Civil Services and Health-Related Capital Projects, be received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the Revenue and Capital Monitoring Report 2025/26 be received.
The Committee considered the Authority’s Corporate Budget Monitoring Report 2025/26 and the Chief Executive’s and Corporate Services departmental reports as at 31st October, 2025 in respect of the 2025/26 financial year. The monitoring report forecasted an overspend for the year at departmental level of £13.2m including school budgets, with a forecasted overspend on the Authority’s net revenue budget of £10.7m. The key factors for the overspend included: Schools – even though the overspend had improved £0.5m since the last report, the overspend remained unsustainable and urgent action was required on staffing/resources and school footprint rationalisation. Children’s Services – an overspend was due to an increase in high-cost residential placements. Adult Social Care – the demand for older people and mental health services continues to exceed budget, despite additional funding. The report noted that the capital financing forecast was £2.5m below budget due to higher interest on positive cash balances. There was a further £0.9m underspend forecasted as a result of additional grant funding issued by Welsh Government (WG) to all Local Authorities in respect of the April 2025 NJC pay award. In respect of the increased cost of Employers National Insurance, WG confirmed that grant funding was just below £6m, against a budget assumption of £7m. The £1m shortfall has been added as a necessary pressure to the 2026/27 budget. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Revenue and Capital Monitoring Report 2025/26 be received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the 2025/26 end of Q2 Performance Report, relevant to this scrutiny, be received.
The Committee considered the Performance Monitoring Report for the period 1st April to 30th September 2025 (Quarter 2), which provided a progress update of Actions and Measures linked to the Corporate Strategy and Well-being objectives relevant to the Committee’s remit. Amongst the issues and queries raised on the report were the following: · Reference was made to the high sickness levels in certain departments and it was suggested that the relevant Heads of Service be invited to the Scrutiny Committee to address these ongoing concerns. · With regard to the two measures of interactions off-target, it was requested for the narrative to include that they are being moved from target to trend. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the 2025/26 end of Q2 Performance Report, relevant to this scrutiny, be received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting be received.
The Committee noted that the next scheduled date may be changed due to the pre-election period. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting be received.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on the 17th December, 2025 be signed as a correct record.
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