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RESOLVED that the report be received.
RESOLVED that: 4.1 the 2026/27 – 2028/29 Revenue Budget Strategy Consultation be received; 4.2 the Charging Digest for the Place, Infrastructure & Economic Development and Public Protection Services, as detailed in Appendix C to the report, be endorsed.
RESOLVED that the Business Plans relevant to this Scrutiny Committee for 2026/27 be endorsed.
RESOLVED that the report be received.
RESOLVED that the report be received.
RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting on 10th March 2026 be approved.
An apology for absence was received from Councillor D.C. Evans.
Councillor Minute Item(s) Nature of Interest N. Lewis 7. CARMARTHENSHIRE COMMUNITY TRANSPORT STRATEGY Two companies he formed are mentioned in the report. He has dispensation to speak but not vote. K.V. Broom 5. REVENUE BUDGET STRATEGY CONSULTATION 2026/27 TO 2028/29 She has a Public Right of Way running across her land. Declared an interest but remained in the meeting. This declaration was made when it became apparent during the item in question. There were no declarations of prohibited party whips.
The chair confirmed that no public questions had been received.
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RESOLVED that the report be received.
The Committee received the Revenue & Capital Budget Monitoring Report for the Place & Infrastructure and Public Protection Services in respect of 2025/26. This was to provide Scrutiny with an update on the latest budgetary position, as of 31st October 2025. The Leader of the Council presented the report and advised the Committee that there was an overall overspend of £514k, which was a £148k increase from the previously reported estimated outturn position. Among the overspends noted were those relating to the severe storm on 4th November 2025, cost and supply pressures on school transport and lower income than targeted in licensing. The Committee had the following questions/comments: - In response to a question on how to reduce the £184k overspend in the Public Protection budget, the Head of Financial Services advised that this was difficult to do in part due to some of the fee structures for licensing activities not having been increased for over 20 years. - The Committee asked for assurances that the large overspend on school transport in the last two months wouldn’t continue. The Leader of the Council advised that due to the statutory duty to provide transport this couldn’t be guaranteed, but that officers were looking at how to reduce costs, including providing funding for parents of children with Additional Learning Needs to transport their children, rather than using more expensive options such as taxis. A discussion was also had regarding pupils travelling by train, and the Committee was advised that this had been considered, but that unreliable services made it difficult. The Committee was also advised that when additional ALN placements were made by the education department, the corresponding costs would be accounted for in the school transport budget. - The Committee asked for an update regarding the changes to dog breeding licensing that had been recommended by its Task and Finish group and approved by Cabinet. It was advised that the recommendations that had national implications had been sent to the relevant Cabinet Secretary at Welsh Government, and at the Committee’s request would also be sent to the Senedd Members for Carmarthenshire. - The Committee asked about whether four vacant posts in Business Support for Service Improvement and Transformation (two of which were currently covered by agency staff) would be filled. The Director of Place and Infrastructure advised that due to the current recruitment freeze, these had to meet certain criteria to be filled, and it had been decided that they were non-essential and could be left vacant. - Regarding the £110k shortfall relating to the Financial Investigator, the Committee was advised that this was due to a shortfall of income against the target. This income would be from the Proceeds of Crime Act, where the authority can recover illegally gained assets, from prosecutions in areas such as trading standards or animal health. - In response to a question regarding burying and capping waste, the Head of Environmental Infrastructure advised that recycling was a more cost-effective option. - The Committee asked about the £806k income and expenditure under the Powys CC Green Waste collection agreement and officers explained that this was a net income offset where Powys CC pay CWM Environmental through Carmarthenshire CC. - The Committee thanked officers for their work around the severe storm in November 2025 and asked about the related overspend. The Head of Environmental Infrastructure advised that with unpredictable weather it was difficult to project this budget, but that spending was monitored closely, and additional funding had been sought from Welsh Government. The Head of Financial Services explained the Emergency Financial Assistance Scheme to the Committee, noting that emergency support would be automatically given from Welsh Government if storm damage cost over £1m, but that below this, any extra funding was discretionary. The Leader of the Council noted that it was important that residents report any storm or flooding damage, so the authority had a full picture of the impact of severe weather events. - In response to a question regarding the £1m overspend on the Towy Valley Path, the Committee was advised that the authority was seeking grant funding to cover this, but if this was not realised it would be covered from the 2025/26 capital budget. - The Committee was advised, in response to a question on the highways structures budget, that with a growing backlog of repairs, the percentage of the budget going towards corrective repairs would continue to rise. It was also noted that this budget was based on a two-year Welsh Government borrowing initiative, and there was no certainty it would continue after 2025/26. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.
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RESOLVED that: 4.1 the 2026/27 – 2028/29 Revenue Budget Strategy Consultation be received; 4.2 the Charging Digest for the Place, Infrastructure & Economic Development and Public Protection Services, as detailed in Appendix C to the report, be endorsed.
The Committee considered a report on the Revenue Budget Strategy Consultation 2026/27 to 2028/29. The objective of the report was to allow members to consider the corporate budget strategy and the service delivery impact and options for the forthcoming years. The Leader of the Council presented the report and advised that it had been approved by the Cabinet on 15th December 2025 as a basis for consultation, of which this meeting was a part. The budget is based on the provisional settlement issued by Welsh Government on 24th November 2025, which was then amended by an agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru in the Senedd. Even allowing for the additional funding from this agreement, the Leader advised that there was still a significant shortfall between funding available and the amount which would be required to maintain services at the current levels. Given this, the authority would need to continue to identify and deliver budget reductions within this and future years. The Committee was advised that the Local Government Settlement increased by 2.3%, or a cash value of £17.9m, for Carmarthenshire. This includes “grant transfers in” such as the funding for the Employers National Insurance Contributions increase, which was £1m short and had to be accommodated within the Council’s own resources. The Leader also noted that Specific Grants remained at a broadly similar cash value. The budget used the assumption of a 3.5% increase in pay budgets and 3% on expenditure items, although there was a risk that the former could be higher, with pay awards unlikely to be resolved before the start of the financial year. The budget also included £9.6m of specific departmental budget reductions and was based on a 6.5% council tax increase. This increase had been mitigated by £5m of savings achieved through a reduction in employer pension contributions, possible due to strong investment returns in the Dyfed Pension Fund. The Committee had the following questions/comments: - Officers were asked about the inflation assumption of 2% in the report for Year 2 and 3 given that inflation has remained significantly above this level recently. The Head of Financial Services advised that inflation was expected to come down, but that the Year 2 and 3 plans were pragmatic assumptions given this uncertainty and that the Welsh Government funding settlement was not known for these years. It was also advised that the Westminster Comprehensive Spending Review and potential changes of government in Cardiff would also affect future years funding. - One area where the Committee was concerned about budget cuts was highways sweeping, given the dangers of flooding if drains are blocked, and the increase in unpredictable weather caused by climate change. This was noted by the Leader of the Council who also advised that any increase in highways budget would necessitate cuts elsewhere. - In response to a question on the prioritisation of Public Rights of Way (PROW) maintenance to the most used paths, the Committee was advised that this was already the case, and that feedback as to which paths were most used and most needed maintenance was always welcome. An additional question was asked about a vacant post in the PROW department that was being removed from the structure and how the loss of this post would affect it dealing with legal issues, such as landowners blocking footpaths. The Head of Environmental Infrastructure advised that this post focused on operational maintenance and was already vacant, so the impact was ongoing. - The Director of Place and Infrastructure advised in response to a question on damage to bridges from National Resources Wales (NRW) timber wagons, that it was not possible to require them to contribute to repair costs. The Committee was informed that in the past NRW had come to voluntary agreements to mitigate damage, but since their vehicles were road legal there was no avenue to compel them to contribute to repair costs. - A discussion was had regarding blue recycling bags, and potential savings from smaller households being able to return unused rolls of bags. The Leader of the Council agreed that there was an oversupply to smaller households, and that communities could help with this by these households giving some of their bags to larger ones. It was noted that it was a complex task to make sure that everyone has the right number of bags. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that: 4.1 the 2026/27 – 2028/29 Revenue Budget Strategy Consultation be received; 4.2 the Charging Digest for the Place, Infrastructure & Economic Development and Public Protection Services, as detailed in Appendix C to the report, be endorsed.
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RESOLVED that the Business Plans relevant to this Scrutiny Committee for 2026/27 be endorsed.
The Scrutiny Committee received the draft business plans for 2026/27 in relation to the following areas under its purview: - Healthy Communities and Public Protection - Environmental Infrastructure - Place and Sustainability These reports were considered to scrutinise the proposed actions and measures for appropriateness in delivering against the Council’s Corporate Strategy and maintaining the Council’s key functions. The Committee had the following questions/comments: - Officers were commended on the progress of Bwyd Sir Gar Food and the Future Generations Menu using local produce in school catering. - The Committee asked about the scope for income generation from overnight parking, including for motorhomes and HGVs. The Head of Environmental Infrastructure advised that this was being looked at, and no specific locations had been identified yet for motorhomes or HGVs, but that the authority was working with Welsh Government who were linking in with the commercial sector. - A question was asked on the phased implementation of the new kerbside waste collection system and which areas it would be rolled out to first. The Head of Environmental Infrastructure advised that the areas had been identified, and the workforce were being consulted on this plan before the engagement is expanded to members. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Business Plans relevant to this Scrutiny Committee for 2026/27 be endorsed.
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RESOLVED that the report be received.
The Scrutiny Committee received for consideration the draft Carmarthenshire Community Transport Strategy, which outlined the strategic framework and operational priorities for enhancing community transport services across the county. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services presented the report and noted the importance of community transport for supporting residents where conventional transport was lacking. The report set out the current position, challenges and further development as well as its funding and issues regarding accessibility, wellbeing and inclusion. The Committee had the following questions/comments: - In response to a question regarding the budget for Country Cars, the Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services noted that there was a small increase in the next year’s budget. - The Committee noted that Country Cars cannot take people directly to hospital and were advised that this was because many buses go to the hospitals, and the Country Cars were able to connect people to these services rather than directly to hospital. - The report included a study of Devon County Council’s programme of coordination between community transport providers and the NHS. In response to a question regarding what had been learned from this, the Passenger Transport Policy & Development Manager advised that they were reviewing for best practice and were looking at opportunities to align with Hywel Dda health board. - The Committee noted that there was a lack of data on passengers using Country Cars, and were advised that rectifying this would be considered, given the importance of data to understand their usage. - The council’s work with TrydaNi, a community electric car sharing initiative was welcomed, and the use of technology for on-demand services in future was emphasised by the Committee. - A question was asked regarding bus franchising, and how its rollout in the future would affect community transport. The Passenger Transport Policy & Development Manager advised that the grants that local authorities currently receive for transport would go to Transport for Wales in the future, but that there were ongoing negotiations for 10% of this to be safeguarded for local authority community transport spending. - A discussion was had regarding Electric Vehicles and the Committee noted the reduction in initial and running costs which made them a more attractive option for community transport and for the authority’s own fleet. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.
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RESOLVED that the report be received.
The Scrutiny Committee received for consideration a report reviewing the implementation and impact of the new Litter Bin Policy (December 2025). It assessed alignment with statutory duties, corporate priorities, and national programmes, and set out recommendations for Scrutiny. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services presented the report and advised that it set out a clear and consistent framework for the provision, review and siting of litter bins, engagement regarding this, and considering the impact of the rationalisation that has taken place. The Committee was advised that the policy attempted to find an appropriate balance between the Council’s capacity to place and service litter bins and their usage, and attempted to introduce principles ensuring fair, balanced and evidence-based policy making. These principles take into account usage, operational efficiency, health and safety, the wider streetscape and the environmental context. The Committee had the following questions/comments: - The Committee asked that any new bins that were sited be branded with the Carmarthenshire County Council logo to ensure public understanding of which bodies service which bins. - The Committee commended officers on the decrease of fly-tipping in laybys that counter-intuitively resulted from removing bins in these areas. - Officers were asked to liaise with the tourism service to make sure that bins were appropriately serviced before and during Bank Holidays as well as during tourism hotspots. It was also noted that fly-tipping on tourist routes was a problem, and the Head of Environmental Infrastructure confirmed that enforcement through fixed penalty notices, or through the courts, if necessary, was being undertaken. - Regarding a question on the siting of larger bins, the Strategic Public Realm Manager advised that this would be done if appropriate when bins were replaced and was dependent on the department’s ability to service them appropriately. - The Committee recognised the contribution of community litter-pickers in supporting the cleansing service and asked the department to consider recognition of these volunteers through some kind of presentation. The Head of Environmental Infrastructure advised that he would consider this. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.
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RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting on 10th March 2026 be approved.
The Committee received a list of forthcoming items to be considered at its next meeting to be held on 10th March 2026. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting on 10th March 2026 be approved.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on the 19th November 2025 be signed as a correct record.
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