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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED 1. To reintroduce 1 hour parking tariff to all long stay car parks in accordance with the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996. 2. To set tariffs for up to 1hr parking to £1.50, 1-2hrs parking to £2.50, 2-4hr parking to £3.50 and all-day parking to £5.00 in accordance with the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996. 3. To introduce a new single car park permit at a cost of £280 (annual), £155 (6 month), £90 (3 month) and £30 (1 month). 4. To note that Car Park tariffs already form part of the fees and charges register, and that any future amendments will be managed through that existing process.
RESOLVED to award contracts as proposed in Option A. This option provides Powys residents and visitors with better access to essential services and offers a more sustainable way to travel and has been created with the ‘Sustainable Powys’ principles at its core. RECOMMENDED to Council an in year virement of £1.349m.
The Leader was authorised to sign the minutes of the last meeting held on 10th June 2025 as a correct record.
There were no declarations of interest reported.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED 1. To reintroduce 1 hour parking tariff to all long stay car parks in accordance with the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996. 2. To set tariffs for up to 1hr parking to £1.50, 1-2hrs parking to £2.50, 2-4hr parking to £3.50 and all-day parking to £5.00 in accordance with the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996. 3. To introduce a new single car park permit at a cost of £280 (annual), £155 (6 month), £90 (3 month) and £30 (1 month). 4. To note that Car Park tariffs already form part of the fees and charges register, and that any future amendments will be managed through that existing process.
Cabinet considered the findings from the cross-party car parking review working group. The working group had drawn upon a report commissioned by consultants and there had been a workshop bringing together key stakeholders including Cabinet, Corporate Leadership Team, Group Leaders and three members of the car park working group. There was consensus on the need for a consistent pricing model across Powys and this is what was being recommended in the report. County Councillor Gary Mitchell presented the recommendations of the Economy Residents and Communities Scrutiny Committee. The Committee had welcomed the reintroduction of the one hour parking tariff and supported the proposed tariffs but was concerned over the slow pace of progress. Cabinet welcomed the recommended introduction of a new single car park permit and a new Powys car parking app. It was noted that further work was still required on service improvement and innovation and to understand the economic impact of car parking charges on towns. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation noted that the income generated helped the Council maintain a balanced budget. RESOLVED 1. To reintroduce 1 hour parking tariff to all long stay car parks in accordance with the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996. 2. To set tariffs for up to 1hr parking to £1.50, 1-2hrs parking to £2.50, 2-4hr parking to £3.50 and all-day parking to £5.00 in accordance with the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996. 3. To introduce a new single car park permit at a cost of £280 (annual), £155 (6 month), £90 (3 month) and £30 (1 month). 4. To note that Car Park tariffs already form part of the fees and charges register, and that any future amendments will be managed through that existing process.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to award contracts as proposed in Option A. This option provides Powys residents and visitors with better access to essential services and offers a more sustainable way to travel and has been created with the ‘Sustainable Powys’ principles at its core. RECOMMENDED to Council an in year virement of £1.349m.
Cabinet considered the award of bus service contracts. The local bus network had been redesigned with a focus on a quality public transport service that enables residents and visitors to move in and around Powys. The core aim of the network is to provide transport services from our communities and localities into the ‘hub’ towns within an hour, thus achieving a sustainable transport network for Powys. The network had been created on a ‘Hub and Spoke’ model where local bus services operate along a ‘spoke’ through a locality that feeds into the ‘hub’ in a main ‘core’ town. From there, residents can access services being offered in the core towns, or there will be options for onwards travel to larger towns of strategic importance. The new services had been planned to operate up to seven days a week and later into the evening allowing for more social and health related journeys. This was seen as key component to start the place-based plans approach for a sustainable Powys. The Passenger Transport Team had held a series of engagement events across the county along with an online consultation. County Councillor Gary Mitchell presented the recommendations of the Economy Residents and Communities Scrutiny Committee. The Committee welcomed the engagement that had been undertaken and had supported Option A but had been unsure how the budget pressures would be met. The report set out how the contract would be funded. This would require a decision by Council because of the sums involved. Cabinet welcomed the significant increase in services and the investment of £6.34 million on new buses and infrastructure being made by Transport for Wales. Cabinet also welcomed the extension to the young person’s travel concession from September 2025 that would enable young people to travel anywhere in Wales for £1. The Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys placed on record her thanks to the passenger transport team for their work. RESOLVED to award contracts as proposed in Option A. This option provides Powys residents and visitors with better access to essential services and offers a more sustainable way to travel and has been created with the ‘Sustainable Powys’ principles at its core. RECOMMENDED to Council an in year virement of £1.349m.
Cabinet considered an update to the Corporate and Strategic Equality Plan. The Plan had been updated following the Estyn inspection to incorporate the six objectives from the Education service Integrated Business Plan. Acting on the recommendation from the joint Scrutiny Committee, a diagram showing the “golden thread” from corporate plan to service delivery had been included. County Councillor Gwynfor Thomas presented the recommendations of the joint Scrutiny Committee. He stressed the importance of Cabinet having ownership of the Plan and expressed disappointment that not many Cabinet members had attended the meeting. He felt that the plan did not provide evidence that the seven wellbeing goals were being met. The Leader said that he would look at that point and that Scrutiny would be provided with responses to their recommendations. RECOMMENDED to Council that that the in-year update to the Corporate and Strategic Equality Plan is approved for publication. County Councillor Richard Church joined the meeting.
Cabinet considered the Information Governance report for 2023 – 2024 and noted the Senior Information Risk Owner’s statement of reasonable assurance that the council’s arrangements and plans adequately reflect the principles of good information governance.
Cabinet considered the report on School Standards and Improvement. The Director of Education and the Head of Schools Improvement and Learning acknowledged that the Education service was falling short in meeting learners’ needs. The report set out the key areas of concern and the actions being planned to address the shortcomings highlighted in the Estyn report. The service had developed its Integrated Business Plan (IBP) with six objectives and a range of strategies and actions to address the four Estyn recommendations. The Leader and Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys welcomed the recommendations of the Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee, presented by County Councillor Gwynfor Thomas. Responding to comments by the Chair of the Learning and Skills Committee on the link between school standards and funding, the Leader noted that the Cabinet had fully funded schools according to the Welsh Government funding formula.
Cabinet noted the delegated decisions taken by Portfolio Holders since the last meeting.
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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