Carmarthenshire Council Set To Receive Additional Funding

The Welsh Government has this week announced that Carmarthenshire Council will receive an increase in funding over 2018/19, as the Local Government Secretary publishes his final settlement figures.

The announcement that Carmarthenshire Council will receive a 0.2%

increase1 on their settlement for the next financial year is a significant improvement on the Council’s projections from July. In a paper presented to the Executive Board earlier this year, the Council were projecting a 2% reduction in the local government settlements for the next three financial years. In real terms, this announcement has meant that Carmarthenshire Council’s financial pressures for the coming years have been reduced by over £8million over the last six months.

Councils across Wales will also benefit from an additional £1.3million, with the Local Government Secretary, Alun Davies AM, adding that the additional funding is a revision in the funding floor arrangement to ensure no Authority faces a reduction of more than 0.5%.

Labour’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Rob James said, “We welcome today’s announcement as a positive sign that the Welsh Government are working with us to protect frontline services across Carmarthenshire.

“Local authorities across Wales have been hammered by the UK Government’s ideological austerity programme for the last seven years, with hardworking employees having to deliver vital services to our communities under great financial pressure.

“We still face significant financial challenges ahead, yet the actions of the Welsh Labour Government have lifted the burden on Carmarthenshire Council and will go a long way to reducing the immediate pressures placed on our authority.