INDEPENDENT councillors on Llanelli Town Council have been accused of ‘making a meal’ of opposing an average 5p a week council tax increase.
Labour voted unanimously in favour of the lower-than-inflation 1.6 per cent rise, which it says will enable council services to be maintained and a new community centre and improved changing rooms to be developed for Penyfan.
But the move, agreed at last night’s (MON) town council meeting, met with “quibbling hostility” from Independent councillor Sean Rees, who read a prepared statement quoting cost-of-living pressures for an alternative, standstill budget, which Labour revealed would have meant cutting services.
Ruling Labour group leader, councillor David Darkin, said: “I can’t help but feel that the Independents and councillor Rees were making a meal of it all, grandstanding, when our efficient running of the council means a lower than inflation rise for the forthcoming year.
“We have managed to improve our parks, create vastly modernised and improved changing rooms at Penygaer, where we have transformed an old building into a modern community hub, and we have exciting plans for a new £400,000 community centre at Penyfan.
“We also have an extensive programme of sports and youth activities throughout the council area which the previous administration could not achieve.”
Councillor Darkin praised the “safe stewardship” of council funds and “financial savvy” of the ruling administration in successfully applying for hundreds of thousands of pounds of Welsh Government grants to boost “our bang for our buck.
“Quite frankly they were showing quibbling hostility.”
Elli ward councillor Nick Pearce said:
I think it’s important to remember that inflation, the cost of living, affects the council the same as it does everything else. We will continue to deliver a progressive, upgrading of the town council’s services with an increase that is much lower than the rate of inflation. The opposition wants to throw the council into reverse gear and I don’t know why that is.
I really would be interested to know if our Plaid town councillor voted against the 7% increase that his party has imposed at County.”
Deputy council leader councillor Andre Mcpherson said budget cuts would have risked key services which “improve the lives of the people of Llanelli”.
“Or would the Opposition want us to cut our much-needed contributions to food banks?
“Set against a Plaid run Carmarthenshire County Council tax rise of about 7.5 per cent, and a Plaid-led Dyfed Powys Police precept riser of over six per cent, both of which will add a lot to people’s bills, our 5p a week rise is much less significant.”
I was asked by labour members of the town Council if I agreed to the County 7% tax rise. The fact is after the biggest consultation with the taxpayers in this County over 4500 engaged with eh Plaid led cabinet, as to how we tackle this challenge together of underfunding we settled with this figure. Talk about us as taxpayers being tucked up when Labour Jeremy Miles MS education minister settles the teachers’ pay award at 5% with their union NASUWT with Labour agreeing to the pay claim thy should find the money for it. NO. schools are now forced to find extra money for teachers, as the County School budget is squeezed dry in Carmarthenshire, Has Labour set a president with their Union benefactors now coming to the assembly door for high pay claims and Labour will now be agreeing without concern as they are not paying for it, we will be as ratepayers. It certainly looks like in the future Labour settling and pass whatever claim in Wales knowing they can cast off the cost on to us the ratepayers, whilst also keeping their benefactors happy for the future and MP donations. You and I as ratepayers in Carmarthenshire County having to settle that bill a 3-million-pound lump that is contributing to that 7% rise. To answer that Question. NO, I have gone with the people on this challenge and been steered by the people towards that 7% after weeks of negotiations with the taxpayers what’s best. When Labour Town Council changed the renumeration to £30 for attendance per meeting, and now increasing meetings with sub committees and allocating £1,500 annually to the elected Labour mayors for the next few years and £500 to the Labour deputy mayors and £500 to the leader who is currently Cllr David Darking, when Llanelli Town council has been voluntary since the Council has been in Carmarthenshire. Is this not capitalising on the Rate payers or not? Should we have not dropped the thousands spent on councillor attendance payments if that was the case and given the Town Council is in surplus with the account. Llanelli town has the most deprived wards in the County and in the top 22 of the UK. People are struggling and having to use food banks and working. For Labour to claim costs at pen y gar it was driven by pen Y gar residents and credit where its due and the officers and grants not the precept.
Where do we go from here, after 4500 people seeing the facts Plaid and Independent have called on Labour councillors in County Hall to lobby their party leader.
Plaid Cabinet Member Cllr Alun Lenny said:
‘Well over a decade of Tory austerity has left local councils in an impossible position. Endless cuts to funding by central government are now having a serious impact on core services like social care, education, and highways. It’s shocking that the UK Labour leader seems unwilling to commit to a proper level of funding. As 75% of council income comes from a central grant, it means a greater burden being placed on our hard-pressed council taxpayers.
‘We therefore call on the Labour group in County Hall to lobby their party’s leader to emphasise the serious damage being caused to public services due to grossly inadequate funding. It would be beyond belief if a Labour government led by Sir Keir Starmer just continued with the savage Tory austerity programme.
Wales is grossly underfunded and if the Labour Party comes to power in Westminster Labour in Wales should call on them to update the Barnett Formula as a matter of urgency. The late Lord Barnett, who drew up the formula as a temporary measure in 1978, stated years ago that it’s no longer fit for purpose. Wales has been loyal to Labour for 100 years, so it’s high time that loyalty was repaid.
‘Redesignating the disastrous Labour led HS2 development failure as an ‘England only’ project would be a good start, as it would inject billions of pounds into the Welsh budget towards supporting the NHS, social care, education, and highways. But much to our dismay, Sir Keir Starmer has failed to commit to this if his party came to power. Our MOP has promised that we will get 3 Billion to support the steel industry much akin to the time when we had Duport, where is the money coming from? Rates?
‘It seems that Labour in Wales, at all levels, have a lot of work to do to stop their vanity projects instead try persuading their UK party leadership to ensure fair play for our country and its people.’