Residents are being urged to have their say on this year’s budget as consultation starts following a better than expected settlement from Welsh Government.

Cabinet member for finance Clr. Bob Kilmister said he had had 30 working hours to prepare the draft – with a potential funding gap of £6.3million – after Monday’s (December 16) funding announcement.

The increase for Pembrokeshire is 4.9 per cent – an extra £8.051million compared to last year –  when adjusted for transfers into the settlement.

Pembrokeshire is ranked third in terms of the overall changes in the Provisional Local Government Settlement after being in ninth place in 2019/20.

Full council noted the draft budget -with no backing for a recommended rise in council tax of five per cent yet – before it goes to overview and scrutiny committees and public consultation.

“Budget Bob or Bodgeit Bob as some wits on Social Media have called me has a reputation for being the harbinger of doom, so the next part of this speech is going to confuse a few people as I outline what I believe is a very good news story.

“It is not the end of austerity, as we are still required to make cost reductions, but it is a huge step forward on what I hope is the journey back to sustainable public services,” he said.

The increased settlement, combined with a council tax rise if approved, would mean an extra £13.4 million to allocate to services along with £4millon in the programme for administration reserves and a further £ 2.8 million on one off key objective expenditure.

Clr. Kilmister outlined how some of that money could be spent including £2 million increase for individual school budgets on top of £3million funding for pay and pensions.

There would be £2 million for the central education budget and £1million to tackle Key stage 4 under performance.

Also highlighted was a potential £1.2 million to fund pay pressures for council adult social care staff, £800,000 to recruit new social workers and retain them, £1 million for road safety schemes, £600,000 on Highways cost pressures and £300,000 for environmental services to fund pressures.

He said that cost efficiencies of £5-6million would still be required and any additional funding would be subject to business case consideration.

Clr. Jamie Adams said it was an opportunity to put money back in the pockets of residents but did not make clear how, referring to consideration of resindents’ ability to pay more.

Clr. Kilmister added: “In the last two years it has been very clear that residents have paid more for less. This year we believe they will pay a ‘little bit more but get a lot more’.

“We have listened to their views on and funded public toilets, fly tipping, pot holes, road safety, streetlighting, education, adult social care, and regeneration,” he said.

The public consultation will start on January 6 to 27, with two Facebook live sessions and a public meeting, which it is hoped will be webcast.

The Facebook live sessions will be on 7 pm on Wednesday, January 8, and 7 pm on Wednesday, January 20.

The public forum will be held in Committee Rooms 1 and 2 at County Hall, Haverfordwest, on Wednesday, January 22, from 2pm.

No final decisions will be made on the budget until the February full council meeting.