Agenda item

(NOTE: Councillors T. Davies, A. Lenny, S.E. Thomas, S.M. Allen, A. James and K. Madge had earlier declared an interest in this item and remained in the meeting during its consideration)

The Council was informed that the Executive Board, at its meeting held on the 1^st February, 2016, (Minute 15 refers) had considered the Five Year Capital Programme (Council Fund) for the period 2016/17 to 2020/21 and had made a number of recommendations with regard thereto, as detailed within the Report of the Director of Corporate Services, for consideration by the Council.

The Council received a presentation from the Executive Board Member for Resources, on behalf of the Executive Board, on the Five Year Capital Programme that reflected the aims within the recently adopted Corporate Strategy for 2015-2020 that set out the Authority’s strategic priorities and aspirations.

The Executive Board Member advised Council that the capital programme now totalled £226m over the five year period and was aimed at delivering significant investment in a number of key projects to create jobs and improve the quality of life for the people of Carmarthenshire. Funding for the programme was currently estimated to via County Council funding of £133m, with a further £90m being delivered via external grant funding bodies. As with the revenue budget (minute 6 above), the capital programme had been based on the provisional settlement which provided the Authority with supported borrowing of £5.8m together with a general capital grant of £3.6m, both of which would be subject to Welsh Government confirmation in March, 2016.

The Executive Board Member outlined to the Council the range of projects to be supported by the programme that included 21^st century schools, Rural Enterprise Fund, Industrial Estates Development, Llanelli Wellness Centre, Carmarthen Archive Service and a new closed circuit cycle track. Whilst monitoring of the programme and the funding thereof would need to be closely managed, he advised that the programme, as presented, was fully funded until 2019/20, with only a small shortfall in the final year for 2020/21.

References were made to the proposed extra care facility to be provided in Llanelli and to the future of the Cae Maen Residential Care Home. Clarification was sought on the current position with regard thereto. The Executive Board Member for Social Care and Health advised that in relation to the extra care facility, discussions on its provision were at an early stage and would need to reflect people’s needs over the next 25 years. No firm proposals had been formulated with regard thereto at the present time, but a report would be submitted to the Executive Board as the plans progressed. With regard to the future of the Cae Maen care home, she assured Council that there were no plans for its closure.

RESOLVED that the following recommendations of the Executive Board be adopted:-