Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors D. Price, B.A.L. Roberts, J. Seward, H.B. Shepardson, J. Williams and S. Williams.

*interest declared at the commencement of agenda item 7.

• The Chair reflected on a very busy period and referred to his attendance at numerous events, including the Christmas Carol service in Pentreawel, the Plygain service at Nantgaredig and the Llanelli Rotary Speakers Competition at St John Lloyd school. 

• The Chair extended birthday wishes to Olive Tarr of Ammanford whom he had recently visited on the occasion of her 100^th Birthday.

• The Chair referred to his attendance the very successful Pembrey Walrus Dip which raised £1,495 for charity. The Chair extended his gratitude to those who had contributed to the fund-raising efforts.

• The Chair was delighted to have had the privilege of presenting awards at the Carmarthen Town Sports Awards along with his wife and consort who had the pleasure of receiving an award on behalf of their daughter, Angharad, who lives in Spain.

• The Chair referred, with sadness, to the recent passing of Mary Leticia Keir, who at 112 was Wales’ oldest person.  Members joined the Chair in paying tribute to Mrs Keir and extended the Council’s condolences to her family.

• Condolences were extended to the families of two former Carmarthenshire Councillors, namely Hugh Evans, who represented the Pantyffynnon Ward in Ammanford and Eryl Morgan, who represented the Bigyn Ward and was former Chairman of the Council for the year 2016/2017. 

Council observed a minute’s silence in recognition of the Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2025 which marked 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia.  The Chair reflected on the atrocities of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur and honoured the victims and survivors. 

·       The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Homes extended her gratitude to all who had assisted and contributed to the 2024 Christmas Toy Box Appeal. It was noted that a total of 9,600 Christmas gifts had been given to 1,607 children within the county as part of the appeal, which would not have been possible without the generous donations and support provided by individuals, organisations, churches and chapels.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of Council held on the 11^th December, 2024 be signed as a correct record.

Council was advised that the report had been withdrawn and would be rescheduled to a future meeting.

Council was informed that the Cabinet, at its meeting held on 16 December 2024 [minute 7 thereof refers], considered the draft strategies on Green and Blue Infrastructure (GBI) and Allotment and Community Growing.

The Draft Strategies individually set out strategic visions which recognised the value of both place-based and nature-based solutions for addressing current, and preventing future, well-being issues within communities, alongside tackling the climate and nature emergencies previously declared by Council.

The GBI strategy provided a transformative vision for securing the future provision of the county’s natural and semi-natural assets and was centred upon 9 objectives under the themes of people, place and nature to create an environment which was reflective of the aspirations and values of communities to ensure a sustainable, inclusive and prosperous future.

The Draft Allotment and Community Growing Strategy had been prepared in accordance with Welsh Government guidance and set out 4 objectives to maximise the opportunities available for residents to participate in growing, including a partnership approach through the Public Land for Community Growing Partnership.

RESOLVED that the following recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted:

Council was informed that the Cabinet, at its meeting held on 13^th January 2025 [minute 13 refers], considered proposals to consult on the draft Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) documents for the Revised Carmarthenshire Local Development Plan (LDP) 2018-2033 in respect of Green and Blue Infrastructure.

The SPG had been prepared to support the implementation of the Revised LDP and reflected recent amendments made to Chapter 6 of Planning Policy Wales Edition 12.

RESOLVED that the following recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted:

[NOTE:  Councillors J. P. Hart, E. Rees, P.M. Hughes, H. Jones, A. Evans, J.D. James, S.L. Rees, H.A.L. Evans, J. Lewis, P. Cooper, D. Nicholas, E. Skinner, G.B. Thomas and S. A. Allen having declared an interest in this item, left the meeting prior to the consideration and determination thereof.]

Council was informed that the Cabinet, at its meeting held on the 13th January 2025 [minute 8 thereof refers], had reviewed the Housing Revenue Account and Housing Rent Setting proposals for 2025/26 prior to the consideration of Council. The report, prepared by the Director of Corporate Services in conjunction with officers from the Communities Department, brought together the latest proposals for the Revenue and Capital Budgets for the Housing Revenue Account 2025/26 to 2027/28 and detailed proposed increases to housing rents for 2025/26.

In presenting the report, the Cabinet Member for Resources expressed the challenges faced by the Authority in achieving the fine balance of setting the rent within current Government policy at an affordable level for tenants whilst also delivering on its housing aspirations.  Furthermore, it was emphasised that adoption of the Cabinet’s recommendations by the Council would represent an average increase of 2.7% to housing rent, which was in line with the Welsh Government cap.  The Cabinet Member for Resources clarified that the increase would equate to an average housing rent of £108.59 per week for its tenants and represented one of the lowest rent levels out of the 11 stock-retaining Welsh Authorities and was significantly below the private sector housing rents. 

Reference was made to the ‘no eviction’ policy which could be implemented by the Authority within applicable circumstances. In closing, the Cabinet Member for Resources reported that the proposals sought to balance the pressures on households during a cost of living crisis with the need to continue with the Authority’s Housing Development Programme, while ensuring that properties continued to be maintained to the Carmarthenshire Homes Standard Plus (CHS+) standard.  

RESOLVED that the following recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted:

[NOTE:  Councillors J. P. Hart, E. Rees, P.M. Hughes, H. Jones, A. Evans, J.D. James, S.L. Rees, H.A.L. Evans, J. Lewis, P. Cooper, D. Nicholas, E. Skinner, G.B. Thomas and S. A. Allen having declared an interest in this item, were not present during the consideration and determination thereof.]

Council was informed that the Cabinet, at its meeting held on the 13^th January 2025 [minute 9 thereof refers], had considered the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan 2025-28 Carmarthenshire’s Housing Investment Programme which set out the vision and detail of the Council’s Housing Investment Programme over the next three years to maintain its housing stock improvement plans and the new build programme and provision of more affordable homes to help meet the unprecedented demand for social housing in the County.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Homes summarised the five key themes set out within the business plan and provided an overview of the priorities which would define the Authority’s direction of travel over the next three years, as follows:

·       Enhancing the quality and sustainability of the Council’s housing stock through targeted investment, development and maintenance programs;

·       Improving customer satisfaction by delivering responsive and efficient services;

·       Supporting the well-being and independence of our residents through tailored support services;

·       Promoting community engagement and participation to ensure that the Council’s services are shaped by the needs and aspirations of residents;

·       Making sure the Council’s investments and developments maximise wider Council strategic priorities and objectives.

The Communities, Homes and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee had also considered and endorsed the proposals at its meeting held on the 7th January 2025, as part of the budget consultation process.

The report noted that the income received from tenants’ rents and other funding sources would enable the authority to build an investment programme exceeding £282m (Capital - £114m and Revenue - £168M) to deliver services that were inclusive and sustainable over the next three years.

The plan was based on a projected rent increase to 2.7% for 2025/26, in line with the current Welsh Government Rent Policy set by the September inflation rate of 1.7%.  Most tenants would receive a 2.62% average rent increase, which was considered to be within the affordability limits for tenants.

Furthermore, the plan would enable the Council to apply for Welsh Government’s Major Repair Allowance (MRA) grant, which equate to £6.2m for 2025/26.

In response to a query regarding the installation of solar panels, the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Homes confirmed that the Authority utilised a fabric-first approach to improving the energy efficiency of its housing stock in line with Welsh Government requirements. It was explained that while this method increased the thermal efficiency of homes in prior to the introduction of technology and improved heating systems, the utilisation of a non-fabric first approach could realise cost efficiencies for the Authority. Accordingly, an impact assessment was currently underway to evaluate both approaches.

In response to comments made in respect of the availability of bungalows for the elderly, the Deputy Leader  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.5

Council was informed that the Cabinet, at its meeting held on the 13^th January 2025 [minute 10 thereof refers], considered a report which outlined information in regard to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme introduced by Welsh Government in 2013/14. Despite being an all-Wales scheme, individual Councils were required by the Prescribed Requirements Regulations to formally adopt a Council Tax Reduction Scheme by 31st January each year. Details pertaining to the limited areas of local discretion and the policy adopted by Council in respect of those discretions were set out in the report. 

The report sought formal adoption of the Council Tax Reduction scheme for 2025/26. It was noted that subsequent to the Cabinet meeting the scheme regulations had been approved by Welsh Government and had come into force on 24th January 2025.

RESOLVED that the following recommendations of the Cabinet be adopted:

[NOTE:  Councillors A.C. Jones, A. Lenny and E. Skinner, declared an interest in this item and left the meeting prior to the consideration and determination thereof.]

RESOLVED that the report of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 2^nd December, 2024 be received.

In response to queries raised in respect of the Tree and Woodland Strategy set out in minute 11, the importance of the county’s farms in terms of supporting local produce, the rural economy and managing land in a sustainable way was emphasised to members. It was noted that the ambition of the strategy was to support communities in mitigating the climate emergency whilst fostering sustainable land use.  An assurance was therefore provided that a collaborative approach would be undertaken with tenants to deliver multiple benefits and to develop solutions which aimed to balance productive farming with nature recovery and climate action.

RESOLVED that the report of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 16^th December, 2024 be received.

RESOLVED that the report of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 13^th January, 2025 be received.

“A recent study published in Nature Food showed that Plant Based diets result in 75% less greenhouse emissions, water pollution and land use than diets containing more than 100g of meat a day. Plant-based diets were also shown to cut the destruction of wildlife by 66% and water use by 54%. Please can Carmarthenshire Council reach out to Edinburgh Council to learn about their experiences of endorsing the Plant Based treaty and do an impact assessment like they did?”

“A recent study published in Nature Food showed that Plant Based diets result in 75% less greenhouse emissions, water pollution and land use than diets containing more than 100g of meat a day. Plant-based diets were also shown to cut the destruction of wildlife by 66% and water use by 54%. Please can Carmarthenshire Council reach out to Edinburgh Council to learn about their experiences of endorsing the Plant Based treaty and do an impact assessment like they did?”

Response by Councillor Aled Vaughan-Owen - Cabinet Member For Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability:

“Carmarthenshire County Council acknowledges the findings from the study published in Nature Food and its alignment with the need for sustainable food systems. As part of our newly developing Sustainable Food Strategy, we are bringing together stakeholders from across the sectors to create an ambitious and inspiring plan for this county.

Through our Local Food Strategy, we have already begun analysing the impact of our local food systems, from production to provision. Our initial assessments have focused on the public procurement in schools, leisure facilities, and care homes. These analyses aim to identify the current environmental and economic impact and pinpoint opportunities for meaningful change.

Our approach is framed by our Nature and Climate Emergency Declarations and guided by the Well-Being of Future Generations Act. This ensures that any changes benefit our local economy, environment, and community well-being. One key initiative is re-designing our primary school menu, to prioritise sustainably sourced meat and vegetables from Welsh and UK farms, including from our own county farm at Bremenda Isaf. Bremenda Isaf is pioneering sustainable "in-house" regenerative food production that sequesters carbon, enhances biodiversity, and supports nature recovery.

We have reviewed best-practice models, including those from Scotland, such as Edinburgh's endorsement of the Plant-Based Treaty. While we welcome collaboration and an integrated impact assessment like Edinburgh's, our rural and agricultural landscape requires a more nuanced and sophisticated approach. Rural counties like Carmarthenshire must balance sustainability with the unique challenges and opportunities of supporting local farming communities.

Approximately 85% of greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based products stem from production methods and associated inputs, which vary widely. Carmarthenshire is uniquely positioned to support sustainable, local produced animal-based foods while also reducing reliance on imports. The Plant-Based Treaty, while principled, lacks the flexibility needed to support diverse rural economies like ours.

Given these considerations, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate with all Councils to learn from their experiences and to share ours, while advocating for an integrated and localised impact assessment tailored to Carmarthenshire's distinct context.”

Supplementary Question by Ms Hsiu-Mien Wu:

“I believe that Carmarthenshire Council has the ability to do more to help reduce the cooling of the planet by endorsing the Plant-Based Treaty and practices in colleges, schools and hospitals.  I would like to see this action implemented as soon as possible.”

Response by Councillor Aled Vaughan-Owen - Cabinet Member For Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability:

“Ms Wu’s passion and knowledge around the urgency to tackle climate emergency is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.1

RESOLVED that Councillor R. James take the vacant seat on the Corporate Performance and Resources Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED that Councillor E. Skinner take the vacant seat on the Planning Committee.

RESOLVED that Councillor D. Nicholas take the vacant seat on the Planning Committee.

The Chair stated that the minutes outlined on the agenda under 10.1-10.10 were available for information on the Council website.