Brecon and Radnorshire town and community councils need to ‘punch with one unified fist’ to challenge Powys County Council’s Sustainable Powys project, a councillor has said.
Brecon and Radnorshire town and community councils need to ‘punch with one unified fist’ to challenge Powys County Council’s Sustainable Powys project, a councillor has said.
Builth Wells county councillor Mark Hammond said it as concerning that at the last One Voice Wales meeting for the Brecon and Radnorshire Committee only eight members out of 63 attended.
He said the committee for the Brecon and Radnorshire area is not functioning properly and is not fit for purpose.
He told a recent Builth Wells Town Council meeting that Powys County Council will not listen to one or two councils getting together and raising issues.
“Unless these63 councils get together and start realising what is happening, Powys County Council will not listen and they will just carry on with their plans.
“Until we start punching with a united fist, nothing will happen. Every county councillor needs to be asked clearly what their views are of Sustainable Powys.”
The comments came about after a Llanafan councillor asked if a meeting could be arranged for the councils in the Builth Wells area to discuss Sustainable Powys.
Sustainable Powys sets out the future plans for the county.
Future Powys County Council services will be centred on four towns – Newtown, Welshpool, Llandrindod Wells and Brecon - as the authority outlines a radical shake up of provision.
The only guaranteed services to market towns like Builth Wells will include bus stops/stations, primary schools, secondary schools, streetlights, waste and recycling, car parks. So the town is at risk of losing its leisure centre and library with residents having to travel to Llandrindod Wells to access council services.
The council says the strategy is being developed to ensure it can deliver stronger, fairer and greener services going forward, whilst remaining within the available budget.
The Council is currently forecasting more than a £20million gap for the 2024/25 financial year. This is expected to increase to £44million or more over the next four years.
Councillor Liam Hopkins said when a meeting was arranged by him last year only Builth Wells and Presteigne and Norton members attended. He said Llanafan Community Council need to raise it with their county councillor
Town clerk Louise Hammond said they were supposed to have a meeting with Builth County Councillor Jeremy Pugh just after the new year but because a decision on leisure centres has been put off until the autumn, the town council’s meeting was deferred.
Councillor Hammond said the interest level from other councils has been limited, almost ‘head in the sand’ standard and that is concerning.
