Carmarthenshire County Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 8th October, to discuss a range of issues, including treasury management, rail investment, and support for the Scarlets rugby team. Councillors will also consider cabinet recommendations and address questions from both the public and council members.

Scarlets Rugby

A notice of motion submitted by Councillor Sharen Davies and Councillor Giles Morgan expresses concerns about the Welsh Rugby Union's (WRU) recent decision to move away from equal funding for the four professional rugby regions and to terminate the current Professional Rugby Agreement early. They highlight the significant implications for the Scarlets region, noting that:

The Scarlets is not only a long-standing cornerstone of the Llanelli Community but also play a vital role across Carmarthenshire and the wider region, with deep cultural significance and substantial economic impact through employment, hospitality, retail, tourism, and community initiatives.

The motion calls for Carmarthenshire County Council to formally reaffirm its support for the Scarlets, and for the Chief Executive to write to the Welsh Rugby Union and Welsh Government to advocate for the retention of the Scarlets within Wales' professional rugby framework. It also proposes engaging with the Scarlets management to demonstrate the council's support and publicly expressing support to residents and Scarlets supporters across Carmarthenshire. Parc y Scarlets, the home stadium of the Scarlets, is recognised as one of the premier stadiums in Wales.

Rail Investment in Wales

Councillors Alun Lenny and Glynog Davies have submitted a notice of motion regarding rail investment in Wales. The motion expresses dismay at the continuing disparity in rail investment between Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom, as well as within Wales itself. It notes that the ten-year £445m rail investment package for Wales is a fraction of what Wales would get as Barnett consequentials¹ for the £80b HS2 railway development in England. The motion also raises concerns that the greater part of the £445m will be spent in south-east and north Wales by 2030, with no detail on where or when the rest will be spent within the next ten years, which the council believes is detrimental to the economic, social, and environmental interests of Carmarthenshire.

The council is scheduled to note that it continues to lobby for improvements to rail infrastructure in Carmarthenshire, such as the reopening of the old Amman Valley line to passengers, improving the Mid Wales line service, and a new train station at St. Clears. The motion proposes writing to the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Ken Skates, asking for greater clarity and accelerated investment in the rail infrastructure in west Wales as a matter of urgency, and supporting the devolution of railways in Wales.

Annual Treasury Management and Prudential Indicator Report

The council is scheduled to consider the cabinet's recommendations regarding the Annual Treasury Management and Prudential Indicator Report 2024-2025. The report provides an overview of the council's treasury management activities during the financial year, including investments, borrowing, and compliance with the CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management² and the CIPFA Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities³. According to the executive summary of the report, the council adopted the Treasury Management Policy and Strategy and the five year capital programme for 2024-2025 on 28 February 2024. The annual report lists the activities that took place in 2024-2025 under the headings of investments, borrowing, security, liquidity and yield, treasury management, prudential indicators, leasing and rescheduling.

The report notes that the authority's investments during the year returned an average rate of 4.93%, with a total investment balance at the year-end of £96.5m. £15m of new PWLB⁴ borrowing was taken during the year, and long-term debt outstanding at the year-end amounted to £415.83m.

Questions by Members

Councillor John James is scheduled to ask Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability, about the management of sand and silt build-up in Burry Port Harbour. The question refers to hydrodynamic forces causing the build-up of sand and silt, and asks what the council has been doing to track the shift in sand dune movement and gauge other key factors over the last 10 years.

Councillor Martyn Palfreman is scheduled to ask Councillor Edward Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services, about home to school transport. The question highlights the importance of regular school attendance and the need for adequate and safe home to school transport, particularly for pupils living within the national 3-mile limit for free school passes but without access to a car or where parents work away from the area. Councillor Palfreman's question asks what the council is doing to address this situation, including putting pressure on bus operators to prioritise pupils' needs over commercial considerations, ahead of the Welsh Labour Government's Bus Reform Bill.