How is your Council funded and how does it deliver your services?

This financial year, 2024/25, Carmarthenshire County Council has a budget of £742 million to deliver day-to-day services to its residents.

In order to explain the source of £742 million budget and how it is spent, the County Council has produced two short videos to give an overview to residents of the Authority’s income streams and how the money is allocated to fund its day-to-day services.

Click here to view How Is Your Council Funded

Click here to view How Does The Council Deliver Your Services

These videos have been created to inform residents of the County Council’s budget allocation as it currently consults with the public on its 2025/26 budget.

Carmarthenshire County Council is asking its residents to express their views on, for example, council tax increase, educational transport, public conveniences, and some cultural and leisure services. These will be considered alongside 90 detailed operational proposals, such as building costs, efficient use of vehicles, digital efficiencies, staffing structures and internal and back-office functions.

A detailed list was discussed in full at a Cabinet meeting, held on Monday, 13 January 2025. A recording of the meeting can be viewed on our website.

Click here to access our Budget Consultation.

In addition to the online consultation, the Council is hosting face-to-face consultations at its three main Hwbs during the dates:

Llanelli Hwb – 14 January (12.30pm-2.30pm)

Carmarthen Hwb – 20 January (3pm-5pm)

Ammanford Hwb – 23 January (12pm-2pm)

Following a provisional funding increase of 4.1% from the Welsh Government, announced on December 10, Carmarthenshire County Council still needs to bridge an estimated shortfall of around £18 million in its 2025/26 budget. 

The Council has a legal responsibility to set a balanced annual budget, by ensuring that income from sources such as the Revenue Support Grant (RSG), the Council Tax, paid-for services and grants is enough to cover its expenditure.

Very difficult decisions lie ahead of Carmarthenshire County Council. We are now inviting residents, businesses, community and voluntary organisations to have their say on new policy saving proposals, drawn from across all Council services. As an Authority, we have worked hard to limit the number of policy changes put forward for consultation this year to lessen the impact upon our residents.

Cabinet Member for Resources, Cllr Alun Lenny said: 

If you have ever wondered how the County Council is financed and how it allocates its money to pay for its residents’ day-to-day services, I would encourage you to take a couple of minutes from your day to watch these videos.

Well over half of Carmarthenshire County Council’s income to fund essential day-to-day services, such as social care and education, comes from grants from the Welsh Government, which in turn gets an annual block grant from the UK Government. Only 16% of the Council’s remaining income comes from the Council Tax.  

Mainly due to factors which are outside of our control, such as inflation, and substantial increase in national insurance, nationally agreed pay settlements, and the amount of annual funding increase from the Welsh Government, the Council, and indeed all other Welsh local authorities, has to make very difficult budgetary decisions. It is incredibly important, therefore, that the public engages with us on the set of proposals that we have published in the Budget Consultation.

We understand and acknowledge that these proposals may prove unpopular and therefore responding to the survey is important.”  

The timing of Carmarthenshire County Council’s consultation is in line with the UK Government's budget and Welsh Government’s provisional budget.

Councillors will consider the views expressed in this consultation alongside operational proposals to the value of around £7.5million when the budget is finally approved by Full Council in March 2025.

People can share their views online or by visiting a council customer service Hwb in Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford town centres.

The budget consultation closes on 26 January 2025.