Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Annual Report and Improvement Plan shows that, despite further budget cuts, the delivery of services continues to improve. The combined Annual Report 2013/14 and Improvement Plan for 2014/15 has been published on the council’s website. Every year, all 22 councils in Wales must report on 44 areas of performance compared against a national set of measures to highlight where services have been improved, maintained or declined. In Carmarthenshire 26 results have improved, five have been maintained and 13 have declined. Overall results are up on the previous year despite budget cuts, demonstrating the extent to which the council has redirected resources to front line services. When surveyed in March this year, the county’s 400 strong Citizens’ Panel showed that satisfaction with the services provided by the council has increased over the last two years, with 58% saying they are satisfied, 23% dissatisfied and 19% undecided. The document also looks at the...

Councillors have praised the council’s performance and agreed on areas for improvement in the coming year. The council’s Annual Report and Improvement Plan was presented to full council. The report provides a balanced view on the council’s performance and compares it to the performance of other Welsh local authorities. Last year, the council improved in 71 per cent of the measures used to compare and evaluate the performance of all 22 Welsh local authorities – the highest percentage of improvement for all Welsh councils. The report also highlights the challenges the council faces in order to deliver better services with limited resources. Council Leader, Cllr Kevin Madge, said the report shows that the council is making a difference. “We’ve made savings in the last year of £10million,” he said. “We’ve made progress, and made a difference. We are creating jobs, doing better in social services and giving houses to people who need our support.” Leader of the opposition, Cllr Peter Hughes ...