Opinion: my confidence in the Cabinet is non-existent

I would like to wish you all a happy and peaceful new year which I hope will be a great year for all of you. 

As we look forward to a new year- we have every reason to be proud of our town and our community. We should remember the equal worth of every individual and think of the voiceless and the vulnerable who need our love and protection, and we should also remember to show a little kindness to each other at every possible opportunity as its those small acts that put a smile on people's faces and a spring in their step.

When I stood for election, I promised residents that I would do all I could to work for improved health facilities here in Newtown so I was delighted to see that the first phase of the new multi-agency health and wellbeing campus could become a reality by Spring 2028 if a new funding bid to Welsh Government is successful.

This would replace several outdated facilities in our town so that future services can be provided in a more joined up and cost-effective way in one location. In addition, the design work for a replacement school building for Ysgol Calon y Dderwen will recommence following the Council’s decision to bring the school and Treowen CP school together.

There are many challenges that I will be looking to try to influence and resolve in the year ahead and I would ask for any help/ideas/thoughts you can give.

The current challenge is to set a balanced budget which whilst I acknowledge is no easy task I know many residents feel a continued sense of being let down by the Liberal Democrat led coalition on Powys County Council as yet again they look set to break their 2022 election promise not to increase council tax by more than 5% and this is despite an increase in the local government provisional settlement from the Welsh Government. 

Following last years” thumbs up drinks at the ready” celebrations for their 7.5% increase in council tax at least the Liberal Democrats have kept their celebrations of a 8.9% out of social media this time!

Yet again the only thing this budget delivers is a successive broken promise from them of going nowhere near a 5% increase , lost services and reductions and an inflation busting council tax rise which will hurt our residents .

This liberal democrat/labour coalition has unfortunately for our residents a proven track record when it comes to breaking their commitments - they continue to ignore them and quite rightly those residents are furious.

There is no clear ambitious programme for the future of Powys only a program of decline and disinvestment, while hiking up council tax to the highest ever level, far higher than the average council tax paid in other Welsh councils. There have been a series of car crashes beyond this series of broken promises on council tax from the shambles of car parking charges which they seem incapable of resolving , home to school transport, highways maintenance, Pupil Referral Unit closure ,more broken election promises on school closures ……the list goes on.

The Liberal Democrat/Labour coalition on Powys County Council seem to be incapable of resolving the car park issues not least of which is the high charges that hamper our town centre and others across Powys.

I was concerned by the statement in a committee report that “petrol and diesel cars must be curtailed in the long term”  - I hope I am wrong and I continue to make the case for the return of “an affordable £1 for 1 hours parking” - but that implies to me that political ideology was always going to win and that we will never get what we really asked for which was a fair balance between all road users and a reintroduction of the 1-hour tariff to encourage visitors to our town centres

There have been too many examples of bad decisions and bad management by this Liberal Democrat led coalition. Rest assured I will continue to highlight these matters and hold them to account but with confidence levels in cabinet members almost non-existent is it time for them to step aside and let those with the necessary skills and vision take over - 2027 elections seem a long way away and a lot of irreparable damage to our town and county could be done by then.

Cllr Pete Lewington
County Councillor for Newtown West