Major projects could be put ‘on the back burner’ after election

Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

Vital projects might need to be put on the “back burner” if funding from a new Welsh Government does not materialise, a county’s finance chief has said.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Corporate Governance and Resources scrutiny committee on Thursday, April 30, councillors received a report following an Audit Wales Review of Capital Planning in Wales.

Audit Wales had looked at how all 22 councils in Wales managed their capital budgets and had provided recommendations on how to make improvements.

Capital budgets are allocations of money given to councils by central government to use on long-term assets, projects to invest in services – such as building new schools, maintaining roads, street lights and council buildings.

During the discussion, councillors’ thoughts then turned to next week and the imminent Senedd election.

Cllr David Wilkshire (Labour – Rassau and Garnlydan) asked whether any changes to the council budgets could be expected after the election.

Cllr Wilkshire said: “All our strategic plans are built in at the moment – will they (new Government) honour those financial agreements? It’s a bit hypothetical, I know.”

Director of corporate services and s151 officer Rhian Hayden answered: “What I can say whether or not there’s a change at the Senedd, different political parties and groups will have different priorities, so things might well change.”

She explained that whoever runs the next government might well have a different set of priorities and move money to be used in that area.

Miss Hayden continued:  “I’m not a mind reader or see into the future, we have to be prepared for that.”

“If we’ve already been awarded the grant, I see no reason why that wouldn’t continue.

“Projects already in train are likely to continue.

“However, changing priorities moving forward might mean that priorities we want to progress subject to Welsh Government funding might not be a priority for Welsh Government.

“So, we might have to look at either alternative funding arrangements and if we can’t identify funding that project might have to go on the back burner.”

Councillors were told that a revised capital programme for this year would be brought before committee in June for existing and new investments that will be proposed.

The response to Audit Wales was agreed by the committee.

Polls are showing that the Labour Welsh Government is expected to be replaced with both Plaid Cymru and Reform UK having come out on top of various polls in recent weeks.

Electors will cast their votes next Thursday, May 7, counting will take place on Friday, May 8 and the Senedd election results should be known later that day.

But after that it could take weeks for a new government to be formed with talks expected to take place between parties to form an administration.