Corporate Strategy 2022-2027

Introduction by Cllr. Darren Price, Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council

Within our Cabinet Vision Statement we have set out a range of commitments that we will work towards achieving during the course of this administration until 2027.

We have set these out with a view to addressing the key challenges and development areas facing Carmarthenshire but with a longer-term view to improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of the residents and communities of Carmarthenshire.

We will ensure that we embed the sustainable development principle in all that we do by making sure that we act in a manner which seeks to ensure that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

We have set a vision statement for the Council but given the numerous externally driven pressures and challenges facing us as a population and as organisations over coming years we have to be realistic in terms of what’s achievable. We will have to continually review and assess what and where we need to invest and prioritise our interventions going forward and ensure we make the best use of resources available to us.

This Strategy and the detailed delivery plans have been developed taking into account feedback received through consultation with our residents, staff, businesses and trade unions undertaken during the Summer of 2022.

This type of stakeholder engagement and involvement is something I will ensure that the Council further develops and embeds across our service planning approaches. I will also ensure that we provide regular feedback to our stakeholders so that you know what we did as a result of your input.

Local government has faced a challenging period in having to adapt in its response to the pandemic. There are many lessons to be learnt from that experience and good practice that needs to be embedded. However, we are entering another period of uncertainty over the next few years that are set to be just as challenging. We fully appreciate the cost of living pressures facing our residents and we want to ensure that the Council is able to provide support wherever we can.

The Council itself is also facing tremendous budgetary pressures, which we have not seen the likes of before in public service, therefore, the next few years are likely to require a significant shift in the way that we provide our services. We must and will respond to this challenge again, ensuring we do all that we can to support the residents, businesses and communities of Carmarthenshire.

As a Cabinet we will take collective and individual responsibility for ensuring progress against the well-being objectives, thematic and service priorities outlined in this Corporate Strategy with the Cabinet member portfolios focusing on key areas.

We have identified the key areas of decarbonisation, climate and nature emergencies, and Welsh language as thematic priorities and, along with a focus on equality, we will ensure these key areas are embedded and progressed in all that we do.