Council's Annual Report 2024-2025
In this section
Introduction from the Leader
I am pleased to present Carmarthenshire County Council’s Annual Report for 2024/25, a year that has tested our resilience and adaptability. Across the County, our communities, staff, partners and businesses have worked together to overcome significant challenges, while delivering the best support we can for each one of the 188,000 residents who call Carmarthenshire home. As ever, the context in which we operate remains complex. Our County continues to grow and change, and as an organisation we work to keep pace with that. We continue to face the harsh reality of over a decade of insufficient public sector funding, which has placed unprecedented pressure on our ability to deliver the essential services our residents rely on. The cost-of-living crisis, a fluctuating economy, and demographic shifts have all added complexity to that increasing demand.
Despite these pressures, the achievements of the past year demonstrate the power of strategic vision, partnership, and innovation. Our commitment to our four well-being objectives has guided every action: giving children the best possible start in life, enabling residents to live and age well, fostering prosperous and resilient communities, and further modernising as a resilient, efficient Council.
In education and early years, we have continued to champion inclusivity, raising standards across our schools and expanding childcare provision, ensuring that every child, regardless of background, can access opportunity.
Our transformation programme in Children and Families Services has delivered significant investment, driving improvements despite an increase in demand. Innovative health and leisure programmes have engaged thousands of people, supporting physical and mental well-being.
For our wider community, addressing poverty and supporting those facing hardship has been a key priority. Through the efforts of our Hwb advisors and Hwb Bach y Wlad service, eligible residents have been supported to claim over £7.5 million in benefits. We have brought empty homes back into use, sustained new tenancies, and made progress in affordable housing, drawing down over £17 million in Social Housing Grants and adding 361 new homes to our stock.
Our robust approach to health and social care has seen results; reducing hospital admissions and enabling individuals to return home faster with the right support in place. The Home First pathway and increased investment in preventative services are key examples of effective integration and early intervention, bringing tangible improvements to the lives of vulnerable residents.
Carmarthenshire’s economic recovery and growth have been enabled through securing over £58 million in funding, supporting over 2,300 businesses, and creating or safeguarding thousands of jobs. Strategic projects such as Pentre Awel continue at pace, providing state of the art facilities and innovative opportunities to our communities.
At the same time, our commitment to decarbonisation and biodiversity is unwavering, with a 37% reduction in targeted carbon emissions since our baseline year, and over half of Council homes now meeting higher energy performance standards.
We recognise too the importance of Welsh language and culture to our identity and have responded decisively to the decline in Welsh speakers by implementing new strategies and action plans, supporting staff learning, and championing vibrant arts initiatives.
Throughout, we have maintained a focus on governance, equality, and engagement, listening to our residents and staff, and embedding the sustainable development principle at the heart of everything that we do. The feedback that you provide through the annual Residents Survey is invaluable to us as we prioritise our work and commitments going forward. Modernisation and transformation have accelerated through digital transformation, automation, and smarter ways of working, delivering both efficiencies and improved experiences for those we serve.
I extend my thanks to all who have contributed to these achievements, our dedicated workforce, our partners, and most importantly, the people of Carmarthenshire. Despite facing complex challenges, we have shown that by working as one team, rooted in our core values, we can deliver for our communities, today and for future generations.
As we look to the year ahead, we do so with renewed determination to meet challenges head-on, to innovate, and to ensure Carmarthenshire remains a place where every individual can thrive.
Cllr Darren Price
Leader, Carmarthenshire County Council
