Ystradgynlais set to become fifth core hub area in Powys

A Labour bastion in the southern tip of Powys and beyond the Brecon Beacons mountain range is set to become a county council’s fifth core area.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Liberal Democrat/Labour Cabinet on Tuesday, October 29, it is expected that senior councillors will rubber stamp a move to add Ystradgynlais as a core area, in the controversial shake up of council services.

Ystradgynlais would be added to Brecon, Llandrindod Wells, Newtown, and Welshpool as a core area.

Carving up the county into core areas is the first move in the administration grand plans which they called “Sustainable Powys.”

The mover was agreed by senior councillors in July in the belief that the council needs to save and cut up to £60 million from its budget over the next five years.

The move to core areas would see residents living an hour away including children expected to travel to these towns to access council services.

Finance portfolio holder Labour’s Cllr David Thomas who represents the Tawe Uchaf ward near Ystradgynlais is set to outline the case for including the town as a core service area.

The report explains that Ystradgynlais and the surrounding areas has a population of 10,199 which is fifth largest population of the Powys localities; with eight per cent of the Powys population living there.

It is also the most deprived area in Powys and amongst the 10 per cent most deprived Lower Super Output Areas (LSOA) for the whole of Wales.

The report says that 5,162 homes would be “positively impacted” by accessing services in Ystradgynlais rather than having to trek all the way to Brecon – under the original plan.

Journeys to the town would take 20 minutes, rather than an hour or more to Brecon.

Cllr Thomas said: “Public services across the UK are under considerable pressure as demand and costs rise, far outstripping the funding that is and will be available to them over the medium term.

“Our financial modelling estimated a budget gap of more than £60 million over the next five years.”

“To achieve this fundamental transformation, a significant programme of change will be delivered which is financially, socially, and environmentally sustainable.”

The move away from the 13 localities model which is based on the county’s market towns has come in for heavy criticism from opposition councillors.

At the meeting in July when the “principles” were adopted, Powys Independents group leader Cllr Beverley Baynham urged the Cabinet to reject the “ill-judged proposal.”

The principles which are supposed to deliver better quality services explain that service provision must be “digitally supported” and public and community transport must “align” in each locality to the hub .