Opinion Menu Later this month the county council will be considering its annual budget and the level of council tax increase being recommended by the cabinet. The task, which is never easy, has been made even more difficult by the continuing impact of coronavirus on the county, its residents, businesses and communities. The human and financial impact of the pandemic has been severe, and its consequences will be felt for many years to come. We have been fortunate that we have received more than £11m in additional support from the Welsh Government this year to offset additional spending and lost income.
Powys Business Awards 2019..Pictured is Rosemarie Harris..Picture by Phil Blagg..PB490-2019-17. CONCERNS have been expressed that the Mid Wales Growth Deal is being driven by civil servants rather than politicians. At a meeting of the Growing Mid Wales Board, members of both Powys and Ceredigion County Council were told that agreeing the full deal with both Welsh and UK Governments could take 12 to 18 months. This follows the signing of the Heads of Terms agreement between both governments and both councils on December 22, 2020 which committed the Welsh and UK Government to the deal. Growth Deal strategic manager, Carwyn Jones-Evans, explained that work would continue to put the portfolio business case together.
POWYS businesses received more than £66 million in grants and nearly 3,500 employees benefitted from £1.7m in payment support – just some of the statistics revealed behind the county council’s response to coronavirus. In figures due to be presented to its cabinet later this month, Powys County Council (PCC) has compiled a third quarter report gauging performance against national and strategic targets. And between the months of October and December 2020, figures reveal that 2,150 positive Covid-19 cases were reported during the period, with 99 per cent of 9,036 contacts traced. A total of 1,032 young people received emotional health and wellbeing support via school youth workers as the council received just shy of 20,000 customer service calls (19,240).
I LAUNCHED a new report on Friday on the Welsh economy and how we can rebuild it following the coronavirus pandemic. The discussion document reviews how tourism, developing renewable energy and the use of educational networks can help renew the economy. A sustainable economy recovery is key to tackling social and economic inequality according to the report. The report analyses the food sector. We all have heard about the impact of Brexit and the desperation for a trade deal that would result in chlorinated chicken from the USA flooding our markets. In other parts of the world communities have developed local food hubs for agricultural producers to access larger markets and lessen food miles.
BBC News
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A £110m deal has been agreed to boost the fortunes of Ceredigion and Powys.
Government ministers from Wales and Westminster have promised each will provide half of the start-up cash for the Mid Wales Growth Deal.
More detailed plans will now be drawn up for key priorities such as digital connectivity, energy and skills.
Ceredigion council leader Ellen ap Gwynn and her Powys counterpart Rosemarie Harris said the agreement was a significant milestone .
In a joint statement, they said the agreement showed the dedication and commitment to the region of all partners and was a very positive development at the end of a very difficult year .