Getting county’s businesses back on track
WE’RE more than a week on from the floods that have devastated many parts of Carmarthenshire, and it’s clear that while it will take some time to get things back to normality, there is a great amount of strength, resilience and determination being shown by many people.
I was glad to see the First Minister visiting Carmarthen on Thursday, it was an opportunity to show him just how much these floods have affected our communities.
It was also an opportunity to let the Welsh Government know how determined Carmarthenshire County Council is to support people and businesses get back on track as quickly as possible.
That started with the hardship relief fund we set up for residents as soon as the floods had subsided, and the grants we are offering businesses to help them repair and recover.
I have been proud, as leader of the council, to put that immediate support in place, and while it was disappointing to hear that it wasn’t particularly welcomed by the First Minister, I can assure you that it was welcomed by the people who have lost so much.
During his visit, I also took the opportunity of highlighting how continued cuts to local authority budgets could mean we are less able to respond should anything like this ever happen again.
This should be a wake-up call.