CARMARTHENSHIRE County Council’s Plaid Cymru group has slammed claims that its alternative budget was deliberately timed in an act of political point-scoring.

Plaid’s deputy leader at County Hall, Councillor David Jenkins, of Glanaman, presented the document on the morning of the meeting where full council voted to accept the 2015/16 budget proposed by the ruling Labour-Independent coalition.

Last week, council leader Kevin Madge said the Plaid budget – which proposed using some of Carmarthenshire’s massive financial reserves to balance the books and negate the need for swingeing cuts – as “too little, too late”.

Cllr Jenkins “completely rejected” the claim that the timing of his submission had been planned, adding that he had only been given cause to scrutinise the amounts being held in the council coffers some three weeks before the February 24 meeting.

“The ink was hardly dry on the alternative budget when I handed it to councillors,” said Cllr Jenkins.

“It was certainly not the case that this was being kept back for political impact. I completely reject that.”

Cllr Jenkins said that it was only at the February 2 executive board meeting, which he and Plaid leader Emlyn Dole attended as observers, that he became aware of the full extent of the sums being set aside, particularly the figure held as “earmarked reserves”.

“The situation surrounding earmarked reserves is the fundamental issue,” he said.

“It was my understanding that earmarked reserves were those sums which had already been allocated for specific projects and were therefore untouchable.

“However, at the February 2 meeting, the executive board agreed to transfer £3million from one reserve fund to another because the amount being held was far more than was needed.

“It was at that point that I began to question the figures held in the various earmarked reserve funds.”

What followed was three weeks of intense analysis of the county council’s own figures.

Carmarthenshire currently holds £122m in various reserve funds – the third highest total in Wales. The figure is more than ten times that held by Merthyr Tydfil council, three-and-a-half times that of Ceredigion, almost two-and-a-half times the total held by Cardiff City council and £46m – over 60 per cent - more than is held by neighbouring Pembrokeshire.

The reserves equate to £661 per head of county population, the second highest in Wales, with only the Vale of Glamorgan holding more. The figure is more than four times the total per head of population held by Cardiff and double that held in Monmouthshire.

“I am obviously all for capital funds being held in reserve because that is used to pay for ongoing and future projects – that is necessary for regeneration and the vitality of the county,” said Cllr Jenkins.

“However, the county council’s first priority is to provide public services for the people of the county.

“The amounts currently held in reserve pots far outweigh the money required.”

Cllr Jenkins highlighted such issues as the council fund set up to cover the cost of replacing and maintaining its ageing IT infrastructure.

The fund currently stands at £1.8m yet in 2012 and 2014 nothing was spent. In 2013, £250,000 was spent.

Cllr Jenkins proposed reducing the reserve fund to £1m, thereby “freeing up” £800,000.

Similarly, a fund entitled Fleet Management, which is earmarked to potentially finance new vehicles, currently stands at £3.1m despite only £108,000 being spent in 2014, £105,000 in 2013, £57,000 in 2012 and £25,000 in 2011. The fund, according to Cllr Jenkins, actually now appears to be being used to meet additional care provision needs within the Social Services department.

Cllr Jenkins proposed reducing the fund to £2m – almost 20 times more than actually required last year, but still freeing up £1.1m.

Plaid Cymru’s alternative budget highlighted ten reserve funds which could be dramatically reduced while still holding far in excess of any requirement placed on them in the past.

The move would have released over £6.2m - £755,000 more than the total £5.45m budget cuts set to be implemented by the county council during the forthcoming year.

“This is not about taking loans or spending money we do not have,” said Cllr Jenkins.

“This is about spending the money we have stockpiled – amounts far in excess of what is needed.”

“I suggested using the extra £755,000 to reduce the proposed council tax increase from 4.85 per cent to 3.85 per cent.

“The budget agreed by the council will see an increase in council tax and a reduction in services - the public is being asked to pay more for less services.

“The budget I put forward was not a political gimmick. It was a way of better using the money that we have.

“It was certainly not a case of holding it back until the budget meeting - it was a case of trying to get it finished in time.”