Council 'must join board'

Power could be removed from a Mid Wales council if it does not form alliances with other bodies to help achieve savings of £600 million across the principality by 2010.

Powys County Council must join a new "local service board" along with other public agencies and representatives of the Welsh Assembly to provide more efficient services, board members were told yesterday.

The changes have been demanded by the Welsh Assembly, to meet recomme-ndations from the Beecham review of service delivery.

"The Assembly has decided to create local service boards from 2007, based on the existing 22 council areas and building on the community strategy partnerships in those areas," council officer Martin Nosworthy told board members.

"They will develop local service agreements, concentrating initially on health, social care and vulnerable children. The Assembly is allocating £42 million to support this, but it is not known how much will filter down to service improvements on the ground."

Chief executive Mark Kerr said the council would have to "take charge of this and demonstrate leadership", otherwise "it will be taken away".

He said: "We need to seize the initiative and stay ahead of the game, otherwise our friends in Cardiff might hijack the agenda."

Board chairman Councillor Michael Jones said it was a change the council would have to live with.

Councillor James Gibson-Watt condemned the move as wasteful. "The possibilities for duplication are colossal," he said. And Councillor Gwyn Gwillim said: "It is another layer of unnecessary bureaucracy."