Council run recycling and waste facilities across Pembrokeshire, including Crane Cross in between Saundersfoot and Tenby, are likely to have their opening hours reduced to meet cost savings, in light of a decision to keep the closure-threatened St Davids facility open.

Members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, meeting on December 2, considered a range of money-saving options for the provision of recycling centres in the county, against a backdrop of a need to save £70,000 from the service, which included closing the St Davids centre.

Pembrokeshire currently operates six WRCs across the County - Crane Cross, Hermon, Manorowen, St David’s, Waterloo and Winsel, one of the highest levels of provision in Wales.

The council’s medium term financial plan identifies “a ‘most likely’ projected funding gap of £84.6m over the period 2024-25 to 2027-28,” with the council needing to deliver at least £70,000 of savings from the waste and recycling budget

Four options will be presented to Cabinet: no change, with the £70,000 coming from other areas of the service; the closure of St Davids netting the £70,000; its closure along with reductions in the amount of days at other centres to save £110,000; the final option being a reduction in the number of days all were open, but keeping St Davids running, saving the £70,000.

All four options were considered by the Policy and Pre-Decision Overview and Scrutiny Committee in November, where it was “acknowledged that the status quo could not continue and a requirement for change was accepted,” the committee favouring the fourth option, described as “sharing the pain,” which it recommended to Cabinet.

A complication for keeping St Davids open was a significant capital investment requirement for that site and Hermon, Cabinet members heard.

Despite concerns by Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr Michelle Bateman that she could not justify the costs, with the level of capital investment required, to keep St Davids open, fellow Cabinet member – and local councillor – Cllr Neil Prior proposed that option four was backed, supported by leader Cllr Jon Harvey.

Members, by six voted to two, backed the “sharing the pain” approach, which will see a reduction in opening days across the county sites.

Posting on social media after the meeting, fellow local councillor Cllr Mark Carter welcomed the news “which means that St Davids WRC stays open for the foreseeable future with two opening days a week all year round,” adding: “All other WRC sites will lose one day per week. The remaining issue to be addressed at some point is the required upgrade work and where the funding will come from but for the time being St Davids WRC is safe.”