Darkin claims credit for zero precept rise as political row erupts over Llanelli budget
Cllr David Darkin, who is also standing as a Labour candidate in May’s Senedd elections, said he proposed the zero-change precept for 2026-27 at February’s Establishment Committee meeting, with new Independent leader Cllr Sean Rees seconding the motion.
The statement comes after the Independents took control of the council last week following a series of defections from Labour and the formation of a “confidence and supply agreement” under Rees’s leadership.
In a lengthy public statement, Darkin set out a detailed timeline of the budget process, claiming the new administration had suggested it would “work towards” a zero change after the decision had already been made and passed by councillors.
“For accuracy, the zero-change decision had already been proposed by me, seconded by Cllr Rees, and supported by councillors prior to that announcement,” Darkin said.
The former leader also defended Labour’s financial management of the council, arguing that a zero precept was only possible because his administration had stabilised the authority’s finances after what he described as deficit budgets run by earlier Independent administrations.
“Over the past term, Labour brought the budget back into balance after earlier Independent administrations ran deficit budgets that eroded the council’s financial security,” Darkin claimed. “The turnaround is evidenced in recent balanced budgets and year-end positions set out in the council’s published accounts.”
Darkin’s statement reveals the fraught political manoeuvring that took place in the weeks leading up to the budget being set. According to his account, neither Labour nor the Independents initially intended to table a budget, forcing the Town Clerk to seek guidance on the consequences of no budget being set.
He said he informed the Town Clerk in early January that Labour would not table a full budget it could not pass, and asked that Rees be invited to key meetings including the Parc Howard Collaboration and Llanelly House Trustees so he had the information needed to prepare a responsible budget.
“One week before budget day, Cllr Rees and I spoke,” Darkin explained. “We agreed that a standoff would be irresponsible. We therefore agreed a holding position so the council could operate normally and residents would not be caught in the middle.”
The political row comes at a sensitive time for Darkin, who is one of six Labour candidates standing for the new Carmarthenshire super-constituency in the Senedd elections. The loss of control at Llanelli Town Council represents a significant political setback just months before voters go to the polls.
When the Independents took control last week, they issued a statement saying the new administration had been formed following “a period in which councillors from across the chamber have expressed a loss of confidence in the direction and decision-making of the previous Labour administration and the need instead to have a more open, collaborative, and community-focused approach.”
At the time, Darkin questioned what the new Independent group stood for, saying they had “no shared manifesto, no unified programme and no clear commitments made to the public.”
In his latest statement, Darkin struck a more conciliatory tone while maintaining his challenge over the budget narrative.
“I congratulate the new administration on taking office,” he said. “I will continue to support measures that keep bills down and protect community services, and I will challenge any attempt to rewrite the public record. Residents deserve accuracy, stability and mature cooperation.”
He urged anyone with doubts about his account to watch the recording of the February meeting and check the official minutes when they are published next month.
“The facts are straightforward: the zero-change precept was proposed by me, seconded by Cllr Rees and passed with broad support,” he said.
The political battle over who deserves credit for the zero precept increase highlights the increasingly fractious atmosphere at Llanelli Town Council, which has been rocked by public rows over issues including a scaled-back skip-day plan and how to tackle fly-tipping.
Those tensions ultimately contributed to the loss of confidence in Darkin’s leadership that paved the way for the Independent takeover.
The new administration has yet to respond publicly to Darkin’s latest statement.
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