Councillors have clashed over proposals that will see Ystradgynlais become the fifth core hub town in the county.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Liberal Democrat/Labour Cabinet on Tuesday, October 29, a proposal to add Ystradgynlais as a core area, in the controversial shake-up of council services was in front of senior councillors.

Ystradgynlais, which is a Powys bastion for the Labour party, would be added to Brecon, Llandrindod Wells, Newtown, and Welshpool as a core area.

Splitting up the county into core areas is the first move in the administration plan which they called “Sustainable Powys.”

The move was agreed by the Cabinet in July in the belief that the council needs to save and cut up to £60 million from its budget over the next five years.

At the meeting, the proposal came in for criticism from the joint leader of the opposition and Powys Independents group, Cllr Beverley Baynham.

Cllr Baynham who represents Presteigne said: “I object, the whole Sustainable Powys agenda is ill thought out and discriminatory.

“It’s obvious to us outside the coalition cabinet why Ystradgynlais is being included.

“What about the rest of us not in a core town?”

Cllr Baynham pointed out that those living in Presteigne and Knighton area are also unable to travel by public transport to access council services in their nearest core town within an hour.

Cllr Baynham said that this had been brought up in discussions about the core areas but “shoulders were shrugged and we were told it’s tough luck, you’ll have to wait until something is worked out”.

She added: “I’m still waiting four months later and yet I sit here and witness another town being placed in a core hub because it suits the political make-up of the cabinet.”

Council leader Liberal Democrat, Cllr James Gibson-Watt stressed that the proposal had “nothing to do” with the make-up of the cabinet but was based on “facts and data”.

Finance portfolio holder, Labour’s Cllr David Thomas who was presenting the report, responded to the criticism from Cllr Baynham.

Cllr Thomas said: “It’s easy to come along and criticise decisions that are being taken without fully understanding the challenges we are facing.”

He wondered whether the Powys Independents group “really understand” the financial challenges the council and other authorities in Wales are facing.

Cllr Thomas said: “This accusation that to include Ystradgynlais as a core area simply because of the political make up of this cabinet is an insult to the people of Ystradgynlais.”

He pointed out that the town is the most deprived in Powys and one of the most deprived in the whole of Wales.

Cllr Thomas said: “I came into politics to eradicate poverty, that is the intention of this cabinet and Sustainable Powys.”

He added that he didn’t believe that the majority of independent county councillors would be against eradicating poverty.

Cabinet then went ahead and agreed unanimously to add Ystradgynlais as a core hub town.