A QUESTION to be raised at the Full Council on Thursday has seen Powys County Council (PCC) check which projects are funded from Europe.

With the clock ticking down on the UK’s membership of the European Union, councillors are being updated on Powys County Council’s Brexit preparations.

County Councillor for Llangattock, Liberal Democrat Jackie Charlton, said: “Can the council have an update on the impact this will have on service delivery and all the EU funded projects or development that the council is aware of?

Finance cabinet member, Cllr Aled Davies (Conservative, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant/Llansilin), responded: “The impact that Brexit will have on service delivery is being closely monitored in a number of ways.

“A Brexit Impact Log is being circulated to all service areas within the authority for completion.

“The increased risk of loss of funding for existing EU funded projects is identified as a high risk”.

“Other service areas such as Adult Social Care have previously completed their own Brexit risk assessment.

“The Cabinet has a Corporate Risk Register which includes Brexit as an identified risk.

“A Brexit Working Group has been set up, Cllr Rosemarie Harris (council leader) is the chair.

“Attendees are from a range of external organisations and sector representatives.

“Emergency planning staff attend the Dyfed Powys Local Resilience Forum (LRF), the fortnightly meetings are about to become weekly.”

The report adds details from a letter issued by First Minister Mark Drakeford as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government following the Referendum result in June 2016.

“There will be lifetime guarantees of funding for all approved operations at the point of the UK’s exit from the EU- thereby providing assurance to all beneficiaries that they can contribute to delivery of the 2014-20 Programmes as planned,” said Mr Drakeford.

Cllr Davies takes this to assume that: “Our funding of £5,103,998 is secure and Welsh Government will fund any shortfall in EU funding.

“We have also been given the opportunity to extend the funding programme up to June 20, 2023.

But Cllr Davies says that PCC has no funding to extend programmes beyond the end of 2021.

Current EU Funded programmes underway include:

Lake Park project in Llandrindod Wells – £126,000.

Workways+ – £350,000.

Cynydd project with the Youth Service – £1 million.

Arwain is currently delivering the LEADER funding which forms part of the Rural Development Programme 2014 – 2020.

The total cost of the project is £6.061 616million with £5,103,998 coming  from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.