Last week the Western Telegraph reported on how Pembrokeshire County Council leader Jamie Adams compared his tough first year at the helm as like being thrown about in a washing machine.

In the first part of his interview with Chief Reporter Katy Woodhouse, Cllr Adams focussed on the changes to education and safeguarding that have been made under his watch.

Here, in part two of the interview, Cllr Adams is asked about difficult decisions that lay ahead, the future of the county's town centres and the public impression of the ruling Independent Plus Group.

Difficult decisions

Over the next few years a number of difficult decisions will have to be made which will affect residents across the county.

Cllr Adams said that the Independent Plus Group had grown in confidence, boosted by the Wales Audit Office improvement report which, he said was positive, aside from the well-publicised issues with safeguarding and education.

"As a group we have sought to engage positively in the difficult decision making we have had to do, we have identified £8.6m of the current three year programme and information I've received in last week is beginning to suggest that's falling short of target so we will be having to look far more seriously at services in the county.

"What frustrates me, is the, if you like, yah-boo brigade of councillors who vote the budget through and then effectively bemoan every decision that has to be taken to undertake that budget.

"We've got to make the difficult decisions, and make them with the evidence and with the full understanding and the right reasons. I'm getting increasingly concerned that we have members who are just interested in promoting their own agendas and not reflecting a) their responsibility as members and b) the views of the general public, the electorate, who put them in the position.

"There's no getting away from it, we will have to save a lot of money and that will mean changes for services and even the loss of services. We are in the fist year of a three year cycle. Some of the issues we are grappling with at present are extremely difficult and very emotive but they are not the most difficult that we will have to make going forward, and not the most unpopular either."

Town centres

Improving the town centres of the county was also an important aim for the Independent Group Plus said Cllr Adams as he praised the work of cabinet member Cllr David Pugh, for his ongoing work.

Cllr Pugh, cabinet member for economy, tourism and communities, has worked closely with town councils and the council's regeneration unit which have helped improve streets in towns including Haverfordwest and Pembroke.

"One of our more significant challenges we spoke about was town centre regeneration. They continue to have some difficult challenges in terms of attracting customers but it was on of main group priorities.

"We are ensuring we play our part in that process in trying to attract people to our town centres. We've been engaging with chamber of commerce and town councils and brought in an expert who has been involved in town centre regeneration in Ireland and north Wales. We have worked hard to build relationships with town councils that haven't always been the best."

He said that simple things such as providing paint for commercial properties and grants for hanging baskets all made a difference.

The Independent Plus Group

Questions have been asked over many years about the lack of manifesto for the Independent Plus Group which operates as a political party at the council.

At last year's election there was some concern that candidates were standing as independent members when already members of the ruling group or then went on to join it once elected.

A recent byelection in Burton was the first time a candidate campaigned openly with the intention to be a member of the IPG, a fact that Cllr Adams believes has "shot the fox of the argument that people wouldn't vote for an IPG member".

He added: "In terms of group members, they have would have to make that individual decision at the time of the election. An interesting point is to how we are perceived by the public. If you're to believe the vocal minority, we are on the public enemy number one list but that's not the reception I get as leader of the group up and down the county."