PEMBROKESHIRE County Council seems unlikely to be part of any proposal to voluntarily merge with other local authorities as part of a huge shake-up of councils in Wales.

The Williams Commission recommended cutting councils from 22 to 10, 11 or 12 and last week the Welsh Government issued an invitation to councils to submit proposals for voluntary mergers, rather than being forced into the move.

The Welsh Government is urging expressions of interest in voluntary mergers by the end of November and its preferred option is for Pembrokeshire to merge with Ceredigion.

The Government paper sets out what it says are a number of benefits for local authorities that choose to merge voluntarily.

They include realising the benefits of greater capacity and efficiency more quickly, a much shorter period of uncertainty for staff and communities and having a single set of elections in 2018.

The Western Telegraph asked Pembrokeshire County Council if any discussions had taken place with Ceredigion on the potential for a voluntary merger.

The answer was a simple no.

A spokesman for the county council added that ‘councillors have previously expressed a view that local authority mergers are unnecessary’.

They went on to say: “If the associated legislation is forthcoming, then councillors will have to consider the matter further.

“We will always act in the best interests of Pembrokeshire.”