Suggestions that Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion councils could merge following a report by the The Williams Commission, cutting down on the current set-up of Welsh councils, has been labelled a waste of money and time by a Tenby councillor.

Options considered by the Commission - headed by former NHS Wales chief executive Paul Williams - could see Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion councils merge and Carmarthenshire remain unchanged, while another option would be to merge the three authorities, to return to the previous Dyfed adminstration.

Speaking at Tuesday night's meeting of Tenby Town Council, the town clerk, Mr. Andrew Davies, informed members that he had a copy of the report to read and that it was important for councillors to pay close attention to the proposals, as the outcome could have a knock on effect on local town and community councils.

"The number of town and community councils in Wales stands at over 740, with over 80 in Pembrokeshire alone, with the Commission report suggesting that some of these councils are so small that they wouldn't really be able to deliver a service to the electorate, so the clustering of local councils could come into effect," Mr. Davies explained, adding that town councils could then be required to manage certain local services.

Clr. Lawrence Blackhall feared that if authorities were to get larger, covering a greater area, then some aspects of local services could become more impersonal.

On the other hand, Clr. Blackhall felt that if town councils were given greater control and management on certain services, then this could be a benefit to locals, with more immediate day-to-day contact with those running the services available.

Clr. Mrs. Christine Brown said that she didn't see what savings the government would make on cutting down on town and community councils, which were voluntary organisations.

"I don't see the point of destroying the basis of each community who rely on their local councillors to be their voice," she remarked.

"I think it's ridiculous the amount of money that is being spent to develop this process, it's a complete waste of money and time when county councils throughout Wales are already being forced to cut back on services we need," added Clr. Mrs. Brown.

Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Sue Lane, felt that councillors were "jumping the gun" on discussing the proposals.

"We can't start discussing what we do or what we don't do, until the proposals are put in front of us," she said.

The town clerk suggested that members read through the report and be mindful of what proposals could be put on the table.