A regional partnership aimed at boosting the mid Wales economy is an attempt by the Welsh Government to force councils into a form of merger, a councillor has warned.

Ceredigion and Powys councils are working together as part of the Growing Mid Wales project aimed at boosting the local economies through a range of measures including a local growth deal.

While council leader Ellen ap Gwynn said £55m had been allocated for a Mid Wales Growth Deal and that uncertainty over the next UK government, with a General Election called for December, meant it was not known if further funding would be provided and if so, how much.

Cllr ap Gwynn said there had been positive talks with Welsh Government ministers about the regional partnership, but Cllr Ceredig Davies said he suspected the push to get county councils to work in regional partnerships after plans to force mergers were dropped following a backlash.

The Welsh Government had said it wanted to see mergers between some of the current 22 local authorities, with a proposal that the old Dyfed be reformed with Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire merged.

Cllr Davies said he suspected that the Welsh Government’s drive for greater regional working was a way of effectively merging councils without doing it officially.

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