POWYS will receive an extra £1,933,000 from the Welsh Government following complaints that the county was “losing out”.

The draft Welsh Government budget, which was set to see Powys receive a hefty 4.1 per cent cut, was voted through by Assembly members last Tuesday, but now sees Powys receiving the extra cash along with two other rural councils.

Calls had been made for more money to be given to rural councils after heftier settlement reductions were levied on Powys and Ceredigion than urban south Wales authorities.

Leader of Powys County Council, Cllr Barry Thomas said he was “very pleased” at the news.

“The county had received the lowest settlement in the Wales with a 4.1 per cent cut in funding,” he said.

“The additional funding will help a great deal, but will not solve all of our problems, and we still face very challenging savings targets over the next three years.”

Since the announcement that Powys’ local government settlement was to be cut by 4.1 per cent, Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said she has had “several meetings” with the finance minister to make the case for a grant to assist rural areas such as Powys.

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