What will Comprehensive Spending Review mean for Pembrokeshire?

Following Mr Osbourne's announcement the Welsh Assembly will produce its budget for Wales, due next month, but it has already been preparing for deep cuts.

A spokesman said that the Assembly has been "working on the assumption of a 10% cut to capital and 3% revenue cuts year on year."

In Pembrokeshire the County Council is also preparing for a potential 3% cut although actual figures will not be announced until the Assembly tells local authorities what they will receive.

Pembrokeshire County Council leader John Davies said the council was "still fishing in the dark at the moment" but was preparing to enter a period of less money.

"We've been in positive mode for the last ten years and we are now going into a period of negative mode.

"We have to do things very differently to how we have done it in the past. It doesn't mean losing services all together but changing services," said Cllr Davies.

Cllr Davies said the authority will have to make millions of pounds worth of savings but if flexibility is allowed the changes can be accommodated but it would not result in "huge" job losses.

"We know there is a level of pain coming along and it's up to us to manage it in the most effective way possible.

"Rest assured Pembrokeshire is very well placed, one of the most well placed in Wales, to meet the changes that the future will be bringing upon us but it's not going to be easy.

"There is frustration at all this talk about having to cut back at delivery stages, which is local authorities, and then protect frontline services but many things provided by local authorities, such as roads infrastructure, are considered frontline service by most people. To say we will take money away and still protect frontline services, that's unrealistic."

Pembrokeshire's Conservative Assembly Members give their view on the prospective cuts:

Preseli Pembrokeshire's Paul Davies AM said: "Welsh Conservatives have made it clear we will oppose any cuts that are disproportionate to Wales. This is already happening and we will continue to fight for a fair deal here. While no final Spending Review announcement has yet been made, it is clear that tough but fair cutbacks are needed to secure our future.

"While many constituents I have spoken to support the view that changes are required, I am always happy to discuss concerns and fight for fair outcomes."

South Pembrokeshire's Angela Burns AM said: "No final decisions on spending have yet been made but the UK coalition government has made it clear it is committed to mopping up Labour's mess with cuts that are tough but fair, while protecting the most vulnerable. Welsh Conservatives support this view but we will oppose any cuts that are disproportionate to Wales.

"Many residents I have spoken to in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire agree that measures have to be taken to secure our future. It was clear in the General Election campaign that cutbacks would come of course, no matter who won. Indeed, many concerns in my constituency remain in the area of health, and these are issues that I continue to work tirelessly to pursue.

Pembrokeshire's representatives in Westminster, both Conservatives, are also preparing for cuts in the county and Preseli Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb believes it is time for a new way of thinking about service provision in the county.

He told the Western Telegraph: "It is my personal view that, in a small county like Pembrokeshire, bodies like the National Park Authority and the County Council will in future have to become much more integrated.

"No new Government wants to be in a position where it has to cut spending, but the scale of the financial crisis facing the country means that very difficult steps need to be taken.

"In Pembrokeshire the impact of the CSR on specific public services will be, to a large extent, determined by the Welsh Assembly which receives money from Parliament for spending on schools, the NHS, transport and so on. The Assembly has been slow to respond to the financial crisis but will now need to show that it can minimise the money spent on its own bureaucracy and maximise resources for frontline services."

"The local police face a tough funding settlement in the next few years and I have been working with the Chief Constable and his team to ensure that my ministerial colleagues understand the policing challenges in Pembrokeshire and the need for certain funding to be protected.

"But the CSR is also an opportunity for deep thinking about how public services are delivered. The old model of constant expansion of bureaucracy has been tested to destruction and is unaffordable. A great many public sector bodies will therefore need to find new ways of working and sharing costs.

"It is important that people do not look at the Spending Review in isolation. Alongside the difficult reductions in public spending are new measures to boost small businesses and get the private sector growing again so that the overall impact on unemployment is minimised."

South Pembrokeshire MP Simon Hart added: "In a week when unemployment actually went down in our county, the vast majority of people in Pembrokeshire understand that unless we deal with the deficit firmly, fairly and urgently, there is a real danger of long term problems damaging local jobs and our economy.

"Although we cannot second guess what the coalition will announce this week we know that the plan is to do everything to safeguard important jobs and to ensure that the better off play an appropriate part in repairing our seriously damaged economy . But there will be some good news too. This is not just about cuts, it will also be about investment and growth where it matters."

Police prepare for pain

The Police Federation has said that 40,000 frontline police jobs could be at risk in Wales and England if an expected cut of 25% goes ahead.

Dyfed-Powys Chief Constable Ian Arundale said: "Our best estimate based on information supplied by Home Office officials is that we will now have to cut £13 million per annum from our budget by 2014/15. This amounts to cumulative savings of more than £34 million during the period between now and then.

"This will be a huge challenge for Dyfed-Powys Police and, at this time, I cannot give a commitment that we will be able to achieve these projected savings without reducing employment levels or impacting upon front line service delivery.

"We do, however, have a very clear planning process to take us through this challenge and we will aim to continue to deliver some of the best performance in Wales and England. We will also ensure that the government are made fully aware of the impact of fiscal policy upon policing and employment opportunities within Dyfed Powys. We will also lobby to improve the financial requirements placed upon us.

"At this time our overall strategic direction will not change, we will still focus upon Safeguarding our Community, and our vision of seeking to continuously improve confidence within our communities, by making people safer and more satisfied, treating everyone fairly and bringing offenders to justice."

Fire service examining the way it works Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service's Deputy Chief Fire Officer Phil Coleman said the a comprehensive review of its service delivery was currently underway.

"The Service Review Programme, which was introduced in January, is tasked with identifying potential options for providing our current level of service delivery in a much tougher financial climate.

"As part of the Service Review Programme we have been consulting with staff and all potential efficiency saving options are being considered.

"The Service Review Programme is currently ongoing and final recommendations for consideration will not be presented to the Fire Authority until the Welsh Assembly Government outlines the draft budget for 2011/12 later in the year," he added.

The ambulance service and Hywel Dda Health Board declined to comment until the Welsh Assembly announces its budget.