News that the Welsh Government will not go ahead with plans to reduce the number of county councillors in Powys will put further pressure on the council’s budget in the coming years, a senior councillor has warned.

Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews announced in a statement last week that electoral reviews carried out by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales in nine areas, including Powys, would not be implemented.

The review in Powys recommended that the number of county councillors in Powys is reduced from 73 to 64.

The decision means that the council will have to find an additional £175,000 a year from April 2017 until at least 2020. The Welsh Government will consider the outstanding review for Powys in advance of the local elections in 2020.

Councillor Wynne Jones, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “Last week’s announcement by the Public Services Minister is extremely disappointing and will put more pressure on our budget plans.

“The decision not to go ahead with the reduction is solely down to the Welsh Government and is out of the hands of the county council. But we are the ones that have to deal with the consequences and the impact it has on our budget plans.

“The reduction of councillors had been included in our medium term financial plans. Now we have to find an additional £525,000 over three years from 2017.

“The Welsh Government decision will just add to the growing budgetary pressures the council is already facing.”