The dispute follows Llanelli Town Council’s decision to back a pilot “Skip Day” scheme aimed at helping residents dispose of bulky waste and cut down on illegal dumping. But behind the scenes, the debate has turned into a full‑blown political scrap over who is to blame for the town’s mounting rubbish problem — and who should pay to fix it.
Labour group leader David Darkin, who submitted the original motion, said fly‑tipping in Llanelli had reached “unacceptable levels” and accused the Plaid‑led Carmarthenshire County Council of failing to get a grip on waste and enforcement.
He said the motion only passed after being softened by Independent group leader Sean Rees, whose members outnumber Labour on the town council.
“Labour does not hold a majority,” he said. “The motion could not have passed without Councillor Rees, who insisted on weakening the language calling out county‑level failure. I accepted the amended wording because securing action was better than letting the motion fall — but the underlying problem hasn’t gone away.”
Darkin said residents were being “let down twice” — first by fly‑tipping, and then by a county system he says isn’t working.
Labour colleague Shaun Greaney went further, accusing Plaid of being “to blame” for the mess and branding the Independent amendment “ineffective” and “feeble”.
“Residents are sick of rubbish piling up,” he said. “Plaid are in power in County Hall and seem oblivious to the concerns of residents. Councillor Rees and former Labour councillor Sarah Evans backed a scaled‑back plan that lets the county council off the hook. It’s a betrayal of residents’ real concerns.”
But Independents Sean Rees and Sarah Evans hit back hard, accusing Labour of proposing a scheme that would have landed residents with higher bills during a cost‑of‑living crisis.
They said the unamended Skip Day plan could have cost “up to £100,000 a year”, calling it “financially reckless”.
“Either Labour have found a magic money tree, or they were prepared to push the Town Council to financial ruin,” they said in a joint statement.
They also accused Labour of political timing, saying the party had “years to address fly‑tipping” and was only now treating it as an emergency “with elections on the horizon”.
“Residents already pay enough council tax for waste collection,” they said. “We were not prepared to see them pay twice for the same service. Our amendment was responsible, evidence‑led and sustainable.”
The Skip Day pilot will now go ahead — but the political fallout shows no sign of being tidied away.
We must set the record straight: the claim that we have only now decided to address the issue is factually inaccurate. During the tenure of Councillor Suzy Curry and Councillor Andre McPherson, there was a pilot scheme that brought a monthly skip to the Tyisha area. This initiative was highly successful, significantly reducing fly-tipping in that locality.
If the County Council and independent town councillors truly want to deliver meaningful, lasting change, they should first revive and expand this proven pilot scheme. Second, they should reconsider the current £25 limit for three items, which is an obstacle for residents trying to dispose of legitimate waste.
We urge councillors to engage with their constituents—those who live with this problem daily and can attest to its impact—so we can work together to restore pride in our streets and make fly-tipping a thing of the past.
Cllr A Mcpherson