THE County councillor with responsibility for housing is being removed from the cabinet, the Mercury can reveal.

Cllr Bill Roberts is one of two casualties of a cabinet re-shuffle being carried out by council leader John Davies. The other is understood to be Cllr Jim Codd, currently deputy cabinet member for health and well-being.

Cllr Davies himself is saying nothing, other than to confirm that a re-shuffle is pending.

He said: "I am in discussion with my cabinet colleagues on the finer details of the reshuffle and I shall be reporting on the matter to full council on October 20.

"I will be able to fully discuss the matter once the details are finalised. Until then I am not in a position to add to this statement."

However, Cllr Roberts told the Mercury: "I've enjoyed my time there. I've done my best and I hope I've made a little difference and helped some people along the way. I wish my successor all the good luck in the world."

Cllr Roberts said he "wasn't disappointed in the slightest" to be out. "It happened. That's the game of politics. I have no regrets at all.

"My reaction is 'good luck to them'. I hope they continue working together for the best interests of Pembrokeshire."

Asked what he thought was rationale behind the changes, Cllr Roberts said: "I would assume the rationale is partly due to efficiency savings, possibly due to future changes in local government, which is probably quite imminent. Also, the new political set-up is still in its infancy. It will take a few years to refine it."

The Mercury understands that as well as exits for Cllrs Roberts and Codd, the re-shuffle will see a re-distribution of portfolios among the remaining cabinet members, and new roles for the remaining deputy cabinet members.

At the moment, Cllrs Sian James, Rob Lewis, Bill Roberts and David Simpson are all assisted by deputy cabinet members - Cllrs Jim Codd, Jamie Adams, Anne Hughes and Mike Evans repectively.

On top of their basic £11,000 allowance, full cabinet members each get a Special Responsibility Allowance of £13,686. Cabinet members with deputies get £9,124 and deputies themselves get £4,562. Consequently, the money saved by the axing of Cllrs Roberts and Codd will enable Cllrs Lewis, James and Simpson to be paid a full cabinet SRA.