PENARTH Town Council is looking to the future and insists business as usual is "not an option" as it prepares a budget in the wake of the rejected business improvement district (BID).

The month-long ballot of local traders saw the proposal rejected by 86 votes to 48 to the disappointment of councillors from all parties but they are not giving up on the idea.

A town place plan and momentum group have been set up in the past 12 months to increase engagement and determine the priorities of the community.

They have also looked to maximise value from existing events without having a significant impact on charges.

They considered alternative forms of funding such as increasing the town council precept. It currently stands at £1 a week.

Councillor Mike Cuddy said: "We think we are a modern and progressive institution. Town and community councils, in general, tend to be resistant to moving away from tradition."

The council has identified the big challenges that it has to face in trying to improve the town.

Both Cllr Cuddy and Cllr Martin Turner recognise that austerity is biting for local authorities such as their own.

But Cllr Turner said: "I believe that Penarth has the resources in terms of services to cope with the demands of such constraints.

They want to engage the people of Penarth in making the town more distinctive but also so they can be in tune with people's priorities.

The council says there is cross party support in pursuing the growth and development of the town.

And they also aim to reach out to the younger people of Penarth through their partnership with PenarthYouth Action.

They have signed a memorandum of understanding which consolidates the PYA's role with the council.

This is part of what they see as a changing demographic in the town due to the growth of Cardiff with more and more younger people settling in the town.

Cllr Cuddy said that he hopes the proposals will mean the town has the resilience to adapt to the community's needs in the future with challenges such as restructuring of local government finance.