News
Cost of care
A RESPONSE to a Freedom of Information Act request made to Pembrokeshire County Council has revealed that the Council is paying domiciliary care agencies an average gross hourly rate of £14.60.
The figure would equate to a full time wage of over £26,500 for the provision of that service.
From September 2013 to November 2013, the Council entered into 94 separate arrangements to provide domiciliary care, using one agency on 25 occasions to deliver care requirements to people in need in Pembrokeshire.
The County Council spent £8.9m on private provision for domiciliary care in the year 2012/13 and £1.9m on in-house provision.
Those working in-house at the lowest pay grades have been subject to cuts in pay and hours.
UNISON members within PCC home care are currently fighting cuts in hours some of up to 30% due to be implemented on the 1st January 2014.UNISON Area Organiser Hugh McDyer said:
“Pembrokeshire County Council appears to be the only Welsh local authority taking such a step in ensuring all Home care services are put in the hands of private contractors, who will only provide the service if they can make a profit for their shareholders.”
The Full Council was due to debate domiciliary care provision at its meeting on December 12, 2013. The recommendation made by the IPPG Cabinet at County Hall was that all care services – including the Council’s in-house provision – be put out to tender. The matter was not, however, debated at the Full Council and was moved to remit the question for consideration at a future date. UNISON is still fighting the cuts in hours through a formal dispute procedure with PCC and industrial action could be likely if this is not resolved with a negotiated settlement.
Business
Llangwm brewery closes after entering liquidation
A SMALL Pembrokeshire brewing company has been formally wound up after its owners concluded the business could no longer continue.
Black Tar Brewing Co Ltd, which was registered in Llangwm, entered creditors’ voluntary liquidation following a meeting of company members on February 27, 2026.
The meeting was held at the Swansea offices of Stones & Co Insolvency Practitioners, where Gareth Stones was appointed to oversee the closure.
The company’s registered address was at Gail Rise in Llangwm, near Haverfordwest, and official records listed its activities as beer manufacturing.
No public details have yet been released about the size of the business, the value of its assets or the amount owed to creditors.
As liquidator, Mr Stones will now take control of the company’s affairs, identify any remaining assets and determine whether funds are available for those owed money.
Creditors are expected to receive further information as the process develops.
The liquidation was initiated by the company rather than through a court order, meaning its members voted to bring trading to an end and place its finances in the hands of an insolvency practitioner.
A public notice connected to the closure directs creditors and other interested parties to Stones & Co for further information.
The winding-up brings an end to the Llangwm-registered brewery, although the company’s recent level of trading and the number of people connected to the business remain unclear.
Crime
Murder investigation launched into death of Pembrokeshire man in 1991
A 67-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after new potential evidence emerged in connection with a death more than three decades ago.
Dyfed-Powys Police have launched a murder investigation into the death of 58-year-old Bentley Mathias, who died in hospital in 1991.
Mr Mathias died at Morriston Hospital on November 19, 1991, with his cause of death recorded at the time as a brain haemorrhage.
His death was not initially treated as suspicious. However, police said new potential evidence had since come to light, prompting the case to be investigated as a murder enquiry.
On Wednesday, July 22, officers arrested a 67-year-old man from the Llandewi Velfrey area of Pembrokeshire on suspicion of murder.
He has since been released on police bail while enquiries continue.
Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation.
The enquiry remains ongoing.
Education
Haverfordwest pupils impress judges with eco-friendly cleaning business
Ysgol Preseli also represented Pembrokeshire among five finalists at an all-Wales green skills competition
A TEAM of Haverfordwest pupils has earned national recognition after developing a range of environmentally friendly cleaning products aimed at hotels and tourism businesses.
The Sustainables, from Haverfordwest High VC School, presented their idea to business leaders, Welsh Government representatives and sustainability experts at the Tomorrow’s Changemakers Hackathon 2026.
The pupils gave a live demonstration of their product and explained how it could be priced and marketed to businesses across the hospitality sector.

Their combination of environmental thinking and commercial awareness impressed the judging panel, which awarded the team a Highly Commended prize.
Pupils from Ysgol Preseli also reached the final, meaning Pembrokeshire was represented by two of the five teams selected from across south and west Wales.
The competition, held at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Carmarthen, challenged Year 8 pupils to find practical solutions to environmental problems affecting tourism, hospitality and the built environment.

The overall winners were the Green Guardians from Llangatwg Community School in Neath Port Talbot.
Their design for a more sustainable school included an outdoor learning centre which could also operate as a pupil-run garden café.
The hackathon marked the end of a year-long programme in which pupils worked alongside teachers, employers and community organisations to research problems, develop ideas and present their solutions.
More than 1,000 Pembrokeshire pupils have taken part in the Tomorrow’s Changemakers programme since it was introduced in the county in 2023.
The Port of Milford Haven is the programme’s main partner in Pembrokeshire.





Anna Mullarkey, the Port’s stakeholder engagement and communications manager, said: “The creativity and innovation shown by these learners is truly inspiring.
“They transformed their ideas into practical solutions that could help build a more sustainable future.
“We’re proud to support young people in reaching their full potential and delighted to see schools across Pembrokeshire creating environments where ideas and talent can flourish.”
The programme has now worked with more than 3,000 young people across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot.
It is due to expand further from September, with Ysgol Harri Tudor and Ysgol Caer Elen joining the Pembrokeshire programme alongside schools in Swansea, Powys and Bridgend.
Cymbrogi Futures founder and chief executive Liza Lort-Phillips said Pembrokeshire remained at the heart of the initiative.
She said: “The county has extraordinary young people with bold ideas about the future of their communities.
“Our job is to give them the space, the tools and the confidence to act on those ideas.”
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