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Pembrokeshire County Council leader coronavirus update, Monday 11th May

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Pembrokeshire County Council Leader, Councillor David Simpson,
has provided a further coronavirus update for Monday, 11th May, as
follows:

‘I hope that you were able to have a restful Bank Holiday and that you
managed to take the opportunity to commemorate the VE Day
anniversary while still complying with the social distancing guidance.
‘I appreciate that over the weekend there has been information
discussed at UK and Welsh Government levels in relation to the
situation relating to Covid-19. You may have found some of this
confusing.

‘We are now seeing other countries slowly amending their lockdown
rules, albeit very mindful that this virus has not been totally
eradicated.

‘One of the clear key messages is that the virus has not gone away.
We are still tackling the pandemic and lives are still unfortunately
being lost. We need to continue to work together to ensure the
spread of the virus is minimised. Preservation of life is key.
‘The First Minister made it clear that in Wales “we will proceed with
maximum caution.”

‘I am also aware that in Wales the First Minister has announced some
minor changes to the “stay at home” regulations. However, the
fundamental principles are still in force.

‘The modest changes will allow people to go outside to exercise more
than once a day, but the law requires people to stay local; to start and
end exercise at their homes and not to travel to exercise.

‘The new regulations also allow garden centres to open. However,
social distancing must be adhered to.

‘To be clear: these adjustments do not change the Welsh
Government’s overall advice to people. This continues to be stay at
home; protect the NHS and save lives.

‘As you are aware, waste and recycling centres (WRCs) in
Pembrokeshire and across Wales were closed in accordance with
Government guidelines to “stay at home” as this was deemed non-
essential travel.

‘On Friday, 8 th May, the Welsh Government announced that it will be
reviewing the regulations to allow local authorities to begin planning
on how to safely re-open WRCs. I can confirm that our officers are
now working on plans to re-open them and I will give you further
updates as the details emerge.

‘I want to highlight that we are actively redeploying staff to assist with
numerous work streams such as our Community and Provider hubs,
and on those plans to re-open WRCs.

‘Our Human Resources team has supported this redeployment and I
want to thank them for all their hard work in relation to this and other
staffing issues.

‘As we continue in lockdown we all need to remain safe and ensure
we do not catch or pass on this virus.

‘Covid-19 has reshaped our lives. What we do now will determine
how we shape the future. It is vital that we adhere to the advice given
by Welsh Government to ensure Wales and Pembrokeshire gets
through this.

‘I feel very passionate about our county and we all need to ensure we
safeguard its future. We will rebound and Pembrokeshire will
welcome tourism back although now is not the time to re-open to
visitors.

‘The following coronavirus-related press releases have been issued
since my last update on Thursday:

 Business Urged To Take Part in CV Survey:
https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/newsroom/businesses-
urged-to-take-part-in-coronavirus-impact-survey

 First Remote Meeting of Cabinet To Be Held:
https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/newsroom/first-remote-
meeting-of-cabinet-to-be-held

 All-Wales Approach To Waste And Recycling Centres:
https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/newsroom/pembs-working-
on-all-wales-approach-on-waste-and-recycling-centres

 Work To Resume on Some Construction Sites:
https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/newsroom/work-set-to-
resume-at-some-county-construction-sites

‘Public Health Wales is updating and adding to their resources
regularly. Please find all assets here:
https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/latest-information-on-novel-coronavirus-
covid-19/coronavirus-resources/

‘Also, please keep an eye on our newsroom at:
https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/newsroom

‘And to get daily email updates, log onto our website and sign into My
Account at:
https://myaccount.pembrokeshire.gov.uk

‘Don’t risk catching or spreading the virus, why risk it? Remember:
Stay Strong, Stay Safe and Stay at Home. Thank you.’
Useful links:
 www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/coronavirus   
 www.sir-benfro.gov.uk/coronafeirws
 https://phw.nhs.wales/
 Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru – Coronafeirws Newydd (COVID-19)
– Cyngor hunan-ynysu
 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-
19-list-of-guidance

News

Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Business

Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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