A CALL to change a Pembrokeshire estuarial beauty spot village care home to a residential property has been approved by the national park.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Leicestershire-based Mr c Cunningham sought permission for a change of use of Herons Reef Residential Home, Llangwm Ferry, Guildford Row, Llangwm, near Haverfordwest.

Previous applications have been made at the site for a change of use, with a 2019 scheme refused, and a 2018 scheme withdrawn.

Other applications for a single storey cabin-style building with decking area and an extension were also refused in 2011 and 2009 respectively.

An officer report, recommending approval of the current application, said: “No external changes are proposed to the building; however, it should be noted that stone cladding has been applied to the front elevation of the property within the last four years.

“Permission would have been required for this since, at the time of writing, the property is still within use class C2 [residential home] for which no permitted development rights exist. This will be dealt with separately to the current submission.

“There are no over-riding concerns in relation to the proposed change of use in relation to visual or residential amenity, and there are no concerns in relation to the parking arrangements, access or local Highway Network.

“The proposed green infrastructure and biodiversity enhancements are deemed to be acceptable as it is proposed to plant six new trees within the rear garden area, and this is deemed to be proportionate to the proposed development, since no losses are to occur to facilitate development.

“Overall, the proposal is considered to be acceptable, and a recommendation to grant permission, subject to conditions, is made.”

The application, which includes a Section 106 legal agreement for the payment of a contribution towards affordable housing, was conditionally approved by park planners.

Underfunding in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire fuels hospital chaos, family hardship, and looming care home closures

VULNERABLE older people in West Wales are being forced to pay for their care—or go without it—due to a worsening funding crisis that experts say is placing them at risk and driving up NHS costs.

A growing “postcode lottery” in council funding has created stark inequalities between local authorities, with Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire among the worst hit. Care providers warn that the current situation is not only financially unsustainable but morally indefensible, as elderly people are left stranded in hospitals or charged extra just to receive basic care.

£8,500 less per patient

In Carmarthenshire, research has shown that the local authority pays around £8,500 less per year per person for nursing care than neighbouring Ceredigion. The shortfall is so severe that some care homes have begun charging families extra, or risk closure.

One care home owner, who asked not to be named, told The Herald: “It’s heartbreaking to tell a family: ‘If you can’t pay this, we’ll have to give notice.’ But we can’t make ends meet on Carmarthenshire’s fees. Meanwhile, just over the border in Ceredigion, they pay enough to cover the cost. Why are our residents treated like second class citizens?”

They added that some care homes avoid charging extra and are therefore more likely to receive referrals from the council—but may be located far from a resident’s home town, increasing isolation and hardship for families.

“The system punishes compassion. Homes are closing. And we’re losing places for our most vulnerable citizens.”

Pembrokeshire: NHS under pressure, families stretched

In Pembrokeshire, the situation is no better. While weekly rates are slightly higher than in Carmarthenshire—£908 for nursing care and £986 for EMI—they still fall far short of the actual cost of delivery.

The result? Bed-blocking at Withybush Hospital has reached critical levels.

Elderly patients medically fit for discharge are being kept in hospital, sometimes for weeks, due to a shortage of care home placements.

According to estimates, the cost of keeping an elderly patient in hospital is around £500 per day, compared to less than £200 per day in a care home—making the system not just inefficient but unsustainable.

‘12 months of instability’ ahead

One care group operating six homes in Pembrokeshire says they are facing a £150,000 annual hit due to increased National Insurance contributions and a rise in the Real Living Wage. They’ve warned of “12 months of instability”, with growing pressure on families to pay third-party top-up fees—and a risk that smaller care homes could fold altogether.

Care Forum Wales has estimated the total shortfall across the sector in Wales to be £150 million, describing the situation as an “existential threat” to elderly care.

Council and government response

Pembrokeshire County Council is already grappling with a projected £34.1 million funding gap for 2025–26, with adult social care listed as one of the most significant pressure points. Meanwhile, Carmarthenshire County Council has not issued a public statement on the care home funding disparity, despite repeated concerns from local providers.

The Welsh Government has announced a small uplift in care home fees, from £235.88 to £254.06 per week from April 2025, but providers say it’s nowhere near enough to prevent closures or redundancies.

Some initiatives—such as improved NHS discharge planning and tech-based bed tracking—are being piloted, but sector experts say they will not resolve the crisis without urgent and significant funding increases.

‘Rotten boroughs’ of care?

Mario Kreft MBE, chair of Care Forum Wales, has slammed the disparity between councils as a form of “institutional prejudice” against the private care sector, which provides the majority of services across Wales.

“It’s a race to the bottom, and elderly people are paying the price. In South West Wales, with the exception of Ceredigion, fee levels are appalling. These councils are like rotten boroughs, offering the least to the most vulnerable.”

“Wales was supposed to be built on equality. But you’d never know it when you look at how care is funded.”

He called on councils and government to rethink their approach, warning:

“Those making these decisions should consider their positions. They are causing harm to families and risking the collapse of care in their communities.”

What happens next?

If no action is taken, providers warn, more care homes will close, families will be left without support, and hospitals will continue to suffer.

“Either we fight to save our homes,” the anonymous care home owner told The Herald, “or we walk away. And then what becomes of the residents?”

The Herald has contacted Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire County Councils for comment. This article will be updated if and when responses are received.

MANORBIER PROJECT STALLED AGAIN

NEARLY two and a half years after a devastating fire shut the doors of Manorbier Primary School, the community is still waiting for the rebuild to begin—despite repeated promises and reassurances.

The fire, which broke out on October 10, 2022, thankfully caused no injuries, but left the school building unusable. In a remarkable show of resilience, staff resumed lessons the next day in the village pub, and then moved to Jameston Village Hall, where the school remains to this day.

While the temporary accommodation allowed education to continue, progress on rebuilding has stalled. Negotiations between the church (which owns the site), Pembrokeshire County Council, and insurers have dragged on for months with little clarity or urgency.

Parents were left in the dark for six months before receiving any communication from the Council—only after a formal complaint was lodged.

In October 2024, Huw Jones, Chief Officer for School Resources and Governance, wrote to parents:

“We have an estimated cost for the school’s reinstatement and this has been shared with the Council’s insurers. However, negotiations with the insurers remain ongoing… The draft business case has been completed, and pending the value of the insurers’ contribution towards the school reinstatement, this will form the basis of a Cabinet report in the next month or so.”

But as of April 2025, no visible progress has been made, and parents were alarmed to learn via a Council email on March 27 that the business case is now unlikely to be considered until after a report by the School Modernisation Working Group—set up in August 2024—is completed.

The existence of this group had not been publicly disclosed, and teaching staff were reportedly told not to discuss it. The group is tasked with reviewing pupil numbers and surplus places across the Tenby and Preseli areas.

The decision to tie Manorbier’s rebuild to a wider review has sparked anger and suspicion among parents, governors, and staff, many of whom fear that financial concerns—not the needs of children—are driving the delay.

“It feels like they are trying to quietly shelve the rebuild,” one parent told The Herald. “They say it’s about strategy, but it looks like stalling.”

In its 2023–24 Annual Self-Assessment, Pembrokeshire County Council acknowledged the lack of progress:

“During 2023–24, legal and insurance issues for the fire-damaged Manorbier VC School were pursued. Debris was cleared from the building in January 2024, and since this date we have been ascertaining the extent of the reinstatement required and the costs.”

The Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2023–24 also referenced delays to school rebuilds, including Manorbier, due to rising construction costs. The Council has scheduled verbal updates on Manorbier’s progress in April, June, and September this year, suggesting that further updates are expected—but no start date has yet been given.

While the Council maintains that it is meeting its statutory duty by housing the school at Jameston Village Hall, parents argue the temporary site is unsuitable long-term. The hall limits facilities, caps future growth, and deprives the local community of a key public space.

Meanwhile, the original school site in Manorbier remains derelict and vulnerable to weather damage.

“It would be a tragedy to see it become a permanent ruin,” said one parent. “This delay isn’t just bureaucratic—it’s harming our children, our teachers, and the heart of our community.”

With no guarantee that a decision will be made even after the School Modernisation Working Group concludes its report in May, the future of Manorbier Primary remains uncertain.

But one thing is clear: the community is not giving up.