Business
Pembrokeshire care home group hit by £150,000 budget blow
A COMPANY with six care homes in Pembrokeshire has revealed it is facing a £150,000 financial hit due to controversial Budget measures.
The hikes in National Insurance contributions, combined with an increase in the Real Living Wage, are set to cause “12 months of instability,” according to Mike Davies, managing director of Sunset West Care Homes’ holding company, Dale Roads Group Ltd.
The group operates six care homes, including Langton Hall Residential Home in Fishguard, Pen-Coed Residential Home in Saundersfoot, and Woodfield Nursing Residential Home in Narberth. Other homes in the group are Woodland Lodge Residential Home in Tenby, Torestin Care Home in Tiers Cross near Haverfordwest, and Pembroke Haven in Pembroke Dock.
Mr Davies warned that struggling care homes may need to ask families to help cover the cost of care for their loved ones.
He is supporting a new campaign launched by Care Forum Wales (CFW), which calls for social care to receive an NHS-style exemption from National Insurance increases or emergency financial support to prevent care homes and domiciliary care providers from going bust.
Save Social Care campaign
CFW chair Mario Kreft MBE is leading the Save Social Care, Save the NHS campaign, highlighting the issue in letters to Welsh MPs, Senedd members, First Minister Eluned Morgan, and Health Minister Jeremy Miles. Similar letters have also been sent to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The campaign, supported by the Five Nations Group, warns that third-sector providers, including charities and hospices, face serious risks due to the Budget measures.
Mr Davies shared these concerns, stating that Sunset West Care Homes is looking at an additional bill of more than £130,000 just to cover National Insurance increases. Additionally, the group expects to incur an extra £18,000 annually to cover Statutory Sick Pay costs.
With 169 registered beds across the group, Mr Davies said further financial strain from wage increases could push care homes to the brink unless additional funding is provided by the Welsh and UK governments.
He said: “Operating during Covid stretched staff resources to their limits. Now, with these additional Budget costs, we are facing a snapshot of the challenges ahead.
“If costs remain as projected, we anticipate an extra £130,000 for National Insurance contributions alone. This doesn’t even account for the wage increases yet.”
“Uncharted territory”
Mr Davies warned that the social care sector in Pembrokeshire could face instability, with smaller operators struggling to survive.
He said: “We’ve already seen care home closures, and the likelihood is that smaller operators will find it even more difficult going forward. We are relying on additional funding to meet these new costs.
“Eighty per cent of our occupancy in the county comes from local authority placements. If there’s a shortfall, families might need to provide additional voluntary contributions.”
National funding crisis
CFW has calculated that the care sector in Wales faces a £150 million funding gap due to Budget measures, including a 1.2% rise in employer National Insurance contributions, a cut to the Secondary Threshold to £5,000, and a 5% increase in the Real Living Wage to £12.60.
Mario Kreft MBE said: “It represents a 37% increase in employer NIC for a member of staff earning £25,000 a year. This is effectively a tax on publicly funded care and on working people, which will ultimately impact families.”
Mr Davies echoed these concerns, adding: “We’ve discussed funding issues with local authorities, but they don’t have the money either. It’s going to have to come from the Welsh Government and Westminster.”
Pictured: Sunset West Care Homes group managing director Mike Davies says Budget measures will hit care homes hard (Pic: Sunset/Herald)
Business
Rosemarket Dawn Till Dusk golf club 18-hole plans lodged
A CALL to extend a long-established Pembrokeshire golf club, bringing it up to a full 18 holes, has been submitted to county planners.
In the application, Mr and Mrs Young, through agent Preseli Planning Ltd, seek a change of use of land adjoining the Dawn Till Dusk Golf Club, Furze Hill Farm, Bastleford Road, Rosemarket, to form an extension to the existing golf course, along with landscaping and associated works.
A supporting statement through the agent says: “The application seeks full planning permission for the enlargement of the existing golf course to provide an additional six holes, to provide a total of 18 holes.
“The proposal would involve minor landscaping works to the fields and boundaries and the creation of a small number of ponds and bunkers. The extension would be located on land to the west of Furze Hill Farm and on the opposite side of the road to the existing golf course and clubhouse.
“An altered access to the land parcel is proposed as part of this application, which would provide an improved route for users crossing the public highway to avoid conflict with movements at the main entrance.
“The application site exceeds 1ha and therefore the proposal is considered major development necessitating a Pre-Application Consultation prior to formally submitting the planning application to the Local Planning Authority.”
It adds: “The existing golf course has operated in excess of 30 years and is popular with both visitors and locals. Club membership currently stands at approximately 350 and there is demand for enhancing the provisions of the course.
“The applicants’ sons have recently increased their involvement in the enterprise and in recent years wet winter months have necessitated the closure of the course, or parts of it, due to the ground becoming waterlogged, primarily due to the flat nature of the existing course.
“The extension would provide variation to the terrain, providing, dryer conditions, as well as the ability to alternate between the existing and proposed to maintain use, enhancing the viability of the enterprise.”
The application will be considered by Pembrokeshire County Council planners at a later date.
Business
Plans to rebuild arson hit building at farm with one of largest sheep flocks in Wales
A CALL to rebuild a fire-damaged Pembrokeshire farm building, as a family home to help manage one of the largest sheep flocks in Wales, has been submitted to the national park.
In the application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, D B Davies and Sons through agent Harries Planning Design Management, with a supporting statement by Reading Agricultural Consultants Ltd, seek permission to renovate an existing fire-damaged dwelling, together with the conversion and extension of outbuildings to form an agricultural worker’s dwelling at Mynydd Du, Rosebush.
The supporting statement through Reading Agricultural Consultants Ltd says Mynydd Du is part of a wider holding which includes Eisteddfa Fawr and land around the village of Brynberian, the farms approximately six km apart, with land under control of the applicant amounting to some 1,500 acres, with a further 3,000 acres of Preseli mountain common land also used; the land accommodating a 5,000-ewe flock with 10 suckler cows and followers.
It says DB Davies & Sons Unlimited, has five partners: the two Davies brothers, Berian and Ken; their wives; and Berian’s son, Dyfed.
Berian and Ken are in their late 70s, with most of the heavy work on the farm is undertaken by Dyfed.
Dyfed and his wife Megan are first language Welsh speakers, living some 10 km away in Nevern, while Berian and Ken, and their wives, live at Eisteddfa Fawr, Brynberian.
The dwelling at Mynydd Du, where most sheep are now wintered, is structurally sound and repairable but has been unoccupied since 1990, and was subject to arson circa 2013, the statement says.
It says Dyfed works full-time on the farm, alone with increasing frequency as the older business members are above retirement age, working “long hours out of necessity to undertake all the work associated with one of the largest flocks of sheep in Wales”.
“His working hours are extended further due to the fact that he lives remote (6kms) from the main block of land at Tyllosg, where Mynydd Du is situated in the centre of the farm. Travelling back and forth several times each day during lambing and other times during poor weather, to check on flock welfare is an arduous task and can be dangerous, particularly if driving when tired during inclement conditions.”
The statement adds: “The application seeks permission to repair the fire damaged dwelling at Mynydd Du and bring it back to serve a useful purpose to enable Dyfed to closely monitor the ewes, not only at lambing, but throughout the year when the flock is grazing on the adjacent common land.
“It will also enable Dyfed to be with his partner and young child on a more regular basis than simply at the end of a long day when he is away from their current home, tending the sheep at Mynydd Du.”
The application will be considered by park planners at a later date.
Business
Herald expands sales team as Milford Haven growth drives demand
THE PEMBROKEHIRE HERALD is launching a recruitment drive to bring in two new sales executives as the newspaper continues to grow its commercial operations across the county.
The move comes as the Herald strengthens its position as the leading independent news platform in West Wales, with increasing demand from local businesses looking to advertise both in print and online.
The expansion is being driven in part by the rapid growth of Milford Haven and the wider energy sector, with major investment in green energy projects, port activity and associated industries creating new opportunities for local businesses.
As the area continues to develop as a key energy hub, more companies are seeking to reach customers, partners and the wider community through trusted local media.
The successful candidates will work directly with Pembrokeshire businesses, helping them promote their services to a growing audience through the Herald’s expanding digital reach and established print readership.
Editor Tom Sinclair said the recruitment reflects both the changing local economy and the Herald’s increasing audience.
He said: “Milford Haven is expanding rapidly, particularly with new energy and green projects coming forward, and that’s creating real opportunities for local businesses.
“At the same time, our audience continues to grow across both our website and social media platforms, meaning we can now offer advertisers a much bigger and more effective platform than ever before.”
The new roles will focus on building relationships with local firms, developing advertising campaigns, and identifying new opportunities across sectors including tourism, retail, trades, energy and professional services.
The Herald has continued to invest in its digital platforms, including Herald.Wales, alongside its well-established print edition, offering advertisers a multi-platform approach to reaching customers.
The recruitment drive also comes at a time when many local businesses are looking for cost-effective ways to promote themselves amid ongoing economic pressures.
Mr Sinclair added: “Local advertising matters. When businesses advertise locally, that money stays in the local economy. It helps create jobs, supports families and helps communities grow alongside the businesses within them.”
The roles are expected to appeal to motivated, target-driven individuals with strong communication skills and an interest in media, sales or marketing.
Both positions are based in Pembrokeshire, with opportunities for training and career progression within the Herald’s growing media group.
Anyone interested in applying is encouraged to email [email protected] with a CV and covering letter before Tuesday (Apr 1, 2026).
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