News
Pensioners to stage Senedd protest over winter fuel cuts
Wales only devolved nation not offering extra support
PENSIONERS from across Wales will descend on the Senedd on Tuesday (Feb 4) to protest against the UK government’s decision to slash the winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners—and the Welsh Government’s failure to step in with additional support.
The demonstration, set to take place at 11:30am outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, will coincide with a debate on the draft Welsh budget for 2025/26.
A survey of more than 500 retired Unite members in Wales has revealed the devastating impact of the cuts. Over seven in 10 (71%) have reduced their heating, nearly half (41%) have cut down on baths and showers, and more than one in five (21%) have reduced the number of hot meals they eat. In total, 20% say their health has deteriorated as a result of these cutbacks.
The figures for Wales are worse than those recorded across the UK (see notes to editors).
“Shivering indoors”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Pensioners in Wales are suffering massively from the brutal cut to the winter fuel allowance. They are shivering indoors, going without baths, or cutting out meals. Pensioners should be able to live with dignity after a lifetime of work.
“Instead of picking the pockets of pensioners, the UK and Welsh governments should be giving them the support they need and deserve.”
Unite has calculated that it would cost the Welsh Government £140 million to fully restore the winter fuel allowance for all 560,000 pensioners in Wales who have lost out. Alternatively, a scheme similar to those introduced in Northern Ireland and Scotland—where affected pensioners will receive £100—would cost £56 million.
“A failure to act will not be forgiven”
Unite Welsh secretary Peter Hughes said: “Pensioners in Wales are needlessly suffering. The Welsh Government has got to step up to the plate and provide vitally needed help to the elderly in this country.
“A failure to act will be long remembered and unlikely to be forgiven.”
Last year, Unite applied for a judicial review challenging the UK government’s decision to cut winter fuel payments. The union is currently awaiting a court decision on whether the challenge will proceed.
Dereck Roberts, Unite retired members’ representative in Wales, added: “Pensioners from Conwy to Caerphilly are travelling to the Senedd to demand support from their government. These are ordinary people who have worked all their lives, only to find vital support taken away in their moment of need.
“We all want to see the Labour government in Wales step up and support us through winter. That means money, not empty rhetoric.”
EMERGENCY services were called after a car crashed into a house on Nun Street in St Davids on Thursday (Apr 24).
Dyfed-Powys Police and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene at around 4:35pm following reports of a single-vehicle collision.
On arrival, they found that a car had collided with a residential property. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The road remained open while the vehicle was recovered.
A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Dyfed-Powys Police attended a report of a single-vehicle road traffic collision where a car collided with a property on Nun Street, St Davids, at around 4:35pm yesterday. No injuries were reported, and the road remained open while the vehicle was recovered.”
POLICE are appealing for information to help locate a 54-year-old man who has been reported missing from the Milford Haven area.
Neil is described as being around 6ft 2in tall with a shaved head. He has tattoos on his arms and one of his fingers, and sometimes wears glasses.
He was last seen on Friday afternoon (Apr 26) wearing a black Superdry hoodie, ripped jeans, and orange and black Nike Air trainers. Neil is believed to be on foot.
Anyone with information that could help is urged to contact Dyfed-Powys Police: 
| Online portal
| 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk
| Call 101, quoting reference 262 of April 26.
Wales joins UK’s largest firefighting aid convoy
MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) has taken part in the UK’s largest ever convoy delivering vital firefighting equipment to Ukraine, joining 17 other Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) from across the country.
The convoy, coordinated by FIRE AID and supported by the UK Government, left the UK in early April. It travelled through France, Germany and Poland, delivering over 30 fire service vehicles and more than 15,000 items of equipment to support Ukrainian firefighters on the front line of the ongoing war.
Since the Russian invasion in 2022, UK fire services have donated 119 vehicles and over 200,000 pieces of equipment to Ukraine. Each participating service ensured local needs were met before donating surplus kit.
Watch Manager Rob Kershaw represented MAWWFRS on the convoy. He said:
“It’s been a privilege to be part of this convoy and to represent both FIRE AID and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
We received invaluable support and assistance from fire and police services across every country we passed through. Their help in coordinating, escorting, and hosting the convoy was outstanding.”
Chief Fire Officer Roger Thomas KFSM added:
“MAWWFRS is proud to support our colleagues in Ukraine by donating and delivering essential equipment.
The events in Ukraine have deeply affected the fire and rescue community, and this convoy is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to helping those still working under extreme conditions.”
The donated equipment will support firefighters in Ukraine who continue to operate in war zones to save lives and protect property—often at great personal risk. Since the conflict began, 100 Ukrainian firefighters have been killed and 431 injured. A total of 411 fire stations and 1,700 firefighting vehicles have been destroyed.
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