Business

Bus service shake-up passes first Senedd stop

Published

4 months ago

September 18, 2025

PLANS to end the current “de-regulated” bus system passed the first stop on the legislative journey as the Senedd voted in favour of the general principles.

Senedd voted 37-12, with one abstaining, in support of the bus bill which seeks to replace the current system in which private operators decide most routes on a commercial basis.

A franchising model similar to Greater Manchester’s would be introduced under the bill, with the Welsh Government gaining control of routes, timetables, fares and standards.

Ken Skates, Wales’ transport secretary, told the Senedd: “Moving from the current deregulated model will support a truly integrated transport system that is fit for purpose.”

He said the franchising model would put people first, driving up passenger numbers and generating more revenue from fares which can then be used to improve services.

If the bill completes its journey through the Welsh Parliament, Transport for Wales would roll out the new system in phases over four to five years, beginning in south-west Wales.

Llŷr Gruffydd, who chairs the Senedd’s infrastructure committee, said the case for the changes is compelling, with fragile rural services and declining patronage in some areas.

While he backed the “important and necessary step forward”, Mr Gruffydd shared the concerns of witnesses who told the committee the bill lacks detail in some key areas.

“It has been disappointing that significant aspects of the proposals will only become clear once the bill has become law,” said the Plaid Cymru politician, who called for key commitments to be set out in the bill, “not left to the goodwill of a future government”.

Mr Gruffydd expressed concerns about a “significant” gap in the bill around congestion and infrastructure, with witnesses warning services will not otherwise improve under any model.

The Conservatives’ Sam Rowlands shared a desire to improve public transport but he warned the bus bill “falls short” and the franchising model is the wrong vehicle.

He told Senedd Members far too many businesses folded following the introduction of franchising in Manchester after being excluded from procurement due to red tape.

Mr Rowlands said: “What the Bill completely fails to address is the single biggest challenge facing bus services today, and that’s congestion. Reliability is crucial. You can’t have a modern, integrated public transport system if buses are stuck in traffic and consistently late.”

During the debate on September 16, Plaid Cymru’s Delyth Jewell broadly backed the bill but she suggested learner transport, which was omitted, has been treated as an afterthought.

She said: “Learner travel must be guaranteed, and therefore it must be included in this Bill. We can’t gamble with whether or not a child gets to school safely.”

South Wales East's Plaid Cymru MS Delyth Jewell — South Wales East’s Plaid Cymru MS Delyth Jewell

The party’s deputy leader in the Senedd also called for a greater focus on accessibility, backing RNIB Cymru’s calls for minimum standards to be enshrined in operator contracts.

Labour’s Lee Waters said: “This bill is a big deal and, in time, it will make a big difference….

“Since Tory privatisation of the bus industry in the mid-1980s, the number of routes has shrunk, the pay of the staff has been suppressed and fares have risen. In fact, since privatisation, bus fares have risen faster than the cost of motoring.”

Criticising the current “dysfunctional” system, the former transport minister said operators make 100% private profit but more than half of their costs are met by the public purse.

He told the Senedd: “This private system costs taxpayers a lot of money… around £200m a year, throw in on top of that the cost of school transport – which takes up about 20% of the cost of school budgets – and none of this activity, none of this money is coordinated.”

Mr Waters pointed to the bill’s impact assessment which estimated the benefits of the bill at more than £3bn, five times greater than the costs of £600m, over a 30-year horizon.

Business

Mini golf attraction to be built on historic Saundersfoot harbour ship

Published

3 minutes ago

January 29, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for a mini-golf tourist attraction on part of a Pembrokeshire seaside village heritage family venue have been approved, with relief expressed at the proposal after a previous ‘pirate’ rum bar scheme was refused.

In an application recommended for approval at the January 28 meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee, Lowri Silver sought permission for a change of use of the ground floor area of Saundersfoot Harbour’s Coastal Schooner to an indoor nine-hole mini golf tourist attraction.

The schooner – a prominent feature on the village’s National Events Deck – was built to showcase Saundersfoot’s maritime heritage and is part of the £10m Wales Coastal Centre project.

The building is a replica of a traditional coastal schooner vessel which operated from the harbour during the coal mining era to transport coal from Saundersfoot.

The interpretation centre closed in October 2024.

Last July, an application by Jonathan Thomas of ‘Schooner’ for a pirate-themed bar at the site was refused at the national park development management committee.

That rum bar scheme had raised concerns from the community council, saying it was “considered to be at odds with the current family venue and heritage elements”.

An officer report recommending refusal said that scheme was considered to fall outside the seaside village’s defined retail area and the impact on the amenity of the area and especially nearby residential dwellings.

At that meeting, Cllr Alec Cormack, one of the local county councillors, and member of the community council, called for a more family-friendly scheme for the site.

A supporting statement accompanying the new mini golf application says: “The maritime theme will be maintained as the attraction will maintain many of the existing interpretation information and the maritime theme. The Schooner operated as an interpretation centre and high ropes offer for a year from October 2023 to October 2024.

“It has been open through the summer of 2025 on Tuesday and weekends. However, it has proved not to be a viable option to run the Schooner as an interpretation centre alone and an additional use is sought to maintain the interpretation element of the Schooner and to offer an all-weather attraction for local people and residents alike.”

The latest proposal was “strongly supported by Saundersfoot Community Council, particularly regarding the provision of an indoor family attraction; this was a unanimous decision,” a report for committee members recommending approval said.

It added: “The proposed works will apart from planters, be fully contained within the existing structure and provide an indoor facility for residents and visitors, which is considered to enhance the visitor economy of the area, not just through the tourist season but also outside of the peak season, with the facility being an indoor facility with scope for all year-round operation.”

At the January meeting, approval was moved by Dr Rosetta Plummer, who was seconded by Cllr Simon Hancock, Dr Plummer expressed her relief at the application before members compared with what was previously proposed.

Fellow committee member Dr Madeleine Havard said: “I’m really pleased the hard-won interpretation centre is being retained; Saundersfoot has really done a great job in promoting this site, to have a family friendly attraction indoors in Pembrokeshire that has got information about the heritage as well certainly means a great deal to people.”

The application was unanimously backed by committee members.

Business

Eight-year prison sentence after vehicle stop uncovers drugs worth over £150,000

Published

7 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Court Reporter

A ROUTINE vehicle stop by roads policing officers has led to an eight-year prison sentence after more than £150,000 worth of illegal drugs were discovered in a car in Pembrokeshire.

On Friday, January 2, officers from the Roads Policing Unit stopped a grey Seat Ateca on Hoyland Road, Pembroke. The vehicle was being driven by 43-year-old Dean Evans.

During the stop, Evans told officers they would find “stuff” in the car. He and the vehicle were subsequently searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

A search of the boot uncovered a cardboard box containing a one-kilogram block of cocaine and ten half-kilogram packages of herbal cannabis. The street value of the drugs was estimated to be well in excess of £150,000.

Evans was arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession with intent to supply controlled drugs. He was later charged with possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs.

The 43-year-old pleaded guilty at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, January 3.

On Thursday, January 28, Evans was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court to eight years’ imprisonment for possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis.

DC Jones, from Dyfed-Powys Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: “Tackling the supply of illegal drugs is a priority for Dyfed-Powys Police, and the misery that illegal drugs bring to local communities will not be tolerated.

“We welcome the sentence passed to Dean Evans, given the large quantity of harmful drugs he was caught trafficking into Pembrokeshire.

“This sentence should serve as a stark warning to anyone tempted to become involved in the illegal drugs trade in Dyfed and Powys.”

Business

Councillor condemns closure of Haverfordwest Santander branch

Published

12 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A PEMBROKESHIRE councillor has spoken out after learning that the Santander branch in Haverfordwest is set to close later this year, warning the decision will have a serious impact on local residents, families and businesses.

The bank’s Bridge Street branch is due to close on Monday (May 5) as part of a wider UK restructuring programme.

Councillor Thomas Baden Tudor said he was “lost for words” and urged the bank to reconsider, describing the closure as devastating for customers who rely on face-to-face services.

Santander says the decision is driven by declining footfall, with more customers banking online, and that services will remain available via digital platforms and Post Office counters.

However, the announcement follows a steady erosion of high-street banking in Pembrokeshire. The Herald recently reported that Haverfordwest’s former Halifax branch is set to reopen as a nail salon.

In what appears to be a serious failure of planning, there is now not a single bank branch left anywhere in south Pembrokeshire. Towns including Tenby, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock are all without face-to-face banking facilities.

North Pembrokeshire has also been affected, with Fishguard and St Davids now lacking bank branches.

Pembrokeshire is understood to be left with just four bank branches in total — Nationwide in Milford Haven, and HSBC, NatWest and Lloyds Bank in Haverfordwest.