A VOTE for Reform will end in chaos for the Welsh Government if they gain power, and Plaid Cymru’s childcare proposals are “unsustainable without swingeing cuts,” Labour Senedd hopeful Eluned Morgan has warned.

The May 7 Senedd elections will see 44 candidates fighting for your vote in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion in the new Ceredigion Penfro constituency stretching from north of Aberystwyth to Angle in the southwest and Llanteg in the southeast.

There are six Welsh Conservatives candidates, Plaid Cymru has eight candidates, Wales Green Party has six candidates, Reform UK also has six candidates, Welsh Labour is fielding seven candidates, Welsh Liberal Democrats have six candidates, one candidate is standing for Gwlad, and one for Heritage Party – Keep Our Countryside Green, along with three independents.

If a party wins enough votes, they will win one or more seats in the Senedd; if an independent candidate wins enough votes, they will win a seat in the Senedd.

Seats will reflect the percentage of votes each party or independent candidate gets.

One of those standing is Labour’s Eluned Morgan, most recently First Minister, who spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service in Narberth recently.

Many polls have suggested Labour is going to be hit hard by the ballot box on May 7, Eluned Morgan responding: “Polls are massively challenging, but nobody’s cast a vote yet, there’s a lot of undecided people out there.

“One of the things that comes up a lot [in canvassing] is the NHS, we need a sustainable offer in the future, at the beginning of the campaign there were a lot of scare stories about Withybush’s emergency department being closed, every election they say the same: ‘Withybush will close,’ and it never does.

“If we get in, we’ll have a £4bn programme for hospitals; there needs to be a new hospital in west Wales.

“We’ve spent a lot of money – £12m – on supporting Withybush, you don’t do that if you want to close a hospital.”

Polls have indicated one single party may not be able to gain enough votes to govern.

On the issue of a potential coalition or working closer with another party like Plaid Cymru, she said: “I’m not making promises on anything until after the election, what I will say is we won’t under any circumstances work with Reform, it’s important our values are clear and we wouldn’t work with them.”

On Reform she added: “People should think carefully about the services that they rely on and ask the question can they be assured they would continue if Reform were in power? They are untested, they have no coherence as a group.

“I know a win for Reform will end in chaos for the Welsh Government if they are the majority party.”

Plaid Cymru has pledged to provide universal childcare for children aged nine months to four years if the party forms the next Welsh government.

Responding, Eluned said: “Plaid are making promises way beyond what is affordable, their childcare offer we know is simply unsustainable without swingeing cuts in public services.

“I think that if Plaid is the majority party there will be public sector pay freezes for around 350,000 people in Wales if they fulfil their promises around childcare. We’re talking nurses, teachers, binmen, council office workers; because I can’t see where the money’s coming from.”

On her recent call for the controversial DARC ‘space radar’ proposals at Brawdy to be halted, she said: “During an election people need to know where you stand; Trump’s behaviour recently and his criticism in particular of the British armed forces has been unacceptable, his insults to people who served in Afghanistan really cut people.

“Until we get more clarity on whether he is a reliable partner I don’t think it is time to start a new defence project.”

A CALL to allow a Pembrokeshire caravan park to change part of its site from touring vans to static units without a formal planning application has been refused.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Norfolk-based Park Farm Opco Ltd, through Chipping Norton-based agent Laister Planning Limited, sought a Lawful Development Certificate for the proposed stationing of static caravans in lieu of touring caravans, year-round, at Park Farm Holiday Park, Manorbier.

A supporting statement accompanying the application said: “The purpose of this application is to confirm that the touring caravans so permitted for year-round occupation on the western field at Park Farm, are capable of being replaced by static caravan pitches without effecting a material change of use. There is no specific number of touring or static caravans which is being sought at this juncture.”

It says Park Farm Holiday Park comprises of two areas, area A having some 61 owner-occupied static caravans, and area B used for touring caravan pitches and tents.

Planning permission was originally granted way back in 1956 for the caravan site, on a temporary basis, a Lawful Development Certificate for an existing use for the use of the site for up to 70 static caravans granted in December 1998, mainly covering area A.

The statement said the lawfulness of siting caravans year-round was previously confirmed by the park in 2024 “use as a campsite for touring caravans (not including twin-unit static caravans) and tents which shall be occupied for holiday use only and used as temporary, non-permanent units on a year-round basis”.

Of the proposals, it said: “The site is currently used for the stationing of touring caravans all year round. Most of the caravans on the site are stationed on what is called a ‘seasonal’ basis, where the owners leave them permanently stationed on the site and use them as holiday homes, paying an annual ‘seasonal’ fee.

“The proposed use of the site is to replace the permanently stationed touring caravans with permanently stationed static caravans. No specific number is provided, as no number is provided in any of the existing certificates, but it is anticipated that the total number of caravans in the application site will inevitably be reduced as the caravans are generally larger.

“There would be no other change in the way the site is operated, and the intention is to use the caravans for holiday purposes.”

An officer report recommending the certificate of lawfulness for the change be refused, saying it was “not satisfied that the evidence accompanying the application is sufficient to establish that the proposed use would be lawful”.

It said that while lawfulness certificates for tourers had been granted “it is considered that the siting of single-unit statics in lieu of those tourers, as now proposed, would be inconsistent with the lawful use of the site, and cannot be considered lawful in the same way,” adding “the changes proposed would result in a definable character change to the site of a magnitude that would be sufficient to amount to a material change of use requiring planning permission”.

The application for a certificate of lawfulness was refused on the grounds “the proposed use of the site would represent a material change of use requiring planning permission for which no permitted development rights exist, meaning a specific grant of planning permission is needed in order for the scheme to proceed”.

WELSH LABOUR has unveiled a pledge to deliver a direct rail service between Milford Haven and London – a move that would transform connectivity for communities across Pembrokeshire.

This commitment builds on £50 million of UK Labour investment to upgrade rail services to Milford Haven.

Work is already underway, in partnership between the Welsh Labour Government and Pembrokeshire County Council, led by Council Leader Paul Miller, to transform Milford Haven railway station into a modern Public Transport Interchange – delivering smoother, better connected and more accessible journeys.

Together, these upgrades will pave the way for direct London services to call at Milford Haven, alongside an hourly service and vital level crossing safety improvements delivered by the UK Labour Government.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said: “This pledge sits alongside a record commitment to rail in Wales – up to £14 billion of investment, new stations and a transformed Metro. But this is about more than just a rail line.

It’s about opening Pembrokeshire up – bringing more people to one of the most beautiful parts of Wales, strengthening our tourism sector and creating new opportunities for local businesses to grow.

“And as we do that, we’re doing it the right way – backing a greener economy, making it easier for people to travel sustainably, and ensuring that growth benefits our communities. This is how we build a stronger future for West Wales – with better connections, more opportunity and an economy that works with our environment, not against it.”

Welsh Labour candidate for Ceredigion Penfro, Marc Tierney added: “A direct train to London from Milford would be a game changer for our communities – boosting tourism, supporting local businesses and making it easier for people to live and work here.

“The work underway to transform Milford Haven station into a modern transport hub, alongside plans for an hourly service, shows what Welsh Labour can deliver when we work in partnership with local authorities – investing in the infrastructure our communities deserve. With new funding from the UK Labour Government and a strong partnership in place, we can now go further.

“Welsh Labour is delivering the investment and the ambition needed to ensure West Wales is at the forefront of modern, connected and accessible transport.”

The pledge forms part of Welsh Labour’s wider plan to modernise public transport, strengthen regional connectivity and ensure no part of Wales is left behind.