PEMBROKESHIRE councillors have backed the closure of a small rural school which has left campaigners “heartbroken” and “let down by those elected to represent them”.

At its March meeting, Pembrokeshire County Council members backed a recommendation that Director of Education be authorised to publish a Statutory Notice to discontinue Ysgol Clydau, Tegryn.

Councillors had previously heard here has been a significant decline in the school’s pupil population during the period 2015-2025, with no indication that this will be significantly reversed during the next five-six years.

The statutory notice followed a consultation on the proposals, and a hearing of a petition opposing the potential closure, which had generated 648 responses on the council’s own website, with impassioned pleas to keep the school open.

Ysgol Clydau has been described as “more than just a school; it’s a hub for community life, offering a safe and welcoming space for children, families and residents of all ages,” with those opposing closure warning: “Its closure will isolate our community, leading to a decline in population and a weakening of our social fabric.”

At a special extraordinary council meeting held on June 15, members of Pembrokeshire County Council were asked to consider a report on a summary of 126 objections received in respect of the proposal to discontinue Ysgol Clydau, which included an option to halt the closure.

However, it was recommended, in a report present by deputy leader Cllr Paul Miller, who now also has responsibility for education, for the discontinuation be proceeded with.

The decision for Ysgol Clydau followed an earlier agenda item where members backed a recommendation to discontinue Manorbier school in the south of the county.

At the meeting, local member Cllr Iwan Ward – who has championed the fight to keep Ysgol Clydau open – questioned the value of the consultation, saying it was “supposed to be an opportunity to listen and reflect on alternative viewpoints,” adding: “They deserve to know their voices matter.”

He said viable alternatives to closure had “not been fully explored,” adding: “This decision will have consequences that last longer than any council term; today we have an opportunity to send a message that rural communities matter, and that Welsh education matters, and that rural schools matter.”

Cllr Huw Murphy, whose ward is nearby said he would find it difficult to attend this year’s national Eisteddfod which is being held close to Tegryn, knowing a Welsh language school had been closed, before quoting the Manic Street Preachers rock band lyrics: “If you tolerate this then your children will be next.”

Cllr Miller stressed alternative Welsh language provision for the pupils, with the longest any pupil would have to travel was just over three miles.

Members voted by 32 votes to 21, with one abstention, to back the recommendation to discontinue Ysgol Clydau.

Speaking after the meeting, campaign group Save Ysgol Clydau – Cadw Clydau yn Gardarn said: “Many of us feel that those making this decision spoke about budgets, statistics and percentages, but failed to understand what Ysgol Clydau truly is.

“It is not simply a school. It is a community. It is the heart of a Welsh-speaking rural area. It is a place where children felt safe, supported, understood and valued. Today, that has been taken away.”

It added: “What happened today should concern every rural community in Wales. If it can happen here, it can happen elsewhere. This is bigger than Ysgol Clydau. It is about the future of rural schools, rural communities and the Welsh language.”

It ended by saying: “Today we are grieving. Today we are heartbroken. Today many people feel let down by those elected to represent them.

“But history will record that this community fought with dignity, passion and determination for its children. And we will continue to speak up for rural communities and rural schools, because what happened today should never become normal.”

PLANS to convert a former Pembrokeshire town centre social club into council owned social housing have been given the go-ahead.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, the authority itself, through agent KEW Planning, sought a change of use of the former Manchester Club social club, Fulke Street, Milford Haven to seven social rented residential units.

The Manchester Club public house/social club closed in March 2024 due to the cost of operations rising to be more than the monetary value that the club delivered, remaining vacant since this time, and was marketed for sale before an offer from the council was accepted.

The council scheme will provide five one-bed flats, one two-bed, and one studio flat; an amended scheme from discarded initial options which included one for 12 apartments and two studio flats. The scheme revised to restrict proposed alterations to the existing building to a minimum.

The proposal includes the demolition of the single storey garage to the front, and a single-storey extension at the rear, which will allow a communal amenity area.

A supporting statement said: “The vision for this project is to provide social housing to address housing stock shortages and to give a new life to a vacant building in a central location of the town. The property will be rented to mixed aged tenants, with PCC as the corporate landlord.”

An officer report recommending approval said the site had been marketed since 2024 at £170,000, with a £150,000 offer made but was unable to be proceeded with, the price later reduced to £150,000, three offers later received including £140,000 from the council, which was accepted in April 2025.

“For the two years that this property has been marketed the market response to the property has been limited with no viable interest in retaining the building for its existing community facility use,” the report said.

It concluded: “The loss of the former community facility has been robustly justified in accordance [with planning policy], and the scheme would deliver social and economic benefits through the provision of additional housing and the re-use of a vacant building.

“The proposal would enhance the visual appearance of the site, provide an acceptable standard of residential amenity for future occupiers without undue harm to neighbouring properties, and would not give rise to unacceptable impacts in respect of highway safety, drainage, biodiversity or the historic environment.”

The application was conditionally approved.

Founding conference to be held at Aberystwyth University with Jeremy Corbyn expected to speak

A NEW political party has formed its first Welsh branch covering Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

The Ceredigion Penfro branch of Your Party Cymru held its inaugural meeting on Sunday, June 7, with members attending in person in Aberystwyth and online from across both counties.

The group says it is the first Your Party Cymru branch to be formally constituted in Wales and will now receive party funding to develop locally and begin campaigning.

Your Party Cymru says it aims to address inequality and injustice, with the new branch planning to stand candidates in elections, launch local campaigns, and support existing causes.

The branch said its priorities would include industrial action, housing campaigns, protecting local health services, environmental issues, Palestine solidarity, and opposing the far right.

Organisers say the party will operate as a member-led movement, giving local members a say in how branches are run and offering opportunities to become active in campaigns.

Dinah Mulholland, Your Party Ceredigion Penfro organiser, said: “We are offering a significant alternative to political parties in the Senedd and in Westminster, who have disregarded the needs of ordinary people for far too long.

“Your Party Cymru will be a new kind of political party. We are rooted in communities, trade unions and social movements, and we are building positive and sustainable change from the ground up.”

Maria Donnellan, Your Party Cymru representative for Your Party UK’s collective leadership, said the formation of the branch was a “historic day” for the party and for Welsh politics.

She said: “Ceredigion Penfro communities have always found ways to look after each other when the state has failed to. It is exactly the right place for Your Party Cymru to take its first steps as a member-led party built from communities, not from the top down.”

The Ceredigion Penfro branch will host the Your Party Cymru founding conference at Aberystwyth University on Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19.

Jeremy Corbyn and other socialist figures are expected to speak at the event.