Pembrokeshire voters have until 11:59pm on Monday (Apr 20) to make sure they can take part in the historic May 7 poll in the new Ceredigion Penfro constituency.

PEMBROKESHIRE residents who have not yet registered to vote have only hours left to make sure they can take part in the 2026 Senedd election, with the deadline set for 11:59pm on Monday (Apr 20). The election itself takes place on Thursday, May 7, with polling stations open from 7am to 10pm.

Registering online through GOV.UK usually takes about five minutes. Voters are normally asked for their National Insurance number, but people can still register if they do not have one. Anyone who has changed address, name or nationality must register again using their new details.

Pembrokeshire County Council has confirmed that voters in the county will cast their ballots in the new Ceredigion Penfro constituency. This election marks a major change for Wales, with the Senedd increasing from 60 to 96 Members, the creation of 16 new constituencies, and six Members being elected in each one.

The voting system is also changing. Voters will now have one vote for a political party or an independent candidate. Under the closed list system, parties rank their candidates in advance, and seats are allocated after the votes are counted.

Voters in Wales do not need photo ID to vote in person at Senedd elections. People aged 16 and over can vote in the Senedd election if they are properly registered and meet the nationality and residency rules, including British and Irish citizens and qualifying Commonwealth, EU and foreign citizens living in Wales.

There are further deadlines close behind. Applications for a postal vote, or a postal proxy vote, must be in by 5pm on Tuesday (Apr 21), while ordinary proxy vote applications close at 5pm on Tuesday (Apr 28).

Disabled voters are entitled to support at polling stations, with measures such as ramps, low-level booths, pencil grips and seating expected to be available where needed. Voters can also bring their own aids, such as a magnifier or text-to-speech app, and assistance animals are welcome.

For anyone still unsure, Pembrokeshire County Council says the Ceredigion Penfro Constituency Returning Officer can be contacted by email at [email protected] or by telephone on 01545 570881.

Key dates:

Register to vote by 11:59pm on Monday (Apr 20).

Postal and postal proxy deadline: 5pm on Tuesday (Apr 21).

Proxy deadline: 5pm on Tuesday (Apr 28).

Polling day is Thursday, May 7, from 7am to 10pm.

No photo ID is required for this election.

Pembrokeshire voters will be in Ceredigion Penfro.

Wales now has 16 constituencies, each electing six Members, and voters have one vote for a party or independent candidate.

A CALL to keep a wedding venue, erected without permission at a Georgian Pembrokeshire hotel whose site once belonged to the Knights Hospitallers, has been given a five-year period of grace.

In a listed building application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Traverse Development Ltd, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, sought retrospective permission for the temporary retention of a wedding marquee at Slebech Park Restaurant and Rooms, Slebech; works having started back in 2009.

Grade-II*-listed Slebech Park once belonged to the Knights Hospitallers of the order of St John, later becoming the seat of the powerful Barlow family.

The present house was completed in 1776, built by Anthony Keck. This is his largest known house and the biggest Georgian single build in the country.

The grade-II-listed stables, which have the marquee on their eastern terrace, were converted to a hotel, conference centre and restaurant after 2003.

A supporting statement accompanying the application said: “The proposal seeks to retain the already erected temporary marquee used for weddings to allow the site to continue to host weddings, whilst a permanent solution is developed and approved by planning.

“The marquee will continue to operate as it has for over 10 years, with no changes proposed. The marquee is completely removeable without any permanent fixtures.”

It added: “The marquee is only affixed temporarily and will be removed with no damage to any of the listed buildings or the overall site once a permanent solution has been agreed.

“By retaining the marquee in the same location, it ensures that continuation of the site is as existing, reduces the potential impact of moving the marquee to a potentially more harmful site and ensures any ecology is not further disrupted. Once removed the site will return to its historic state.”

An officer report recommending approval said no adverse comments have been received from consultees towards the current proposal, and no third-party representations raising issues relating to listed building matters have been received, the proposed scheme “in keeping with the character of the listed building, and its setting in terms of design and form”.

It added: “Temporary consent for this marquee has been granted on four previous occasions and a letter submitted in support of the current application states that an application for a permanent solution for a wedding venue at Slebech Park is imminent, in line with the original proposals for the terrace restaurant.

“The effect on character and setting is not considered acceptable long-term but short-term retention in the interests of retaining the complex of buildings in viable use (and repair) whilst a suitable permanent solution is found is considered reasonable. As such, the application can be supported for a temporary period subject to conditions.”

The application was approved, conditions including a five-year period of grace.

UNISON says outsourcing under Dan Thomas cost council millions more than planned

REFORM UK Wales leader Dan Thomas has come under attack from UNISON Cymru, which says his record in local government should serve as a warning to Welsh voters ahead of the Senedd election.

In a report released on Wednesday (Apr 15), the union claimed Barnet Council became one of the most far-reaching outsourcing experiments in British local government during Thomas’s time as a Conservative councillor, deputy leader and later council leader.

UNISON says core services were handed to private contractors on a huge scale, costs increased sharply and public scrutiny was weakened.

The report claims decade-long contracts with Capita ended up costing Barnet Council £229 million more than originally planned, while around 790 jobs were transferred out of the public sector, including roles in cleaning, IT and customer services.

Jess Turner, regional secretary for UNISON Cymru, said: “Barnet’s outsourcing disaster shows the price staff and residents have to pay when politicians hand public services to private contractors and weaken scrutiny.

“Wales needs high quality services that are properly funded, publicly delivered and accountable to the communities they serve. Staff and residents have every right to judge politicians by what they did when they had power.

“This report gives Welsh voters the chance to look at Dan Thomas’ track record and draw their own conclusions.”

John Burgess, Barnet UNISON branch secretary, also criticised Thomas’s record, claiming he had been hostile to criticism during his time at the authority.

He said: “I watched Dan Thomas operate for the best part of two decades in Barnet. He is adversarial, arrogant and hostile to anyone who challenges him.

“When residents tried to ask questions, he shut down public scrutiny at council meetings.

“People in Wales need to understand what he did when he had power. He championed contracts that cost the council £229m more than planned, left basic financial controls in tatters and saw Barnet become the first local authority fined by the Pensions Regulator.”

Reform UK rejected the criticism when approached by The Herald.

A party spokesperson said: “Dan has experience in cutting taxes while protecting frontline services.

“Other party leaders in Wales do not.”

Thomas served as a Conservative councillor in the London Borough of Barnet from 2006, became deputy leader in 2011 and council leader in 2019. He resigned as a councillor in December 2025 and now leads Reform UK Wales.

The exchange is the latest sign that Thomas’s record in local government is becoming a political battleground in Wales as parties seek to define Reform’s approach to public services before polling day.