Former councillor died aged 85 after passing away peacefully at Withybush Hospital

COUNCILLOR Mike Stoddart’s funeral will take place on Tuesday, February 3 at 2.30pm, it has been confirmed.

Mr Stoddart, of Liddeston, Milford Haven, died peacefully at Withybush General Hospital on Sunday, January 4, aged 85, with his family by his side.

A celebration of his life will be held at Parc Gwyn Crematorium in Narberth, followed by refreshments at the Lord Nelson Hotel in Milford Haven.

Family and friends are welcome to attend.

Family flowers only have been requested. Donations in memory of Mr Stoddart will support Hubberston & Hakin Community Centre.

Arrangements are being handled by Tom Newing & Sons Ltd, Funeral Directors, Milford Haven.

PLANS for a freshwater shower facility at a Pembrokeshire seaside harbour for cold water swimmers and other beach users have been submitted to the national park.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Kerry Evans seeks permission for a cold freshwater shower set in a coastal garden rockery at an area of raised plant bed between the slipway and car park at Saundersfoot Harbour.

A supporting statement says: “This facility would be open to everyone – Saundersfoot residents and visitors year-round. A multi-headed cold shower would be located within a newly landscaped area, with an accessible path leading through a rockery style coastal garden.

“The wastewater from the shower will drain through a proprietary trap, then to a reservoir/sand trap and then into an appropriately sized soak away. The reservoir and soak away will enable water to be reused to keep the planting watered during the warmer months when the shower will be in more use.

“Signage will be provided to explain to users that soap and shampoo should not be used due to the wastewater being recycled and used for plant maintenance and the impact on the marine environment.

“The cold-water nature of the shower will also act as a deterrent to people doing this. The shower will be fitted with a flow cap and turn off automatically after a short time, to ensure that proper water management is built into the shower design.”

The application to the park is alongside a funding application to Visit Wales, the documents say.

“The addition of a freshwater shower in the village will provide a faculty for beach users, cold water swimmers and will encourage people to visit the beach and stay in the village longer as they will be able to remove excess salt and sand.

“Working with Saundersfoot Harbour (landowner) an existing raised flower bed has been identified as an ideal location for the shower at the top of the slipway between the pathway and the carpark. The renewed planting design will be seen as an enhancement to the area and the proximity to a mains water supply within the nearby footway.

“The engineering work to connect to the main supply is much simplified avoiding the need for work within the highway and any potential road closures or traffic management.”

The application will be considered by park planners at a later date.

PEMBROKESHIRE LEARNING CENTRE has been placed in special measures after inspectors raised serious concerns about standards and leadership at the pupil referral unit.

The Centre is a pupil referral unit (PRU) run by Pembrokeshire County Council and operates across three sites in the county:

• Neyland (main site)
• Penally
• Pembroke Dock

It provides education for pupils aged five to sixteen who are unable to attend mainstream school, often due to exclusion, anxiety, or complex additional learning needs.

Estyn confirmed the decision following a recent inspection of the centre, which supports pupils who are unable to attend mainstream school. The move means the provision will now be subject to increased monitoring, with inspectors returning to assess progress.

Pembrokeshire County Council said it has accepted the inspection findings in full and has begun implementing urgent improvement measures.

The council and school are required to submit a detailed post-inspection action plan to Estyn by February 5, 2026, setting out how each recommendation will be addressed. Work on the plan is already underway.

According to the council, immediate actions include increasing staffing across Pembrokeshire Learning Centre to strengthen leadership and classroom support, along with urgent planning to resolve site condition issues highlighted by inspectors. Governance arrangements are also being reinforced through the appointment of additional members to the centre’s management committee.

The council said these early steps are intended to ensure pupils are educated in a safe, supportive environment and receive teaching that meets their needs.

Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Guy Woodham, said the authority had acted swiftly following the inspection.

“Our priority is the wellbeing and success of every pupil,” he said. “We have moved quickly to strengthen leadership, improve facilities and enhance governance, and we will continue to work closely with Estyn to raise standards at Pembrokeshire Learning Centre.”

While identifying significant weaknesses, Estyn also highlighted areas of strength within the provision. Inspectors noted that leaders promote a clear vision centred on pupils’ wellbeing, supported by a trauma-informed approach, and that many pupils who attend regularly report feeling safe due to positive relationships with staff.

The inspection also found that the qualifications offer for older pupils has improved since the previous visit, helping learners progress into further education, training or employment.

Pembrokeshire Learning Centre, based in Neyland, plays a key role in supporting some of the county’s most vulnerable learners. The council said parents, carers and the wider community will be kept informed as improvements are implemented.

Further details of the post-inspection action plan are expected to be published in the coming weeks.

What went wrong at Pembrokeshire Learning Centre?

Inspectors have identified serious weaknesses at Pembrokeshire Learning Centre following a critical inspection that resulted in the pupil referral unit being placed in special measures.

The inspection found that leadership oversight across the Centre’s three sites in Neyland, Penally and Pembroke Dock has been inconsistent, limiting leaders’ ability to ensure standards are applied evenly. Senior leaders were largely based at the main site, reducing their visibility and impact at other locations.

While leaders were praised for setting out a clear vision centred on pupils’ wellbeing and trauma-informed practice, inspectors concluded that this vision has not been translated consistently into classroom practice. In many lessons, expectations were found to be too low, with pupils insufficiently challenged and making uneven progress.

Teaching quality was reported to vary widely. Inspectors said only a minority of lessons were well-planned, engaging and effective, while most lacked pace, clarity and appropriate challenge. As a result, too many pupils were not making the progress expected of them over time.

Curriculum planning was also highlighted as a major weakness. The Centre was found to lack overarching schemes of work, meaning teaching is often driven by individual staff rather than a consistent, centre-wide approach. This has led to fragmented provision and unequal learning experiences for pupils.

Attendance remains a significant concern. Inspectors found that attendance levels are too low, with inconsistent monitoring of reduced timetables and Pastoral Support Plans. Fixed-term exclusions were described as unacceptably high and have increased sharply compared with the previous year.

Learning environments were another area of concern. Inspectors said that many areas are not fit for purpose and in some cases do not provide safe learning spaces. At one site, public access to the grounds means pupils have no secure outdoor learning environment.

Safeguarding systems and reporting processes were generally found to be in place, but inspectors raised specific safeguarding and site management concerns during the inspection, which were formally reported to the local authority.

Support for pupils with additional learning needs was described as variable. While Individual Development Plans contain detailed information, inspectors found that these plans are not always delivered effectively in practice, limiting the support some pupils receive.

Despite these shortcomings, inspectors also identified positive aspects of the provision. Many pupils who attend regularly reported feeling safe, supported by strong relationships with staff. The qualifications offer for older pupils has improved, helping many move on to education, training or employment.

However, inspectors concluded that insufficient progress has been made since the previous inspection in 2017, and that urgent and sustained improvement is now required.

As a result, Pembrokeshire Learning Centre will be subject to regular monitoring visits, with inspectors returning to assess whether leadership, teaching standards, attendance and learning environments are improving.