WELSH LABOUR says more than 1,000 school support staff in Pembrokeshire could see a pay boost if the party forms the next Welsh Government after the Senedd election in May.

First Minister Eluned Morgan is due to make the commitment at UNISON’s Labour Link conference in Cardiff on Saturday (Jan 24), after visiting a Cardiff school on Friday (Jan 23) with Education Secretary Lynne Neagle to discuss the proposal with support staff and the headteacher.

The pledge centres on ending “term-time only” pay arrangements for school support staff by moving to year-round pay, alongside creating a School Support Staff Negotiating Body in law to set national frameworks for pay, conditions and training.

Welsh Labour says the plan would cover a wide range of roles, including teaching assistants, administrative staff, caretakers, lunchtime supervisors and others who help keep schools running day to day.

Figures quoted in the party’s briefing, drawn from a recent UNISON report, suggest there are 1,090 school support staff in Pembrokeshire, with 92% of the workforce said to be women. The same report notes the number does not include cleaning, catering and grounds staff, meaning the total number affected could be higher.

Supporters of the plan argue it would tackle in-work poverty among staff who carry responsibility in schools but are often on low wages and insecure arrangements.

In her prepared speech, Ms Morgan is expected to say school support staff are “the backbone” of the education system and that it is “not fair” so many are among the lowest-paid public sector workers and are not paid year-round. Ms Neagle said Labour would boost pay and broaden opportunities, adding that “standing side by side with trade unions is at the heart of the Labour Party”.

UNISON Cymru regional secretary Jess Turner welcomed the pledge, saying term-time only pay means “tens of thousands” of workers endure in-work poverty despite being essential to education, while a Cardiff-based higher level teaching assistant, Cath Rowlands, said support roles have changed “dramatically” but pay and conditions have not kept pace.

However, the announcement is also likely to raise questions about cost, implementation and timing — and whether councils and schools would receive additional funding to meet any new national settlement.

Education budgets in Wales remain under pressure, with local authorities and headteachers already warning about difficult financial decisions, including staffing reductions, as they balance rising costs with tight settlements. Critics may argue that any new pay commitment would need clear costings, a delivery timetable, and guarantees that schools would not be forced to make cuts elsewhere to meet higher wage bills.

There may also be scrutiny over how quickly a new negotiating body could be set up in law, and whether it would apply uniformly across Wales or allow for local flexibility.

Welsh Labour has linked the proposal to a wider “fair work” package, including a promise to update the Welsh Government’s Economic Contract so that businesses receiving Welsh Government support must pay the Real Living Wage, curb exploitative zero-hours contracts and recognise trade unions.

The school staff pledge is the second major policy announcement highlighted by the party this month, following its proposal for a £2 cap on adult bus fares and 100 new routes.

The Herald has asked Pembrokeshire County Council for comment on how many staff locally are currently on term-time only arrangements, and what the potential cost implications could be for schools and the local authority if a year-round pay model were introduced.

TWO men have pleaded guilty after targeting golf clubs in Haverfordwest and Carmarthen in an overnight burglary-spree.

Mikael Bourkhari, aged 45, and Simon Dickey, aged 38 – both from Newport, South Wales – were charged with two counts of burglary and one count of obstructing police.

At around 12.45am on Sunday 18 January, Dyfed-Powys Police received a call reporting that the intruder alarm had been activated at Haverfordwest Golf Club.

When officers arrived just six minutes later, it was clear that the building had been the target of a deliberate and forcible break-in.

With the alarm still blaring, and a light shining from inside, officers entered the golf club, prepared to catch the intruder red-handed.

Instead, they found that the scene had been abandoned and badly damaged.

Club owners arrived shortly after and noted that several golf clubs worth between £100 and £500 each had been taken from the club shop. It was estimated that the total value of items stolen was around £36,000.

While officers secured evidence at the scene, control room staff at police headquarters gathered intelligence on vehicles in the area that could potentially be linked with the crime.

A red Vauxhall van was identified as part of their enquiries, and a description of the vehicle was shared with officers in both Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.

With officers over the county border alerted to the break-in, local units decided to patrol the golf club in Carmarthen as a precaution. On arrival, it was apparent that the Carmarthen golf club had also been hit.

The front door was extensively damaged, and a yellow crowbar abandoned at the scene. It was estimated that around £7,000 worth of golf clubs had also been stolen from the premises. It was also estimated that around £5,000 worth of damage was caused to the building.

Shortly after 2am, Roads Policing Officers located the suspect vehicle travelling along the A48 towards Pont Abraham, despite fake number plates having been used.

The van was stopped, and a suspiciously large number of golf clubs and bags were found inside. The driver and his passenger – who identified themselves as “Richard Smythe” and “Michael Hale” – were arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Back at custody, the pair confessed to giving fake names and were further arrested on suspicion of obstructing police.

All the stolen items were recovered and returned to the golf clubs.

Mikael Bourkhari and Simon Dickey appeared at Llanelli Magistrates Court the following morning (19 January) and pleaded guilty to both counts of burglary and one count of obstructing police.

The two were remanded into custody until their sentencing on Monday 2 February.

Detective Sergeant Sophie Lambert of Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Crimes like this have a profound impact on the community, particularly those whose livelihoods are built on the success of their business.

“This was a fantastic example of multiple teams across different locations working together to stop these criminals in their tracks.

“The work by the control room staff to quickly identify the suspect vehicle played a crucial role in the swift interception by our Roads Policing Officers. This co-ordinated response undoubtedly prevented further offences from taking place.

“We welcome these guilty pleas and hope that this case sends a clear message that we will take robust action against anyone seeking to break the law in our force area.”

A MAN from Laugharne who sent sexually explicit messages to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl has avoided an immediate jail term after being caught in a paedophile hunter sting.

Swansea Crown Court heard that William John, 59, of Orchard Park, made contact with a Facebook profile in October 2021 which he believed belonged to a young teenage girl. In fact, the account was a decoy run by a paedophile hunter group.

Prosecutor Matthew Murphy told the court the profile made clear the girl was 13 “from the outset”. During their exchanges, the decoy discussed school life and told John she would be turning 14 in November.

Despite this, John went on to “cultivate an online relationship” with the account between October 11 and November 3, 2021.

The court heard the messages quickly became sexual. John explained what masturbation was, asked whether he could show the child his genitals, requested photographs of her body and repeatedly told her he was aroused.

After sending the messages, John deleted them and asked the decoy to do the same. However, screenshots of the conversations had already been captured by the group.

In one exchange, John admitted he knew what he was doing was wrong.

The group later used a second decoy account, posing as an adult woman, to arrange a meeting at the Travelodge in Carmarthen. A local group confronted John at the hotel before police arrived and took possession of evidence, the court was told.

Officers seized John’s mobile phone and recovered the conversations.

When interviewed, John claimed he did not truly believe the girl was 13 and said he had been trying to expose whoever was behind the profile as “scammers”.

However, on the day his trial was due to begin, he changed his plea and admitted attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child. The court heard he had no previous convictions.

Defence solicitor Ian Ibrahim said John’s guilty plea was among his strongest points in mitigation. He told the court the defendant had not reoffended in the more than four years since the offence and was dealing with several physical health problems.

Mr Ibrahim also said John had been “humiliated” after the paedophile hunter group posted footage of the confrontation online, making him “the subject of ridicule” locally.

Sentencing, Judge Catherine Richards said it was conduct like this that made the internet a more dangerous place for children.

John was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.