44 CANDIDATES are fighting for your vote in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion in the forthcoming Senedd elections.

For the May 7 elections, Wales will have 16 constituencies instead of the current 40.

Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru created the new constituencies for Wales and the Senedd will have 96 members instead of 60, each constituency electing six members.

For Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, the new Ceredigion Penfro constituency is made up of the Ceredigion Preseli UK Parliamentary constituency and the Mid and South Pembrokeshire UK Parliamentary constituency, stretching from north of Aberystwyth to Angle in the southwest and Llanteg in the southeast.

The new voting system is based on a ‘closed proportional list system’; you vote for a political party (rather than individuals) or an independent candidate, the ballot paper showing the full list of candidates in your constituency.

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.

The six Welsh Conservatives candidates are: Paul Windsor Davies, Samuel Deri Kurtz, Claire Victoria George, Brian Andrew Murphy, Gill Evans, and Claire Malaina Jones.

Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales has eight candidates: Elin Jones, Kerry Ferguson, Anna Nicholl, Cris Tomos, Colin Nosworthy, Clive Davies, Owain Jones, and Matt Adams.

Wales Green Party has six candidates: Amy Nicholass, Tomass Jereminovics, James Henry Purchase, Morgan Hope Phillips, Rosie O’Toole, and Kezia Autumn Hine.

Reform UK also has six candidates: Susan Claire Archibald, Paul Marr, Michael Timothy Allen, Elisa Bessie Gonzalez Randall, Peter Martin John, and Bernard Holton.

Welsh Labour / Llafur Cymru is fielding seven candidates: Eluned Morgan, Marc Tierney, Joshua Phillips, Margaret Greenaway, Tansaim Hussain-Gul, Luke Davies-Jones, and Peter Huw Jenkins.

Welsh Liberal Democrats have six candidates: Sandra Louise Jervis, Alistair Ronald Cameron, Tom Hughes, Lee Dennis Thomas John Herring, Andrew Christopher Lye, and Maggie Robinson.

One candidate Gwyn Wigley Evans is standing for Gwlad – Gall Cymru Fod Yn Well / Gwlad – Wales Can Be Better, and one, Elizabeth Davies, for Heritage Party – Keep Our Countryside Green.

Also standing as Independents are: Aaron Carey, George Alexander Chadzy, and Paul Haywood Dowson.

Several candidates are listed as: “If a candidate has been a member of any registered political party, other than the party on whose list they appear as a candidate, at any time during the period of 12 months ending on the day on which the notice of election was published (March 23, 2026).”

Those are: Eluned Morgan, Margaret Greenaway, and Tansaim Hussain-Gul all listed under the Co-operative Party; George Alexander Chadzy listed under Advance UK and Paul Haywood Dowson under Restore Britain.

Ceredigion chief executive Eifion Evans is the Constituency Returning Officer; the May 7 polling day running from 7am-10pm.

If you’re aged 16 or over and live in Wales, you can vote in the 2026 Senedd Election.

A CALL for an all-weather horse-riding arena and self-catering ‘pods’ near Pembrokeshire’s historic Lamphey Bishop’s Palace & Lamphey Court has been refused.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, James White sought permission for a 20 by 40 metre all-weather turnout and horse-riding arena along with two accommodation pods at Lower Lamphey Park, The Ridgeway, Lamphey, near Pembroke.

The proposed site forms part of a walled garden and agricultural land to the south of Lower Lamphey Park under 500m from Scheduled Monument, Lamphey Bishop’s Palace, Lamphey and inside the boundaries of Registered Park and Garden, Lamphey Bishop’s Palace & Lamphey Court.

The walled garden is located approximately 75m to the south of Grade-II-Listed Buildings, Barn at Upper Lamphey Barn and Grade-II*-Listed Building, Four Mediaeval House at Upper Lamphey Park Farm.

The application was supported by local community council Lamphey, but Natural Resources Wales (NRW) raised concerns regarding the location of the proposal within a Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) catchment.

The council’s landscape officer – objected, saying there was an “under-representation of site features for the walled garden, lack of cultural appreciation of building and landscape qualities of the garden and lack of design input to the horse area”.

An officer report recommending refusal said an initial description in the application of the ‘pods’ being temporary had, by email from the applicant, being confirmed as not, being secured to the ground with waste connections, their intended use being self-catered units.

The application was refused on the grounds the pods would “result in an unjustified and harmful impact on the character and appearance of the open countryside,” and, due to the lack of a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) it is not possible to conclude that there would not be an adverse effect on the historic environment.

It was also refused for reasons including insufficient information provided to conclude that increases in nutrient inputs in the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC can be ruled out, and in the absence of an appropriate habitat and protected species survey “the proposal fails to demonstrate that the development would not adversely affect protected species, thereby reducing biodiversity”.

PLANS for a housing development on the edge of Pembroke Dock have been turned down in part due to the ongoing issue of nitrates guidance which has “essentially placed a moratorium on certain types of development” in the county.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, R Keeble through agent CFW Architects Ltd sought permission for a development of five new homes on land off Nelson Street, Pennar, Pembroke Dock.

The application was supported by Pembroke Dock Town Council’s planning committee.

In their report planning officers said the applicant has failed to provide a completed unilateral undertaking to secure the necessary contributions towards local needs affordable housing.

Welsh Water Dwr Cymru suggested a delay if approval was given: “The proposed development would drain to Pembroke Dock Waste water Treatment Works which is currently failing to comply with the 95 per cent quartile for its flow passed forward (FPF) performance.

“However, a scheme is planned for completion by December 31, 2026,” suggesting: “No buildings on the application site shall be brought into beneficial use earlier than December 31, 2026, unless the scheme at the Waste Water Treatment Works, into which the development shall drain, has been completed and written confirmation of this has been issued by the local planning authority.”

A preliminary risk assessment in respect of potential contamination has been submitted with this application, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has recommended a condition for further investigative work in the event contamination is found.

The officer report adds: “The proposed development would result in an increase in nitrogen discharges draining into the Milford Haven Inner waterbody of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) where features are known to be in unfavourable condition due to current evidence of both chemical and biological failure.

“The application fails to secure appropriate mitigation and contains insufficient information to demonstrate that the proposed development would achieve nutrient neutrality for nitrogen. Accordingly, it cannot be demonstrated that the proposed development would not lead to further deterioration of water quality.

“A conclusion of no adverse effect on the integrity of the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC cannot therefore be drawn.”

The application was refused on the grounds of the local needs affordable housing contribution and the potential impact on the Milford Haven Inner waterbody of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation.

Late last year Pembrokeshire County Council, in a letter to Welsh Government, raised the authority’s “great concern over Natural Resources Wales’ recent river nitrates guidance in relation to development, and the serious effects this is having”.

It said: “As you are aware, it has essentially placed a moratorium on certain types of development in Pembrokeshire, a situation with no quick or obvious way out.”