Local Government

Ombudsman clears Woodham over Imperial Hall complaint

Published

2 months ago

June 10, 2026

Decision finds ‘no evidence’ of code breach as fallout continues from Dennison suspension

THE PUBLIC SERVICES OMBUDSMAN FOR WALES has concluded there is “no evidence” that Cllr Guy Woodham breached the Members’ Code of Conduct in relation to the long-running Imperial Hall planning dispute in Milford Haven.

The decision, issued on Wednesday (June 10), brings to an end a complaint made by Imperial Hall director Lee Bridges following the controversial Planning Delegation Panel meeting which considered whether the venue’s retrospective planning application should be referred to Pembrokeshire County Council’s Planning Committee.

***Suspended: Councillor Alan Dennison***

The ruling lands less than two weeks after Milford Haven councillor Alan Dennison was suspended for four months by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Standards Committee over his involvement in the same planning matter.

Complaint dismissed

The Ombudsman investigated allegations that Cllr Woodham had failed to declare personal and prejudicial interests while acting as Chair of the Planning Delegation Panel meeting on February 25, 2025.

The complaint also alleged Cllr Woodham had improperly used his position while participating in the panel’s consideration of whether the Imperial Hall application should be referred to councillors for determination.

However, after reviewing evidence, interviewing witnesses and viewing the webcast of the meeting, the Ombudsman concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

The decision notice states: “The evidence did not suggest that the Member had a personal or prejudicial interest.”

It added there was no evidence the decision could reasonably be regarded as affecting Cllr Woodham’s wellbeing or financial position, or that of someone with whom he had a close personal association.

The Ombudsman therefore decided there was “no evidence of a breach of the Code.”

Why the complaint was made

The complaint had been made by Mr Bridges following the Planning Delegation Panel meeting, during which councillors declined a request to refer the Imperial Hall planning application to committee.

Mr Bridges had argued there were potential conflicts involving Cllr Woodham linked to community venues in Milford Haven and alleged competing interests connected to the local events sector.

Those concerns later formed part of wider criticism voiced publicly by both Mr Bridges and Cllr Dennison.

Last week, following the Standards Committee ruling against him, Cllr Dennison claimed Cllr Woodham had chaired the panel “with full awareness of the potential repercussions” for Mr Bridges’ business and alleged competing interests had not been properly declared.

Ombudsman draws distinction

The Ombudsman’s findings appear to draw a clear distinction between the Woodham complaint and the circumstances which led to the sanction against Cllr Dennison.

In Cllr Dennison’s case, the Standards Committee concluded he had personal and prejudicial interests arising from a combination of factors, including his previous directorship of Imperial Hall Limited, a financial loan to the business during Covid, involvement with the Masonic Hall company, social links with Mr Bridges and prior advice from the Monitoring Officer warning him not to become involved.

The committee found Cllr Dennison had acted as an “advocate and champion” for the application by drafting and signing paperwork to seek committee determination on behalf of local member Cllr Terry Davies.

By contrast, the Ombudsman concluded the evidence in the Woodham matter did not establish either a sufficiently close personal association or a financial or personal interest requiring declaration.

Bridges sought consistency

Only days before the Ombudsman’s decision, Mr Bridges had written to the Ombudsman questioning whether his complaint concerning Cllr Woodham was being afforded the same level of scrutiny as the Dennison case.

***Manager of The Imperial Hall: Lee Bridges***

He argued that allegations involving participation in decision-making processes should be treated consistently.

In response, the Ombudsman told Mr Bridges that all complaints are assessed under the same two-stage process and determined on their own merits.

The decision notice issued today confirms the Ombudsman has now completed that assessment and found no breach.

Wider fallout continues

The Imperial Hall planning dispute has become one of the most politically charged local controversies in Milford Haven in recent years.

The original dispute concerned retrospective engineering works linked to an external dining area at the Hamilton Terrace venue.

Planning officers ultimately refused the application, while a later appeal to Welsh Government inspectors was unsuccessful.

Cllr Dennison has vowed to appeal his four-month suspension, insisting he did nothing wrong and arguing he merely signed paperwork “pp” on behalf of Cllr Terry Davies after being asked to assist.

Speaking after the Standards Committee hearing, he described the process as unfair and politically motivated.

Pembrokeshire County Council and Cllr Guy Woodham have been contacted for comment.

Local Government

Choice Homes applicants told to reapply for Pembrokeshire Housing Register

Published

7 hours ago

July 27, 2026

Tom Sinclair

People currently registered with Choice Homes Pembrokeshire must submit a new application as the county prepares to introduce a revised social housing allocations policy

A NEW application process opens today, Monday, July 27, with all existing applicants due to receive an email or letter from the Housing Team by Friday, July 31.

The correspondence will explain how applicants can reapply to join the new Choice Homes Pembrokeshire Housing Register.

Applicants have been urged not to ignore the communication, as they will need to complete the new process to remain on the register.

Why is the housing policy changing?

Pembrokeshire County Council and its partner housing associations have approved a new Choice Homes @ Pembrokeshire Allocations Policy.

The policy sets out how social housing will be allocated and how applicants will be prioritised according to their housing needs and connection to Pembrokeshire.

Demand for social housing in the county has increased significantly in recent years, with more households experiencing homelessness, living in temporary accommodation or remaining in unsuitable housing.

The new policy will come into effect in October 2026 and has been developed jointly by Pembrokeshire County Council, ateb, Wales & West Housing, Barcud, Caredig and Codi Housing Associations.

It is intended to reflect growing pressure on housing and homelessness services, as well as recent changes to Welsh housing legislation.

Pembrokeshire County Council administers housing applications on behalf of all registered social landlords operating in the county.

New legislation, including the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act 2026, also requires councils to strengthen the way social housing is allocated.

Who needs to apply?

The changes affect:

Everyone with an existing Choice Homes Pembrokeshire housing application.
Anyone wishing to submit a new application to join the Housing Register.

What applicants need to do

Existing applicants should receive an email or letter from the Housing Team between Monday, July 27 and Friday, July 31.

The first step will be to complete a pre-application assessment to determine whether the applicant meets the new local connection criteria.

Applicants will be asked to upload documents showing their connection to Pembrokeshire.

The pre-application forms the first part of a two-stage process. Once the Housing Team has reviewed the information, eligible applicants will be invited to complete a full housing application.

Some information already held by the Housing Team may be entered automatically, allowing applicants to check and update their details rather than starting from scratch.

Applicants are encouraged to complete the process online by registering for a Housing Online account through the Choice Homes Pembrokeshire website.

People who cannot complete the process online can contact a dedicated support line on 01437 776603.

Housing application roadshows

The Housing Team will hold a series of roadshow events across Pembrokeshire to offer advice and practical assistance.

Monday, August 3

10:00am to 12:00pm
Johnston Institute
Church Road, Johnston, SA62 3HE

Wednesday, August 5

5:00pm to 8:00pm
Fishguard Town Hall
Market Street, Fishguard, SA65 9HE

Monday, August 10

1:00pm to 3:00pm
Pater Hall
Lewis Street, Pembroke Dock, SA72 6DH

Wednesday, August 12

5:00pm to 8:00pm
Lord Nelson Hotel
9 Hamilton Terrace, Milford Haven, SA73 3AW

Housing Team staff will be available at each event to help applicants complete the new process, answer questions about the allocations policy and provide advice about other housing services.

Anyone needing support can email [email protected] or telephone 01437 776603.

Further information is available through the Choice Homes Pembrokeshire website.

Local Government

Burger King could be coming to Haverfordwest as plans submitted

Published

3 days ago

July 24, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Plans have been lodged for a Burger King outlet at the Morrisons petrol station on Bridge Meadow Lane

BURGER KING could be coming to Haverfordwest after plans for a new outlet were submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council.

Motor Fuel Group has applied for permission to carry out further redevelopment work at the Morrisons petrol filling station on Bridge Meadow Lane.

The plans would see the existing jet wash and bin store demolished and the petrol station’s sales building extended.

Drawings submitted with the application show Burger King branding on the proposed development, potentially bringing the fast-food chain to Pembrokeshire’s county town.

The application has been made by St Albans-based Motor Fuel Group through planning agents CarneySweeney.

The site sits alongside the Morrisons supermarket and is close to one of the main routes into Haverfordwest.

It follows an earlier application by Motor Fuel Group to expand and modernise the petrol station.

That scheme, approved by county planners in October 2025, included an extension to the existing sales building, a new electric vehicle charging zone, a substation, a replacement bin store and four jet-wash bays.

Documents submitted with the earlier plans described the site as an established petrol station and customer parking area within the urban area of Haverfordwest.

The latest proposal is registered under planning reference 26/0257/PA and was received by Pembrokeshire County Council on July 9.

No decision has yet been made and the application will now be considered by the council’s planning department.

If approved, the development would add another major fast-food name to the Haverfordwest area.

Local Government

Fridges and freezers still welcome at Pembrokeshire waste centres

Published

4 days ago

July 24, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PEMBROKESHIRE waste and recycling centres are continuing to accept fridges and freezers despite some Welsh authorities suspending their acceptance, councillors heard.

In a late submitted question heard at the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, Cllr Huw Murphy asked: “Cardiff City Council and Carmarthenshire County Council have suspended the ability of residents of those authorities to take a redundant fridge, fridge freezer or other cooling appliances to their waste recycling centres (WRCs).

“The reason given is a lack of capacity nationwide to process such items meaning that such items are not collected and remain with Cardiff and Carmarthenshire Counties taking up storage. Pembrokeshire also being a tourism destination probably has a high number of fridges, fridge freezers and other cooling appliances being recycled.

“Therefore, can the Cabinet Member inform Council and residents of the likelihood of Pembrokeshire adopting this measure and suspending the ability of residents to take either a fridge, fridge freezer, or cooling appliance to a WRC.

“If, due to a lack of time a formal response cannot be provided can the Cabinet Member please forward an email in due course to all councillors to confirm if there is a likelihood of Pembrokeshire adopting measures currently implemented by Cardiff and Carmarthenshire.”

The question was answered by Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett, who said that, at present, the council had not suspended the acceptance of such items, with no plans to introduce such restrictions.

He added: “Should the situation change, we will keep residents informed.”

Speaking after the meeting, a Pembrokeshire County Council spokesperson said: “Pembrokeshire County Council can confirm that residents will continue to be able to dispose of fridges and freezers at all waste and recycling centres across the county.

“Several local authorities nationally are experiencing challenges due to disruption within the fridge and freezer reprocessing sector, which has affected the collection and treatment of these items.

“However, Pembrokeshire County Council has secured additional storage capacity through an exemption arrangement, enabling the council to continue accepting fridges and freezers from residents while wider industry issues are resolved.

“The council would like to reassure residents that there is no need to delay visits to waste and recycling centres and normal arrangements remain in place and we will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with partners across the waste sector to ensure services are maintained.”