PEMBROKESHIRE is among 20 areas in Wales set to benefit from a Youth Hub aimed at helping young people into work, training and education.

The UK Labour Government has confirmed that seven more Youth Hubs will open across Wales over the next two years, in addition to 13 areas already announced in the first year of the programme.

Pembrokeshire was included in the first round of areas allocated a hub, alongside Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Caerphilly, Newport, Wrexham and others.

The hubs are designed to bring together job centre services, careers advice, skills and training opportunities, mental health support, housing advice and links to local employers offering live jobs and apprenticeships.

The aim is to ensure that every young person in Wales is no more than one hour away from a Youth Hub by public transport.

Shav Taj MS, Welsh Labour spokesperson for Employment and Equalities, said local and tailored support was “invaluable” in helping young people take their first step onto the jobs ladder.

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said the hubs would help young people get “that vital first job” by providing support, training opportunities and connections to employers.

The UK Government says the Youth Hubs form part of a wider £2.5bn programme to tackle youth unemployment, with more than 360 local areas across Great Britain expected to be covered over the next three years.

Exact local sites will be decided by delivery partners working with local authorities.

Hit-packed celebration of the 1950s and 60s promises a night of nostalgia, live music and dancing

MUSIC lovers are being invited to step back in time for an evening of nostalgia as Lipstick on Your Collar arrives at the Torch Theatre later this month.

Packed with more than forty classic hits from the 1950s and 60s, the show celebrates the golden age of music, from the birth of rock ’n’ roll to the beat group sounds of the British Invasion and beyond.

Audiences can expect favourites made famous by stars including Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Ronettes, Cliff Richard and Cilla Black.

Performed by a full live band featuring some of the country’s top musicians, the production promises excellent vocals, tight harmonies and an infectious sense of fun.

Organisers say dancing in the aisles is “strictly compulsory”, with audiences encouraged to dust off their dancing shoes and enjoy an evening of feel-good entertainment.

Lipstick on Your Collar comes to the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven on Sunday (June 28) at 7:30pm.

Tickets cost £27 and are available from the Torch Theatre box office on 01646 695267 or online at torchtheatre.co.uk.

MINISTERS are facing calls to explain what checks were in place after the Ministry of Defence confirmed that an Afghan national resettled in the Vale of Glamorgan was convicted of a sexual offence.

Conservative Senedd Member Andrew RT Davies said the case raises “serious questions” for authorities after months of correspondence about the use of the Holiday Inn Express in Rhoose as temporary accommodation under Afghan resettlement arrangements.

The issue was first raised by Mr Davies in August last year, after he met Ministry of Defence officials about the decision to house Afghan families at the hotel.

Following that meeting, he asked whether anyone housed in the Vale of Glamorgan under Afghan resettlement schemes had been charged with or convicted of sex offences or other crimes.

Delayed response

The Home Office initially refused to provide the information, saying it would exceed the cost limit for Freedom of Information requests because thousands of Afghan national records would have to be checked.

However, the Ministry of Defence has now confirmed that it holds information relating to ten cases in which a person relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy or Afghan Response Route later committed a criminal offence.

Of those ten cases, five people were resettled under ARAP, three under ARR, while the MOD said it did not hold information on which route applied to the remaining two.

The department also confirmed that one person was based in the Vale of Glamorgan at the time the offence was committed and had been convicted of a sexual offence.

The MOD said the individual is no longer part of the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

A further two of the ten cases related to sexual offences, bringing the total number of sexual offence cases held by the MOD to three.

‘Public safety implications’

Mr Davies said: “It’s disgraceful that the Government failed to provide this information for so long.

“After authorities chose to use the Holiday Inn Express in Rhoose for temporary accommodation, I asked them to confirm if any individuals relocated under various Afghan resettlement schemes were convicted of sex offences.

“But they failed to answer the request repeatedly.

“Now it has confirmed an Afghan resettled in the Vale of Glamorgan was convicted of a sex crime, the Government has serious questions to answer.

“There are public safety implications that must be addressed.”

MOD caveat

In its response, the Ministry of Defence stressed that its figures should not be treated as a complete picture.

The department said that once an eligible person is resettled in the UK, integration and ongoing support becomes the responsibility of the relevant local authority.

It added that the MOD does not routinely collect data on people once they begin the resettlement and integration process.

The MOD also said it does not hold information on the specific category of sexual offences committed.

Mr Davies has previously raised concerns from residents about whether statements made about those housed at the hotel accurately reflected the schemes under which they had been resettled.

He said constituents deserved transparency over both the resettlement process and any public safety issues arising from it.