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Election hopefuls battle it out

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CONSERVATIVE candidate Simon Hart was the only representative of the country’s last coalition government to attend an all-

Delyth Evans talking to PPF member Andy Martin

Delyth Evans talking to PPF member Andy Martin

Pembrokeshire day of hustings on Friday (Apr 17).

The morning session saw Stephen Crabb and Nick Tregoning pleaded other commitments, while in the South Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen West hustings, Liberal Democrat ‘challenger’ Selwyn Runnett joined Plaid Cymru’s Elwyn Williams and John Atkinson of UKIP on the absentee list.

However, as the seat has been something of a two-horse race between red and blue since 1997, it could be argued that the presence of Mr Hart, along with Labour candidate Delyth Evans, allowed people to see the contrast between different probable futures for the constituency. The Green Party’s Gary Tapley, attending the second hustings of his political career, was also in attendance.

The event, held in the Albany Hall, Haverfordwest, was organised by Pembrokeshire People First, a charity set up to enable and empower people with learning disabilities. PPF coordinator Karen Chandler started the ball rolling with a brief summary of what the group have achieved, before introducing the candidates.

Many of the questions asked referred directly to changes in the country’s benefit system over the last five years. In response to a question which pointed out that under changes to the Disability Living Allowance 1 in 5 people may not be able to live independently any more, Mr Hart stated that the policy was not designed to make people miss out, and blamed delays in processing, as well as less-than-perfect communication. “Nobody in this room who needs support should fall foul of the system,” he added.

Ms Evans said that when dealing with vulnerable people it was ‘more important to get things right,’ and added that one of the priorities for a Labour government would be ‘clearing the backlog’ of claims waiting to be processed ‘so people know where they stand.’ She also criticised the negative language used to describe recipients of benefits. Mr Tapley disagreed with the use of private companies ‘with targets to meet’ for assessments.

Mr Hart was also the only candidate across two constituencies who spoke out in favour of the ‘bedroom tax’ on the day, saying that he had witnessed extreme levels of overcrowding in council accommodation due to a shortage of available properties.  His assertion that discretionary payments could be made by the local council to make up the shortfall was challenged by Ms Chandler, who pointed out that in Pembrokeshire those payments were only issued for a maximum of 6 months.

Ms Evans said that the Labour party promised to scrap the tax. “It penalises people who can’t help their situation and hasn’t solved the problem,” she said. Mr Tapley concurred, saying that it was ‘awful to mess with things without a solution in place’.

The Herald spoke to Sophie Hinksman, co-chair of the Learning Disability Advisory Group after the hustings: “I can understand Simon Hart’s point about overcrowding,” she said, “but the bedroom tax should be scrapped. It’s a bad idea, and it’s not fair to everyone.”

Another issue that PPF members felt strongly about was the Human Rights Act.  In response to a question from Chairman Jeremy DeWilton regarding their promises to protect the act, Mr Hart claimed that it had ‘run its natural course’, and should be replaced by a Bill of Rights.  “The Human Rights Act has been used by lawyers to protect the undeserving,” he added.

Ms Evans pointed out that the last Labour government had signed the UN Charter of Rights, and that her party had no plans to alter the act.  “It is more important to make sure that it is put into practice – to make sure organisations like the County Council understand you have human rights,” she added.

Mr Tapley, whose face bore the expression of a schoolboy who has turned up at his science lesson with meticulously completed art homework, admitted that he was unsure of the party stance on the issue, but said that personally he was in favour of keeping the act. “People focus too much on what a few bad people do, rather than what it is for,” he said, and looked relieved when he was told that maintaining the Human Rights Act was in the Green Party manifesto.

In response to a question from vice chairman Ed Lewis asking ‘how can we trust you to do the things you say you will do?’ Mr Tapley was more forthright. “I keep my word – that’s who I am.  Doing this won’t change me, if I’m voted in my duty is to you,” he declared.

Describing trust as ‘very important,’ Ms Evans said that the current lack of trust in politicians saddened her.  “Most politicians are not liars,” she commented, before saying: “I try not to say things I don’t think I can do.”

Mr Hart agreed with the low public opinion regarding politicians. “They seem to be ranked with estate agents and journalists,” he joked. This remark, hopefully not a slur on Lib Dem candidate Mr Runnett, led me to wonder where the estate agent connection came in.  Surely not the ubiquitous identical signs scattered across the south county?

Further questions were addressed to Ms Evans and Mr Tapley, after Mr Hart was forced to leave early.

The Herald spoke to the chair of PPF afterwards. Mr DeWilton said that he was impressed by the way candidates answered the group’s question: “Hopefully they’ll stick to what they said they want to do,” he said.

 

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Local Government

Milford Haven councillor questions need for £150,000 council deputy chief role

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Lee Bridges says senior vacancy should prompt a review of management costs as frontline services face financial pressure

A MILFORD HAVEN town councillor has questioned whether Pembrokeshire County Council needs to appoint a new deputy chief executive at a time when local services are under growing financial pressure.

Councillor Lee Bridges spoke out after the authority advertised for a Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Place, with a salary of between £132,063 and £145,050.

The successful candidate would also receive a £9,576 annual lease car allowance and a relocation package, taking the potential overall package above £154,000.

Cllr Bridges stressed that his concerns related to the position itself and were not intended as criticism of the person currently holding, or previously holding, the role.

He said: “At a time when local authorities across Wales are facing significant financial pressures and frontline services are under increasing strain, I do question whether this role is really necessary.

“The council already has a chief executive, directors responsible for each service area, together with multiple layers of senior managers, middle managers and team leaders.

“When opportunities arise through senior vacancies, they should also be seen as opportunities to review and streamline management structures rather than simply replacing like-for-like.”

The senior post carries responsibility for areas including regeneration, economic development, planning, transport, environmental services, climate change and major capital projects.

The successful applicant would also support major investment opportunities linked to the Celtic Freeport.

Cllr Bridges said strong leadership remained important, but argued that the cost of senior management needed to be balanced against the pressure on council services.

He said: “Every pound spent on senior management is a pound that cannot be invested in frontline services that residents rely upon every day.

“Over recent years, we have repeatedly heard that difficult financial decisions have had to be made, with services being reduced or placed under increasing pressure because budgets are stretched.

“If that is genuinely the case, then it seems entirely reasonable that senior management structures should be reviewed with the same level of scrutiny as every other area of council spending.”

He said the vacancy should have prompted the authority to consider whether the responsibilities could be divided among existing senior officers.

Cllr Bridges added: “I would have welcomed a strategic review of whether this post is genuinely essential, or whether its responsibilities could be absorbed within the existing leadership team.

“Any savings could then be redirected towards protecting services for Pembrokeshire residents, whether that is highways, social care, education, environmental services or other frontline functions.”

He said his comments were intended to encourage debate about council priorities rather than criticise individuals.

“This is not about personalities,” he said. “It is about ensuring that, when opportunities arise through natural vacancies, the council asks whether there is a better way of structuring itself for the future.

“At a time when every public pound counts, I think residents would expect those questions to be asked before another senior appointment is made.”

 

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Community

Six people rescued after being cut off by tide beneath Tenby hotel

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Four adults and two children were taken to safety after the sea rapidly surrounded them below the Imperial Hotel

TENBY’S inshore lifeboat was launched on Tuesday evening after four adults and two children became cut off by the incoming tide.

The alarm was raised at around 5.50pm when the coastguard received several 999 calls reporting that the group was trapped on the beach below the Imperial Hotel, with the water rising quickly around them.

Tenby RNLI’s volunteer crew reached the scene within a minute and found the six casualties with an RNLI beach lifeguard, who had heard they were in difficulty and paddled around to assist them.

All six were taken aboard the lifeboat and brought safely to Castle Beach.

They were reported to be unharmed following the incident and were able to make their own way home.

 

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Entertainment

BBC loses more than half a million TV licences in a year

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Broadcaster warns its current funding model is becoming unsustainable as viewers move away from live television and BBC iPlayer

THE NUMBER of television licences in force across the UK has fallen by almost 540,000 in just one year, according to the BBC’s latest annual report.

A total of 23.3 million licences were active at the end of the 2025/26 financial year, compared with 23.8 million 12 months earlier.

The reduction of 539,000 was considerably larger than the fall recorded during the previous year and reflects the growing number of households which say they no longer watch programmes requiring a television licence.

Households need a licence to watch or record television programmes as they are being broadcast on any channel, or to use BBC iPlayer. Those who only use other streaming services to watch programmes on demand do not generally require one.

The number of households declaring that they did not need a licence rose by 62,000 during the year, reaching approximately 3.7 million.

Licence numbers have now fallen by more than 2.5 million since the beginning of the decade, when around 25.9 million were in force.

BBC chief financial officer Berangere Michel said the majority of the decline appeared to be caused by people no longer consuming content covered by the licence.

She warned that the trend was unlikely to reverse and was instead expected to accelerate, strengthening the BBC’s argument that the way it is funded must be reformed.

The corporation’s annual report said its financial outlook had worsened during the second half of 2025, with licence sales falling more quickly than previously forecast.

Inflation, rising production costs and difficult trading conditions across the wider media industry have also increased the gap between the BBC’s income and its expenditure.

Although licence fee income stood at around £3.87 billion in 2025/26, the value of that income has fallen sharply when inflation is taken into account.

In today’s prices, the corporation received approximately £1.34 billion less than the equivalent amount raised in 2016/17, representing a real-terms reduction of around 26 per cent.

The BBC reported an operating loss of £121 million for 2025/26 despite an increase in the price of the television licence during the year.

Director-general Matt Brittin described the situation as a “moment of real jeopardy” for both the BBC and public service broadcasting in the UK.

He said the corporation continued to play an important role in public life, the economy and Britain’s cultural influence, but acknowledged that it would have to change substantially to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving media market.

The report shows that 94 per cent of adults use at least one BBC service each month, but fewer than 80 per cent of households now contribute through the licence fee.

BBC chairman Samir Shah said the difference between the number of people using BBC services and those paying for them demonstrated that the existing system could no longer support the corporation’s public service responsibilities.

The BBC is preparing for negotiations over its next Royal Charter, with the current arrangements due to expire at the end of 2027.

Options being discussed include retaining a reformed licence fee, extending payments to some households using commercial streaming services, or developing a different funding system. The Government has not yet made a final decision.

The future of the licence fee also has implications for broadcasting in Wales. S4C receives its public funding through the television licence, with £97.6 million allocated to the Welsh-language broadcaster during 2025/26.

The BBC has already announced plans to reduce spending across its news, nations and content divisions.

The first phase is expected to save around £160 million, contributing towards a wider target of £500 million by 2028/29. The programme is expected to result in between 1,800 and 2,000 job losses over three years.

BBC executives maintain that substantial reform will be needed alongside those savings if the organisation is to continue providing television, radio, news, online and regional services on their current scale.

 

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