News
What next for Withybush?

THURSDAY, November 21 saw a packed Picton Centre host a public meeting regarding the future of Withybush Hospital.
Members of Save Withybush Action Team (SWAT) and the Facebook group Save Essential Services at Withybush and other worried Pembrokeshire residents jammed into the Centre to discuss their concerns about the future of Withybush General Hospital.
Consultant Obstetrician Chris Overton told the meeting:
“I’ve been doing this for nine years: I stood outside Withybush on December 27, 2004 handing out leaflets warning you that they were going to take away your services.
“We’re planning to have demonstrations every Saturday at 11am outside the hospital from January 4 because we want them to know we are still here, we want them to know we still care and we want them to know we’re not going to go away. We want a big event every Saturday all the way through January, February, March – as long as it takes.
He also spoke about the possibilities of what might happen if Withybush was to close and added: “If they close us down, if they transfer services to Glangwilli, If Glangwilli can’t cope there is a scenario where a woman might go into labour and get sent to other hospitals where they might be full.
County councillor speaks
Cllr David Howlett was the only County Councillor to attend the meeting. He said:
“Earlier in the week we tabled an urgent question to the health minister but that had to be agreed by the presiding officer. Unfortunately the presiding officer for the national assembly of Wales declined that, which we thought was terrible.
“The Welsh Conservative group have a 60 minute debate next week (Wednesday 27, 4pm) they’ve chosen the topic of Withybush hospital and the Welsh minister will have to respond and they will give indication of what is going to happen.”
No confidence in Health Board
The meeting was told that a number of services are threatened with closure but nothing has been decided yet. The meeting considered the possible scenarios if services were cut as feared. One member discussed the possibility of going to the Welsh Assembly when they are meeting the health minister to get the best impact and to make the AM’s sit up and take note of what they are doing.
Another member proposed a vote of no confidence in the chief executive and the board of the health authority. This motion was met with applause and was unanimously carried.
Public anger
While many members of the public gave heart-warming stories about their current situations, each highlighting a number of problems that would come to fruition should some services at Withybush close, others at the meeting expressed anger at the Health Board’s plans. Chris Overton told the meeting:
“The Health Board has been told it cannot make any announcements with regards to where services are going. A final decision will be made by the health minister on Tuesday January 21.
“We investigated the possibility of issuing proceedings in January of this year when the Health Board’s plans first became public. We now have a new opportunity because the health minister has made an announcement on September 24 and he’s referred it back to the health board. We must have that judicial review permission request in by December 24.
“There is only one way for the people of Pembrokeshire and that is to demand Withybush stays open as a fully functioning hospital.
“The Health Board senior management have been playing their cards very close to their chest and if it hadn’t been for the local press revealing what they are planning I doubt that we would be having this discussion.
“We all need to consider the safety of the people of Pembrokeshire.
“I have been begging our GPs to contact the Welsh government and the BMA secretary. If you can get your GP behind this campaign, we’ve got a significant chance of success”.
From the floor, it was suggested:
“We could look at when the Welsh Assembly are meeting with the health minister when we’ve got the most impact as many AM’s as possible making sure we have a demonstration in Cardiff when we’ve got the biggest impact towards the AM’s.”
Another member of the public asked:
“Can I point out that Mark Drakeford tweeted on Tuesday to the effect that the Welsh NHS has got to change and Hywel Dda is no exception? That rather suggests it doesn’t matter what we do he’s already made his mind up.”
Threat to tourism
Thinking about Pembrokeshire’s status as a tourist destination, considerable unease was also expressed at the potential loss of services:
“It’s very easy to make decisions which don’t affect you in any way shape or form.
“In the time I’ve been in Pembrokeshire there have been an awful lot of industrial accidents, none of these large industrial accidents produced huge amounts of casualties. The powers that be should realise that with what we have in the Haven, not to mention the thousands of people who come here in the summer, where roads are totally inadequate for that number of people if there is an emergency. We want an A & E service that can cope with accidents on an industrial scale.
“Pembrokeshire relies heavily on tourism. No one is going to come here because, quite simply put, it’s too dangerous to come to Pembrokeshire.”
John Osmond stood in the 2007 election for Plaid Cymru:
“I have a personal experience of how valuable Withybush is as during that campaign I was fishing off the rock at Martins Haven and slipped and dislocated my elbow and I wouldn’t have wanted to go much further than Haverfordwest on that occasion.
“We’re very fortunate in this campaign to have it lead by the consultants. This Mr Purt (the Health Board’s Chief Executive) is a man in a grey suit. A man or a woman in a white suit is worth a hundred men in grey suits.”
The Pembrokeshire Herald invited Hywel Dda LHB to comment on specific issues raised by the meeting and by the leaflet we reported upon last week. A spokesperson from the Health Board said:
“The health board was instructed by the Health Minister in September to clarify the delivery model for obstetric and paediatric services that would be provided to support a Level 2 neo-natal unit before a final Ministerial decision is made in relation to newborn services.
“The health board continues to discuss potential service models with staff and so meetings are taking place at a hospital, county and health board-wide level.
“We intend to respond to Welsh Government in the next few weeks.
“A&E remains open 24/7 at Withybush Hospital and no decision has been taken to reduce these hours of service.”
“A gap of trust”
Simon Hart MP spoke to The Pembrokeshire Herald:
“I am enormously frustrated by the Local Health Board. It seems to have enormous difficulty communicating with and generating trust among either members of its staff or the Pembrokeshire public.
“Every time an announcement is due it is trailed by rumour and counter-rumour. Months of uncertainty seem to be followed by baffling decisions that are hard to understand.
“I speak often to members of Hywel Dda staff who express their deep personal concerns about the future while the rumour mill does its work
“Staff members are doing a difficult job in impossible circumstances. There is a real gap of trust and it is up to the Health Board to sort that out; it needs to stop being secretive and start being open and transparent, not only with its employees but also with Pembrokeshire.”
News
Independent Alun Wills wins Prendergast by-election by 39 votes

HAVERFORDWEST’S Prendergast ward has a new county councillor after Independent candidate Alun Wills emerged victorious in a closely contested six-way by-election.
Wills secured the seat with 199 votes (31.6%), defeating five other candidates: Kaleb Jenkins (Welsh Liberal Democrats, 160 votes), Mike Mathias (Welsh Conservative Party, 136 votes), Scott Thorley (Reform UK, 71 votes), Alison Tudor (Welsh Labour, 57 votes), and James Henry Purchase (Wales Green Party, 8 votes).
The by-election, held on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, was triggered by the resignation of former Conservative councillor Andrew Edwards. Edwards stepped down in December 2024 following a controversial tenure marred by allegations of racism. In 2023, he faced public backlash after reportedly stating that “all white men should have black slaves.” Although he withdrew from the Conservative group and served as an independent councillor following the scandal, he ultimately resigned from his role, citing family reasons.
The Herald at the time questioned if the recording of him saying those words was created by using Artificial Intelligence.
A shift in representation

Edwards originally won the Prendergast seat for the Conservatives in 2022, securing a decisive victory over Labour. However, his departure and the controversy surrounding his comments resulted in a highly competitive race that ultimately saw the Conservatives lose their grip on the ward.
Wills’ victory as an independent marks a significant political shift, reflecting voter dissatisfaction and a changing political landscape in Haverfordwest.
Priorities for the new councillor
Speaking after his win, Wills vowed to “insist on council tax value for money” and pledged to do his “utmost to revive the fortunes of Haverfordwest town centre.”
He will take office at a time when Haverfordwest’s regeneration remains a key concern for residents. Major projects such as the Western Quayside redevelopment and the proposed Public Transport Interchange are already in motion, with the aim of boosting the local economy and improving connectivity.
Additionally, Wills is expected to focus on tackling rising council tax costs, an issue that has sparked growing frustration among residents.
With an independent now representing the ward, the political landscape in Pembrokeshire continues to evolve. The question remains whether this result signals a broader trend of voters shifting away from traditional party politics.
News
Crown Estate profits soar – but Wales sees little return, says MP

THE LAND and sea assets in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion are amongst the most lucrative of those owned by the Crown Estate.
In 2023, they helped accumulate a Welsh financial handover totalling £853m, resulting in a record net profit to the UK public finance coffers of £1.1billion. This represented a marked increase in Wales’ contribution, compared to its 2007 asset value of just £21.1m.
The escalation is being driven by the rising demand for renewable energy projects, and with the offshore investments that are currently taking place in seabed of south Pembrokeshire, Wales’ contribution to the Crown Estate looks set to soar even further
But how much of this contribution finds its way back to Wales? The answer, sadly, appears scant.
Instead of finding their way back to the Welsh public purse, profits generated from Wales’ green wealth are being distributed to the HM Treasury and the monarch’s Sovereign Grant, which funds a handful of senior members of the Royal family. In 2023-24, the sovereign grant amounted to £86.3m.
Now, in a bid to ensure greater transparency and a fairer financial management, pressure is being put on the Government to allow the Crown Estate to be devolved to Wales, putting it on equal footing with Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“The value of the Crown Estate in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion is hugely significant,” commented Ben Lake, MP for Ceredigion and Preseli.
“The Crown Estate owns 65% of Wales’s foreshore and riverbeds, and more than 50,000 acres of land. And a considerable amount of this lies in the foreshores around south Pembrokeshire and the more rural areas of Ceredigion.
“Welsh County Councils, including Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, are having to make payments to the Crown in leasing fees and in 2023, this sum was nearly £300.000 Yet this is happening at a time when local services in Wales are under severe pressure. It doesn’t strike me as fair that we have these significant natural assets which are generating significant amounts of profit, yet they’re not returning back to Wales.
“The UK government says it’s spending money here, but when it comes to the provision of health, education and social services, Wales only gets a Barnett formula of roughly just under 5%.”
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In 2024, Scotland, which devolved from the Crown Estate in 2017, saw more than £100m enter its coffers as a result of its offshore energy.
“And the potential for Wales is just as significant,” said Ben Lake. “Engineers and experts are all pointing to the fact that the regeneration of renewable energy in Wales is going to be big and over the next ten years, the waters around Wales are going to see some of the biggest developments in offshore wind. But unless the Crown Estate is devolved, Wales is going to be severely shortchanged.”
The Crown Estate owns more than £603m of land in Wales which includes:
65% of Wales’ coast and riverbeds;
- The seabed which extends up to 12 miles out to sea;
- 50,000 acres of land;
- 250,000 acres of mineral deposits and
- All gold and silver deposits.
Last week Westminster blocked the transfer of Crown Estate management to the Welsh Government by voting down an amendment tabled by Plaid Cymru to the Crown Estate Bill.
The Liberal Democrats also tabled an amendment calling for Crown Estate assets to be handed to Wales. But both amendments were blocked by Labour MPs.
The stance contradicted recent comments from Wales’ First Minister, Baroness Eluned Morgan, who said she was “fighting very hard” for more control.
The Bill is expected to return to the House of Commons later this month for further debate and a bid to enforce a vote on the issue,
“Even if we’re able to get a small percentage of what Scotland is generating, Wales will be able to start investing in its public services given the acute pressures that are currently being placed on the NHS and the county councils,” concluded Ben Lake. “This will go a long way to alleviate the pressures they’re under.
“And further down the line, it’s possible that Wales could then start considering its own Wealth Fund, similar to what has happened in Norway as a result of its oil and gas licensing. Through its profits and interest, the Norwegian Wealth Fund has become one of the largest in the world. In 2024 it generated $220 billion to subsidise a significant amount into public services
“And Wales is no different.
“It’s now time for the money that’s being generated from Wales’ natural assets to come back for the benefit of the people who live here.”
News
Wales set to ban supermarket junk food promotions

New rules could reshape the way snacks are sold
SHOPPERS in Wales may soon find fewer tempting offers on unhealthy snacks as the Welsh government plans to ban the promotion of junk food in supermarkets.
Under the proposed regulations, retailers with 50 or more employees will be prohibited from placing sugary, salty, and fatty foods near tills, store entrances, or at the end of aisles. Similar restrictions will apply online, preventing junk food promotions from appearing on homepage banners, category pages, or checkout screens.
The crackdown, which could come into effect in March 2026 if approved by the Senedd next month, would also spell the end for buy-one-get-one-free deals and free refills on sugary drinks.
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles defended the measures, highlighting concerns about childhood obesity. “With nearly a quarter of children in Wales overweight or obese by the time they start school, we must take action to help people make healthier choices,” he said.
Retailers who fail to comply with the new rules could face fines of up to £2,500.
Industry concerns
The proposed legislation is similar to rules introduced in England in 2022 and follows a consultation launched last year. However, the Welsh Retail Consortium has raised concerns, particularly over limits on promotional pricing, arguing that price competition benefits customers.
“Restricting meal deal offers and category promotions could impact affordability for consumers,” a spokesperson warned.
Some smaller businesses, such as independent sweet shops and specialist chocolatiers, will be exempt from the restrictions.
The Welsh government says the new rules are designed to curb impulse buying of unhealthy foods and encourage better dietary habits across the nation. However, with opposition from some in the retail sector, the debate over balancing public health and consumer choice is set to continue.
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