Jamie Street takes Market ward with a 43-vote majority as Reform finishes fourth despite its major Senedd breakthrough two months earlier

THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have won the Pembroke Dock Market by-election after Jamie Street secured a convincing victory in a crowded seven-candidate contest.

Mr Street received 143 votes, finishing 43 ahead of independent candidate Claire Francis-Boswell, who came second with 100.

Plaid Cymru’s Chloe Richards took third place with 79 votes, while Reform UK candidate Ryan Morgan finished fourth on 48.

Former county councillor and recent Senedd candidate Paul Dowson received just 11 votes. Welsh Liberal Democrat Lee Herring polled nine, while independent Hayley Wood received seven.

A total of 397 valid votes were cast, with one ballot paper rejected. Turnout was 28% from an electorate of 1,442.

Mr Street secured 36% of the valid vote, compared with 25.2% for Mrs Francis-Boswell, 19.9% for Ms Richards and 12.1% for Reform UK.

The by-election followed the death of veteran councillor Brian Hall, who had represented the ward since winning a by-election in 1996.

His successor will now take on the considerable task of following a councillor who spent almost three decades representing Pembroke Dock and became one of the longest-serving members of Pembrokeshire County Council.

Strong local campaigns dominate the contest

The result suggests that voters treated the election primarily as a contest over local representation rather than a referendum on national politics.

Mr Street grew up in the ward and presented himself throughout the campaign as a candidate with direct personal ties to Pembroke Dock.

Mrs Francis-Boswell, who was born and raised in the town and already has a visible role in the local community, also performed strongly. Her 100 votes demonstrated the continuing appeal of independent candidates in Pembrokeshire politics.

Plaid Cymru’s Chloe Richards, an intensive care nurse and clinical educator who lives in the ward, secured almost one vote in five and finished only 21 votes behind Mrs Francis-Boswell.

Between them, the three leading candidates collected more than four-fifths of all valid votes.

That left little room for Reform, despite the party’s dramatic rise across Wales.

Why did Reform receive a hammering?

The result is a bruising setback for Reform UK.

Ryan Morgan finished 95 votes behind the Conservative winner and received only one vote for every three secured by Mr Street.

The contrast with May’s Senedd election is striking.

Across the much larger Ceredigion Penfro constituency, Reform received 23,003 votes, representing 25.8% of the vote, and won two of the six available seats.

The Welsh Conservatives received 14,789 votes, or 16.6%, and took one seat.

In Pembroke Dock Market, those positions were decisively reversed. The Conservatives took 36% while Reform secured just 12.1%.

The two elections are not directly comparable. The Senedd contest covered a vast geographical area, used a proportional voting system and was dominated by national issues. The Market ward by-election involved fewer than 400 valid votes and was fought street by street.

Nevertheless, the result shows that Reform’s national success cannot automatically be converted into council seats.

Mr Morgan runs a care business in Pembroke Dock and campaigned on social care, neglected buildings and support for families with additional learning needs. However, he lives in neighbouring Pembroke rather than in the ward itself.

Against candidates who could point to long-standing personal and community connections within Market ward, that distinction may have mattered.

Low-turnout council elections also reward organisation, personal contact and the ability to identify supporters and ensure they vote. With fewer than 400 votes cast, established local networks can outweigh national polling, online support and the prominence of a party’s leader.

The absence of a Labour candidate may also have fragmented the vote among Plaid Cymru and the independents rather than producing a straightforward contest between Reform and the Conservatives.

There is no way of knowing from the result alone whether tactical voting took place. However, the numbers suggest that voters looking for a centre-right candidate consolidated heavily behind Mr Street rather than Reform.

Reform’s defeat cannot be blamed on Paul Dowson splitting its potential vote. Even if all 11 of Mr Dowson’s supporters had voted for Mr Morgan, Reform would still have finished fourth, behind Plaid Cymru.

The result does not prove that Reform’s wider support in Pembrokeshire has disappeared. It does, however, expose the difference between attracting a protest vote in a national election and building the local organisation required to win a tightly fought council seat.

Former Senedd candidate receives just 11 votes

One of the most striking results of the night was the performance of Paul Dowson.

The former Pembrokeshire county councillor received only 11 votes, representing 2.8% of the valid ballots cast.

Mr Dowson served on Pembrokeshire County Council from 2017 until 2022 and was initially elected as an independent before later joining UKIP.

He returned to electoral politics in May as an independent candidate in the Ceredigion Penfro Senedd election but received only 88 votes from more than 89,000 valid ballots.

His candidacy attracted particular attention because he had previously been disqualified from serving as a councillor for three years.

In 2022, the Adjudication Panel for Wales found that Mr Dowson had committed a series of serious breaches of the councillors’ Code of Conduct.

The tribunal found that he had made false allegations of criminal behaviour against a fellow councillor and members of the public, engaged in bullying and harassment, spread misinformation and attempted to mislead an Ombudsman investigation by providing fabricated evidence.

It concluded that his conduct called into question his fitness for public office and disqualified him for three years from becoming a member of Pembrokeshire County Council or another relevant authority.

That disqualification expired in 2025, leaving him legally entitled to stand in both the Senedd election and Thursday’s council by-election.

Mr Dowson has previously rejected the findings against him and argued that he was targeted because of his political views.

However, his result in Market ward was emphatic. Despite his previous council service, a high public profile and a Senedd campaign only two months earlier, he attracted fewer than a dozen votes.

A warning for Reform and a boost for the Conservatives

The victory gives the Welsh Conservatives an important local boost at a time when the party is under intense pressure from Reform across Wales.

The result suggests there remains a route to Conservative success where the party selects a locally recognised candidate and keeps the campaign focused on council services and community representation.

For Reform, 48 votes demonstrate that the party has an identifiable base in Pembroke Dock. However, it was nowhere near enough to challenge for the seat.

The party now faces the challenge of converting its national profile into credible local campaigns, recognised candidates and dependable voter networks.

For Plaid Cymru, Chloe Richards’ third-place finish was respectable and provides a foundation on which the party may seek to build.

Mrs Francis-Boswell’s strong second place also underlines the continuing strength of independent politics in Pembrokeshire, particularly where candidates have visible records of community involvement.

The immediate winner, however, is Jamie Street.

He enters County Hall with a clear mandate from those who voted, but also with the knowledge that more than seven in ten eligible electors did not take part.

His first challenge will be to establish himself as the representative of the entire ward while following a predecessor who served Pembroke Dock for almost 30 years.

Hywel Dda confirms wider rise in cases across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion as patients and staff are offered treatment

A HOSPITAL ward in Carmarthen has been temporarily closed following an outbreak of crusted scabies, a rare and highly contagious form of the condition.

Hywel Dda University Health Board confirmed that Steffan Ward at Glangwili Hospital has been closed while the outbreak is managed under established infection prevention and control procedures.

All patients and members of staff identified as contacts have been informed and offered treatment, including those who are not currently showing symptoms.

Additional measures have been introduced on the ward, including enhanced monitoring, treatment of identified contacts and continued support from specialist infection control teams.

The health board said the situation would remain under review and that the ward would reopen when it was considered safe to do so.

Of wider concern is the health board’s confirmation that scabies cases are increasing across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, with the regional rise contributing to outbreaks within hospitals.

The reference to hospital outbreaks in the plural has prompted questions about whether other wards or hospital sites are currently affected.

The Herald has asked Hywel Dda to confirm the number of patients and staff involved, when the first case was identified and whether any other wards, hospitals, care homes or community healthcare settings are dealing with linked cases.

We have also asked what effect the closure is having on admissions, patient transfers and bed availability at Glangwili.

Previous outbreaks reported

This is not the first time scabies has caused disruption within the Hywel Dda area.

Health board papers considered in October 2025 referred to an earlier scabies outbreak on Steffan Ward which required a multidisciplinary response.

It is not currently known whether that incident and the latest outbreak are connected.

The closure also follows earlier reporting by The Herald about scabies circulating in Pembrokeshire care homes.

In November 2025, care providers said several residential settings were managing outbreaks with clinical support and guidance from Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Pharmacies in Milford Haven and Haverfordwest had also reported increased demand for scabies treatments.

The Herald has asked the health board whether the current regional increase is connected to the pattern of outbreaks reported last year and what action has since been taken to monitor and contain the spread.

UK outbreak caused months of disruption

A previous outbreak at a major UK hospital demonstrates how difficult scabies can be to control in a healthcare environment.

Raigmore Hospital in Inverness was affected by a series of scabies incidents during 2023.

One ward was closed in March and did not reopen until May, while another ward was closed to new admissions in July after further cases were identified.

The outbreak caused disruption over several months and showed that restrictions can return even after previously affected areas have reopened.

Raigmore is the largest hospital in the Scottish Highlands, meaning prolonged ward closures had consequences for capacity and the wider community it serves.

It is too early to say whether the disruption at Glangwili will reach a similar scale.

However, the situation carries an added concern because Hywel Dda has specifically identified the condition as crusted scabies.

What is crusted scabies?

Scabies is caused by tiny mites which burrow into the skin and is most commonly spread through prolonged, close skin-to-skin contact.

Symptoms can include intense itching, particularly at night, and a raised rash which often appears between the fingers, around the wrists, under the arms and near the waist or groin.

Crusted scabies is a rare and more severe form of the infestation in which exceptionally large numbers of mites can be present.

It is substantially more contagious than ordinary scabies and may spread through shorter periods of direct contact or through contaminated bedding, clothing, towels and furniture.

The condition can require more intensive treatment and extensive environmental cleaning, making outbreaks in hospitals and care settings particularly challenging to control.

Scabies is treatable, but symptoms can take several weeks to appear. Close contacts may therefore be offered treatment even when they have no symptoms, helping to reduce the risk of further transmission or reinfection.

Hywel Dda has not yet disclosed the number of confirmed cases, how many patients and staff have been treated or when Steffan Ward is expected to reopen.

The Herald will update this report when further information is received from the health board.

Additional reporting by James Sinclair

Owner says she has done nothing wrong, but RSPCA says it cannot comment on ongoing enquiries

GREENACRES Rescue has confirmed that two dogs removed from a Milford Haven property earlier this year remain safe in its care while an investigation continues.

The Herald first reported in April that police had attended a property in the Precelly Place area following welfare concerns raised by neighbours.

At the time, Greenacres confirmed that two dogs had been admitted into its care and said it would be working with the local authority, police and RSPCA while enquiries were carried out.

The rescue has now issued a further update after renewed speculation on social media prompted a number of enquiries from concerned members of the public.

Greenacres said it had deliberately remained largely silent since the dogs first arrived in order to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and any potential legal proceedings.

With the permission of the RSPCA, the rescue said it was now able to provide a brief update to reassure those who had been worried about the animals’ welfare.

Greenacres confirmed that both dogs have remained safely in its care since the day after they were removed. During that time, they have received veterinary treatment, appropriate nutrition, rehabilitation and ongoing support from the rescue’s experienced team.

The charity said it understood public frustration that more information had not been shared sooner, but stressed that investigations involving alleged animal cruelty can be complex and may take considerable time to conclude.

Greenacres said: “As an independent, self-funded rescue, Greenacres Rescue has no greater legal powers than any other member of the public.

“Throughout every stage, the police and the RSPCA are required to act within the powers and procedures set out in the Animal Welfare Act.

“Whilst this can be frustrating for everyone involved, these legal processes are there for good reason and must be followed.”

The owner of the dogs has contacted The Herald and has asked us to report that she denies any wrongdoing. She says she has been told there will be no further action against her.

However, the RSPCA has said it is unable to discuss ongoing enquiries about specific individuals or what action may be taken.

A spokesperson said: “We’re grateful to people who report their concerns to us but we cannot comment any further as we are unable to discuss ongoing enquiries about specific individuals and what action may be taken.

“We understand how frustrating that is for animal lovers but releasing information could prejudice a future investigation or could lead to us being fined.”

Greenacres has confirmed that the Belgian Malinois has now been legally surrendered into its care. The rescue is currently assessing the most appropriate long-term plan for her future.

However, she is not available for direct rehoming and will continue to undergo further behavioural assessment and rehabilitation. Greenacres said it is working with experienced specialists to ensure the best possible outcome for the dog.

The smaller crossbreed dog remains under seizure by the RSPCA and police and continues to form part of the ongoing investigation. Ownership has not yet been transferred, and Greenacres said that position is likely to remain unchanged until the investigation and any related legal process has concluded.

The rescue has also clarified that it has not been involved in the rescue or care of any cats or kittens believed to be connected to the property. Questions about those animals should be directed to the RSPCA.

Greenacres added that a lack of public updates should not be mistaken for a lack of action.

The rescue said: “Much of this work happens behind the scenes and, by its very nature, cannot be shared publicly whilst investigations remain active.

“Our priority will always be the welfare of the animals and ensuring that ongoing legal proceedings are not compromised.

“Please be assured that both dogs are safe, are receiving the care they need, and remain a priority for everyone involved.”

Greenacres thanked the public for their support, patience and understanding while the relevant authorities complete their investigation.