Politics
Greens denounce Osbourne’s policy to stop taxing polluters
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WE have heard the howls of pain as the Chancellor slashed welfare in the July budget, but more muted, but just as agonising is the pain felt by many as the Climate Change Levy on polluting companies is removed, the Green party said in a statement.
Pippa Bartolotti, Wales’ Green Party leader said “News of methane plumes and record ice melt in the Arctic should be worrying us. The physical evidence of climate change becomes more dramatic every year: forests retreating, animals moving north, glaciers melting, wildfire seasons getting longer, higher rates of droughts, floods, and storms – the list just keeps on growing.
“The displacement of 100million people in low lying countries should be top of the list in our concerns, yet the Tory government is expanding North Sea oil investment and riding roughshod over homeowner rights to frack yet more fossil fuels which will increase greenhouse gases at the very time we should be reducing them. Climate change will exacerbate human displacement in war zones and bring many more immigrants to our shores.
“If that is not enough, we already have 50 coastal communities in Wales abandoned by the Welsh Government to the rising seas. Householders who cannot get insurance, who will find it difficult to sell their houses, who wait in dread for the next winter gale, should be in our minds every day. It is time we helped these people, and the many who will sadly follow as a result of ever more biased decisions in favour of fossil fuel companies.”
Climate scientists have been ridiculed and hunted down by the fossil fuel lobby, yet in the face of a barrage of personal attacks, their message remains stark and clear. We are heading for in excess of 4 degrees of global warming.
Pippa Bartolotti added, “Climate change is a creeping sickness, and the most important issue of our times, but if we move to cut greenhouse gases, rebalance our economy towards waste reduction, and tax the biggest polluters, we could reduce emission by 70% in 2030.
A house built to passivhaus standards reduces fuel bills to a staggering £12 a year. Addressing climate change can be a win-win, taking us all out of fuel poverty, slashing bills and reducing pollution.
“There is a clear route for every country to take which will remove this terrible threat to our lives, and give other species a fighting chance for survival. There will not be social justice or anything else of value on an uninhabitable planet.”
News
Joyce Watson MS announces decision not to seek reselection
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JOYCE WATSON MS, Labour Senedd Member for Mid and West Wales, has announced her decision not to stand in the next Senedd Election.
In a statement issued on Friday (Jan 24), Ms Watson said: “I have taken the very difficult decision to not stand as a candidate at next year’s Senedd Election.
“Serving the Labour Party has been the privilege of my life. To do so representing Mid and West Wales has been an incredible honour. I must thank all the people I have met and worked with on issues and campaigns across the years, and thank Labour members and colleagues for their trust and support.”
Reflecting on her personal journey, Ms Watson shared her roots in Tywyn, Manorbier, Cosheston, and Cardigan, where she grew up as one of eight children. After raising her family across the region, she settled in Pembrokeshire.
“I never dreamed that one day I would be elected to serve the people and places I know and love so well,” she said.
Throughout her tenure, Ms Watson focused on making a tangible impact. She highlighted her work addressing human trafficking, advocating for the construction industry, and representing the Senedd on international platforms, including Europe and the Commonwealth. She also established the White Ribbon campaign against domestic violence in Wales.
“Since I was first elected, our young democracy has grown in strength and confidence. The next election, under new rules and boundaries, will be transformative,” she said.
Ms Watson explained her decision to step aside, saying:
“It feels like the right time for me to step aside for new candidates, and to devote more time to my wonderful family.”
Looking ahead, she acknowledged the challenges of recent years but reaffirmed her commitment to Labour values:
“The past two decades have brought huge upheavals, at home and abroad, that present us with huge challenges. I remain convinced that the solutions to these problems are more co-operation and social justice, not less. I believe that Labour values are the best path to a fairer future.
“So, although I will be stepping down from the Senedd in May 2026, I will never stop fighting for these ideals.”
Ms Watson’s departure marks the end of a notable career of public service, with her contributions leaving a lasting impact on her constituents and beyond.
News
County Hall lights up to mark Holocaust Memorial Day
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COUNTY HALL in Haverfordwest will be lit in purple on Monday January 27 to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
This year Holocaust Memorial Day marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and remembers the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and those killed in genocides that followed.
The theme of this year’s commemoration is ‘For a Better Future’ and focuses on what everyone can do to create a better future.
This includes speaking up against Holocaust and genocide denial, challenging prejudice and encouraging others to learn about the Holocaust and more recent genocides.
Pembrokeshire County Council Leader, Cllr Jon Harvey, said: “This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is particularly poignant as we remember the moments that Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated and the horrors of the Holocaust revealed to the world.
“We all have an opportunity to take action for a better future. A better future where people are not suffering prejudice or persecution because of their faith, ethnicity or other characteristic.”
Council Presiding Member, Cllr Simon Hancock added: “On Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember the Jewish victims of the Holocaust and all the others who suffered under Nazi persecution and the genocides that have followed.
“As we honour their memories, we also pledge to fight prejudice, discrimination, and antisemitism in society today.”
You can see more information on Holocaust Memorial Day at: https://hmd.org.uk/
News
Pembrokeshire cottage extension expected to be refused
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PLANS adapt an outbuilding at a north Pembrokeshire cottage, which has had two previous extensions, to provide additional space for visiting family members are expected to be refused.
In an application recommended for refusal at Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee meeting of January 29, Mr and Mrs Lewis seek permission for the park to allow habitable rooms in a consented building, along with a link to the existing dwelling at Lleine, near Moylegrove.
A supporting statemen through agent Harries Planning Design Management says: “This planning application follows a previously submitted planning application for extension to the dwelling and the rebuilding of existing outbuildings.
“It also follows a pre-application advice enquiry for an extension and to allow habitable rooms in the outbuilding and a refusal for an application of a similar nature. Following the refusal, we met with officers at the [national park] offices in Pembroke Dock to discuss a way forward for this proposal given the reason is to enable relatives to stay with the family. We therefore have followed the advice of the officers and provided amended plans following their response.”
An officer report for planners says Lleine, on a minor coastal road linking Newport and Moylegrove, is a traditional single-storey cottage that has been extended on two occasions previously.
It adds: “This application seeks consent to allow habitable rooms in an outbuilding which previously gained planning permission, together with the erection of a link to the existing dwelling. The current application follows the refusal [of a previous application], which also sought consent to allow habitable rooms in the previously consented building, and the construction of a link to the main dwelling.
“It was considered by officers that the proposal represented an over-development of the original dwelling by introducing additional accommodation and built form over and above that which was granted.”
It says that while the revised proposal is smaller, “it is still considered that the further additional built form would be an over-development of the existing dwelling, which already been extended extensively”.
The application has been brought to committee consideration rather than decided by officers at the request of the local councillor.
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