News

Empty promises as election looms

Published

10 years ago

January 29, 2016

A PRESS release from Preseli Pembrokeshire AM Paul Davies has claimed that in the event the Conservatives are able to form an administration after May’s elections to the Senedd, it will act to return services transferred from Withybush back to the Haverfordwest hospital.

At the same time, Angela Burns, Mr Davies’s fellow shadow front bench spokesperson issued her own release pledging the reopening of Tenby’s Minor Injuries Unit. With elections upon us later this year, a conversation Mr Davies had with local health campaigner David Williams appears to add more flesh to the bones of Mr Davies’s promise to return clinical specialisms to Haverfordwest. On the Save Withybush SCBU page, David Williams recounts a conversation he had with the AM. And the first question alights upon a key point.

Asked whether he has made the statement because the Conservatives haven’t a hope of a being in power after May 16, Mr Davies denies the promise is an empty one. However, as Mr Davies is wellaware, the chances of the Conservatives being in a position to bring such a policy to fruition is mathematically negligible. As a statement of principle, Mr Davies’s words might merit praise as a promise that can be delivered, it is of no consequence at all. And much the same might be said for Ms Burns’s promise to return an MIU to Tenby.

Clinical priorities take second place

Perhaps more seriously, Mr Davies lays himself open to a potential charge of hypocrisy. When asked how he would tackle the clinical priorities expressed by the Wales Deanery – the body responsible for the postgraduate training of doctors and the allocation of junior doctors to hospitals – Mr Davies suggested that clinical expertise would bow to political will. The very sort of coercion alleged by the Conservatives and hospital campaigners against the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay.

Paul Davies is reported to say: “The Welsh Deanery are appointed and funded by Welsh Government, so we will tell them this is what we are going to do so you have to get the people in place to make it happen, as recruitment & training are the deanery responsibilities.” Bearing in mind that one of the primary complaints of the Welsh Conservatives is that the current Welsh Government has failed to listen to clinical concerns, it now appears to be countenancing listening to some clinical concerns but ignoring others to suit its own political agenda.

Drakeford hits back

Criticism of Mr Davies was swift, Mark Drakeford the Welsh Health Minister was quick to draw attention to inconsistencies between what Mr Davies has published and what he and the Secretary of State for Wales have said to the Minister elsewhere. A Welsh Government spokesperson told The Herald: “During a recent meeting with the Minister for Health, Stephen Crabb MP and Paul Davies AM acknowledged that a sustained effort now needs to be made by all stakeholders to change the public narrative around the future of Withybush Hospital.” The spokesperson continued: “These plans are simply not backed up by any clinical evidence whatsoever.

“A review by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health concluded there is no clinical sense in reversing the decision to remove maternity and paediatric services from Withybush Hospital. It found the new arrangements are safe, sustainable in the long-term, have led to improved outcomes for mothers and babies, there is better compliance with professional standards and more women are being cared for in the Hywel Dda area than previously. “The hospital plays – and will continue to play – an important role in the provision of services for people in Pembrokeshire. It will be important for us all to highlight the many steps being taken to strengthen services at Withybush Hospital, and to help the local community understand Withybush’s future is secure.”

Moving the debate on

That viewpoint is as one with the views of The Health Board itself. Chief Executive of the Health Board Steve Moore has made it abundantly clear in a number of public statements that the Board is not considering returning services transferred to Glangwili elsewhere. In an interview with this newspaper last November, Interim Clinical Lead Iain Robertson-Steel said: “For six months clinicians here have been working towards formulating a viable strategy for Withybush’s service delivery … the decision-making process has been clinically-led.”

Following Mr Davies press release, Health Board Chief Executive Steve Moore said: “As a Health Board we are committed to the future of Withybush Hospital and are working hard to improve and develop services in partnership with the people of Pembrokeshire.” On the particular services referred to by Mr Davies, Mr Moore told The Herald: “I know there has been public concern about changes to some women and children’s services, which is why we asked for an independent review by the Royal Colleges. They were clear in their advice to us that there was no clinical sense in reversing the changes and found evidence of improved outcomes for patients.

“We are however continuing our conversation with patients, staff and the general public to make further improvements to the patient experience of care, such as the transport schemes we have put in place and looking closely at family accommodation as we progress with the Phase Two capital project to improve the environment at Glangwili Hospital.” Even though the Conservatives are most unlikely to put public money where Paul Davies’s mouth is, the AM does not appear to have factored in the capital costs already incurred by the Board and what will be done to replace money spent by the Board in pursuit of clinical policies if they are to be displaced by political ones.

Davies pilloried

Plaid Cymru’s Preseli Pembrokeshire candidate for the Senedd elections was withering in his condemnation of Mr Davies. Herald columnist John Osmond, himself a highly visible and long-term campaigner in support of the Hospital, attacked the loss of services from Withybush as ‘deplorable’ and ‘unacceptable’.

Turning his fire on the Conservative AM, said: “Paul Davies is safe in making all the pledges he likes about returning services to Withybush, blithely confident in the knowledge that the Conservatives will be unable to form a government in Cardiff Bay following the next election. They are miles away from forming a majority administration on their own, and the fact is that no-one with any clout would consider working with them in a coalition. As far as forming a government is concerned the Welsh Tory Party is a busted flush.

“On the NHS Paul Davies and the Tories are complete hypocrites. They claim to be standing up to defend public services, and in particular Withybush hospital, when it is their Westminster Government’s ideologically driven public expenditure cuts that are the prime cause of the predicament the NHS finds itself in. They claim to be ring-fencing the NHS but their spending increases are running behind inflation. “Meanwhile, their swingeing cuts to local government budgets means that social services are in crisis and older people are bed blocking the acute hospital sector. Paul Davies should be ashamed of himself for shouting from the side-lines in west Wales while it is his own Home Counties Tory Party that is hitting the people he claims to represent.”

Crime

Plaid attacks Reform’s new Welsh leader as ‘Farage’s deputy’ ahead of Senedd vote

Published

16 minutes ago

February 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Party says defecting Tories show Reform is ‘a vehicle for Westminster power, not Wales’

RHUN AP IORWERTH has launched a sharp attack on Reform UK after the party appointed a former Conservative council leader to head its Welsh operation, accusing the movement of existing solely to deliver Nigel Farage into Downing Street rather than serve Welsh communities.

The Plaid Cymru leader said Reform’s latest appointment and a string of Conservative defections prove the party is “recycled, washed-out Tories looking for a new political home” and warned voters that Wales risked becoming “a stepping stone” for Westminster ambitions.

Dan Thomas has been named Reform’s figurehead in Wales, a role Plaid has branded “Farage’s deputy”, with responsibility for building support ahead of the next Senedd election.

The move follows the defection of former Conservative Senedd member James Evans to Reform, making him the second ex-Tory MS to cross the floor.

‘Nothing to offer Wales’

Speaking ahead of a visit to businesses in Llanelli on Thursday (Feb 5), Mr ap Iorwerth said Reform’s Welsh leadership change would make little difference to voters.

“Two more ex-Tories defecting to Reform UK should come as no surprise to the people of Wales,” he said.

“Now there is no doubt that Reform UK are simply recycled Conservatives looking for a new political home.

“It doesn’t matter who Farage has selected to represent him. The so-called leader’s sole responsibility will be to get Nigel Farage into No.10 Downing Street, because for Reform, Wales is nothing but a stepping stone.”

He added that Reform was “weak on solutions, weak on ideas, and weak on standing up for Wales”, and claimed only Plaid could prevent the party topping the poll at the next election.

Poll pressure

Recent opinion polling has suggested a fragmented Welsh political landscape, with Plaid Cymru and Reform both competing strongly in parts of south and west Wales, while Labour faces losses after years in government.

Reform has sought to capitalise on frustration over NHS waiting times, the cost of living and rural economic pressures, presenting itself as an anti-establishment alternative. The party has also targeted former Conservative voters disillusioned with Westminster politics.

Plaid, meanwhile, argues that Reform offers “London-centric” policies with little understanding of devolved responsibilities such as health and education.

Controversial past

Plaid figures also pointed to Reform’s previous leadership history in Wales, noting that former MEP Nathan Gill, once associated with the party’s earlier iterations, was recently convicted in a high-profile bribery case linked to pro-Russian lobbying. Reform has since distanced itself from past controversies and says it is building a new team.

Business focus

During his Llanelli visit, Mr ap Iorwerth said he would meet local traders to discuss energy costs, staffing pressures and economic growth.

“Plaid Cymru offers new leadership for Wales with credible plans for our communities, and the ambition Wales deserves,” he said.

Reform UK has been approached for comment.

The next Senedd election is expected to take place in May, with parties already positioning themselves for what could be one of the most competitive contests since devolution began.

Local Government

Ceredigion council tax set to rise by 4.7 per cent

Published

1 hour ago

February 5, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

COUNCIL TAX in Ceredigion is expected to rise by 4.7 per cent for the next financial year, following a better-than-expected funding settlement from the Welsh Government that has eased pressure on the county’s budget.

The increase is significantly lower than earlier projections, which had suggested a rise of close to nine per cent, and comes after additional grant funding was secured for local authorities across Wales.

Last year, council tax in Ceredigion rose by 9.3 per cent as part of the 2025–26 budget.

While council tax accounts for only part of the authority’s income, a key element of its funding comes from Aggregate External Finance (AEF) provided by the Welsh Government.

Under the provisional settlement, Ceredigion County Council was initially set to receive a 2.3 per cent uplift—around £3.39m—bringing its total settlement to approximately £150.67m. This placed Ceredigion joint 13th out of Wales’ 22 local authorities.

However, following a subsequent agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, further funding was made available to councils, improving Ceredigion’s financial position.

Speaking last November, before the enhanced settlement was confirmed, council leader Cllr Bryan Davies warned that early estimates suggested an 8.9 per cent council tax rise might be required. Further modelling of service pressures and potential operational savings later reduced that estimate to 6.9 per cent.

The improved funding outlook was outlined to Cabinet in January by the Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement, Cllr Gareth Davies, who proposed a 4.75 per cent increase as part of a draft budget requirement of £221.493m.

Members of the council’s Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee heard on Monday (February 3) that the position had improved again. Additional financial support towards the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service levy has allowed the projected increase to fall slightly further, to 4.7 per cent.

For a typical Band D household, this would equate to an increase of around £7.39 per month in the next financial year.

The committee agreed to note the revised figure. A formal recommendation on council tax levels will be considered by Cabinet on February 10, with the final budget decision due to be made by full council on March 2.

Local Government

Haverfordwest Cartlett chocolate factory call to planners

Published

1 hour ago

February 5, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL for the retrospective conversion of office space previously connected to a Pembrokeshire car hire business to a chocolate factory, a beauty salon and a laundrette has been submitted to county planners

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Mr M Williams, through agent Preseli Planning Ltd, sought retrospective permission for the subdivision of an office on land off Scotchwell Cottage, Cartlett, Haverfordwest into three units forming a chocolate manufacturing, a beauty salon, and a launderette, along with associated works.

A supporting statement said planning history at the site saw a 2018 application for the refurbishment of an existing office building and a change of use from oil depot offices to a hire car office and car/van storage yard, approved back in 2019.

For the chocolate manufacturing by ‘Pembrokeshire Chocolate company,’ as part of the latest scheme it said: “The operation comprises of manufacturing of handmade bespoke flavoured chocolate bars. Historically there was an element of counter sales but this has now ceased. The business sales comprise of online orders and the delivery of produce to local stockist. There are no counter sales from the premises.”

It said the beauty salon “offers treatments, nail services and hairdressing,” operating “on an appointment only basis, with the hairdresser element also offering a mobile service”. It said the third unit of the building functions as a commercial laundrette and ironing services known as ‘West Coast Laundry,’ which “predominantly provides services to holiday cottages, hotels and care homes”.

The statement added: “Beyond the unchanged access the site has parking provision for at least 12 vehicles and a turning area. The building now forms three units which employ two persons per unit. The 12 parking spaces, therefore, provide sufficient provision for staff.

“In terms of visiting members of the public the beauty salon operates on an appointment only basis and based on its small scale can only accommodate two customers at any one time. Therefore, ample parking provision exists to visitors.

“With regard to the chocolate manufacturing and commercial laundrette service these enterprises do not attract visitors but do attract the dropping off laundry and delivery of associated inputs. Drop off and collections associated with the laundry services tend to fall in line with holiday accommodation changeover days, for example Tuesday drop off and collections on the Thursday.