News

Haverfordwest: Demonstration planned to seek Crabb’s resignation as Mencap patron

Published

10 years ago

March 28, 2016

PEMBROKESHIRE People’s Assembly Against Austerity are organising a demonstration outside Stephen Crabb’s office on Saturday, April 2.

Organisers have said they plan for the demonstration to take place between 1100HRS and 1300HRS in Market Street, Haverfordwest.

Activists will be demanding that Mr. Crabb recognises what they view as “public opinion” and resigns as Pembrokeshire Mencap’s patron.

Stephen Crabb recently voted to cut ESA by £30 for some disabled people.

Despite not going forward with the announced cuts to PIP and announcing there will be no further welfare cuts, Mr Crabb has stood by the cut to ESA appearing to suggest that placing claimants on the lower JSA rate would be to their benefit, but failing to take account of the purpose of ESA to support those with additional support needs for finding work.

Mr Crabb remains an unabashed apologist for benefits cuts, and even his assurance that no further benefit cuts will take place before 2020 is potentially moot. If benefits are frozen, for example, their value will reduce in real terms.

Organisers say the reason for the demo is that as there has been no statement from Stephen Crabb’s office, nor Mencap Pembrokeshire indicating that Crabb is to resign as Mencap patron. They say that they have no other option but to press ahead with the demonstration.

An online petition calling for Mr Crabb to resign as patron of Mencap Pembs is close to reaching 12,000 signatures

Jim Scott, who started the petition told The Herald: “There is now overwhelming pressure from all quarters for Crabb to resign this post. The Mencap Facebook page has been inundated with comments requesting that Crabb be removed as their patron.

“A great many people have written and emailed Mencap locally as well as nationally.

“Many people have even said that they will be withholding their donations until this matter is resolved.

“The petition continues to grow.

“Public pressure as well as the efforts of DPAC (Disabled People Against Cuts) has already forced four MP’s to resign their patronages of other disability charities.

“It is just a matter of time now. Mr Crabb simply cannot and will-not get away with voting in Westminster for cuts such as the ESA cut which is a ‘done-deal’ now for Mr Crabb and cannot be ‘undone’ .

“Yet then masquerade as some kind of champion for disabled people while back in Pembrokshire, his game is up! These cuts have already caused widespread poverty, destitution, homelessness and many suicides among our most vulnerable and deserving members of society. Crabb, and all other ESA voting MP’s simply have to go.”

Romayne Phoenix, National Co-Chair of The People’s Assembly said: “With Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation and the government forced to backtrack on Osborne’s disastrous budget, there are many more British people now recognising the hypocrisy of having Tory patrons of these disability charities & charities which focus on care.

“The pressure is on – and Crabb’s appointment looks to have been a mistake made in a hurry that the `Tories will regret for a long time.”

Natalie Bennett – Green Party leader has publically signed the petition. Bennett was joined in by Alice Hooker Stroud – Wales Green Party leader, Chris Overton – Withybush Hospital campaigner and Kay Dearing of SOS (Save our Sixth Forms Pembrokeshire).

Organisers say that organisations who have been invited to Saturdays demonstration include, National People’s Assembly Against Austerity, DPAC (Disabled People Against cuts) and other local disability groups, Wales Green Party, Plaid Cymru, The Labour Party, The Green Party, The Lib-Dems, Plaid for Pride, Welsh Green Pride, TUSC and others.

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Last week Stephen Crabb MP posted on his Facebook page following an act of criminal damage to his office in Haverfordwest.

He wrote: “A few days ago my constituency office was vandalised in response to my recent vote to approve changes to the Employment Support Allowance (ESA). This was not an isolated attack as other MPs offices were targeted by individuals involved in a social media campaign.

“I’m disappointed that some individuals choose to do this instead of making an appointment to see me to discuss their concerns. Sadly all these individuals achieved on Saturday was to create an inconvenience to my office staff, local residents, and the Police. There are lots of ways to communicate to convey concerns but criminal damage just isn’t an option.

“There has been a lot of miscommunication about this vote which I want to put right. A decision was taken by MPs to change the benefit awarded to a specific group of people who receive Employment Support Allowance. These people are in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) and they do have a disability or illness but are considered able to work with support in the future.

“The overwhelming majority of people in this group say they want to work, and so I think it is right that we do all we can to help them get back into work. The changes mean that this group will now access the same level of benefit as those on Job Seekers Allowance, but will be given better tailored support to help them into employment. It doesn’t affect anyone who is already claiming ESA, they will receive the exactly the same amount of benefit as they do now.

“The truth is that not all disabilities prevent people from working. A great many disabled people get enormous fulfilment from being in work. They would be extremely offended not to be considered equal in the job market, and this benefit change means that more people will be able to take these important steps from being benefit-dependent to the workplace.

“Of course we absolutely continue to protect those who are ‘too ill to work’. There is no question about that. Those with the most severe health conditions and disabilities will quite rightly continue to get a higher rate of benefit and support. And despite the political banter from Labour, the disability budget is actually going to be rising by more than £1 billion over the next 5 years which means that more money is being spent in real terms on support for disabled people than at any point under the previous Labour government.”

News

Audit Wales: Welsh Gov’t has improved Regional Integration Fund oversight

Published

32 minutes ago

April 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Report finds previous recommendations led to better management of public money, but warns more work is needed by health boards and councils

AUDIT WALES has said the Welsh Government has made clear improvements in the way it manages the Regional Integration Fund, but warned that health boards and local authorities still need to strengthen their oversight of how the money is spent.

A report published by the Auditor General for Wales found that positive action taken in response to earlier audit recommendations has helped improve the use of public money.

The Regional Integration Fund supports efforts to better join up health, social care and housing services across Wales.

Audit Wales said the fund helped 181,922 people live independently during 2024-25 by supporting the management of their health and care needs.

The latest report follows an earlier 2019 review of the Integrated Care Fund, which identified both positive impacts and weaknesses in the way the fund was managed. That earlier review made six recommendations to the Welsh Government, all of which were accepted.

Since then, the Welsh Government has replaced the Integrated Care Fund with the Health and Social Care Regional Integration Fund, introduced in April 2022. Capital elements of the previous scheme were replaced by a new Housing with Care Fund.

According to Audit Wales, five of the six original recommendations have now been fully implemented, with the sixth partially implemented.

The report says the Welsh Government has improved the speed of its decision-making, strengthened monitoring arrangements and helped Regional Partnership Boards share learning and good practice.

However, the report also found weaknesses in how health boards and local authorities oversee the work of Regional Partnership Boards and the way Regional Integration Fund money is used.

Between 2021-22 and 2026-27, Regional Partnership Boards will have had access to £1.45 billion in Welsh Government funding, including £731 million through the Regional Integration Fund.

As statutory members of those boards, health boards and local authorities are responsible for oversight of the activity and spending. Audit Wales said more needs to be done to ensure that responsibility is being carried out properly and in line with Welsh Government guidance.

Auditor General for Wales Adrian Crompton said he was encouraged that the Welsh Government had taken the findings of the 2019 report seriously and acted on the recommendations.

He said the follow-up report showed clear improvements in the management of public money by both the Welsh Government and Regional Partnership Boards.

Mr Crompton added that, as more funding is channelled through Regional Partnership Boards, it is important that the Welsh Government continues working with partner bodies to make sure public money is being overseen and spent wisely.

The report also includes further recommendations intended to help shape the future management of the fund.

Charity

St Davids RNLI launches on Easter Monday after drifting kayak spotted off Solva

Published

2 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Missing vessel recovered near shore after coastguard confirms it had been reported lost days earlier

ST DAVIDS RNLI launched on Easter Monday after an upturned kayak was spotted drifting east of Solva Harbour.

The all-weather lifeboat, Norah Wortley, was requested to launch at 11:04am on Monday (Apr 6) after the vessel was seen floating in the water.

Heading into a strong south-easterly wind, the Tamar-class lifeboat made directly for Aber-west. Members of HM Coastguard St Davids Cliff Rescue Team assisted from the clifftop, helping to guide the volunteer crew to the kayak.

As the vessel was lying close to the shore, the lifeboat’s daughter boat was launched to recover it and bring it aboard the Norah Wortley.

Photographs of the kayak were then sent to HM Coastguard in Milford Haven, which confirmed it had been reported missing from Porthclais several days earlier.

That meant there was no need for a shoreline search for the owner.

The kayak was taken to Solva Harbour, where it was handed over to HM Coastguard and secured on the quay wall. The lifeboat returned to station at about 12:30pm.

St Davids RNLI Coxswain Will Chant said: “The timely reporting of a missing kayak by the owner potentially saved an unnecessary search operation. Thank you to members of St Davids Coastguard team for their assistance during this shout.”

Picture caption:

Easter Monday shout: St Davids RNLI recovers a drifting kayak off Solva after it was reported missing days earlier (Pics: RNLI)

News

Flooding fuels rise in rail delays across Wales

Published

4 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

New analysis links worsening disruption to heavier rainfall and repeated trouble spots on the network

RAIL passengers in Wales are facing growing delays and cancellations as flooding increasingly hits the network, according to new analysis based on Network Rail data.

Figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act suggest flood-related disruption affecting services in Wales has risen by around 256 per cent compared with the mid-2010s.

Between 2022 and 23 December 2025, services affecting passengers in Wales generated an average of around 2,366 passenger delay minutes a year due to flooding. That compares with an average of 664 a year between 2014 and 2017.

The analysis, carried out by climate not-for-profit Round Our Way, says train operators serving towns and cities across Wales, including Great Western Railway, CrossCountry, Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast, have all been affected.

The worst disruption has been concentrated around a number of repeat trouble spots on the rail network, including Machynlleth, Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Bangor and Pontyclun, where flooding has repeatedly interrupted services.

Round Our Way said its analysis of Network Rail cancellation data suggests flood-related disruption is placing increasing strain on the rail network as periods of extreme rainfall become more common.

The group said the figures show not only more major disruption events, but also a worsening day-to-day baseline, with even quieter periods now causing more passenger delay than in previous years.

Gemma Plumb, a meteorologist at Weather Change, said: “It’s clear that train users are seeing more and more disruption to their journeys as a result of heavy rain and flooding, which is hugely frustrating for people who rely on the train network to get around.

“We know that climate change is leading to more extreme weather, including more intense rainfall. This is because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, so when it rains, it rains more.”

Sofie Jenkinson, co-director at Round Our Way, said the rail network appeared to be under “persistent weather stress” as climate change began to have more regular effects.

She said: “This causes significantly more delays to train passengers. But it is also a problem for rail operators, particularly the large inter-city train operators running services into regions of the country that are worst hit by flooding, like the South West, Scotland and Wales.

“The significant rise in delays shows the increased impact of extreme weather caused by climate change, raising concerns about safety beneath the surface of our creaking rail infrastructure for passengers and operators alike.”

Round Our Way said Britain was not adequately prepared for the effects of climate change on everyday infrastructure and called for long-term investment to make the rail network more resilient.

The group pointed to wider warnings from climate experts that rising global temperatures are likely to increase the intensity of rainfall, putting more pressure on ageing transport systems.

Network Rail data used in the study covers the period from 1 April 2014 to 23 December 2025 and relates to incidents classed as flood-related disruption.

A train is recorded as cancelled if it fails to stop at one or more planned stations. Full cancellations are classed as trains that completed less than half of their intended journey, while part cancellations are those that ran at least half, but not the full route, or missed one or more planned stops.