News
Cleddau Bridge commitment from candidate
IN A keynote speech at Plaid Cymru’s spring conference in Llanelli Simon Thomas called on party members to create another political earthquake in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire.
Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire candidate Simon Thomas pledged that the party will set out a way to scrap the Cleddau Bridge toll in the Plaid Cymru manifesto.
Party of Wales Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire AM candidate Simon Thomas said: “It has been a privilege to be a Plaid Cymru Assembly Member. Truly a boyhood dream come true: to be in a Welsh Parliament speaking up for our nation.
“It is a particular privilege to have been selected as your candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire for 2016. To stand in part of Gwynfor Evans’s old seat fifty years after his ground-breaking byelection victory gives me an enormous sense of history and pride.
“I am working with a great team to make sure that our message gets across on the doorstep and we take that seat from the Tories. We can do it, and wouldn’t it make us all proud to see blue Carmarthen turn green again?
“I want to thank my team of activists in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire and I want to invite you to join them in reconquering Carmarthen for Plaid Cymru.
Imagine the headlines in May when we turn the whole of Carmarthenshire back to Plaid Cymru – not just Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, but Llanelli and Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire too.
“It can be done, but only with dedication and commitment. And a fair wind. We have strong local campaigns on restoring essential services to Withybush hospital and on access to GPs.
“Both these issues show how important our long term health plan to recruit and train 1,000 extra doctors and 5,000 nurse is for the well-being of our nation.
“I’ve been successful in getting the Welsh Government to take seriously the need to abolish tolls on the Cleddau Bridge. And I am delighted our manifesto will set out how that can be done.
“The poorest wards of Pembroke and Pembroke Dock have been abandoned by Labour. A cut in business rates, a reduction in VAT for tourism business, and better town centre management is essential to kick-start those towns. Something that Plaid Cymru’s national policies will deliver.
“And these policies build on the terrific start made by our Carmarthenshire county councillors in kicking out the stale, rudderless Labour councillors and bringing in a fresh new council based on investment and leadership.”
News
Judith Rhead murder investigation – Detectives given more time to question suspect

POLICE have been given more time to question a 43-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder.
The man has been in police custody since Saturday night, after being arrested over the death 68-year-old Judith Rhead.
She was found in a residential property in Market Street.
The police now have until Thursday afternoon (Feb 25) to question the suspect.
News
All people eligible for vaccination will get theirs by end of July

PEOPLE eligible for the coronavirus vaccine will get theirs by the end of July, the Health Minister has said.
Wales achieved its target of getting everyone in the first four priority groups vaccinated by the middle of February and is now working on offering the vaccine to those in groups 5 to 9.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has set out that people with severe or profound learning disabilities or with a mental illness will be among priority group 6.
Mr Gething said that they were would make sure that no one is left behind.
The latest figures from Public Health Wales show that 878,506 people had received their first dose of the vaccine.
59,279 people have received both doses of the vaccine.
Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health and Social Services, said: “We have achieved our first milestone of offering everyone in the first four priority groups vaccination by mid-February.
“We are now making progress in achieving our next milestone, which is to offer the vaccine to all individuals in priority groups 5 to 9.
“The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has set out that people with a severe/profound learning disability and individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or any mental illness that causes severe functional impairment, should be invited for vaccination as part of priority group 6.
“There are challenges with identifying individuals within these groups, particularly given the JCVI language is not generally in use in Wales, and we are working hard to make sure that no one is left behind. Today we have published guidance on identifying eligible individuals in these groups and on how to support them to take up their vaccine offers.
“The JCVI has also said that some of our invaluable unpaid carers should be included in priority group 6.
“Today we have also published guidance on identifying those unpaid carers eligible for vaccine prioritisation and the process around this. I am grateful to the national carers’ organisations for their support with this work.”
News
Council want your help to keep Pembrokeshire active

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL is asking residents to give their views on local walking and cycling routes.
The Council aims to make journeys on foot and by bicycle easier, safer and more enjoyable for everyone.
In order to design a network that works for all, the Council would like to get the views of as many people as possible, particularly those who don’t currently walk or cycle. This will help ensure the routes built for walking and cycling work for the whole community.
The consultation focuses on the main towns and villages in Pembrokeshire which have been selected by Welsh Government as the designated localities in the County. These are:
- Fishguard & Goodwick
- Haverfordwest
- Johnston
- Milford Haven
- Neyland
- Pembroke Dock
- Pembroke
- Tenby
- Saundersfoot
- Narberth
Pembrokeshire Council is currently undertaking an Active Travel Network Map consultation (ATNM) which will run in 3 stages
Consultation 1: Residents can take part in the consultation exercise online, hosted by Commonplace at https://Pembrokeshire.commonplace.is/
The interactive map allows participants to flag issues, problems and successes on a plan of the active travel settlement and add comments. Such points could be for example, a pavement that is too narrow or a newly built cycle route that is regarded as a success.
The first stage of the consultation will close on 31 st March 2021.
Consultation 2: Following this, the second step of the consultation will see the Council share the initial findings and ask people what they think of the plans
proposed as a result of the feedback received.
Consultation 3: The third stage of the consultation will give members of the public a final say on the Active Travel Network Maps before they are sent to Welsh Government for approval. These maps will have been produced taking into account public feedback and ideas from consultations 1 and 2.
By upgrading facilities and creating new walking and cycling routes, the Council plans to make Active Travel the popular choice for local journeys, to increase the attractiveness of local communities as places to live and work, improve health and well-being, and help tackle air pollution.
Cllr Phil Baker, Pembrokeshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, said: “This consultation exercise will produce an Active Travel Network Map which will be a plan of routes the Council will use to inform where improvements to walking and cycling should be made in Pembrokeshire.
“It will help to make journeys on foot or by bicycle easier and safer for everyone, particularly those who don’t currently walk or cycle often and people who use mobility aids and will build on the increased level of walking and cycling that we have seen over the last 12 months during the pandemic.”
See more information on Active Travel at: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/fitness-and-well-being/active-travel
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