Politics
Veterans report: Progressing but more could be done


‘Important time of change’: Darren Millar
A REPORT released on Thursday highlighted that Wales had one of the UK’s leading services for meeting the mental health needs of armed services veterans, but acknowledged that more could be done to strengthen the national strategy.
The ‘Call to Mind: Wales’ review highlights that while much progress has been made in recent years in Wales with respect to meeting the mental and related health needs of veterans, further improvement is required.
Top priorities include increasing Veteran NHS Wales’ capacity, improving data to inform commissioning and service provision, improving mainstream services, and doing more to support families and carers.
The report, commissioned by the Forces in Mind Trust, is based on a series of interviews with three groups: Veterans and their families; statutory sector stakeholders; and those in the voluntary and independent sectors.
The end result will be the first comprehensive assessment of how to meet the mental and related health needs for veterans and family members throughout the UK.
Wales’ work in this field was praised, and it was noted that the only national veterans’ service in the UK was Welsh. However, the following improvements were suggested:
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Armed Forces Forums and Champions to work more effectively and consistently across Wales.
A more strategic and coordinated approach to planning and commissioning across regions and sectors regarding veterans mental health, including urban and rural areas, and appropriate and timely responses to related health needs, such as physical health and dementia.
The creation of simple, clear, efficient and well-coordinated multi-agency assessment and referral pathways for complex psycho-social needs, particularly for high need groups such as Early Service Leavers, dual diagnosis patients, and veterans in the Criminal Justice System.
Welsh policy-makers to ensure that veterans and family members’ mental and related health needs are considered in new legislation coming into force in Wales.
Barriers to veterans and families accessing GPs and other services should also be addressed, supporting veterans and families to be more willing to access mainstream services.
Encouraging the cultural competence of mainstream services to ensure veterans’ needs are met on a sustainable basis, and addressing the needs of veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder while recognizing the differing needs of those with common mental health problems.
Improvements in data use and capture to inform long-term local level planning and commissioning were also recommended.
‘Capacity-building’ families so they have the resilience and knowledge to identify, support and sustain the recovery of veteran-family members.
The overall aim of the project is to help health service commissioners and service providers determine the most effective ways to assess the mental and related health needs of veterans and their families and to support the development of appropriate services to meet their needs, ensuring that valuable resources are spent wisely.
Writing in the foreword to the report, Darren Millar AM, Chair of the Cross Party Group for the Armed Forces and Cadets (4th Assembly), comments: “This is a very important time of change in Wales with the advent of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) and Wellbeing of Future Generations Acts, both of which have important implications for continuing to meet the needs of veterans and their families.”
“The Call to Mind: Wales report is very timely in this respect and provides a sound assessment of the issues, our progress to date and where we need to be moving forward to ensure that any veteran and their family receive the best care at the earliest opportunity.”
Ray Lock, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust, says: “Our serving men and women, and the families who support them, deserve consistent and effective support.
“Unfortunately, mental health is an area where there continues to be a lot of stigma and, as this report shows, it is incumbent on commissioners, providers and practitioners to work together to ensure that needs are adequately assessed, and that money is spent and targeted wisely to effect sufficient service provision to meet those needs.
“This report provides real insight and evidence that make a valuable contribution in helping us to achieve better support for veterans and their family members across Wales.”
News
Pembrokeshire County Council group to review ‘climate emergency’

A CALL for a group to review Pembrokeshire County Council’s decision to declare a climate emergency some six years ago has been backed by councillors.
In May 2019, the council declare a climate emergency following a notice of motion by Cllr Joshua Beynon calling on the authority to back the global consensus that climate change poses a risk to the well-being of future generations.
He had urged county councillors to back a motion to take “bold, decisive action” to fight “truly, catastrophic” climate change.
He called on the council to commit to becoming a zero-carbon local authority by 2030.
At the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, a notice of motion by Cllr Mike Stoddart called for the establishment of a working group to review the decision made by the council to declare a climate change emergency.
Cllr Stoddart’s motion said: “Given the turbulence on the global financial markets; the parlous state of the UK’s public finances; Pembrokeshire County Council’s projected funding gap; and the government’s softening of its policies on the switch to EV vehicles and heat pumps, this council establishes a seven person, politically balanced working group to review the authority’s decision to declare a climate emergency at its meeting on May 9, 2019.
“The working group will be asked to: (a) examine the effect of the emergency declaration on the level of council tax in Pembrokeshire and particularly the extent to which any such increases militate against the authority’s anti-poverty policies.
“(b) The cost of decarbonising the council’s housing stock and the effect this has had on the authority’s ability to finance the building of new housing.
“(c) The extent to which the council’s decarbonisation programme has contributed to a reduction of the risk of runaway global temperature increases, and (d) any other effects that the working group considers may have adversely impacted the wellbeing of the residents of Pembrokeshire.”
Cllr Stoddart’s notice of motion was previously supported at the June meeting of the council’s corporate overview and scrutiny committee, with a recommendation to full council in July meeting, to reinstate the Net Zero Working Group to review the contents of the notice of motion and, subject to the outcome of this review, review the future delivery of the Net Zero Action Plan.
Cllr Stoddart’s call was backed by Cllr Steve Alderman, and Cllr Rhys Jordan, who said: “I fully support this, it couldn’t come sooner; around England and Wales councils are looking at this, there’s been a huge push for a ‘net zero’ agenda at any cost, I don’t think we’re in a position to drive that.”
Cllr Aaron Carey said: “We’ve set ourselves some lofty goals, but we haven’t got the money to back it up.”
Members overwhelmingly agreed to back the June committee recommendations.
Climate
Newgale road scheme proposal report expected by autumn

A FULL report on Pembrokeshire council proposals for a £40m-plus road realignment scheme at flood-hit Newgale before a formal planning application is made is expected to be completed by the autumn.
Newgale was hit hard by flooding following storms in early 2014 storms, and later by Storm Dennis in 2020.
In 2014 it even saw a visit by the-then Prime Minister David Cameron following the storms.
A public consultation – through agent AtkinsRéalis – was launched earlier this year ahead of a formal council application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park for Phase 1 of the Newgale Coastal Adaptation Project, which would see the development of a new inland section of road with bridge over Brandy Brook some 2.3km inland, to replace the coastal section of A487 at Newgale that will be closed.
Varied claims have been made about the cost of this scheme, from £20m upwards, some even saying it could cost as much as £60m, with millions spent on consultation fees to date.
An alternative, cheaper, scheme has been proposed by STUN – Stand Up for Newgale, proposing a section of the shingle bank at Newgale be realigned 10-12 metres seaward leaving an over-wash barrier between it and the A487 to capture any pebbles and sea water.
In a question, on behalf of Solva Community Council, heard at the July 17 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, community council chair Gareth Chapman said STUN’s proposal “appears to be an under £1m proposal with up to 85 years’ lifespan compared to the conservative £40m-plus estimate for the PCC proposal”.

The question added: “PCC’s proposal is to counter for road closures that rarely happen and, even then, require little expense to restore the pebble bank. It should also be remembered that on several occasions, flooding at Newgale occurs because the river outlet is blocked preventing water from the valley escaping and not as a result of a high tide or storm.
“It is acknowledged that climate change and coastal issues at Newgale may eventually in many years force a change in the highway arrangements at Newgale but it is felt that all efforts should be made to retain the character of the village and iconic views for as long as possible.”
It also asked for the council to “commit to thoroughly examining the alternative proposal,” and to “fully take on board the overwhelming public opinion regarding the future of Newgale”.
Responding, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett said a full presentation had been given to the local community council earlier this month, adding a number of options had been considered in 2016 and 2017 which were “ruled out at that stage for a number of reasons” prior to the scheme now mooted.
He told members the council had undertaken “extensive consultation which has all fed into the development of the scheme,” with a full report expected before the autumn prior to a formal planning application.
“Any coastal protection scheme, we believe, would be a multi-million-pound scheme, certainly in excess of the £1m from STUN,” said Cllr Sinnett, adding those proposals would “only delay the issue for a short period of time, if at all.”
He told members a response to the STUN proposals would be included as part of the full pre-application consultation responses, with council representatives agreeing to meet with STUN.
Cymraeg
Call for more support for rural areas of Pembrokeshire

A CALL to protect Pembrokeshire rural communities, “to ensure no part of our county is forgotten”, was heard by councillors.
At the July 17 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members heard a notice of motion submitted by Cllr Delme Harries, Bro Gwuan county councillor and vice-chair of council, calling for a working group for supporting rural areas.
Cllr Harries’ motion said: “It is increasingly evident that while significant effort and investment has been directed toward revitalising our towns, many of our rural areas are being left behind.
“These communities are the backbone of our agricultural economy, custodians of our landscape, and home to vital heritage and culture and the Welsh language. It is time we restore balance and give our rural communities the attention, voice, and opportunities they deserve.
“To ensure that no part of our county is forgotten, I propose that we establish a dedicated cross-chamber working party focused on reigniting our rural areas — supporting rural enterprise, connectivity, housing, access to essential services and how we can help young people to live and work locally.”
Members agreed the notice be sent to the council’s services overview and scrutiny committee for discussion, the call potentially returning to a future meeting.
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