News
£1.25m town centre cash for Port to develop ‘private rented accommodation’
AN EXAMINATION of the minutes of the meeting of a key council committee that took place in June reveals that the Milford Haven Town Centre Regeneration Scheme, for which the county council secured funding from the Welsh Government, was focused on the improvement, repair, and refit of the former Motorworld building in the town’s Charles Street until at least June this year.
However, during the meeting of the council’s Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee, not a single councillor mentioned Milford Haven at all, and, while the other five towns targeted for town centre regeneration had a number of projects as part of plans affecting them, the only item under consideration for the whole of Milford Haven’s town centre was the former Motorworld building.
And while the committee ‘noted progress’ it is impossible to ascertain what progress had been made regarding Milford Haven – if any – as it is barely referenced – other than on one line listing the Charles Street building – in the report councillors received.
The funding intended to regenerate the town centre has now been directed to the controversial Masterplan submitted by the Milford Haven Port Authority, with the council directing the funding that should have gone to the town centre to the Port’s plans for the Old Quay Stores.
The fact that the Port development is not related to the town centre of Milford Haven is shown by the content of the original planning report on the Port Masterplan, which states “The application describes the development as delivering a new commercial and leisure quarter for Milford Haven, a distinctive place with its own unique character and revitalising the fishing port and leisure marina.”
And, in relation to the proposed retail development of the docks, the same report draws a firm distinction between the port and the town centre: “The proposed food and non-food retail stores will be within walking distance of the town centre. Indeed, the proposals are between, and adjacent to, two parcels of the defined town centre…. It has been concluded that there will be only a limited impact on the town centre and there is a lack of suitable alternative sites within the town centre.”
Bearing in mind the ‘limited impact’ on the town centre of the proposed retail development, it is difficult to make the idea that town centre regeneration funds should be allocated to the Port as anything other than a considerable stretch, not least as the Port masterplan is keen to draw a distinction between the facilities on offer there and those in the town itself.
Moreover, when the council’s Cabinet discussed the matter on September 12, the fact that the Old Quay stores is not part of the town centre is demonstrated by the preamble to its discussion in the Cabinet papers: “Following a meeting with Milford Haven Port Authority, an application has been submitted to assist with the start of the delivery of their Masterplan. The focus of the bid will be the Quay Stores building and adjacent land, which will assist with connecting the town centre with the marina.”
The development shown on the Masterplan for that building is a hotel. However, the plan discussed and approved by Cabinet for the location is to provide private rented accommodation.
There appears to be the familiar signs of a hasty re-jig of policies against a timetable that has become tight due to council inertia, and warnings were given at the Cabinet meeting on September 12 that there was a deadline imminent for drawing down the funds. The details of the meeting between the county council at the Port Authority which apparently stitched up the deal were not before the Cabinet and remain unpublished.
Neil Jenkins, Destination Director at the Port of Milford Haven, said: “The Port of Milford Haven has applied for the maximum loan amount of £1.25m from the Welsh Government Town Centre Loan Fund to assist with the redevelopment of the Quay Stores building, a listed building within the Port’s property portfolio. Under the terms of the loan scheme the sum would be repaid over five years.
“If the application is approved, detailed planning permission would be sought from Pembrokeshire County Council, along with listed building consent. Subject to gaining the necessary consents and entering into tenancy agreements, work would hopefully start on site in 2017.”
News
Pembrokeshire loses out as Labour ‘rewards its heartlands’
THE HEADLINE figure is an average rise in Welsh local authority budgets by 4.3%. Every Welsh rural council got less than that.
From Monmouthshire in the east to Anglesey in the north to Pembrokeshire in the west, the funding bonanza trumpeted by the Welsh Government as part of the best financial settlement since devolution turned into a damp, wet fart. No rural authority got the average settlement; only Carmarthenshire came close with a 4.1 increase. Meanwhile, Labour councils in the Valleys and metropolitan areas all experienced above-average rises in Welsh Government funding.
Local MS Sam Kurtz said, “It’s clear that the Welsh Labour Government is looking after their heartlands first and foremost as we run up to the Senedd election and is ignoring the needs of others.
“Delivering services in rural areas costs more; it’s the rural premium, but for the Welsh Labour Government to ignore this shows them at their worst.
“Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire county councils are asked to do more and more. It’s only right that they are supported correctly to deliver those services. Sadly, this provisional settlement falls well short of what is required.”
WG “TAKING PEMBROKESHIRE PUBLIC FOR FOOLS”
Pembrokeshire Conservative county councillor Aled Thomas said: “Labour is taking the Pembrokeshire public for fools, claiming that today’s announcement is good for Pembrokeshire when the reality is that our rural communities are being left behind once again.
“Labour is giving with one hand and taking away with the other, with a significant proportion of this additional money already spent on increased national insurance contributions.
“Pembrokeshire’s Labour cabinet member for finance must now commit that this money will be spent on core services and not wasted on vanity projects as we have seen time and again in the county.”
Whether Josh Beynon, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, rises to that challenge remains to be seen. Our request for a response to the Welsh Government’s funding settlement for Pembrokeshire was refused.
SETTLEMENT SHOWS WHERE LOYALTIES LIE
The Independent Group was not as shy.
“The Welsh Government settlement lays bare where their true loyalties lie and the battleground for Senedd 2026 where Labour will concentrate their resources on protecting their established strongholds at all costs. “They may deny it, but that’s the appearance with healthier WG settlements of above 5% for Cardiff, Newport and Merthyr compared to 3.6% for Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Anglesey and even less for Gwynedd at 3.2%. Inflation is currently at 2.3%, meaning the real increase for Pembrokeshire is around 1.3%, and higher inflation over the next few months will erode the value of this settlement further.
“Furthermore, all local authorities are currently having to accept the consequence of the Chancellor’s rise of National Insurance, with Mark Drakeford revealing that there will be no decision from the UK government on NI compensation for public sector employers until May 2025, meaning much of the additional AEF will have already been swallowed up, a decision that needs to be taken sooner rather than later many would suggest.”
CONSULTATION UNDERWAY
The Independent Group spokesperson continued: “Today launches six weeks of formal consultation on the settlement for 2024-25, ending on Friday, January 24, 2025.
“We hope that the current administration will use this process to articulate the concerns of many, that the settlement is not sufficient to cover the financial pressure faced by Pembrokeshire and argue for additional support, even if targeted towards areas of significant concern such as Social Care.
“The reality for us in Pembrokeshire is that providing the services our residents expect and rightly deserve has just become a lot more difficult with this settlement, which can only be described as disappointing.
“As a direct result of this AEF settlement, we will inevitably face a higher than wished-for Council Tax rise in April 2025, and much of the responsibility will sit with Cardiff.
“Pembrokeshire has the joint highest second home council tax in Wales, and we will almost certainly increase the level of tax on empty homes. Many of us in County Hall cannot be accused of shirking tough decisions that best serve our residents.
“We have significant Social Care pressures, which is a common theme across all Welsh local authorities. We have many schools falling into deficit, with Ysgol y Preseli, Milford Haven & Greenhill in dire need of a total overhaul to provide the facilities our young deserve. We hope that the Welsh Government will see fit to allocate Pembrokeshire a generous element of the £1.04bn for the capital grant they have provisionally allocated in this settlement for all of Wales. The continuation of the 40% business relief for tourism, hospitality and leisure businesses is welcomed for an industry that employs 23% of our working population.
COUNCIL TAX AFFORDABILITY CRUCIAL
“The Independent Group will focus on the need to protect essential services whilst addressing the ability of hard-pressed households to afford further Council Tax rises next April.
“In a week when the local authority, partner agencies, and many volunteers have stood up to Storm Darragh’s challenges, the least our residents deserved was more bad news with today’s Welsh Government settlement for Pembrokeshire.
“Storm Darragh’s impact highlighted the need for careful management of Council reserves. Using up reserves cannot continue year on year. Therefore, any proposal for their future use must be carefully considered before we can support it. Once used, these reserves are not available for future eventualities.
“Without additional support, this settlement will result in even higher Council tax bills in four months.”
The spokesperson concluded: “As the largest opposition group within County Hall, we will hold this administration to account in the forthcoming weeks and months prior to setting the Council Tax for 2025/26. We will be critical friends in this task and will not shirk from asking difficult questions.”
Crime
Dozens of alleged litter offenders to face court in Haverfordwest
HAVERFORDWEST MAGISTRATES’ COURT will hear a series of littering cases tomorrow, with individuals from across Pembrokeshire and beyond accused of offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The cases primarily involve cigarette butts being dropped and left in public spaces, with locations spanning Pembroke Dock, Haverfordwest, Tenby, Milford Haven, and other towns.
The following individuals are set to appear:
- Nathan Abbott, 30, of Hakin, Milford Haven
- Alex Austin, 49, of Malvern, Worcestershire
- Tim Benfan, 36, of Rugby, Warwickshire
- Anthony Bevan, 39, of Pembroke
- Melissa Bevan, 43, of Pembroke
- Arron Bridges, 23, of Crundale, Haverfordwest
- Daniel Brooks, 38, of Tenby
- Dale Brown, 38, of Milford Haven
- Stephen Charkes, 62, of Llanelli
- John Cotton, 60, of Ledbury, Herefordshire
- Chaves De Oliveria, 24, of London
- James William Gwyn Dewhurst, 38, of Haverfordwest
- Kevin Filer, 66, of Milford Haven
- Barry Frost, 64, of Bradford, West Yorkshire
- Andrew Griffiths, 41, of Aberdare
- Robert Jeffrey Hamblin, 42, of Pembroke
- Victoria Hodgson, 34, of Pembroke
- Gerald Maddocks, 40, of Haverfordwest
- Deana Sophia Mead, 31, of Milford Haven
- Jacqueline Niblett, 63, of Hengoed
- Micheal Raymond, 55, of Cowbridge
- Shaun Tuxker, 38, of Haverfordwest
- Liam Unsworth, 27, of Narberth
- Shaun Manche, 41, of Milford Haven
- Chelsea McLaren, 29, of Narberth
- Marian Radoi, 40, of Haverfordwest
- Leah Reynolds, 31, of Haverfordwest
- James Stewart, 44, of Pembroke Dock
- Andrew Stokes, 53, of Stourport-on-Severn
- Nicola Wilkins, 48, of Swansea
- Rhys R Williams, 24, of Tonyrefail
- Ryan Williams, 45, of Swansea
- John Wright, 41, of Pembroke Dock
Each case involves allegations of littering, primarily cigarette butts, in public places such as streets, car parks, and parks across Pembrokeshire. Offenders face maximum penalties of up to £2,500 under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Authorities hope these proceedings will serve as a reminder to the public about the importance of maintaining clean and litter-free communities.
Pictured: Litter enforcement officer in Haverfordwest (Image: File)
News
A475 closed as fire crews respond to west Wales house blaze
EMERGENCY SERVICES are tackling a property fire in Ceredigion, prompting the closure of the A475 Drefach-Rhydowen road.
Dyfed-Powys Police have shut the road between the B4338 (Llanybydder turn-off) and the B4459 (Capel Dewi turn-off) to safeguard the public. Motorists are being urged to avoid the area and use alternative routes.
A police statement shared on Facebook said: “The road is currently closed due to an incident. Please avoid the area and find alternative routes for your journey.”
The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the Wales Ambulance Service are on the scene, responding to the incident. Authorities were alerted to the blaze shortly after 2:00pm.
AA Traffic reports indicate significant delays in both directions due to the closure. Drivers are advised to plan ahead and expect delays.
Further updates will follow as the situation develops.
(Image: File)
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Ben
September 20, 2016 at 3:50 pm
So to summarise….. there’s a sum of money available as a loan that had not, to date, been allocated (presumably not applied for). It has now been allocated (applied for) to assist a going concern and will be paid back within 5 years?
I don’t get it. What am i missing? (Apart from good local news stories)
Lorraine Turner
September 20, 2016 at 5:47 pm
I think the story, Ben, is that funds were set aside for Town Centre regeneration and, due to “council inertia” and an impending deadline for spending the funds, they have been hastily shifted to a project not technically considered to be in the town centre. I’d like to see a public enquiry into the workings of the councils involved in these deals, because I think Milford Haven is getting neglected beyond repair.
Ben
September 21, 2016 at 11:10 pm
This does not make it news. 1. No one in the town centre had applied for soft loans to date (why not?) and 2. The terms of the loan appear to clearly state that applications may be considered from sites adjacent to the town centre if there is likely to be benefit to the surrounding area. So it seems to conform on all fronts to terms. No drama; no scandal; no story.
What would a public enquiry uncover? The world won’t help us unless we help ourselves.