A call to convert a former guest house in Haverfordwest’s conservation area to flats has been given the go-ahead by county planners.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Mr J Wandrum, through agent Ian Bartlett Planning and Architectural Services, sought a change of use of the nine-bed Normandie House guest house, 1 Merlin’s Hill, to four flats.

A supporting statement said planning permission for a change of use had previously been granted back in 2015 but was never implemented, the existing use continuing.

It added: “The submitted application seeks consent for the change of use of the building from a nine-bedroom guest house to create four self-contained flats (three two-bed flats and one one-bed). The conversion does not require any extension or significant external alteration of the building.

“The overall impact of the scheme upon residential amenity of neighbouring properties would be no greater than the former guest house use and in discussions with immediate neighbours the applicant has informed that this proposal is welcomed by them. No matters related to protected species are envisaged and no work that might affect any habitat is proposed.”

It went on to say there were no surface water drainage issues related to this proposal as there is no change to the amount of surface water to be disposed of.

“Mains foul drainage is connected, and it is considered that there will be a reduction in the foul flows generated from the site when judged against the guest house use.”

The application was conditionally approved by planning officers under delegated powers, the approval saying: “This application has been screened in accordance with Natural Resources Wales’ interim advice for planning applications within the river Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) catchments. It is considered that this development is unlikely to increase phosphate inputs.”

A MAN originally from Milford Haven has been expelled from Russia after being accused of espionage by the country’s security services — claims that have been strongly denied by both the British government and people who know him locally.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said that a British Embassy employee in Moscow, 45-year-old Gareth Samuel Davies, had been operating as an undercover intelligence officer and ordered him to leave the country within two weeks.

Mr Davies is understood to have attended Milford Haven School and previously lived in Steynton, near the Horse and Jockey pub, before pursuing a career in diplomacy.

Russian authorities said he was working under diplomatic cover as Second Secretary in the administrative section of the British Embassy in Moscow, and that his accreditation had been revoked under the 1961 Vienna Convention.

However, people in Pembrokeshire who know Mr Davies have disputed the espionage claim. According to those familiar with him and his work, he was not involved in spying, but was instead carrying out a legitimate embassy security and administrative role.

They say his responsibilities focused on internal security procedures, staff safety, and operational administration — duties that are standard within embassies worldwide and should not be confused with intelligence gathering. Those close to him locally describe the Russian allegations as a mischaracterisation of a routine diplomatic post.

It is understood that disruption to Mr Davies has been minimised, as his family had not yet joined him in Moscow as planned.

He is due to return to the UK in the coming days, it is understood.

The British government has dismissed the accusations as “baseless.” A spokesperson for the British Embassy in Moscow said:

“This is not the first time the Kremlin has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff. Their targeting of British diplomats comes out of desperation.”

The spokesperson added that the UK is “carefully considering its options in response.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Britain’s chargé d’affaires to issue a formal protest and warned of a “decisive tit-for-tat response” should the UK escalate the situation.

Since 2024, Russia has expelled at least nine British diplomats on similar espionage allegations, all of which have been denied by London. No public evidence has been released to support the claims in this case.

Diplomatic expulsions of this kind are widely regarded as political acts rather than legal judgments, and have become increasingly common amid deteriorating relations between the UK and Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

FINAL Budget plans worth £27.5bn for 2026-27 have been published by the Welsh Government, with ministers saying the package will deliver £1.2bn more for people, public services and businesses than in the current financial year.

The Welsh Government said the Final Budget includes £400m of new allocations since the Draft Budget was set out in October, including £300m of revenue funding for local government and the NHS, secured through the budget agreement between Labour and Plaid Cymru.

A further £100m in revenue and capital funding is earmarked for priorities including bus services, apprenticeships, further education, flood prevention and maintenance of school buildings.

Ministers said every Welsh Government department will receive at least the same level of funding in real terms in 2026-27 as this year, with uplifts for inflation and pay intended to help protect frontline services and safeguard jobs.

Key allocations highlighted in the announcement include an extra £112.8m for local government, with all councils set to receive increases of four per cent or above, and a further £180m for health and social care, bringing the total revenue budget for the sector to more than £12.6bn.

A £116m package of support for businesses over two years has also been announced to help firms manage the impact of the 2026 non-domestic rates revaluation.

Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said the Final Budget would provide extra resources for the services Wales relies on, while delivering certainty for public services.

He said: “This Final Budget provides extra resources to support the services Wales relies on. Every department has been protected with at least the same funding in real terms as this year, including extra funding for inflation and pay – recognising the vital work of our public service workforce.

“By working across the Senedd, we are providing certainty and stability for public services now, while ensuring the next Welsh Government has the resources it needs to deliver its priorities from day one.”

The Final Budget will be debated and put to a vote in the Senedd on Tuesday, January 27. The timetable published by the Welsh Government shows the Draft Budget was released on Tuesday, October 14, with the detailed Draft Budget published on Monday, November 3, before the budget agreement with Plaid Cymru was reached on Tuesday, December 9.

Responding to the Welsh Government Budget, Aaron Hill, Director of CPT Cymru, said: “We welcome news that the Welsh Government’s Final Budget includes an additional £6 million in revenue and £10 million in capital funding. This is a positive step that responds to CPT’s calls for greater investment to keep pace with the rising cost of running services.

Buses are a vital part of Wales’s economy, carrying nearly 200,000 passengers every day and enabling people to earn, learn and spend in their local communities. They are the most popular form of public transport in Wales, accounting for three quarters of all journeys.

Investment in buses delivers exceptional returns – every pound invested brings £4.55 in benefits to the environment, public health, and local communities. Yet funding for buses in the UK remains far below levels seen across Europe, and in real terms, core support has been eroded over the last decade.

This additional investment is welcome, and we look forward to working with the Welsh Government to ensure this funding delivers maximum benefit for passengers, communities and the economy.”

Responding to the Welsh Government’s Final Budget 2026-27, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, Darren Hughes, said: “NHS leaders in Wales broadly welcome the final budget during a difficult time for public finances. The proportion of Welsh Government spend on the NHS does not go unrecognised and the additional funding for health and social care is welcomed.

“Many local government services, including social care, education, social housing and planning and development are wider determinants of health, so the uplift for local government will also be welcome in going some way to address rising cost and demand.

“However, we know this is a fairly ‘business as usual’ budget, given the proximity to the Senedd election, meaning we have not seen the significant shifts we’ve been calling for. This includes a meaningful shift to prevention across departments and capital investment that meets the needs of services in order to bring down running costs and improve services in the face of rising demand.

“Unless we think long term and target areas such as social care, prevention and capital investment, we can’t expect demand to come down on its own and see tangible improvement for the people of Wales.”

Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Sam Rowlands MS said: “Plaid and Labour’s budget stitch-up is a bad deal for Wales.

“A budget that contains funding for an ever-bloating bureaucracy, foreign aid, overseas offices, the Nation of Sanctuary plan, Senedd expansion and the creation of 36 more politicians is a budget that will not address the people’s priorities.

“Only the Welsh Conservatives can be trusted to cut waste so we can cut taxes and fix our vital public services.”