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Badger Almost Enjoys Autumn

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John Keats’s season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is one of Badger’s favourite times of year. Tourists slowly trickle away and Pembrokeshire’s beaches are swept clear of crowds, noise and clutter. The last splash has ebbed from Abereiddy and the number of Lycra-clad athletes thundering by on their bicycles has diminished. The party conference season has begun: a sure sign that it is time to consider snoozing.

Safe in his sett, Badger can watch the early gales whip trees’ branches into a frenzy as the rain sets in for the next few months.

Nothing, he thought, could disturb Badger’s peace of mind.

And then Badger heard a far-away rumbling.

In London, one of our local MP’s appeared to suggest that the planning functions of our National Parks were having a negative impact on the economy. Simon Hart, MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, chose a Westminster Hall debate to announce he did not agree with the National Parks’ policy to provide affordable housing and suggested that the planning functions of the National Parks should be merged with those of local authorities.

Badger is staggered on two fronts: firstly that Simon Hart is advancing an argument favoured by Jamie ‘the Count’ Adams (a sure sign that an opinion is wrong is to agree with the IPPG’s ‘popular’ leader) and secondly that he seems to think that it is the local authorities that should be taking over the National Parks’ planning functions and not the other way round.

To be sure, there are issues with the National Parks’ planning policies: a number of petty and trivial policies could do with tweaking.

But the idea that Pembrokeshire County Council should take over the whole shebang is as alarming as it is laughable.

The County Council’s planners and Cabinet cannot walk past an empty building without espying an opportunity for a friendly property developer to pop up a few bedsits. Imagine the inventive ways they would find to destroy our countryside and coastline in the way they have neutered and destroyed our town centres.

You only have to look at the way the Council has handled the purported ‘regeneration’ of Pembroke Dock; or consider the way it dealt with the South Quay development at Pembroke; or think of its cavalier approach to heritage properties in its care to realise that putting the whole of Pembrokeshire’s planning at the mercy of the IPPG-led County Council would be crackers.

As for the idea that the Council can inspire the type of enterprise that pays a full-time, year-round living wage needed in Pembrokeshire is equally laughable. Our Council would rather spend its money on ‘big ticket’ projects. Wasting European funding on luxury hotels, supermarkets and marinas and its own money on the ill-fated investment in Bluestone while cutting its own core services and gutting town centres does not suggest the type of approach Pembrokeshire needs to end the relative poverty of its workforce.

Does Simon Hart think that the biggest bunch of ding dongs outside a cathedral belfry should be allowed to get their grubby mitts and those of their property speculating pals on Pembrokeshire’s greatest asset: its beautiful countryside and coast?

If he does think that, he is plainly spending far too much time in London and not paying attention to what is going on in his own constituency.

Badger has nothing personal against Mr Hart. Badger is quite happy for our ruddy-faced MP to chase as many foxes as he wants. After all, the fewer foxes there are the more there is for Badger to tuck into. On this, however, Mr Hart is dead wrong.

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Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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Welsh Water has increased sewage discharges into waterways ‘by 40%’

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NEW figures released by the Environment Agency have shown that Dwr Cymru discharged sewage into waterways for a staggering 23,354 hours last year, a 40% increase on 2022. 

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are now calling for tougher action against sewage dumping in Welsh waterways.

The party has also called for a halt on bonuses for water company bosses whose firms have dumped sewage into waterways.

Conservative MPs have consistently voted against measures which would have helped to tackle the crisis.

The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said: “It is a complete scandal that filthy sewage is being pumped into our nation’s rivers and waterways without consequence.

“It’s beggars’ belief that both the UK Conservative Government and the Welsh Labour government are allowing water firms to get away with this environmental vandalism.

“We as a party are calling for tougher action to stop sewage being dumped in local waterways. We have also called for a halt on bonuses for water company fat cats whose firms have pumped filth into our waterways.”

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