News

Making Pembrokeshire a place to be proud of

Published

10 years ago

May 30, 2014

“ARE YOU fed up with the way Pembrokeshire County Council keeps making headlines for all the wrong reasons?” Asks Pembrokeshire Alliance Leader Bob Kilmister.

Writing for the Pembrokeshire Herald, Cllr Kilmister reaches out to voters and Councillors to make a concerted effort to offer effective and united opposition to the IPPG that rules County Hall. Bob told the Herald: Police investigations, unlawful pension schemes, critical reports from CSSIW, Estyn and the Welsh Audit Office, late expenses claims, using Council computers for political purposes, misleading Councillors, wasting large amounts of public money on legal fees defending the indefensible, these are just some of the problems in the last three years. “Come and join us to help make Pembrokeshire somewhere to be proud of”, is the call from the Pembrokeshire Alliance to all unaffiliated Councillors, disgruntled IPG Councillors and the public of Pembrokeshire. If you are dissatisfied with the way this County is being run then you need to do something about it. The Pembrokeshire Alliance offers the prospect of a real alternative administration based on a massive change of attitude and the re-introduction of a moral compass. When the Pembrokeshire Alliance was formed as a group of just three Councillors in December 2013 many were very sceptical of what could be achieved. In just 6 months the Pembrokeshire Alliance has managed to transform itself from these three individual Councillors into a fully-fledged organization. The Pembrokeshire Alliance has set up a proper organization, has an adopted constitution, introduced a proper financial scheme and is in the final stages of registering as a local political party. They have a rapidly expanding membership and within12 months expect to have the largest membership of any political grouping in Pembrokeshire. They have also prepared a nine page policy discussion document. So far this most of this has just been achieved using Facebook. Their leader Bob Kilmister said: “Until the middle of February I had no idea how Facebook even operated, so the learning curve has been substantial. We now have 168 members on the Facebook group we established, good discussions and over 1,000 people a week looking at our pages. We also have a website but we now need to reach the majority of people who do not use social media.” The Pembrokeshire Alliance has managed to get access to a show trailer, which means they intend to attend many public events throughout the summer including the Pembrokeshire Show. Bob Kilmister concluded: “We want to meet and greet as many Pembrokeshire people as is possible. Our next aim is to have the largest membership of any political organization in Pembrokeshire. Our message is solely about Pembrokeshire and putting the people of the County first. “If you want to see a well governed, open and transparent County please get in touch.”

Crime

Pembroke Dock woman in court for failing to remove rubbish from property

Published

5 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKE DOCK resident is due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court later today (Nov 25) for multiple alleged breaches of a community protection notice.

Sheena Deacon, of 13 Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock, faces charges under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which carries a maximum penalty of a Level 4 fine.

The charges stem from allegations that Deacon failed to remove accumulated household waste from her property on several occasions. According to court documents, the breaches occurred on September 19, September 26, October 2, October 9, and October 17 this year.

The charges indicate that Deacon, despite being issued with a community protection notice, did not comply with the requirements to clear and appropriately dispose of refuse and household waste from her address.

The Herald will bring updates on the case as it progresses.

News

Welsh Conservatives urge Labour to scrap ‘family farm tax’

Published

5 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have announced plans to bring forward a Senedd debate next week (Nov 27) calling on the UK Labour Government to abandon its proposed “family farm tax.”

The tax, introduced by the UK Labour Government, is being criticised as a move that will harm Welsh farming, threaten food security, and increase food prices. Alongside the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme and perceived “anti-farming agenda,” critics argue this new tax amounts to a coordinated effort to undermine the future of agriculture in Wales.

Shadow Minister warns of consequences
Ahead of the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, James Evans MS, condemned the proposal, stating:
“Labour’s family farm tax will put family farms out of business, threaten our food security, and lead to food prices rising. Only the Welsh Conservatives will stand up for our farmers, and that’s why we’re bringing forward a Senedd motion calling on Labour to reverse this decision. No farmers, no food.”

NFU Cymru expresses alarm
NFU Cymru President, Aled Jones, echoed these concerns, highlighting the widespread opposition from the farming community. Speaking about the impact of the tax on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, Jones said:
“Earlier this week, hundreds of farmers from across Wales journeyed to London to meet with their MPs and register their deeply held concerns about these misguided and ill-thought-out reforms.

“The proposals unveiled by the Treasury last month to introduce a tax on the passing on of our family farms to the next generation are a massive added burden. They will leave many farmers without the means, confidence, or incentive to invest in the future of their business.

“NFU Cymru reiterates its call for the UK Government to halt these changes.”

The motion to be debated
The motion, set to be debated in the Senedd, reads:
“To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the UK Labour Government to reverse its decision to impose a family farm tax on agricultural businesses.”

This debate is expected to attract significant attention, with Welsh farmers and rural communities keenly watching for the outcome.

Community

Internet outage for two villages after exchange box destroyed

Published

7 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENTS of Clunderwen and Llandissilio have been left without internet access following the destruction of an Openreach exchange box just outside Llandissilio village.

The incident occurred yesterday (Nov 23) when the box was reportedly demolished by a vehicle. The damage has resulted in a complete loss of internet services for the two villages, with repairs expected to take at least a couple of days.

Local residents have expressed frustration over the disruption, as the outage affects home businesses, remote workers, and households relying on internet connectivity for day-to-day tasks.

Openreach engineers have cordoned off the site, and work is ongoing to assess the extent of the damage. A spokesperson for Openreach has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.

The vehicle involved in the incident has not yet been identified. Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact the local police.

With repair timelines unclear, affected residents have called for increased communication from service providers to manage expectations during the outage.

“Bringing the community back online is a priority,” a local resident said. “We’re hoping Openreach can resolve the issue quickly and ensure it doesn’t happen again in future.”