Emergency bill to save Scunthorpe reignites anger over Port Talbot closure

WELSH politicians from across the political spectrum have accused the UK government of double standards, after emergency legislation was passed to protect a steelworks in England—while similar calls for support in Port Talbot were ignored.

The backlash follows the passing of a bill in Westminster aimed at saving the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, where the UK’s last remaining blast furnaces are under threat. In contrast, Port Talbot’s blast furnaces were shut down in September 2024 with the loss of 2,800 jobs—without any such intervention.

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts told Parliament: “Scunthorpe gets security. Port Talbot gets a pittance.”

She said the same emergency powers now being used to protect jobs in England could have been used to save blast furnace steelmaking in Wales, calling the lack of action for Port Talbot a “bitter, bitter disappointment.”

‘Wales treated as second-class’

The Port Talbot site is now transitioning to electric arc furnace technology, with a new plant expected by 2027. While this is seen as a move toward greener steel production, the method requires fewer workers—leading to widespread concern about long-term job losses and economic decline.

Plaid MS Luke Fletcher said Welsh steelworkers were promised support if Labour won power at both Westminster and the Senedd—but the final outcome looked very similar to what the Conservative government had already put forward.

Welsh Conservative MS Darren Millar said the UK Parliament should have recalled the Senedd during the Port Talbot crisis, just as it acted swiftly for Scunthorpe. “When crisis hits Wales, it’s tolerated. When it hits elsewhere, it becomes a national emergency,” he said.

Liberal Democrats: ‘Salt in the wound’

David Chadwick, MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, said the decision to step in now for Scunthorpe while Port Talbot was left to suffer had enraged his constituents.

“It’s rubbing salt in the wound to now hear the government call primary steelmaking a strategic national asset—months after letting our own furnaces go cold,” he said.

“My grandfather worked the blast furnaces at Port Talbot. He would be heartbroken to see this level of inaction for Welsh workers.”

UK government defends its stance

Ministers have defended the difference in approach, arguing that the two sites face different circumstances.

Industry Minister Sarah Jones said the Labour government inherited a deal with Tata Steel that it could not reopen but improved upon. “There was a private investor willing to move forward in Port Talbot. That’s not the case in Scunthorpe,” she said.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds added that Scunthorpe is the last site in the UK still producing virgin steel, making it strategically vital. “This is about national resilience. The world is changing, and we need the capability to produce primary steel for defence and key infrastructure.”

Still, for many in Wales, the damage is done.

One Port Talbot resident told The Herald: “It’s clear now. If this was happening in the South East of England, it would have been called a national crisis. But because it’s happening in Wales, it’s business as usual.”

AN APPEAL against a national park refusal of decking at a Pembrokeshire seaside village pub, installed for safety reasons after a child had near miss with a vehicle, has been launched.

Last year, Kath Lunn, of the Hibernia Inn, Angle, sought retrospective planning permission from Pembrokeshire Coast National Park to keep wooden decking installed at the front of the pub that April.

The application was submitted after national park enforcement investigation.

The proposal – in the village’s conservation area – was supported by Angle Community Council, and two letters in support of the scheme, on highway safety grounds, were also received.

Kath Lunn, in her application said the decking was erected following a near miss with a child on the adjoining road earlier this year.

“There has always been bench seating there with umbrellas, but earlier this season there was a very close miss when a diner’s child ran into the road and was almost knocked down. We felt it our duty of care to the customers to make the area safe.

“We considered a brick wall but thought this decking would be more aesthetically pleasing being made of natural wood. We did extend out a little further than we wanted to, to avoid cars parking and causing an obstruction in the roadway as we have experienced this in the past.”

Concerns were raised about the design by the park’s building conservation officer, who said: “The works clearly neither preserve the character or appearance of the conservation area, especially the latter.

“I am aware of the problems facing village pubs and the need to provide improved facilities – and the pub is clearly vital to the community.

“There is potential here for an alternative scheme whereby the front garden is enclosed by a traditional wall and the tables and chairs provided within a nicely landscaped frontage. That would be a gain from the original open tarmac area and hopefully would provide a viable option.”

An officer report for park planners recommended refusal on the grounds of the impact it would have on Angle’s Conservation Area.

It added: “The applicant has stated that the new decking would create a safer area for patrons, due to the front seating area being in close proximity to the highway.  This application has been submitted as a result of investigations being carried out by the authority’s enforcement investigation section.”

While the conservation officer’s alternatives were noted, “the current application is a refusal due to the impact on the Conservation Area,” adding: “It is considered by officers that the retrospective development appears as a bulky adjunct when viewed from the highway and stands out as a discordant element within the village, at odds with the prevailing character and appearance of the street scene and neighbouring listed buildings, which form an important part of the setting.”

A report before the April 9 meeting of the national park’s development management committee, said that initial appeal documentation has been forwarded to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).

The appeal will be considered at a later date.

A SCHEME to convert a former carpenter’s workshop in a Pembrokeshire town to a unit for patrolling police officers has been approved by county planners despite objections from the local council.

The Dyfed-Powys Police application to Pembrokeshire County Council sought permission for the change of use at Unit 3, Feidr Castell, Fishguard.

A supporting statement by agents Asbri Planning Ltd said the unit would be used by local Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).

It added: “The unit was formerly used by a carpenter, however, due to the unit now being vacant Dyfed-Powys Police, as part of their ongoing efforts to create comfortable working spaces for PCSOs, have declared a strong interest in purchasing the property to create a base/hub for patrolling officers.”

It concluded: “The change of use of the building would allow Dyfed-Powys Police to provide a base for their PCSOs in the area. The external alterations are limited to a new door along the western elevation and the only other changes that would be required are internal alterations which fall under permitted development rights.

“The approval of the application would allow a vacant unit to be utilised and would assist Dyfed-Powys Police in providing a safe environment for their staff.”

However, Fishguard & Goodwick Town Council has objected to the application, saying: “The change of use would result in the loss of a potential business amenity. It is not an appropriate location for a policing facility. A policing facility should be located in the town centre as a community facility.”

A planning officer report recommending approval said: “Whilst the proposal would result in the loss of B1 (business) premises, it would result in the occupation of a formerly vacant premises and allow for a new police unit which will be used by PCSOs. [Policy] supports development opportunities in hub towns, to encourage sustainable communities and a thriving economy.

“The proposed police station use would have a neutral economic impact in terms of providing employment within a hub town. Positive social benefits would be derived from retaining the police station within the hub town and allow for further allocated room for PCSOs.”

The application was conditionally approved.

Dyfed-Powys Police recently submitted an application for a change of use of the former Public Information Centre, Argyle Street, Pembroke Dock to a police station.

In that application, it said its current station in the town’s Water Street is “no longer fit for purpose,” with the force declaring a strong interest in purchasing the Argyle Street property “to enable a more efficient building to house their new model hub for policing”.

That application, recommended for approval, was heard at the council’s March planning meeting where it was deferred for members to visit the site.

Objectors to that scheme have said the proposal would have “a significant impact on working families and children,” with emergency vehicles potentially leaving at high speed from the busy road.

The Pembroke Dock application will return to a future planning meeting.

A further police station move in the county is on the cards after Dyfed-Powys Police recently announced it would sell its station in Jesse Road, Narberth and relocate to a new base with Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Services (MAWWFRS) in nearby Spring Gardens.

Reacting to that announcement, Narberth Town Council said it only heard about the sale through a press release shared by news outlets.