A JOINT business advice surgery will take place later this month after more than one hundred and fifty local firms signed up to an online forum highlighting growing concerns over business rates and rising costs.

The event has been organised by Samuel Kurtz and Paul Davies, who say they were inundated with requests for further help following their recent virtual session on the business rates system.

More than one hundred and fifty businesses from across Pembrokeshire and west Wales registered for the online forum, raising questions about the Valuation Office Agency revaluation process, how rateable values are calculated and what elements can be challenged.

Both Members of the Senedd said the scale of engagement showed a clear appetite for practical, one-to-one advice.

The in-person surgery, scheduled for February 17, will give business owners the chance to discuss their individual circumstances confidentially and seek tailored guidance directly from their elected representatives.

Samuel Kurtz said the response to the forum demonstrated the pressure many firms are under.

“The response showed just how strong the demand is for clear advice and constructive engagement,” he said. “With more than one hundred and fifty registrations, it was evident that many businesses want the opportunity to explore their own situations in greater depth, and that is exactly what this advice surgery is designed to provide.

“Businesses in west Wales are at a cliff edge. Employers tell us the current business rates system is placing real strain on high streets at a time when they are already facing rising staffing, energy and supply costs. Policy should encourage investment and growth, not penalise it.”

Paul Davies added that the session would help them build a stronger case with ministers.

“We want to do everything we can to support businesses in Pembrokeshire and this surgery is a valuable opportunity to listen to their specific concerns and make representations on their behalf,” he said.

“Firms are telling us they feel like they are walking a tightrope. Whether it is rates increases, higher overheads or workforce challenges, the strain is clear. Taking real-world evidence directly to the Welsh Government is the best way to push for change.”

Businesses interested in attending are encouraged to contact the pair’s constituency offices to book an appointment.

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Offering support: Paul Davies MS and Samuel Kurtz MS (Pic: Supplied)

Budget, donations and theatre funding bid on agenda at Sea Cadets base

MILFORD HAVEN councillors will meet on Monday evening (Feb 9) for a Full Council session covering finances, community issues and updates from across the town.

The meeting will take place at the Milford Haven Sea Cadets and Royal Marines Cadets Unit, Unit A, Havens Head Business Park, starting at 6:00pm. Remote access is available for councillors and members of the public on request.

Among the key items for discussion will be financial matters, including the acknowledgement of donations and an application for financial assistance from the New Xenon Theatre Company. Councillors are also expected to revisit minutes from a special precept-setting meeting relating to the 2026/27 budget, which were deferred from January.

The agenda includes the usual public question-and-answer session, giving residents up to ten minutes to raise issues directly with councillors.

Updates will also be heard from the Mayor, along with reports on councillor engagements and feedback from representatives serving on outside bodies.

The Milford Haven Multi-Agency Working Group will present minutes from its latest meeting, alongside a report highlighting current “areas of concern” affecting the town.

Other business includes declarations of interest and formal approval of minutes from recent council meetings.

Residents wishing to observe the meeting remotely can contact the Town Council in advance to arrange access.

Welsh Government announces clean water plan

ON TUESDAY, February 3, the Welsh Government published its plans to create a new water regulator for Wales.

The proposals respond to the findings of the Independent Water Commission, established jointly by the Welsh Government and UK Government and published in July 2025.

The proposals include creating a new, dedicated Welsh economic regulator for water, supported by new legislation and a new regulatory framework.  

Speaking at a Dŵr Cymru site at Lisvane and Llanishen reservoirs to launch the Green Paper, the Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, said:  “Our ambition is clear and bold: clean and thriving rivers, safe and high-quality drinking water, fair and affordable services, and modern infrastructure ready for the future.”

“We will strengthen accountability, rebuild trust and create a system that is simpler, stronger and more transparent.”

On the same day, a Labour Party press release claimed the new regulator would tackle water pollution in Pembrokeshire and drew attention to the First Minister’s support for it. However, the new regulator will have no investigatory powers of its own. Instead, it will depend on Natural Resources Wales to provide it with evidence that would enable it to pursue water companies.

At the same time, the Labour Party press release said that Labour would introduce a Clean Water Bill following May’s election.

The announcement raises several questions about the announcement’s timing.

Baroness Morgan and her predecessors have been at pains to defend NRW over questions about its capacity to investigate and prosecute those who pollute Wales’s coastal waters and inland waterways. In response to repeated questioning from Conservative and Plaid Cymru Senedd Members over recent years, Labour ministers have repeatedly claimed they have confidence in NRW and that the body has sufficient money and resources to carry out its role.

The announcement that the Welsh Government intends to create a new body from scratch, with its own staff, statutory obligations, and enforcement powers, inevitably suggests that Labour ministers and First Ministers were not as confident in NRW as they claimed when asked about it. In addition, the announcement of plans for a new regulator does not disclose whether its creation will lead to a cut in NRW’s already overstretched budget or where the money to fund it will come from.

There is little doubt that regulation of the water industry is outdated and overly complex. However, adding another layer of bureaucracy could diminish whatever benefits streamlining the legal framework governing it might deliver.

In the Senedd on Wednesday, Conservative Shadow Minister Janet Finch-Saunders asked Huw Irranca-Davies about the timing of the Welsh Government’s announcement about a new regulator.

He ducked the question but went on to issue a statement suggesting that whatever a new regulator did, much of it was already underway.

The Deputy First Minister said: “We don’t need to wait for the outcomes of the Green Paper, or new legislation, to get on with fixing the problems with the infrastructure, the levels of customer satisfaction, the leakage, and so on.

“The pressure is on both of our water companies to perform for the customers who have seen over the last year and now are going to see those bigger bills landing. Now, that does deliver £6 billion investment, so we absolutely need to see that being delivered—not waiting, but, in this price period, actually investing in the priorities that will stop those combined sewer overflows polluting the river, stop the sewage outfalls, and right across the piece as well.”

The Conservative position has previously been clear: NRW isn’t working and needs to be broken up and replaced. In particular, the Conservatives have focused on the need for a separate and independent water regulator with both investigative and enforcement powers, and the resources to fulfil those responsibilities. Whatever the next Welsh Government decides to do with the proposals, Tuesday’s announcement does not meet that aim.