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News

Two of Pembrokeshire County Council teams shortlisted for UK awards

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Pictured is Hannah Johns (left), one of the many people on Pembrokeshire’s Supported Employment Programme, with Sue Rivett, Participant Support.

TWO of Pembrokeshire County Council’s teams have been shortlisted for the prestigious LGC Awards later this year.

The awards celebrate the most exceptional local government talent and is open to over 1,500 councils across the UK.

The Council’s Supported Employment Programme is one of only eight teams shortlisted in the Diversity and Inclusion category.

The award recognises how the County Council has developed a diverse and inclusive work culture across a number of areas, in particular through social care, Norman Industries and Scolton Manor and partner organisations.

From employing 25 people with disability in 2017, today the Council employs over 65 people with disability in the supported employment programme.

Programme Manager Karen Davies said; “In 2018, Pembrokeshire County Council became the only council in Wales to be a Disability Confident Leader and the work has continued to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace ever since.

“Our work to provide supported employment is founded on the belief that someone’s impairment or difference is not the barrier to having a job – we can remove the barriers that society puts in the way of someone having a job.”

The programme combines a number of tried and tested approaches to create support that meets the unique needs of Pembrokeshire.

“The Supported Employment Programme is a partnership between a number of projects, teams and work streams,” said Karen.

“Our Employability Pembrokeshire projects (Workways+, Experience 4 Industries and Tackling in Work Poverty) support people as they start their journey and help identify any barriers and find solutions to overcome them.

“Norman Industries and its social enterprise projects help people to gain work experience and supported employment in a wide range of customer facing services. The programme works with a number of council services and departments to provide work opportunities– from the café in Milford Haven Leisure Centre to the social care business unit and the farm shop at Scolton Manor.”

The second team to be shortlisted for a LGC award is Pembrokeshire County Council’s Intermediate Care Team.

Pembrokeshire ICT is uniquely a partnership between health, social care and third sector. It provides a short term service to support individuals to maintain their independence, preventing hospital admission and facilitating hospital discharge.

Pictured are some of the members of the Intermediate Care Team.

“Intermediate care was ‘fast-tracked’ to become operational at the start of the pandemic,” said Linda Tucker, Intermediate Care Manager for the Council.

“Despite staff changes, IT problems, and having to ‘learn on our feet’, we have successfully delivered a service which has seen referrals increase from 39 to 309 a month.

“At the same time, we have maintained a two hour response time of over 80%, preventing 133 hospital admissions, facilitating 368 discharges and enabling 528 individuals to remain in their home.

“As well as this, the service has been at the forefront of innovating and developing new ideas, such as successfully piloting work on the discharge 2 assess pathways, their work on which attracted extra funding. We are also regional leads on initiatives such as trusted assessor.”

LGC say that to be on the awards shortlist, ‘entrants demonstrated outstanding practice as well as cutting-edge innovations and the judges were very impressed with the high standard’.

Cllr Tessa Hodgson, Pembrokeshire’s Cabinet Member for Social Care, said; “We know that we have some amazing talent in our teams here in Pembrokeshire and this is well deserved recognition for the fantastic work that is being done. To achieve two shortlists for these prestigious awards is an outstanding achievement.”

Community

Carmarthenshire man missing in Thailand: Last seen on Phi Phi Island

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A 26-year-old man has been reported missing in Thailand after his family lost contact with him more than eight weeks ago.

Daniel Davies was last seen on March 13 on Phi Phi Island, a popular tourist destination in southern Thailand. He had been staying at the Hangover Hostel in Bangkok prior to his disappearance.

A missing person report has been filed with Dyfed-Powys Police, and the case is now listed under reference number DP-20250329-215.

Daniel is described as being around 6ft tall, of slim build, with blonde hair and a beard. He also has tattoo sleeves on both arms.

Missing: Daniel Davies

Echoes of the Lost – a national missing persons initiative – has now joined the appeal alongside SARS Cymru, urging anyone with information to come forward. In a statement, they said: “Daniel, if you happen to see this post, please get in contact with your family. They are worried. If you wish to message us to pass information along, please feel free to do so.”

His aunt, Nicola Doran, has been sharing emotional appeals online, writing: “My nephew Daniel Davies, 26, from Llanelli – he’s gone missing in Bangkok, Thailand. He’s been reported and is now a missing person. No one has had any contact in weeks.”

Friends and family have been spreading the appeal across social media, hoping someone in Thailand may have seen him. One post reads: “Can all my mates out in Thailand, Bangkok area, please share this and keep eyes out for my lil’ kuzen – he’s been missing 8 weeks over there.”

Daniel’s disappearance has been reported to Thai police, and the UK Foreign Office is understood to be aware of the case.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Dyfed-Powys Police by emailing 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk or calling 101, quoting reference DP-20250329-215.

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Farming

Nonsense to base farm funding on population, says union

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FARMERS in Wales have warned that changes to the way agricultural support is calculated could see them lose millions in future funding, as allocations move from a needs-based system to one based on population size.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has criticised the shift, branding the move “nonsense” and “concerning,” arguing it fails to reflect the reality that Wales has more farms per head than England.

Under the former EU model, funding was distributed based on need. However, from 2025-26, support for Welsh farmers will be included in the Welsh Government’s overall budget and determined by the Barnett formula—a population-based mechanism.

Guto Bebb, Chief Executive of the FUW, told BBC Radio Wales: “This latest decision is very concerning because if there is any future increase in farm funding, Wales will be allocated a population-based 5.2% rather than the 9.2% share we previously received based on need.”

The change, announced in the UK Budget last October, has raised alarm bells among the farming community. Mr Bebb urged farmers and unions to ensure that politicians in Cardiff remain committed to backing what he described as a “crucial part of the rural economy.”

The First Minister, Eluned Morgan, had already voiced similar concerns earlier this year, warning the Welsh Affairs Committee in Westminster that the new model could leave Wales short-changed. “When it comes to agriculture, we should be significantly higher than 5%,” she said.

Despite the concerns, both the UK Treasury and Welsh Government have insisted the new settlement will benefit Welsh agriculture.

A spokesperson for HM Treasury said: “The Welsh Government is receiving over 20% more per person than the equivalent UK government spending in England. This translates to over £4 billion more in 2025-26. The full amount of agricultural funding from 2024-25 has been baselined into this settlement.”

Meanwhile, the Welsh Government said it welcomes having full discretion over agricultural support spending and confirmed that more than £366 million has been allocated this year—an increase from the previous year when farm funding was still ringfenced.

However, farming leaders remain sceptical, warning that the shift could jeopardise livelihoods in rural communities if funding does not continue to reflect the true scale and nature of Wales’ agricultural sector.

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Farming

Bird flu restrictions lifted after major outbreak in Shropshire

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BIRD FLU restrictions requiring poultry and captive birds to be housed indoors in part of Shropshire have been lifted.

The measures were introduced in January following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at Griffiths Family Farms, part of Oakland Farm Eggs, near Wem.

A 3km protection zone and a wider 10km surveillance zone were established around the site. The surveillance zone extended into the Wrexham local authority area.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed that disease control measures have now been completed. The area previously within the protection zone is now part of the surveillance zone only.

Around one million hens had to be culled at the site—one of the largest poultry farms in the UK—after the virus was detected in the flock.

Under protection zone rules, all poultry and captive birds must be kept indoors. Surveillance zone rules require premises to keep records of all poultry and egg movements in and out of the area.

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