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Hundreds of people at rally in support saving services at Withybush General Hospital

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A PROTEST took place on Saturday (Apr 23) with hundreds of locals turning out to show they are against Hywel Dda’s plans to build a new hospital. The Health Board want a new facility in as yet an undecided location near St Clears and change the service on offer at Withybush.
Locals fear that a new hospital further up the line will mean more services being cut from Withybush, and that services would then be too far away near Carmarthen.
Jim Scott who organised the rally said: ““They are saying they are not going to close the hospital but we are fighting for the downgrading of the hospital not the closure,” emphasised Jim.
“We have already seen the downgrading of the hospital with things like paediatrics going, now they are talking about moving the A&E to a new hospital which is insane.”
The Save Withybush Hospital campaign said recently that the Health Board’s recent statement insisting that there will be no closure of Withybush Hospital is meaningless and irrelevant, Save Withybush Campaigners have told The Pembrokeshire Herald.

A protester in Haverfordwest on Saturday (Pic M Cavaney)


A petition, which has recently topped 10,000 signatures, and will now go to the Senedd petitions committee was set up by the Save Withybush Campaign with the specific aim of saving and retaining the A&E at the hospital.
The petition is demanding that: ‘Withybush General Hospital must retain 24 hour, 7 days a week, Consultant Led urgent care.’
Campaigners say that the health board’s assurance that they will not close the hospital bears no relevance to the issues at hand. “Our campaign is against the downgrading of the hospital and the closure of our A&E.
“In 2014 they removed the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and Consultant led maternity, leaving us with only a midwife led unit. This has already created a very unsafe maternity situation as any remotely risky pregnancies & births, plus emergencies have to be dealt with in Glangwili.
“In 2020 they removed Emergency Paediatrics to Glangwili.
“These moves are causing undue stress, prolonged travel times and financial burdens for families in Pembrokeshire. Nearly everyone in Pembrokeshire has a horror story about this. The ambulance service is
already at breaking point so our argument is that the downgrading and closure of the A&E at Withybush cannot and will not ever be safe.”
In the recent statement from Hwyel Dda, Mr Lee Davies, Director of Strategic, Development and Operational Planning, said: “Our ambition is to move from a service that treats illness to one that keeps people well, prevents ill-health or worsening of ill health, and provides any help you need early on.”
Campaigners say that there is absolutely no way to mitigate against serious injury or sudden life threatening illness and say this statement is meaningless when you hold it against the Health Boards plans to close the A&E. Pembrokeshire is home to industrial hot spots such as the Valero Oil and Gas refinery, we also have a huge population boost during the holiday tourism seasons. The point is, that without a fully functioning A&E at Withybush thousands of lives will be put at risk.
Page 206 of the plan titled: ‘Opportunities and Observations’ clearly shows a potential redevelopment plan for Withybush where the A&E would be completely demolished while the main hospital footprint would be vastly reduced in size.
Several of the options involve new build scenarios which describe leaving only [quote] “a functional requirement at Withybush which includes a minor injuries unit with GP out of hours service and satellite imaging, four outpatient clusters and 16 renal treatment chairs. includes two 24-bed inpatient wards.”
Other key statements contained within the Business plan include: “As part of a wider site redevelopment strategy there may be an opportunity to demolish or re-develop some of the peripheral buildings around the site.” and “With a reduction in the building footprint and less car-parking required there is the potential to dispose of circa 6-7 acres in the future.”
Campaigners say this clearly demonstrates the Health Board’s intention not just to downgrade the hospital and to remove its A&E but to sell off the remaining land as well.
Adding: “These plans are not only unsafe but have been based on an out of date consultation which was worded in such a way that people were not even given the opportunity to object to the proposed closures or to the new build hospital.
“Under the Future Generations Act and the Social Services and Wellbeing act Welsh Government and the health Boards have legislative obligations to engage in co production with residents when planning any changes to services, this means they have to design services in partnership with all cross sections of the community which will be affected.
“They have abjectly failed in their responsibility to do this.”

Crime

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

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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.

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News

Welsh Conservatives urge Labour to scrap ‘family farm tax’

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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.

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Community

Internet outage for two villages after exchange box destroyed

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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.”

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