featured

Save Withybush Hospital Campaign issues local ‘Call to arms’ ahead of Senedd debate showdown

Published

2 years ago

June 22, 2022

CAMPAIGNERS determined to save the A&E at Withybush hospital have announced that they will be ramping up efforts to engage local support for the hospital in the run up to the Senedd debate, which is to be held on Wednesday, June 29.

The debate comes following the recent Save Withybush A&E petition topping the 10,000 signatures needed for it to be considered for debate. With such strong support, now sitting at over 11,000 signatures, campaigners were offered the opportunity to close the petition early, so that it could go directly to a debate in the Senedd prior to the summer recess.

With the petition demonstrating such overwhelming feeling on this issue, campaigners say that they are now issuing a local “call to arms” ahead of the debate. Describing this as a rally cry for local residents, Town and community councils, Trade Union branches, County Councillors and anyone with concerns over the proposed downgrades to the hospital to take action and to make their voice heard in the run up to the debate.

A spokesperson said: “We have created several ways which people can help, We have created a Model Motion in support of the campaign which we are asking Town Councils, Community Councils and Trade Union branches across Pembrokeshire to carry at their meetings, We’d also like to thank Fishguard Town Council who are already canvassing their electorate with regards to passing a motion defending Withybush. We urge County Councillors to support a similar motion which is currently being considered by Pembrokeshire County Council. We’ve created an email template which we ask residents to send to their Local and Regional elected MS’s. We need to let our elected reps know that united we will defeat these dangerous plans to take away our A&E.”

Adding: “Voluntary researchers have also joined the campaign and have helped to create a briefing paper which will be sent to all the relevant MS’s so that they can contribute to the debate, fully armed with the facts, and in full knowledge of the dangers these proposals pose.”

The hard hitting Briefing paper highlights several areas where the Health Board’s proposed changes would put people at risk and have not been properly thought out, including concerns over the safety of workers within Pembrokeshire’s more dangerous industries such as Farming and the Oil refinery. Also citing the impact the changes would have for people who do not have cars and who simply could not rely on Pembrokeshire’s poorer infrastructure and public transport links if the changes ever went ahead.

Campaigners say the paper also highlights the Health Board’s abject failure to properly engage with the local community. Saying: “Under the Future Generations Act, which which is a brilliant piece of legislation adopted by Welsh Government in 2015, the Health Board has a legislative obligation to engage in co-production of services while drawing up proposals like this, our paper shows unequivocally that they have failed to do this because the various public consultation processes have not used the correct methodology. It’s all very well having brilliant ideas, but it’s not much use if those ideas are not being properly implemented which puts people’s health and lives at risk.”

The paper concludes with what campaigners describe as “damning insights” into the Health Board’s Financial motivation for the downgrades with the following words:.

“It is well known that HDUHB had been placed in targeted intervention, and is still under enhanced monitoring (last assessed 11th Feb. 2022) for financial mismanagement. We understand that there needs to be a business case presented to fund such wide scale changes; but the proposals are suggestive of making decisions based upon financial considerations rather than health need and population well being. HDUHB has three times issued public statements regarding pressure on services requesting the public stay away and cite recruitment problems as background issues to the proposals. Whilst these are pressing matters; they should not form the basis of decision making that risks universal access to that most basic health service- critical care.”

All of the ways which people can get involved, including how to email their local MS’s can be found on the Save Withybush Facebook group, or alternatively people can email [email protected] for a copy of the template letter to send to their MS’s.

The Save Withybush campaign urges all concerned to email or write to their MS’s and for all Town and Community Councils to adopt their model motion in defence of the hospital adding: “There seems to be a misconception among the executive of the Health Board that these proposals are some kind of ‘done deal’, they are not, the Board will soon learn that Pembrokeshire is prepared to fight them at every level to stop these dangerous proposals and that with our collective voice we will remind them that their job is to provide universal access to health services inline with the original principles of the NHS, currently they are not doing that, instead operating more like a corporate body which has lost its way.”

Education

‘State-of-the-art’ energy transition skills hub opened by Pembrokeshire College

Published

1 month ago

October 11, 2024

Madeline Knox

Opening on the college site in Haverfordwest, the Energy Transition Skills Hubs is one of three being launched. It will focus on providing people with the skills and knowledge to find employment in energy projects through an immersive and interactive learning experience.

More than 50 representatives from local industry joined Anthony Harte (Head of Social Impact for Shell UK), Paul Davies (MS), Sam Kurtz (MS), Simon Ames (Managing Director Dragon LNG and Dragon Energy), and College and Dragon LNG apprentice Kelly Williams, as they officially opened the Hub.

During the opening Anthony Harte, Head of Social Impact, Shell UK commented: “We want as many people as possible to benefit from the energy system of the future. And we’ve seen this coming to life in Pembrokeshire with the first new energy transition skills hub. This is part of our ambition to support 15,000 people into jobs with a focus on the energy transition by 2035. It is the latest important step to ensure the energy transition is an opportunity for everyone.”

Shadow Minister for Economy and Energy Sam Kurtz added: “The opportunities offered to students by the Energy Transition Skills Hub match the ambitions that Pembrokeshire has in the green and renewable energy sector. This is an exciting investment and a statement of commitment from Shell UK, Dragon Energy and Pembrokeshire College into developing the skilled workforce of today and the future.”

“Pembrokeshire College has quickly become a real centre of excellence, and I congratulate everyone for flying the flag proudly for our part of the world.”

The aim is to train 600 people by July 2026, this will supply Pembrokeshire with an expanse of talent that will have the knowledge and experience of control systems needed for projects such as offshore floating wind farms and the Haven hydrogen power plants.

Current Dragon LNG apprentice Kelly Williams brought the learner perspective to the opening: “The past four years of my apprenticeship have been nothing short of amazing. Whilst on site I have had the privilege of working with some of the most experienced and talented professionals in the industry and spent one day a week in College where the lecturers are just as passionate and inspiring. The blend of practical, hands-on work and theoretical learning through my qualifications has been incredibly rewarding.”

“Today, having toured this incredible new process control simulator, and experimented with the software, I can’t help but feel excited about the future. This facility is truly state-of-the-art, and it’s going to further elevate an already outstanding programme in the energy sector. I can’t wait to make the most of this space as I continue to learn and grow in my field.”

“The suite will undoubtedly play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of engineers, equipping us with the skills needed to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

College Principal, Dr Barry Walters added: “This cutting-edge Skills Hub will enable training in control systems for a wide range of sectors including: Offshore Floating Wind; Hydrogen Plant; Solar PV; Tidal/Marine and gas power stations and comes at an important time for the energy sector.

“We would like to thank Shell UK, Dragon LNG, the Swansea Bay City Deal Skills and Talent Fund and City and Guilds along with industry partners and local Members of the Senedd, Paul Davies and Sam Kurtz for supporting this important facility which will not only train college learners and industry professionals but will also support the local community and schools by giving them the opportunity to understand more about how energy transition will impact the way we live and work in the future.”

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens added: “I’m delighted that UK Government funding, via the Swansea Bay City Deal, is being used for such a great facility. Pembrokeshire has an important part to play in achieving our mission for clean energy by 2030.”

“This training facility will mean that local people will be able to gain the skills they need to access the good jobs of the future.”

#PoweringProgress

featured

Welsh Government under fire over NHS escalation levels

Published

4 months ago

July 15, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has maintained the escalation statuses of NHS trusts, special health authorities (SHAs), and health boards in Wales amid ongoing financial, operational, and staffing pressures. Eluned Morgan MS, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, announced the decision today, emphasising that the challenges faced by these bodies are not unique to Wales.

The current statuses indicate varying levels of intervention and monitoring. Notably, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board remains at Level 5, denoting special measures, while several other boards are under enhanced monitoring or targeted intervention.

In response, Sam Rowlands MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister, criticised the decision, accusing the Labour Welsh Government of failing to make any progress. He highlighted that all health boards remain escalated to at least Level 3 and questioned the Level 1 status of the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, given that less than half of red ambulance calls are reached within the target time.

Rowlands reiterated the Welsh Conservatives’ call for a comprehensive workforce plan and full allocation of health spending to address these issues.

The Welsh Government today announced no changes to the current escalation statuses of NHS trusts and health boards across Wales, despite significant pressures. Eluned Morgan MS, the Health Secretary, stated that these bodies are still grappling with financial and operational challenges, which are not unique to Wales.

NHS Escalation Statuses:

Aneurin Bevan UHB: Level 4 for finance, strategy, and planning; Level 3 for urgent care at Grange University Hospital
Betsi Cadwaladr UHB: Level 5, special measures
Cardiff and Vale UHB: Level 3, enhanced monitoring
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB: Level 4 for performance; Level 3 for finance
Hywel Dda UHB: Level 4, targeted intervention
Powys Teaching HB: Level 3, enhanced monitoring
Swansea Bay UHB: Level 4 for performance; Level 3 for finance, maternity, and neonatal services
Public Health Wales, Velindre, Welsh Ambulance, Digital Health and Care, Health Education and Improvement Wales: Level 1, routine arrangements

Sam Rowlands MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister, lambasted the government for making “zero progress” and criticised the decision to keep the ambulance service at Level 1 despite poor response times for serious calls. He called for a substantial workforce plan and full health spending allocation to improve the situation.

featured

Conservatives wiped out in Wales as Labour vote falls

Published

5 months ago

July 5, 2024

Jon Coles

THE CONSERVATIVES were wiped out in Wales for the first time since 2001 in an election that poses as many questions as it answers.Labour’s percentage of the Welsh vote usually easily outstrips the Party’s in the rest of the UK. However, an unpopular Welsh Government led by an even more unpopular First Minister saw Labour’s share of the vote decline across Wales, even as it picked up seats.

Plaid Cymru did better than expected. The Party of Wales won four seats, two of them, Ceredigion & Preseli and Dwyfor Meirionydd, by huge margins that suggest it now has a pair of safe seats for the first time in the Party’s history.
Although national polls predicted a Labour win in Caerfyrddin, the parties’ canvass returns in Carmarthenshire did not lie. The Labour vote fell back in our eastern neighbour, while Plaid increased its vote share by a small proportion to retain Jonathan Edwards’ former seat.

On Ynys Mon, a surge in support for Reform UK almost certainly handed Plaid Cymru’s Llinos Medi victory by 1500 votes over former Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie. Ynys Mon also saw the Labour vote drop in one of the few three-way marginals in the UK.
Alun Cairns, Stephen Crabb, David TC Davies, and Simon Hart – all former Welsh Secretaries, lost their seats. In the case of the first two former Secretaries of State, the margin was around 1500 votes, with Reform scoring well and proving the difference between their return and a Labour gain.

Labour threw the kitchen sink in their successful effort to eject the combative David TC Davies from Monmouthshire and – on changed boundaries – succeeded by around 3,000 votes.

It would have taken a miracle for Simon Hart, who accepted the most difficult of the four challenges by standing in Carmarthenshire, to return to the Commons. The miracle didn’t come. Reform took 8,000 votes from Labour and the Conservatives, and Simon Hart’s frontline political career is almost certainly over.

The seat held by another former Conservative Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones, was divided between three new constituencies, each of which returned a Labour representative.

The Liberal Democrat vote bombed across most of Wales. However, the Party regained the redrawn Brecon & Radnor seat from the Conservatives. The margin of victory, fewer than 1500 votes, was well within the number of votes Reform gained in the new constituency.
In Montgomeryshire, the MP at the centre of a betting scandal, Craig Williams, deservedly lost his seat, being beaten into third place behind Labour’s Stephen Witherden and Reform UK’s Oliver Lewis. Mr Williams now finds himself free to spend as much time at William Hill’s as he likes.

The Welsh picture overall looks superficially good for Labour, at least in terms of seats won. However, turnout was 56.6% across the whole country, and Labour’s share of the vote fell.

The vote shares for what we must now consider Wales’s five principal parties are revealing.

Labour got 37% of the vote in Wales, Plaid around 15%, the Conservatives around 18%, Reform 17%, and the Liberal Democrats 6.5%.
However, in polling for a Senedd election in 2026, a poll conducted for Barn Cymru, Labour’s vote share is 27%, with the Conservatives comfortably outpolling their Westminster result, and Plaid’s vote share solidly increased.

First Minister Vaughan Gething has claimed Wales will have a “true partner” in Keir Starmer.

In a post published to X, he said: “After fourteen long years, today we begin a new chapter for Wales.

“Your Labour Government will have a true partner in Keir Starmer as we build the fairer, greener future Wales deserves.
“Two Labour governments working together for a stronger Wales in a fairer Britain. Change begins here.”

However, working together will mean Labour in Wales abandoning some key policy pledges. UK Labour will not return full control of structural funds to Cardiff Bay. Even overnight, Labour MPs fought shy of any suggestion the Welsh Government would get full autonomy over it, as it enjoyed pre-2017.

The Welsh Government’s loud and persistent calls for a share of HS2 funding have also gone out of the window, even at the dramatically reduced £350m (down from almost £4bn) it now claims would be due to Cardiff Bay. The long-hoped-for sweetie of more funding for public services in Wales – specifically for Education spending and Health – will likely be far less than Labour in Wales hoped and will probably not all go into those spending pots.

The Barnett Formula, which decides how much Wales gets as a percentage of what is spent in England, will be “reviewed”. However, a change to a formula based on need – if a change takes place – is years away.

Despite their Welsh wipeout, the Conservatives now have a rare opportunity to take a long look at how they organise and campaign in Wales. Like “Welsh Labour”, the “Welsh Conservatives” are little more than a branch office for Westminster.

If the Conservatives find an authentic Welsh voice, as opposed to merely parroting the attack lines from Conservative Central OfficeHQ, they could regain ground as Labour in Wales struggles with Vaughan Gething’s electorally poisonous reputation and dissatisfaction with a quarter of a century of devolution. If they don’t, Plaid and Reform will benefit.

Reform must now try to organise and professionalise itself for the next Senedd elections. It can’t afford the omnishambles that engulfed its predecessor party between 2016 and 2021 or sit back and expect voters to flock to it.

As an almost explicitly English National Party, Reform must also consider how it will build an offer to appeal to Welsh voters on issues within the Welsh Government’s control.

Meanwhile, Plaid must consider both how to extend its reach in Labour-voting areas and consolidate its position in places where it is already strong. Rhun ap Iorwerth comes out of the campaign with considerable public credit in the bank. It is vitally important to Plaid that they build on his appeal and ability to communicate with voters in a way recent Plaid leaders have not.

For Mr ap Iorwerth, the main challenge is likely to come from within his own Party’s NEC, which is more focused on internal squabbles on single issues than fighting elections on a broad platform.