News
Crabb praises cost of living payments as charities say people still can’t make ends meet
426, 000 families in Wales are set to receive a cash payment from July to ease cost of living financial pressures. Households will receive the first of two cost of living instalments totalling £650 from 14 July, part of the £1,200 support package this year.
After ministers confirmed initial payments would begin from 14 July, the Department for Work and Pensions has now revealed how many people in each part of the country will receive the new financial support. They have also revealed that the disability top-up will land in bank accounts in September.
In Preseli Pembrokeshire, 10,400 families are eligible for the means-tested payment, and 9,200 individuals are eligible for the disability payment.
Mr Crabb has been vocal since the very beginning of the cost of living crisis about the Government needing to offer further support for those on the lowest incomes. On Wednesday, he again spoke in the House of Commons chamber on this issue.
Commenting on the latest updates, Mr Crabb added: “I have long been calling for increased targeted support for those on the lowest incomes who have been hit hardest by the cost of living crisis. It is good to see that the Chancellor has listened and rolled out an unprecedented package of £37 billion.”
“These payments, which households will receive in two instalments, will provide necessary targeted and urgent support to those on the lowest incomes”.
At the same time, CAP’s Swansea Debt Centre Manager, Tony Quinn, says, “The reality for families on the lowest incomes across Wales is many of them just don’t have enough money coming in to be able to run their homes, buy the essentials, and feed themselves and their children.
“It’s incredibly sad but not surprising that this is leading to more people feeling anxious, depressed and suicidal.
“At Christians Against Poverty, through our free services, we can help people get out of debt, provide them with practical and emotional support, offer free budgeting courses, and job clubs to try and get them back into employment. This help often leads to people becoming debt free so they can move forward with their lives and have hope for the future.
“CAP is already partnering with hundreds of amazing churches to help run our services and the charity is looking to find more churches to work with in Wales so we can offer as much help as possible to local people who are struggling because of the cost of living crisis.”
Tony continued, “Many people still face destitution in the months ahead, prices are still rising and sadly this crisis is far from over.
“CAP’s report shows half of the people we are helping waited over a year before seeking free debt help, with a quarter waiting three years or more. It’s vital we raise awareness of the support available so people know they can get help from CAP or another free debt help charity if they’re struggling with their finances.”
Crime
Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in
A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.
Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.
The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.
Police find victim with four wounds
Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.
He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.
The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.
He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.
Defendant has long history of violence
Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.
Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.
Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.
News
BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story
THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.
The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”
Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”
A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.
Business
First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead
THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port last week, marking the start of physical deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.
The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock on Wednesday 26th November, bringing tower sections and other heavy components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the existing gas terminal at Waterston.
A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, has arrived in Pembroke Port today (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.
The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.
Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the latest movements in emails to the Herald.
“The Peak Bergen arrived last week with the first components,” she said. “We are expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”
The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
The Weather conditions were favourable for the arrival of the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.
The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are expected to begin early next year, subject to final police and highway approvals.
A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.
Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery programme continues.
Photo: Martin Cavaney
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