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Costs of agency social workers soars in Pembrokeshire from £250k to £1.4m

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CONCERN over the welfare of children has emerged after new figures show that the number of agency social workers employed by councils, and their cost, have been increasing in recent years.

In 2019 Pembrokeshire County Council spent £250k on agency social 8 workers, but by 2020 it had increased to £770k on 11 staff members. By last year it had increased to a staggering £1.4m on employing 12.

Experts say the difficulty experienced by our council, and other local authorities, in attracting permanent staff means vulnerable children and families were often seeing multiple social workers in a single year, making it harder for them to engage with services.

They said the large-scale use of agency social workers was a poor use of dwindling local authority funds, as locums received a higher hourly rate than permanent staff, on top of the fee paid to the company they were employed through.

Across all of Wales, 376 agency social workers were employed by Welsh councils last year at a cost of £20,423,189. This is an increase from 365 for £18,522,072 in 2020/21 and 279 for £16,149,980 the year before.

Already since April this year, £1.8m has been spent on 143 such staff but the cost is likely to far exceed this over the course of a whole year.

The reliance of local authorities on agency social workers has become a significant area of concern in recent months after a council that admitted it failed to prevent the murder of toddler Star Hobson has a serious staff retention problem in its children’s services.

Bradford Council spent £12.3m on agency staff in the last year – representing a doubling of its spend since the 16-month-old girl died on 22 September 2020. It also has the highest spend in the country.

Pembrokeshire was one of five councils to have spent seven-figure sums on agency social workers. On top of Pembrokeshire’s £1.4m, Cardiff spent £5.4m, Powys £4.4m, Merthyr Tydfil £3.3m and Rhondda Cynon Taf £1.3m.

The Welsh Conservatives say that the revelations come after Mark Drakeford’s continued reluctance to implement a review of children’s services across Wales – the only UK nation not to do so – despite having the worst rate of looked-after children of British nations. Calls were prompted after the murder of Logan Mwangi.

Ray Jones, a former director of children’s services and an emeritus professor at Kingston University, said working conditions for social workers had deteriorated, with bigger caseloads, less support and inadequate pay, which made locum work more attractive.

He explained: “You’re paying more for a poorer service [with agency workers] because what you need in terms of children’s and adults social services is continuity – people who know the people they are working with, can build relationships with those families over time, and know their history.”

Commenting, Welsh Conservative and Shadow Social Services Minister Gareth Davies MS said: “We’ve known about understaffing in Wales’ social services departments for a long while now, well before the current labour shortages we are seeing nationwide, which is what makes councils’ reliance on agency workers so concerning.

Logan Mwangi’s case is a prime example of a failure in social services. His mother, stepfather and a teenager were been given life sentences for murdering five-year-old Logan Mwangi and dumping his body in a river last year (Image: Family photo)

“We’ve seen tragic cases like Star Hobson and Logan Mwangi that only go to show that we need a strong presence from social services. This cannot happen when councils are so dependent on agency staff because permanent placements lead to better outcomes as someone can handle a case consistently that way.

“That’s why it is startling to see hundreds are employed every year at substantial cost to the taxpayer, costs that would be lower if resources focussed on paying permanent staff better than shelling out for agency premiums.

“I think our findings only serve to support our calls for a Wales-wide review of social services, especially since Wales is the only British nation not to be doing so and has the worst rate of looked-after children in the UK, which makes Mark Drakeford’s rejection of one so disappointing.”

Speaking in 2019, Nadhim Zahawi, the children and families minister, said: “There are more full-time equivalent social workers than ever before across the UK, which means there are more dedicated people on the frontline to offer much needed support to some of most vulnerable children and families in the country.

“Agency staff can play a vital role in managing short-term recruitment needs, fluctuations in demand or to support improvement.

“We are supporting the recruitment and training of social workers so they have the skills they need for this important job.”

 

Crime

Neighbourhood policing boosted across Dyfed-Powys

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DYFED-POWYS POLICE has announced a significant expansion of its Neighbourhood Policing and Prevention Teams (NPPT), with more officers being deployed to frontline roles where demand is greatest.

From Monday (Mar 16), teams across the force area have been strengthened, with a renewed focus on tackling antisocial behaviour and preventing crime at its source.

The force says the move is aimed at reducing repeat demand by addressing the root causes of offending, rather than simply responding to incidents.

To achieve this, a number of officers have been redeployed from central departments back into frontline policing, while new posts are also being created to bolster capacity.

Temporary Chief Superintendent Steve Davies, head of uniform policing, said: “These changes are about increasing frontline visibility and ensuring we have the right resources in the right places.

“They form part of a wider programme of improvements across the force to enhance effectiveness and efficiency, while also supporting the wellbeing of our officers and staff.

“This is positive news for our communities, who will benefit from stronger neighbourhood teams focused on local priorities and proactive policing.”

The expansion has been made possible through Home Office funding under the Neighbourhood Guarantee scheme, which is designed to strengthen community safety and crime prevention.

Dyfed-Powys Police has been allocated £1.4 million for 2025/26, enabling the recruitment of police staff and freeing up officers previously in support roles to return to operational duties.

As a result, four sergeants and 29 police officers have now been reassigned to neighbourhood teams across the force.

Each NPPT area will also have a named officer, with full team details available via the ‘Your Area’ section of the Dyfed-Powys Police website.

The force has also secured early access to 2026/27 Neighbourhood Guarantee funding, which will see a further 12 officers recruited between April and the autumn—adding to overall officer numbers in the region.

Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn said: “Neighbourhood policing is about more than numbers—it’s about relationships.

“Greater visibility helps build trust, strengthens community ties, and reassures the public that policing is present, responsive, and committed to keeping people safe.

“I remain committed to improving police visibility across our communities, and these additional officers will help turn that ambition into reality.”

 

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Crime

Broad Haven man remanded in custody over sexual harm prevention order breach

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Defendant admitted using Xbox without informing police as required under court order

ANTHONY COOMBES, aged 26, of Sand Banks, Broad Haven, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Mar 20) charged with breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

The court heard that between February 26 and March 19, 2026, at Haverfordwest, Coombes repeatedly breached the order by using an Xbox device without informing police within three days, as required.

The offences relate to a sexual harm prevention order imposed at Swansea Crown Court on October 20, 2021.

Coombes indicated guilty pleas to the offences at the first hearing.

Magistrates committed the case to Swansea Crown Court for sentence.

He was remanded in custody ahead of the next hearing, which is due to take place at 9:00am on Friday, April 3, at Swansea Crown Court.

The court refused bail on the grounds that he was likely to offend, citing the nature and seriousness of the offences and his previous record and character.

A pre-sentence report was ordered.

 

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Man arrested after suspected drugs-related death in Haverfordwest

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Police say death not suspicious as 46-year-old arrested over alleged Class A drug supply

A MAN has died following a medical emergency at a property in Haverfordwest, police have confirmed.

Emergency services were called at 3:18pm on Wednesday (March 18) after a report of a medical incident.

A man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the man’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.

The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time.

However, police confirmed that a man, aged 46, was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

He has since been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

No further details about the deceased have been formally released.

 

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