News

Call to end Pembrokeshire County Hall parking charges expected to fail

Published

2 years ago

February 7, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A call to end parking charges at Haverfordwest’s County Hall is expected to be turned down senior councillors.

Members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, meeting on February 12, are to consider a notice of motion by Merlins Bridge, Haverfordwest, county councillor John Cole.

Last February, following a 2022 consultation, the county council’s Cabinet backed the introduction of charges at the car park, on the edge of Haverfordwest’s town centre, during a wider item on short-stay parking in the county.

That consultation had raised concerns about a potential loss of footfall and an impact on businesses in the town, and fears parking charges may divert shoppers to out-of-town retail parks.

Cllr Cole’s notice asked: “That the council undertake a full assessment of how parking charges introduced at County Hall have impacted the businesses in and around the town.

“That council reverses the decision to charge a fee in respect of parking at County Hall on the Saturday and Sunday periods.”

His notice added: “Current charges mean residents and visitors are restricted by the hours purchased, as to the amount of time they spend in the town, thereby surely having a detrimental effect on businesses that rely on such custom.”

A report for Cabinet members said: “Haverfordwest is clearly in a transition phase with regeneration developments well underway. County Hall car park is primarily a County Hall staff car park, with public parking evenings and weekends. As well as on street and off-street parking public transport links are available.

“The County Hall car park is now managed via the off-street parking area and charges applied are in line with full cost recovery and budget pressures. There is alternative free parking available. There is no evidence that the charges at County Hall have impacted directly on footfall in Haverfordwest.”

Two options are highlighted to Cabinet members, to adopt the motion, with the costs of managing the car park needing to be found from council budgets, and a recommended ‘do nothing’ approach.

The report, recommending the motion not be adopted, concludes: “Car park charging is often perceived, particularly amongst businesses, as being a key determinant for changes in footfall levels in town and city centres, although research has shown this to be almost entirely anecdotal.

“The same research showed that whilst a ‘blanket’ free parking strategy has been suggested to encourage more car park users, these were generally found not to benefit target visitors. There is currently a complex situation in Haverfordwest at the current time: significant development work is ongoing.

“Coupled with the fact that the County Hall car park does not have previous usage figures, it is difficult to properly assess the impact of removing charges and whether such measures would have any impact on returning the numbers visiting the town centre back to pre-charge numbers.”

News

South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association – Week Twelve results

Published

10 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Herald Sport

A PACKET week of fixtures in the South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association’s Friendly League saw key wins at both ends of the table as teams continue to jostle for position going into the second half of the season.

Match results (Week 12):

Hundleton 10–0 Lamphey
Badgers 2–8 St Johns
Reynalton 0–10 Carew
Kilgetty 8–2 East Williamston
Cosheston v Llanteg – postponed
St Twynnells – bye week

A previously postponed fixture was also completed, with St Twynnells drawing 5–5 with Reynaltón.

League table (after Week 12):
East Williamston remain top, having played 10 and won eight, with a strong shots difference of +125. Reynaltón sit second after 11 games with 58 points, while St Johns and Hundleton follow closely behind on 54 points each.

At the mid-table mark, Carew (49 points), St Twynnells (48) and Kilgetty (46) remain tightly grouped. Badgers, Lamphey, Llanteg and Cosheston make up the lower order, though the number of games played varies, leaving room for movement in the coming weeks.

Full standings:

Team	P	W	D	L	S/D	Points
East Williamston	10	8	0	2	+125	72
Reynaltón	11	5	2	4	+35	58
St Johns	10	5	1	4	+32	54
Hundleton	10	5	1	4	-2	54
Carew	9	5	0	4	-25	49
St Twynnells	10	4	2	4	-34	48
Kilgetty	11	5	0	6	-44	46
Badgers	11	3	1	7	-59	45
Lamphey	11	5	0	6	-10	44
Llanteg	8	4	0	4	-5	41
Cosheston	9	3	1	5	-13	40

If you’d like, I can also turn this into a shorter snippet for the website or expand with quotes, season context, or upcoming fixtures.

News

Search under way in Pembroke Dock for missing man Lee

Published

36 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Coastguard, RNLI and rescue helicopter launched as fears grow he entered the water

A MAJOR search and rescue operation is under way tonight (Sunday) in the Pembroke Dock and Pennar areas as emergency services look for 48-year-old Lee, who has been reported missing and is feared to have entered the water near the Pennar estuary.

Dyfed-Powys Police issued an urgent appeal earlier today after Lee, who is from Cardigan, failed to return home. He was last seen at around 5:00pm on Saturday (December 13) on CCTV in Pembroke Dock. The image shows him travelling on foot and carrying bags.

Lee is described as 5ft 10in tall, of medium build, with short light-brown hair and short facial hair. At the time he was wearing a blue/grey Christmas jumper, a red hat, dark trousers and light trainers. Police say he is also known to travel by train.

Concerns escalated this afternoon after officers received information suggesting Lee may have entered the water around the Pennar estuary.

HM Coastguard teams and the RNLI lifeboat from Angle have been searching the shoreline and waterway since mid-afternoon. A rescue helicopter from Cornwall (operating out of RAF St Mawgan/Cornwall Airport) is now assisting with aerial searches. The operation is ongoing in increasingly challenging conditions.

Search crews are dealing with cold, wet and windy weather, with conditions expected to worsen significantly overnight. An amber Met Office warning for heavy rain comes into force at 4:00am on Monday (15 December), with forecasters warning of fast-flowing floodwater and hazardous visibility across Pembrokeshire.

Police are urging anyone who may have seen Lee, or who has information that could help the search, to make contact immediately by calling phoning: 101. Quote reference: DP-20251214-176

News

Search under way in Pembroke as man reported missing

Published

56 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Rescue teams battle worsening weather ahead of amber rain warning

A MULTI-AGENCY search and rescue operation is under way in the Pembroke area amid deteriorating weather conditions, after concerns were raised for the welfare of a man who is now considered missing.

HM Coastguard and the RNLI lifeboat are on scene, and a rescue helicopter from Cornwall — operating out of RAF St Mawgan/Cornwall Airport — has arrived to support the search, which is continuing in cold, wet and windy conditions.

The operation comes as an amber weather warning for heavy rain is due to take effect from 4:00am on Monday, December 15, with forecasters warning of hazardous conditions across Pembrokeshire.