TWO PEMBROKESHIRE councillors have submitted an urgent call for action following recent heavy flooding in parts of Pembroke.

Pembroke councillors Aaron Carey and Jonathan Grimes have submitted an urgent notice of motion ahead of tomorrow’s December 12 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council following heavy flooding in the town’s Commons and Castle Pond area.

The notice of motion covers six points.

“That this council notes with concern the repeated and increasingly severe flooding experienced in our coastal, estuarial and river-fringe communities over recent weeks — in particular the flooding events affecting the Commons/Castle Pond area.

“That the council further notes that, according to correspondence from the Coastal, Rivers & Drainage Team Manager, the tipping gate at the barrage remains out of operation until mid-January due to mechanical issues; meanwhile high tide, heavy rain, wind-driven tidal surges and overspill at the sluice have combined to overwhelm the drainage/outfall infrastructure.

“That we recognise the current maintenance schedule (delayed till after the summer season) and the justification given — but further that such planning failed to foresee the likelihood of severe winter storm and surge events, which climate change makes more frequent and more intense.

“That this council therefore calls on the Cabinet to commission an urgent review of:

• The adequacy of the current drainage/outfall and tidal-sluice infrastructure (barrage tipping gate, sluice/sluice-valve, flap valve, outfall capacity) for current and projected climate/tide conditions.
• The maintenance scheduling policy for coastal and estuarial flood-risk assets, with a view to ensuring critical maintenance is completed before winter high-tide / storm-surge season, rather than — as at present — being delayed until after summer for ‘recreational / biodiversity’ reasons.

“That, pending the outcome of the review, the council should allocate appropriate emergency capital funding to remediate the barrages / sluices / outfalls at risk of failure or blockage — to safeguard residents, properties, highways and public amenities from further flooding.

“That, further, this council resolves to publish a public flood-resilience plan for the county, identifying all coastal and river-fringe ‘hotspots,’ maintenance schedules, responsible teams, and a transparent timeline for upgrades or remedial works — so residents have clarity and confidence in flood prevention measures.”

The submission also includes a question for Cabinet Member Cllr Rhys Sinnett.

“In light of the repeated flooding events across the county – including the recent overflow at Castle Pond and the acknowledgement by your own Coastal, Rivers & Drainage Team that the barrage tipping gate remains inoperable until mid-January can you explain what assessment has been made of the adequacy of our tidal outfall infrastructure in the face of current and projected future storm surges and sea-level rise?

“If no such assessment has yet been undertaken, will you commit now to commissioning an immediate structural and risk-capacity audit, with a report to full council within three months, and with proposals for funding any remedial works required — to avoid recurring damage and disruption to residents, highways, and public amenities?”

A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesman has confirmed the 11th hour call will be heard by full council tomorrow.

Image: Martin Cavaney

A BETTER financial settlement for Pembrokeshire from the Welsh Government worth millions of pounds, following an agreement with Plaid Cymru, has avoided “a disaster for public services,” a senior councillor has said.

While council tax makes up a proportion of the council’s annual revenue, a crucial area of funding is the Aggregate External Finance (AEF) rate from Welsh Government.

Pembrokeshire was to receive a 2.3 per cent increase on its settlement, a total of £244,318,000, amounting to an extra £5,493,000, placing it at joint 13th of the 22 local authorities in Wales.

Now, following a Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru agreement which will allow the budget for 2026-27 to pass there has, amongst other agreements, been additional funding for local government in 2026-27, an extra £112.8m, which provides an overall 4.5 per cent increase to the local government settlement, with all councils receiving increases above 4 per cent.

The agreement will be reflected in the Final Budget – together with other allocations to be made by the Welsh Government, which do not form part of the agreement – which is published on January 20.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance Efficiencies Cllr Alistair Cameron responded, saying: “I am pleased that an agreement has been reached which will be supported by the Senedd. It would have been disastrous for public services in Wales if there was no agreement.

“For Pembrokeshire, this means that the funding from Welsh Government will increase by 4.2 percent. This equates to over £10 million which will help us to deliver local services such as education and social care.

“However, I still have great concerns that the Welsh Government’s funding mechanism does not sufficiently recognise the challenges of delivering vital services in a rural county and providing care for an older population as we have in Pembrokeshire.

“By contrast, some urban councils have been awarded bigger increases such as 6.1 percent in Newport and 5.2 percent in Swansea. We are therefore writing to Welsh Government to express our concerns about the unfairness of the funding mechanism.”

2024 saw Pembrokeshire receive a higher-than-expected settlement increase of 3.6 per cent from Welsh Government – amounting to just over £8.1m – against a predicted two per cent.

Cris Tomos welcomes rise in council settlement and extra NHS money

FOLLOWING the Labour Welsh Government’s draft budget announcement, Plaid Cymru says it has secured a “significantly better deal” for Wales — including more money for Pembrokeshire County Council and the NHS.

Cris Tomos, Plaid Cymru’s Senedd candidate for Pembrokeshire, has welcomed the uplift in the local government settlement for Pembrokeshire from 2.3% to “over 4%”, alongside an improved funding package for Welsh health services.

The original Labour draft budget left councils facing major shortfalls that could have resulted in steep council tax rises, further public-sector job losses and one of the lowest NHS settlements in recent years.

Plaid Cymru said it intervened with two clear priorities: protecting frontline public services and preventing “unaffordable” council tax increases, and correcting what it described as an “inadequate” rollover NHS settlement. By agreeing to abstain on the budget in exchange for strengthened health and council allocations, the party says it has secured meaningful improvements for communities across Wales.

Cris Tomos said the revised figures will make a real difference locally.

“This increase in settlement for Pembrokeshire Council brings a little relief to the council’s tight budgets and to local taxpayers,” he said. “The Welsh Government had initially proposed a 2.3% settlement for Pembrokeshire County Council. Thanks to this deal brokered by Plaid Cymru, the settlement will now rise to over 4%.

“The additional funding for the NHS — 3.6%, up from the proposed 2.1% — will also help our stretched health services here in the west.

“If Plaid Cymru can deliver this in opposition, imagine what we can achieve leading the next Welsh Government in May — real change and new leadership that puts the people of Wales first.”