A TRANSFER of a Pembrokeshire village’s public toilets to the community council from the county council won’t lead to it forking out for remial repairs, councillors heard.

A question submitted at the May meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council by local member Cllr Alistair Cameron, Transfer of Responsibility for Kilgetty Public Conveniences from Pembrokeshire County Council to Kilgetty Begelly Community Council, asked for an update on the transfer.

“Kilgetty Begelly Community Council is willing to accept responsibility for maintaining Kilgetty Public Conveniences. However, two actions are necessary to enable the transfer to take place.

“The county council needs to terminate its lease with the Co-op to enable the community council to negotiate a new lease with the Co-op.

“The county council needs to undertake repairs and maintenance work on the public conveniences so that they are in a fit state for the community council to take them over.  Please could the relevant Cabinet Member(s) let me know how much progress has been made against these two actions?

“Could the Cabinet Member confirm that until the county council have completed the two actions above (i.e terminated the lease with the Co-op and undertaken the necessary repairs and maintenance work to bring the public conveniences up to an acceptable standard) there will be no requests for maintenance payments made to Kilgetty Begelly Community Council.

Responding, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett said the council was continuing to work with the community council, with discussions surrounding the surrender underway, including agreeing any remedial works, which would be undertaken at the county council’s expense.

He said there would be a 28-day advance notice once agreements were in place with the landowner.

Members also heard it was hoped to arrange a site meeting for all concerned parties.

Back in 2023, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet produced a list of public toilets in the county at potential risk of closure if community asset transfers to town and community councils or other sources of funding weren’t agreed.

At the time, Kilgetty was one of those listed for a potential asset transfer.

Inquiry told failures in testing and tracing cost lives and left Wales unprepared

THE UK Covid Inquiry has begun its latest public hearings with stark criticism of the UK and devolved governments’ handling of testing, tracing and isolation strategies during the coronavirus pandemic. On the opening day of Module 7, which focuses on “Test, Trace and Isolate” (TTI) systems, serious concerns were raised about the Welsh Government’s effectiveness, coordination, and long-term preparedness.

Sophie Cartwright KC, lead counsel to the Inquiry, laid out a damning picture of systemic disarray across the four nations, including Wales. She highlighted that despite early warnings and international advice, the Welsh Government did not fully roll out its Test, Trace, Protect strategy until mid-May 2020, by which time the virus had already swept through communities.

The Inquiry heard that on 12 March 2020, all four UK nations, including Wales, stopped community testing and contact tracing—despite the World Health Organization’s call to “test, test, test.” Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, told a COBR meeting that day that mass testing and tracing would no longer be pursued, even as infections surged.

The result was, as Cartwright put it, a “disastrous blind spot” in surveillance and control. While countries like South Korea and Japan avoided national lockdowns through robust test-and-isolate systems, the UK suffered repeated waves. Professor Anthony Costello estimated that over 180,000 deaths might have been prevented had the UK adopted similar strategies.

Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, who gave emotional evidence, represents Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru. She spoke on behalf of families in Wales who lost loved ones due to what they describe as “avoidable government failings.” Her testimony underscored the human impact of delays in testing, isolation support and communication failures.

Lack of preparedness and ignored lessons

Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, representing Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, criticised the Welsh Government for failing to act on pandemic preparedness plans. She highlighted that Exercise Shipshape, a 2003 SARS simulation involving Wales, had already identified the importance of being able to test, trace and isolate effectively. Yet, none of those lessons were implemented. Marsh-Rees said there was a clear failure to build resilient infrastructure and no meaningful contingency planning, despite numerous simulations and warnings.

Testing failures and wave two disaster

Marsh-Rees gave a stark account of the absence of routine and repeat testing during the second wave of Covid-19 in Wales. She revealed that repeat testing of patients wasn’t introduced until January 2021, and even then only every five days—compared to every three in England. Worse, healthcare workers were not regularly tested until February or March 2021, despite lateral flow tests being available from November 2020. She stated bluntly that this oversight contributed to Wales having the highest rate of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections in the UK, calling it one of the group’s most heartbreaking concerns.

A sense the Welsh Government didn’t want to know

In her closing remarks, Marsh-Rees accused the Welsh Government of appearing as though it did not want to know if people were testing positive, implying that awareness would have triggered obligations to act. She pointed out that 178 people had contracted Covid in Welsh hospitals just last week, five years into the pandemic. “Testing has been forgotten—or proactively not undertaken,” she said. “It’s like a concerted effort not to find out.” Her testimony called for an internationally informed overhaul of public health strategy and an end to political point scoring in future pandemic response.

Missed opportunities in Wales

Wales launched its Test, Trace, Protect plan on 13 May 2020. Then Health Minister Vaughan Gething promised increased capacity and localised response. But the Inquiry was told that testing capacity remained limited, with many key functions outsourced to UK-wide services like Lighthouse Labs and delivery partners like Amazon, rather than utilising existing NHS and university laboratories in Wales.

A submission from the Royal College of Pathologists noted that many NHS and academic labs in the UK were sidelined, despite offering higher quality and faster results than the private facilities that were favoured instead. The Microbiology Society echoed these concerns, saying the government did not properly engage with universities and local experts in Wales and elsewhere.

The Inquiry heard that by mid-2020, Wales had access to six drive-through test centres, eight mobile units and a handful of community testing sites—but by then the damage had already been done.

Support for isolating ‘too little, too late’

The Welsh Government’s Self-Isolation Support Scheme, launched in November 2020, was described as well-intentioned but too slow in implementation. Earlier schemes in Northern Ireland and England had started months prior.

Evidence submitted highlighted how economic necessity led many to avoid testing to avoid losing income. “I remember people saying, ‘I can’t test because if I test and I’m positive, I can’t work,’” one person told the Inquiry.

Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, representing Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, will give impact evidence later this week, speaking on behalf of families in Wales who lost loved ones due to what they describe as “avoidable government failings.”

Infrastructure dismantled

Lord Bethell, who had responsibility for TTI at UK level, warned that the UK is now less prepared than ever for a future pandemic, with testing labs dismantled, data systems shut down, and public health infrastructure “weaker than ever.”

The Inquiry continues this week with further evidence from bereaved families, scientists, and public health experts from across the UK.

THE WELSH Conservatives have renewed criticism of the Labour Government’s continued public subsidy of Cardiff Airport, following confirmation that talks with Qatar Airways over restoring the flagship Doha route are still ongoing — but remain shrouded in secrecy.

It comes after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that the Welsh Government, Cardiff Airport and Qatar Airways have been in correspondence about the planned resumption of the long-haul service. However, the Government has refused to release any of the documents, citing commercial confidentiality.

Cardiff Airport’s press office confirmed to The Herald on May 1 that talks with the Qatari airline remain “positive”, but said there was “no update” on a return date.

The FOI response from Welsh Government officials, dated November 2024, confirmed that emails and letters between all parties exist, but the details were withheld under a public interest exemption — prompting questions over transparency and how taxpayer money is being used.

Since the airport was nationalised in 2013, the Labour-led Welsh Government has committed nearly £400 million in support, including a recent £206 million package to support post-pandemic recovery and new routes. Opposition parties say this approach lacks scrutiny.

Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Transport Secretary Sam Rowlands MS said: “Labour’s continued mismanagement of Cardiff Airport has seen them pour hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ money into propping up a failing business.

“Despite repeated calls for transparency, they’ve refused to provide answers on how this money will be spent or whether better options — such as private sector partnerships — have been properly explored.

“If taxpayer money is being used to entice airlines like Qatar Airways back to Cardiff, the public has a right to know the terms of those deals.”

The Welsh Government has previously argued that public investment is essential to retain international connectivity for Wales and avoid reliance on English airports such as Bristol. Ministers say they aim to make Cardiff Airport self-sustaining in the long term.

But critics say the lack of openness over strategic negotiations, especially involving foreign carriers, undermines confidence in the airport’s management and public value for money.

The Herald understands that pressure is mounting for an internal review of the FOI decision, as questions remain over whether financial incentives are being offered — and what, if anything, taxpayers can expect in return.

Qatar Airways first launched its Cardiff–Doha route in May 2018, marking a major milestone for the airport. The daily service provided a vital long-haul connection between Wales and the Middle East, linking to over 150 global destinations via Hamad International Airport. The Herald was present to celebrate the first anniversary of the service in 2019, with photos taken at the airport to mark the occasion.

However, the route was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has never resumed.

By contrast, Qatar Airways resumed its Birmingham–Doha service in July 2023 following a three-year pause, with daily flights now operating from the West Midlands. Cardiff remains the only UK route previously served by Qatar Airways that has not returned post-pandemic — a fact that continues to fuel concerns about the airport’s recovery strategy and the Welsh Government’s handling of international partnerships.