AS part of its ongoing investments in Pembroke Port, the Port of Milford Haven has welcomed David Stubbins as its new Marine Support Officer focusing on assisting cargo, heavy lift, and renewable vessels on the Milford Haven Waterway.

Tasked with providing dedicated marine expertise and guidance to the Pembroke Port team, David is working closely with Commercial Manager, Sharon Adams, to ensure customers get the most out of Port’s facilities that include a heavy lift quay and a new enlarged slipway.

Speaking on his new role, David Stubbins, Marine Support Officer for Pembroke Port and the Port of Milford Haven, said: “Working on the Milford Haven Waterway is a full circle moment for me after growing up in Milford Haven and joining the Merchant Navy. It’s also a particularly exciting time to join the Port of Milford Haven with its continuing pilotage investment and with the new facilities available at Pembroke Port. I very much look forward to working alongside our customers to ensure they benefit from these investments.”

David will work collaboratively with the team at Pembroke Port, including Sharon Adams the Commercial Manager, to ensure that the level of service to customers in the cargo and renewables sector is excellent. Sharon added: “The new slipway, laydown facilities, workboat pontoons and office spaces created as part of the £60m Pembroke Dock Marine project will create fantastic opportunities for our customers. We recognise that Pembroke Port is an increasingly busy site and David will become an integral part of the team to ensure our customers always benefit from a safe, efficient and reliable operation. We are very excited for the future.”

Find out more about how you can use Pembroke Port on the Milford Haven Waterway at www.pembrokeport.com.

The Pembroke Dock Marine project is funded by the Swansea Bay City Deal through the UK and Welsh Governments, the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government and through private investment.

THE average driver could be looking at a £50 saving per year on their car insurance premium if 20mph zones, such as those introduced here in Wales last year, were rolled out in towns and cities across the UK.

The new Government is supportive of local authorities implementing 20mph zones, with Louise Haigh, the Transport Secretary, saying local authorities would have her “absolute support” to introduce the schemes in towns and cities.

In September 2023, the Welsh Government introduced legislation for a default 20mph speed limit on restricted roads with exceptions decided by Local Authorities. Earlier this year, esure reported a 20% drop in claims for car accidents in Wales since this nationwide limit was introduced. Now the firm has found that extending the restrictions across the United Kingdom would result in an average £50 saving for drivers.

esure’s Peter Martin-Simon, Chief Customer Officer, said: “We are already seeing the benefits in places where 20mph speed limits have been introduced. Not only does this make roads safer for drivers and pedestrians, but an extension would also materially reduce the number of car accidents, as well as the severity and cost of those accidents.

Within three months of us identifying a new 20mph zone, we will proactively reduce policy prices for customers like we have already done in Wales.”

esure reduced car policy premiums by c10% for drivers in Wales at the end of 2023.

esure Group partner 20’s Plenty, a Not-for-profit organisation, is asking for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal in residential areas and in town and village centres across the UK.

Reacting to esure’s announcement, Founder Rod King MBE said: “This confirms on a national scale the benefits from lower speeds not only reducing casualties and danger but also providing a benefit to drivers in reduced insurance premiums.

These premium reductions have been delivered in Wales because 20mph is now the norm for urban/village streets. English drivers will continue to face higher premiums until the current patchwork of 20mph limits by exception is consolidated into 20mph as a norm.

We thank esure for their interest and action in identifying and demonstrating these benefits to communities and drivers.”

Openreach’s latest plans to upgrade current broadband to ultrafast connectivity for eligible homes and businesses around Broadhaven, Carew, Dale, Dinas Cross, Lamphey and Monorbier could soon get underway with the support of the UK Government’s Gigabit Voucher scheme.

Openreach has plans for six areas in the county that are in scope for full fibre broadband and eligible residents have already started to pledge Gigabit Vouchers to bring the ultrafast broadband to these communities by applying for and pooling together their free UK Government Gigabit Vouchers to help fund the build.

The broadband upgrades are integral to kickstarting economic growth for local businesses, as well as ensuring that people can access vital services they may need now and in the future. Such as patients improved access to healthcare through virtual appointments and remote health monitoring, to better connectivity that allows people to stay in touch with family and friends to combat isolation.

Ultrafast broadband delivers faster speeds, and it won’t slow down at peak times, meaning no more battling for bandwidth, with the whole family being able to seamlessly surf, stream and download at the same time.   

For the work to go ahead, Openreach need the approximate number of properties in scope to sign up, which is 4,900. In the short space of time where the pledge system has been open, the response has been incredibly positive with the current number of pledges towards the funding goal standing at:

• Broadhaven 64%
• Carew 38%
• Dale 49%
• Dinas Cross 84%
• Lamphey 96%
• Manorbier 32%
•  

Residents can check if they qualify and pledge their voucher on the Connect My Community website.

The decision on the fibre infrastructure build, the scope of premises covered, and the timeline are all subject to technical surveys, as well as the number of vouches pledged by the community.

The validated vouchers do not bear any cost to residents and sufficient take up will enable Openreach to work with a local community to build a customised, co-funded network. The vouchers can be combined to extend the ultrafast, ultra-reliable network to premises in outlying rural areas which won’t be covered by private investment.

Martin Williams, Director of Partnerships for Openreach in Wales, said: “We understand the crucial role that reliable broadband plays in enabling homeworking and supporting businesses in Pembrokeshire. These community partnership schemes offer a fantastic opportunity for communities to access government funding. Combined with Openreach’s investment, this funding can transform broadband infrastructure into ultra-fast, ultra-reliable fibre to the premises”.

Once the pledge target for the scheme is reached, residents need to ensure they then validate their vouchers with the Government so that Openreach can confirm that building work can get underway.

As part of the funding conditions residents are asked to commit to ordering a full fibre service from a provider of their choice for at least 12-months once the new network is available and confirm that they are connected.

Cllr Paul Miller: Deputy Leader, Cabinet Member for Place, the Region and Climate Change, said:”Thanks to this scheme, we’re thrilled to see the six areas in Pembrokeshire receive even greater broadband coverage.

“This will help to bridge the digital divide and ensure those residents have access to the critical tools they need to succeed in today’s economy. Pembrokeshire County Council is committed to supporting this voucher scheme – and I look forward to seeing further communities across Pembrokeshire reach even greater levels of connectivity.”

Full fibre networks provide more reliable, resilient, and future-proof connectivity; meaning fewer faults; more predictable, consistent speeds and enough capacity to easily meet growing data demands. It is also future proof, which means it will serve generations to come and will not need to be upgraded for decades.

If you live in Pembrokeshire and have any questions about the voucher scheme Visit Openreach’s website for more information on Openreach fibre broadband.