SAMUEL KURTZ MS has renewed his warning that a moratorium linked to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) guidance has left housebuilding across large parts of Pembrokeshire “frozen” for almost six months, with growing consequences for employment, local businesses and the county’s already stretched housing supply.

Raising the issue in the Senedd last week, the Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire challenged Ministers over the continued paralysis affecting new developments connected to NRW’s interpretation of rules surrounding the marine Special Area of Conservation off the Pembrokeshire coast. Despite efforts by local planning authorities to work within the requirements, development has stalled across wide areas of the county.

Mr Kurtz stressed that responsibility for the impasse sits with NRW and the Welsh Government, not with local councils, which he said are “doing everything reasonably possible” in exceptionally constrained circumstances. In the absence of clear, workable national guidance, planning departments cannot approve applications or provide certainty to developers.

The knock-on effects, he warned, are now being felt across the local economy. Housebuilders are laying off staff, and architects, surveyors and other construction-related firms are seeing projects scrapped or delayed indefinitely. These are “real and immediate” job losses in a county already facing an acute shortage of homes, he said—undermining the Welsh Government’s stated aim to increase housing supply and support economic growth.

Mr Kurtz has called for urgent engagement between Ministers, NRW and councils to find a proportionate solution that protects the marine environment without damaging livelihoods or halting much-needed housing delivery. He has also pressed the Cabinet Secretary for Housing to set out what support, if any, is being offered to affected workers and businesses, and when certainty is likely to return to the sector.

Commenting, Samuel Kurtz MS said:
“Everyone accepts the need to protect our natural environment, but this blanket, unresolved approach from NRW—made worse by inaction from the Welsh Government—has left housebuilding in Pembrokeshire frozen for nearly six months.

“Planning authorities are being placed in an impossible position. Builders and architects are already laying off staff because they simply cannot operate under the current guidance.

“These job losses are a genuine and growing cause for concern. At a time of severe housing shortage, the Welsh Government must take responsibility, get a grip on the situation and deliver a solution that protects the environment while safeguarding jobs, homes and local communities.”

Welsh campaigners demand clarity from ministers as WASPI legal costs deal faces scrutiny

CAMPAIGNERS representing women born in the 1950s have written to the UK Government demanding urgent clarification over what ministers are calling “new evidence” on state pension age changes – and why the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) agreed to pay £180,000 towards legal costs when a High Court cap had been set at £90,000.

In a strongly worded email sent on Monday (Dec 15), Jackie Gilderdale and Kay Clarke, writing on behalf of 1950s Women of Wales, 50s Women United and Pension Partners for Justice, asked Pensions Minister Torsten Bell and Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden to explain the Government’s position ahead of a planned meeting with MPs in January.

They warn that, if ministers do not provide a “full and substantive” response, they will file Freedom of Information requests and escalate the issue to the National Audit Office (NAO) and the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee.

FIRST, THE ‘NEW EVIDENCE’

The Welsh-based group say they are “seeking urgent clarity” about repeated references in Westminster to “new evidence” relating to the way changes to women’s state pension age were communicated.

They argue that key material being talked about publicly is not new at all, but was uncovered years ago during the early stages of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign.

In their letter, Jackie and Kay say the omission of state pension age rises for women from automatic pension forecasts “as early as 2003” was documented by the original WASPI co-founders, widely used in campaigning work and held by law firm Bindmans “for almost a decade”.

“It CANNOT credibly be described as new,” they write.

The email asks the ministers to spell out:

1. What evidence is being described as “new”;
2. When that evidence first came into the possession of Government, MPs and legal representatives; and
3. Why “long established, documented evidence is now being presented in this manner”.

They also point to the fact that some material was once published on the WASPI website but later removed by the current WASPI leadership, led by Angela Madden, saying the reason “has never been explained”.

COSTS CAP AND £180,000 PAYMENT

The second major concern raised in the correspondence is the size of the DWP’s contribution to WASPI’s legal costs after the recent judicial review was halted.

The campaigners highlight that a costs capping order in the High Court proceedings limited the department’s liability to £90,000, yet the DWP has since confirmed it will pay £180,000 towards WASPI’s costs.

“This raises significant concerns regarding value for money, propriety and regularity, which fall within the scrutiny remit of the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee,” the letter states.

“It is unclear on what basis this excess payment was authorised, who approved it, or how it complied with principles of public financial management and ministerial accountability.”

Jackie and Kay say that unless ministers set out a clear justification for the payment, they will “proceed with a formal Freedom of Information request and refer the matter to the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee for full investigation”.

They also argue that, in a climate of tight public finances, any decision to go beyond a court-imposed cap should be fully explained to Parliament and the public.

CALL FOR INCLUSIVE MEDIATION

Underpinning the exchange is a long-running demand by 1950s Women of Wales and allied groups for formal mediation between the Government and all major campaign organisations representing women affected by pension age changes.

They point to recent changes to the Civil Procedure Rules and to case law encouraging courts and public bodies to make greater use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), including mediation.

“As Pensions Minister, Mr Bell has a duty to engage constructively in mediation with leaders of all 1950s women groups,” they write, adding that these groups “possess further evidence requiring scrutiny”.

“To decline or ignore such engagement would risk breaching ministerial duties; fail to meet legal expectations and be manifestly unjust to the women impacted.”

The letter asks for written confirmation that the Minister will now engage in mediation “in line with the Civil Procedure Rules and 2024 ADR requirements”.

SECRECY ROW OVER DECEMBER HEARING

The latest intervention also revisits controversy around the handling of a court hearing on 3 December, linked to the WASPI judicial review.

In earlier emails copied into the thread, Jackie and Kay describe the arrangements for public access to that hearing as an “extraordinary scandal”, claiming the DWP and WASPI agreed to conditions which “effectively repudiated the principle of open justice” by limiting or charging for access.

They say it took an intervention by a High Court judge shortly before the hearing to restore open access, after which both parties withdrew their applications and the case did not proceed.

The campaigners argue that this sequence “raises profound questions” and are calling for greater transparency about why the case collapsed and what, if anything, was being “concealed”.

Those comments are allegations by the campaign group; there is no suggestion that any party has accepted that characterisation of events.

WASPI GOVERNANCE QUESTIONS

Alongside criticism of Government, the Welsh group is also calling for scrutiny of WASPI’s own governance.

In previous correspondence, they raised concerns about:

• apparent discrepancies between public statements about resignations and the directors still listed on Companies House;
• the group’s internal accountability; and
• whether WASPI’s leadership structure reflects those it claims to represent.

They argue that, by WASPI’s own figures, the organisation represents a relatively small proportion of the estimated 3.8 million women affected by state pension age changes, and say ministers should not treat it as the sole voice of the cohort.

“Government cannot be expected to engage with a company whose own governance raises such substantial questions,” one email says, while stressing that all groups – including WASPI – should be involved in any settlement process.

“WOMEN DESERVE HONESTY”

The latest message concludes by saying that women born in the 1950s “deserve honesty, transparency and accountability”.

“Anything less further undermines trust in the political process and perpetuates an injustice that has already endured for far too long, and cost a vast number of lives,” Jackie and Kay write.

They tell the ministers that, if their questions are ignored, they will ensure the full group of All-Party Parliamentary Group members, cross-party MPs and the wider public “are fully informed”.

The Herald has approached the Department for Work and Pensions, Torsten Bell MP, Pat McFadden MP, WASPI and Bindmans for comment.

Tariff-free access secured as exports and jobs set to grow across Wales

THE UK has agreed a wide-ranging free trade deal with South Korea which ministers say will safeguard thousands of jobs, increase exports from Wales, and unlock hundreds of millions of pounds in new opportunities for British services firms.

The agreement — announced on Monday (Dec 15) in London by Trade Minister Chris Bryant and his Korean counterpart Minister Yeo Han-koo — is the fourth major trade deal struck by the UK Government this year, following agreements with the EU, the US and India.

Welsh exporters stand to benefit

Wales already sells more than £280 million worth of goods to South Korea each year, including over £227 million in machinery. Power-generating machinery exports have risen by more than 50% since 2023.

The Welsh automotive sector is also expected to gain from the agreement. Exports of road vehicles from Wales to South Korea were valued at £3.7 million in 2024, up 57% on the previous year.

Across the UK, services firms stand to gain approximately £400 million, helped by improved access to South Korea’s expanding financial market — the second largest importer of UK services after the United States.

Tariff-free access locked in

The deal preserves tariff-free access for 98% of tariff lines, shielding around £2 billion worth of UK exports from significant tariff hikes that had been looming. It also modernises digital trade rules by legitimising e-contracts and other electronic processes, making it faster and cheaper for Welsh and UK companies to operate in Korea.

Key industries — including automotive, pharmaceuticals, and food and drink — retain protections designed to help firms secure supply chains and expand internationally.

Prime Minister: “A huge win”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the deal as a major step forward for economic growth.

“This is a huge win for British business and working people and marks our fourth major agreement in 2025 after the EU, India and US,” he said.
“Korean culture is already hugely influential here. Making trade easier will support jobs and growth felt across the whole country.”

Trade Minister Chris Bryant said the agreement would “take our relationship to the next level” and unlock “hundreds of millions in opportunities”.

“This secures the UK as a global leader in digital trade while giving cast-iron protections to key industries,” he added.

“Landmark deal” for Welsh businesses

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said the agreement would help Welsh exporters grow and create new jobs.

“It further unlocks the immense potential for growth across Wales’s key industries, including machinery businesses, by providing better access to a growing market,” she said.
“This is a real boost for the UK economy and will put more money back in the pockets of businesses and consumers across Wales.”

What the deal includes

According to the UK Government, the agreement will:

• Secure permanent tariff-free access across 98% of tariff lines (matching EU terms).
• Create new export opportunities as South Korea’s import market is forecast to grow by 26% by 2035.
• Update “rules of origin” to simplify tariff-free trade for automotive and pharmaceutical sectors.
• Strengthen access to Korea’s expanding financial market, building on £1.1 billion in UK financial and insurance exports last year.
• Streamline customs processes and reduce non-tariff barriers for SMEs, which make up over 99% of UK businesses.

“Golden age” of UK–Korea relations

The UK Government says the agreement signals a “new golden age” in bilateral trade, with Virgin Atlantic launching daily flights between London and Seoul in 2026.

It follows several high-profile trade announcements this year:

• The UK-India trade deal signed in July, projected to add £4.8 billion to the economy.
• A May agreement with the United States, which accompanied £150 billion in investment commitments from US companies.
• A revised trade agreement with the EU, expected to add £9 billion to the economy by 2040.