News

MP says steelworkers ‘disgracefully treated’ under Tata deal

Published

11 months ago

April 30, 2025

A LIB DEM MP has criticised the UK Labour Government over its handling of the Tata Steel transition deal, claiming workers in Port Talbot have been let down.

David Chadwick, MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, raised concerns in Parliament on Tuesday (Apr 29), questioning why steelworkers in Wales had not received the same level of support as those in Scunthorpe.

Since Tata announced nearly 3,000 redundancies last year, workers in Port Talbot have reported a range of issues with the redundancy and retraining arrangements.

Among the concerns raised by Mr Chadwick were:

Employees with over 25 years of service not having their full service recognised.
Workers on job-share contracts having redundancy calculated on part-time hours despite decades of full-time work.
Requests to return to full-time work being denied.
A lack of clear finishing dates, preventing new job offers from being accepted without losing redundancy pay.
Some workers leaving early for new jobs and losing redundancy payouts, saving Tata millions.

Mr Chadwick also cited concerns with the take-up of retraining schemes. In February, whistleblowers told Nation.Cymru that just three former Tata employees had accessed the Employment and Skills Flexible Fund, warning that remaining in retraining for over a month could result in loss of the enhanced redundancy package.

The enhanced package offered 2.8 weeks’ pay per year of service up to 25 years, with a minimum payout of £15,000 and a potential £5,000 ex gratia payment. The standard package was 2.1 weeks per year.

In Parliament, Mr Chadwick said that Labour had claimed the Port Talbot deal was better than the Conservative deal it replaced, but that the experience of many workers suggested otherwise.

Commenting, Mr Chadwick said:

“Since this Labour Government announced it was acting to save jobs in Scunthorpe, but not Port Talbot, Labour has claimed it secured a good deal for workers losing their jobs at Tata — yet conversations I’ve had with workers directly contradict this.

“With those workers having served over 25 years not having that service recognised, and only a handful of people accessing retraining courses due to the threat of receiving a worse redundancy package, this does not sound like a good deal.

“The way workers and the wider community in Port Talbot have been treated by this new Labour Government and the previous Conservative Government has been disgraceful.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to highlight their failures and fight for immediate investments to replace the jobs that have been lost as a result of this mismanagement.”

UK Government response

A UK Government spokesperson told The Pembrokeshire Herald:

“We acted decisively to ensure that steelmaking would continue in Port Talbot and we have done so again to protect the industry in Scunthorpe, but the circumstances between the two cases are very different.

“The agreement with Tata Steel to build an electric arc furnace and Tata’s decision to shut down the blast furnaces and coke ovens in Port Talbot were all made in 2024 under the previous government.

“In just a few weeks we negotiated an improved deal with Tata which preserved 5,000 jobs, ensured there would be no immediate compulsory redundancies, confirmed a £500 million grant for future steelmaking in Port Talbot, and secured investment opportunities for the local area.

“We also offered support for every single worker and supply chain business via our £80 million Port Talbot Transition Board. More than £50 million has already been announced, much of it on retraining and reskilling of workers, and the rest will follow in the coming months.

“In contrast, Jingye, British Steel’s owner in Scunthorpe, rejected our offer of financial support meaning we had to legislate to ensure the continued safe operation of the blast furnaces.

“Our ongoing support for British steelmaking ensures that steel communities like Port Talbot and Scunthorpe have a bright future.”

The UK Government said that its skills scheme has procured 1,400 training courses so far for workers affected by the transition at Tata Steel in Port Talbot. Tata Steel is also running a separate retraining programme.

Crime

Broad Haven man remanded in custody over sexual harm prevention order breach

Published

15 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Court Reporter

Defendant admitted using Xbox without informing police as required under court order

ANTHONY COOMBES, aged 26, of Sand Banks, Broad Haven, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Mar 20) charged with breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

The court heard that between February 26 and March 19, 2026, at Haverfordwest, Coombes repeatedly breached the order by using an Xbox device without informing police within three days, as required.

The offences relate to a sexual harm prevention order imposed at Swansea Crown Court on October 20, 2021.

Coombes indicated guilty pleas to the offences at the first hearing.

Magistrates committed the case to Swansea Crown Court for sentence.

He was remanded in custody ahead of the next hearing, which is due to take place at 9:00am on Friday, April 3, at Swansea Crown Court.

The court refused bail on the grounds that he was likely to offend, citing the nature and seriousness of the offences and his previous record and character.

A pre-sentence report was ordered.

News

Man arrested after suspected drugs-related death in Haverfordwest

Published

16 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Police say death not suspicious as 46-year-old arrested over alleged Class A drug supply

A MAN has died following a medical emergency at a property in Haverfordwest, police have confirmed.

Emergency services were called at 3:18pm on Wednesday (March 18) after a report of a medical incident.

A man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the man’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.

The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time.

However, police confirmed that a man, aged 46, was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

He has since been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

No further details about the deceased have been formally released.

Crime

Illegal dog breeders ordered to pay over £129,000 after council probe

Published

17 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Tom Sinclair

FOUR people from Mynyddygarreg, Kidwelly, have been ordered to pay more than £129,000 following a successful prosecution for illegal dog breeding.

At Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday (Mar 10), before His Honour Judge Thomas KC, Stacey May June Edwards, Peter John Edwards, Sian Eleri Thomas and David Malcolm James Thomas, all of Sea Breeze, Mynyddygarreg, pleaded guilty to offences under the Breeding of Dogs (Wales) Regulations 2014.

The court imposed confiscation orders totalling £129,873.41 under the Proceeds of Crime Act across the four defendants. They were also ordered to pay £8,000 in costs, while each defendant received a £2,000 fine.

The investigation began in April 2021 after Carmarthenshire County Council’s Animal Health team received an enquiry from Peter Edwards about obtaining a dog breeding licence. Although licensing guidance was provided and a partial application was submitted in February 2022, this was later withdrawn.

In March 2024, the council received a complaint that puppies were being advertised for sale without the required licence. Officers subsequently contacted online advertising platforms and issued data requests to assess the scale of activity.

Analysis of records from Pets4Homes, Freeads and Gumtree revealed multiple litters being advertised by members of the same household.

Correspondence under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act confirmed that up to 25 dogs were kept at the property, including between 16 and 19 breeding females.

While some defendants claimed joint ownership of the dogs, others attempted to minimise their involvement.

The Herald understands that numerous puppy advertisements were posted between July 2020 and April 2025, demonstrating a sustained pattern of unlicensed breeding.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability, Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, said: “This case demonstrates the council’s firm stance against unlicensed and illegal dog breeding.

“These regulations are in place to protect animal welfare and ensure that breeding activities are subject to proper oversight. The scale of activity uncovered at this property was entirely unacceptable, and we welcome the court’s decision to issue significant confiscation orders under POCA.”

He added: “We urge anyone with concerns about illegal dog breeding to report it. Our Animal Health officers will continue to investigate thoroughly and take action against those who disregard the law.”

Residents are reminded that anyone breeding and selling dogs must comply with licensing regulations designed to protect both animal welfare and consumers.