Local Government

Councillors back call for more rail funding and reopening of line

Published

4 months ago

October 10, 2025

A CALL for more rail investment in west Wales, including the reopening of a line closed to passengers over sixty years ago, received unanimous backing from Carmarthenshire councillors.

They found common ground in a motion which claimed Wales wasn’t getting its rightful share of rail funding and expressed concerns that the south-east and north of the country were taking most of what was available.

It reiterated previous calls for a new station at Whitland, the reopening of the Amman Valley line, and stated that only the devolution of railways would enable Wales to get its fair share of funding via major schemes such as HS2.

The motion said the £445 million of rail investment pledged for Wales over ten years by Chancellor Rachel Reeves was a fraction of what it should receive via the England-only HS2 scheme.

‘Under-funded’

Cllr Alun Lenny, who submitted the motion with his Plaid Cymru cabinet colleague Cllr Glynog Davies, said rail was “desperately under-funded” in west Wales, with trains “too often cancelled” and Wales having the highest train cancellation rates in the UK.

Cllr Davies recalled Brynamman having two Amman Valley line stations in the past – one for the line to Llanelli, the other for the line to Swansea – before everything closed in 1964. Reopening the Amman Valley line, he said, would provide an alternative to driving along narrow village roads. “Our governments have to consider this seriously,” he said.

Labour councillor Kevin Madge said the Westminster Government was providing “record” capital funding and that more rail investment was happening. He said he had been campaigning for years about the Amman Valley line, but also cautioned that there wasn’t “a pot of gold”.

Independent councillor Sean Rees claimed Wales received just 2% of total UK rail investment despite having 10% of its railways. “The further west you go in Wales, the worse it gets,” he said.

Cllr Rees added that poor-quality rail provision limited economic, tourism, education and healthcare opportunities. “This is not asking for favours, it’s about asking for fairness,” he said.

Plaid councillor Colin Evans said he believed services on a reopened Amman Valley line would be well used and bring in “badly needed revenue” to the area. He also applauded the efforts of the Amman Valley Railway Society.

Investment

Labour opposition group leader Cllr Deryk Cundy said more than £800 million had been invested in new trains by the Welsh Government and that he believed more funding could be secured in due course. It was time, he said, for investment to reach west Wales. “I do believe we will be able to get this funding which we were not able to get previously,” he said.

Plaid councillor Handel Davies said he felt rail had been neglected for decades and contrasted this to electrified trains in Europe which arrived on time and “travel distances quickly without issue”.

The council will now write to Wales’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Ken Skates, asking for greater clarity and accelerated investment in rail infrastructure in west Wales as a matter of urgency. The letter will also express support for the devolution of railways to Wales.

Mr Skates said Labour was committed to improving public transport across Wales. “We have invested £800 million on new trains delivering more capacity and higher-quality journeys for passengers travelling across Wales and the borders,” he said.

“Transport for Wales is reinstating the fifth train on the Heart of Wales Line, and we have supported the extension of GWR trains from London to Carmarthen.”

Improvements

He added: “We have been clear and consistent in our position that Wales has been underfunded in rail infrastructure investment, which has now been recognised by the UK Government. We will continue to work with them on an ambitious pipeline of improvements to deliver upgrades across Wales.”

Last November, Transport for Wales said early-stage development work for a station at St Clears had taken place and could progress in the future if funding became available.

The UK Government said priorities for rail investment throughout Wales were discussed and agreed with the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales via the Wales Rail Board.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Last year we allocated £1.9 billion to Wales up until 2029, which will be used to improve rail performance and invest in areas that matter most to passengers and freight customers.

“We are committed to boosting growth and connectivity, working closely with the Welsh Government in making decisions on rail services that work best for its communities, which is why we also provided a further £445 million to enhance Welsh railways and help unlock Wales’s economic potential.”

By Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

Local Government

Have your say on future of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

Published

18 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Residents invited to help shape Local Development Plan 3 as early consultation opens

RESIDENTS, community groups and organisations are being invited to help shape the future of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park as part of an early-stage public consultation on its next Local Development Plan.

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority has opened consultation on a series of key documents that will inform Local Development Plan 3 (LDP3), which will guide how the National Park develops over the coming years.

The consultation opened on Monday (Jan 26) and will run until 5:00pm on Monday, March 23.

Local Development Plan 3 will influence planning decisions across the National Park, including issues relating to housing, sustainability, communities, the natural environment and climate change. At this early stage, the Authority is seeking views on the main issues the Plan should address, helping to shape its direction from the outset.

The documents open for consultation are the Sustainability Appraisal incorporating the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Scoping Report, which includes background information on relevant plans, policies and environmental baselines; a Draft Issues, Vision and Objectives Paper setting out key challenges and a potential long-term vision for the National Park; and the Local Development Plan 2 Annual Monitoring Report covering April 2024 to March 2025.

An online engagement event will be held on Monday, February 9, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm, providing an opportunity for participants to learn more about the documents and ask questions. The event will take place via Microsoft Teams.

Anyone wishing to attend must register by emailing [email protected]
. Welsh-language translation can be provided on request if the Authority is notified by Monday, February 2.

All consultation documents will be available on the National Park Authority’s website. They can also be accessed on public computers in libraries, with paper copies available at a charge.

Comments can be submitted online via the consultation questionnaire, by email, or in writing to the Strategic Policy Team at the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. All responses will be acknowledged and made public, and feedback will be considered as the Authority prepares the next stages of Local Development Plan 3.

Further information is available by contacting [email protected]
or calling 01646 624800.

Local Government

Tribunal over former Neyland councillor’s conduct adjourned

Published

2 days ago

January 26, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Adjudication Panel for Wales reschedules case-paper hearing for February 12

A TRIBUNAL hearing into alleged breaches of the members’ code of conduct by a former Neyland town councillor has been adjourned and rescheduled, official papers confirm.

The case involving former Councillor Brian Rothero had been listed to be determined on Tuesday (Jan 27) at 10:00am, using remote attendance technology.

However, the tribunal meeting has now been adjourned at the request of the tribunal panel, with the case due to be determined instead on Thursday, February 12, at 10:00am, according to a notification issued by the Adjudication Panel for Wales’ Welsh Tribunals Unit at the eleventh hour (Jan 26).

The matter relates to allegations of breaches of the statutory members’ code of conduct. These include alleged failures to show respect and consideration, and requirements around treating others with respect and not using bullying or harassing behaviour.

The tribunal will determine the case on the papers only and will not hear oral submissions or evidence from the parties or any witnesses. The notification states that Mr Rothero’s presence on the rescheduled date is not required.

It also confirms the tribunal’s meeting, deliberations and adjudication will not be open to the public.

Neyland council context

The adjournment comes amid an extended period of heightened scrutiny around Neyland Town Council, which has repeatedly featured in complaints and conduct-related disputes.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Standards Committee has previously been told that Neyland Town Council accounted for a significant proportion of code of conduct complaints made about town and community councils in the county.

In a separate recent case, a Neyland councillor was banned from public office for four years after a tribunal found breaches linked to communications described as lacking respect and amounting to bullying or harassment.

The council has also faced ongoing rows over governance and decision-making, including controversy surrounding a co-option process that drew criticism over transparency.

Local Government

West Wales taxpayers to pay more to fund police this year

Published

2 days ago

January 26, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

THE POLICE part of the council tax bill in Dyfed and Powys is to rise by nearly 7.5 per cent, following a near nine per cent last year, meaning the average household will be paying £390 this coming year for that element alone.

The overall council tax bill for residents in the counties of Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Powys is made up of the county council element of the council tax, the Dyfed-Powys Police precept, and individual town or community council precepts.

At the January 23 meeting of the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel, held at County Hall, Haverfordwest, Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn called for a raising of the precept by 7.474 per cent for the 2026-’27 financial year, a rise of £26.95 for the average Band D property, bring that element up to £387.63 for an average band D property in 2024-’25.

Any property paying a premium of council tax, such as second homes, also pays that premium on the police precept as well, meaning their bills for this element are proportionately higher.

Of the force’s funding, 56 per cent, or some £93m, comes from the precept.

Last year saw an 8.6 per cent increase on the force’s precept.

Speaking at the meeting, Pembroke county councillor Cllr Jonathan Grimes asked: “what can council tax-payers expect to see in terms of their council tax payments, what will they see in terms of value for money?”

Mr Llywelyn said it would support efficiencies helping a “more visible and accessible police service”.

Members backed the recommendation of a 7.47 per cent increase.