A CALL for a hydroelectric scheme to help power Pembrokeshire’s County Hall is to be considered as part of a wider decarbonisation report expected later this year.

At the June meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members considered a notice of motion from Merlins Bridge councillor John Cole, who said two potential sources of clean energy were close to County Hall.

Cllr Cole said: “Two untapped power sources, that would create 100 per cent clean energy are within very close proximity of County Hall.

“Both sources would substantially compensate County Hall’s current use of power supplied via the grid. These sources are the western Cleddau and Cartlett Brook. The first running alongside, and the other under County Hall.

“My Notice of Motion is that the council look at the feasibility of the installation of hydroelectric turbines at these sources.”

He said the proposal would support the council’s net zero policy by offsetting CO2 production and reducing County Hall’s running costs.

In a supporting statement, Cllr Cole said the scheme could provide “a major green energy project” while also protecting taxpayers from reliance on energy supplied by third-party providers.

A report to Cabinet said County Hall used 167,000 kWh of electricity in the 2025-26 financial year. The site already has a 77kWp solar canopy in the car park, generating around 65,000 kWh a year, with more than 90 per cent of that power used on site. The solar canopy is estimated to save around £13,000 a year.

The report said hydropower schemes had been considered previously, with members referring to a similar call from former councillor Ken Rowlands around two decades ago.

A 2010 study by Mann Power Consulting Ltd looked at hydropower systems that could be used at the County Hall site. It concluded that a 55kW Archimedes screw system would be the most appropriate option and could generate around 198,000 kWh, based on a 43 per cent capacity factor, at an indicative 2010 cost of around £450,000.

The report also referred to the council’s 2019 climate emergency declaration, when members voted to create an action plan to move Pembrokeshire County Council towards becoming a net zero-carbon local authority by 2030.

Cabinet members were told that a review and report on decarbonisation steps, including hydropower feasibility, is expected by the end of the year.

Members agreed to note the motion and await the wider report.

The Cabinet report stated: “Once a more detailed analysis of the Laser report has taken place a more informed, prioritised list of proposed decarbonisation measures will be presented.

“As part of that process a further review will be considered into the benefits of adopting hydroelectric turbines at the site.”

COUNCIL workers, carers and school support staff in Pembrokeshire could be drawn into a growing UK-wide pay dispute after GMB members rejected a 3.3 per cent local government pay offer.

The offer, made through the Local Government Association as part of the national NJC “Green Book” pay negotiations, covers local authority workers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, including school support staff, care workers, refuse and recycling staff, highways workers and other council employees.

GMB said almost 150,000 school staff, carers and council workers were balloted, with members voting to reject the 2026/27 offer.

The union said the deal failed to address long-running concerns over grading for school support staff working with children with special educational needs and disabilities.

That issue is particularly relevant in Wales, where councils have repeatedly warned that schools, additional learning needs and social care are among the biggest pressures on local authority budgets.

In Pembrokeshire, the dispute comes only months after the county council approved its 2026/27 budget, including extra funding of £4.7m for schools and £5.9m for social care.

Council tax in Pembrokeshire is rising by £1.46 per week for a Band D property this year, with council leaders saying the increase was needed to protect key services.

But any improved pay offer would add further pressure to council finances unless additional funding is provided by government.

Unions argue that low-paid public service workers have seen living standards squeezed by rising bills and years of pressure on local services.

GMB National Officer Kevin Brandstatter said: “GMB members have massively rejected this meagre offer.

“With international crisis leading to rising bills, hard working public servants deserve better.

“Staff are fed up with being undervalued and overstretched.

“The LGA has shown complete and utter contempt for workers doing their best to deliver services despite insufficient resource.”

UNISON has also rejected the 3.3 per cent offer and is preparing an industrial action ballot in England and Cymru/Wales between July 9 and August 6.

If strike action is eventually supported, disruption could affect schools, council offices, social care support, refuse collection, highways, libraries, leisure services and other local authority functions.

The political difficulty for Welsh councils is that they are caught between two pressures: unions demanding higher pay for essential workers, and local taxpayers already facing higher council tax bills.

Welsh Government ministers have acknowledged that councils are under significant financial pressure, particularly in education and social care.

The Welsh Local Government Association has also warned that local authorities across Wales face hundreds of millions of pounds in budget pressures, with social care, schools and additional learning needs among the most serious challenges.

For Pembrokeshire, the issue is likely to be watched closely by parents, council staff and residents who rely on frontline services.

A prolonged dispute could place further strain on schools already dealing with budget pressures, while any disruption to care or waste services would quickly become visible across the county.

GMB’s Local Government and Schools Committees are now expected to meet to decide the union’s next steps.

£141.6m scheme could transform education in the town

A MAJOR step forward has been taken in the long-awaited Milford Haven Schools Redevelopment project after Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet approved the Outline Business Case for the £141.6 million scheme.

The decision, made on Wednesday (May 27), means the business case can now be submitted to the Welsh Government for consideration.

The ambitious project would see a new combined campus built on the current Milford Haven School site, bringing an English-medium primary school together with the secondary school, with some shared facilities.

The plans also include a 40-place Flying Start centre and a specialist Learning Resource Centre for 24 pupils with additional learning needs.

A new Welsh-medium primary school is also planned for Milford Haven, providing Welsh language education in the area.

Alongside the schools redevelopment programme, a new leisure centre will be created. Thornton Sports Hall is set to be demolished as part of the wider changes.

The next stage will be for the council to submit a Full Business Case to the Welsh Government before final approval can be given and construction can begin. Contractors are expected to be on site next year, with the new school buildings due to open in 2030.

The scheme has been discussed for many years, with local families, pupils, staff and the wider community waiting for meaningful progress towards modern education facilities for the town.

There has also been criticism locally over the slow pace of the process, including concerns about Welsh Government bureaucracy and the requirement for repeated business case approvals before funding decisions are finalised.

However, the Cabinet decision marks a significant milestone for one of the largest education projects ever proposed in Pembrokeshire.

If delivered, the redevelopment has the potential to transform education, childcare, Welsh-medium provision, additional learning needs support and leisure facilities for future generations in Milford Haven.