PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL is asking residents, property owners and stakeholders to have their say on the future level of Council Tax premiums for second homes and long-term empty properties.

The consultation will help shape the council’s approach for the 2027-28 financial year, with any agreed changes due to take effect from April 1, 2027.

Council Tax premiums are additional charges placed on top of standard Council Tax bills, which also include the precepts set by Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner and town and community councils.

The council says the consultation will gather views on what level the premiums should be set at in future, as well as how any income raised should be used to support local priorities in Pembrokeshire.

Cllr Jon Harvey, Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance and Efficiencies, said: “We want to hear from as many people as possible on this important issue.

“By taking part in the consultation, residents and stakeholders can help shape future decisions and ensure that a wide range of views are considered before any recommendations are made.

“Please have your say by the closing date of Monday, August 10, 2026.”

The consultation includes background information on Council Tax premiums, the current position in Pembrokeshire and the legal framework within which the authority must operate.

Residents can take part online through the Pembrokeshire County Council website.

Paper copies are also available by calling 01437 764551 or emailing [email protected].

A final decision on the options, including how any funding raised through the premiums will be used, is expected to be made by full council at its meeting on October 15, 2026.

Any decision agreed at that meeting will come into effect from April 1, 2027.

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been found not guilty of rape and assault by penetration following a trial at Swansea Crown Court.

Jack Branston, 22, of Gerald Road, Haverfordwest, was unanimously acquitted by a jury of both charges.

The allegations related to events said to have taken place during the summer of 2023. Mr Branston denied both offences throughout the proceedings.

Following the jury’s verdicts, Judge Geraint Walters formally discharged Mr Branston.

Dyfed Thomas represented the defendant, while Robin Rouch prosecuted.

A PEMBROKESHIRE smallholding plan involving guinea pigs, rabbits and pigeons being reared for food has been criticised by animal welfare campaigners.

The scheme, at Walnut Grove near Jeffreyston, was approved by Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee last month (Jun 30) as part of a One Planet Development.

The proposal is not for a commercial guinea pig meat farm. The animals would be reared for the applicants’ own household consumption as part of a self-sufficient, low-impact lifestyle.

There is also a cultural divide. In parts of South America, especially Peru, guinea pigs are known as cuy and have been eaten for centuries. They are still served as a traditional dish, particularly in the Andean region around Cusco.

Travel and food accounts from Peru often describe cuy as being served whole, sometimes in a traditional presentation, before being cut up and eaten by hand because of the small bones. The meat is commonly compared to a cross between chicken and rabbit.

That context may explain why the proposal has provoked such a strong reaction in Britain. What many people here see as a family pet is regarded elsewhere as a normal source of food.

Animal Aid has said the idea raises serious questions about animal welfare and what should be considered sustainable living.

In a letter to The Herald, Elizabeth Davenport, Senior Campaign Manager at Animal Aid, said: “I’m sure your readers have already heard about the off-grid couple in Pembrokeshire planning to breed, kill, and eat guinea pigs, rabbits, and pigeons as part of a so-called sustainable living project.

“Aside from the obvious concerns, who will ensure that welfare laws are followed? It’s clear that if this is what sustainability looks like, we have truly lost our way.”

Guinea pigs are widely kept as pets in the UK, which has made this part of the proposal especially controversial.

Animal Aid says the issue is not simply whether guinea pigs are eaten elsewhere, but whether breeding and killing animals should be promoted as part of a sustainable future.

Ms Davenport said: “These One Planet Developments are built on the simple truth that we only have one Earth and must live within its limits. But recognising this should mean respecting our fellow animals, not expanding the menu of those we exploit.

“Too often, individuals get lost amongst the sustainability argument. Guinea pigs, like cows, experience bursts of excitement and hop and skip in the air; pigeons, just like chickens, are devoted parents. We lose so much when we reduce them to the latest sustainability fads and trends.”

The One Planet Development policy is intended to support low-impact rural living, where people meet a significant proportion of their basic needs from the land.

In this case, the applicants’ plans include food production from the land, including fruit, vegetables and other produce, alongside small-scale livestock for personal use.

Animal Aid argues that a genuinely sustainable future should involve reducing reliance on animal farming rather than adding new species to the menu.

Ms Davenport added: “If we are serious about protecting the planet, the evidence is clear: reducing our dependence on all animal farming and embracing a plant-based food system offers far greater sustainability benefits.

“I urge local residents to contact Pembrokeshire County Council. Decisions made in the name of our shared future should be for everyone, including animals.”

Pembrokeshire County Council approved the application subject to conditions.