News
Here’s how much you’d be paying with a 12.5% council tax increase
WITH news that the council is one step further to increasing the council tax in Pembrokeshire by 12.5%, we have laid out exactly what this will mean for your finances in the below table.
Band | Cost now | 12.5% increase |
A | £588.77 | £662.37 |
B | £686.89 | £772.75 |
C | £785.02 | £883.15 |
D | £883.15 | £993.54 |
E | £1079.41 | £1214.34 |
F | £1275.66 | £1435.12 |
G | £1471.92 | £1655.91 |
H | £1766.60 | £1987.42 |
I | £2060.68 | £2318.26 |
Please note: The above table does not include additional elements of your tax bill, such as police and your town council.
What do you think of the potential 12.5% council tax rise? Let us know on our Facebook Page!
Entertainment
Community event to mark end of popular exhibition
AN exhibition at Oriel y Parc, National Park Discovery Centre will conclude with an exciting farewell event, featuring renowned illustrator Jackie Morris and award-winning poet Mererid Hopwood.
The Geiriau Diflanedig – The Lost Words exhibition has been on display since June 2023, captivating visitors of all ages and backgrounds with its vibrant illustrations and thought-provoking poems that explore the relationship between language and the living world.
Based on the award-winning book by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, the touring exhibition, organised by Compton Verney, with Hamish Hamilton and Penguin Books, brought together, for the first time ever, the original artwork by Jackie Morris alongside the English language poems by Robert Macfarlane and Welsh language poems written by Mererid Hopwood.
With the exhibition now approaching its final weeks, the farewell event offers a unique opportunity to engage with two of the creators behind its magic, gaining insight into the creative processes that brought it to life.
There will also be a chance to hear about Jackie’s latest project, with a preview of her work in progress for The Lost Birds.
Manager of Oriel y Parc, Rachel Perkins, said: “The success of the Geiriau Diflanedig – The Lost Words exhibition has been truly remarkable, captivating audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
“It’s been wonderful to be a part of this experience, which seeks to reintroduce the fading faces of nature to our vocabularies. We hope that many have been inspired to join the fight to reverse their plight and look forward to welcoming them as we bid farewell to this memorable exhibition.”
The farewell to The Lost Words – Geiriau Diflanedig exhibition will take place at Oriel y Parc, National Park Discovery Centre on Saturday 25 May, between 2pm-3.30pm. Although the event is free, booking in advance at www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/events is essential due to limited capacity at the venue.
Further information about exhibitions and events at Oriel y Parc can be found at www.orielyparc.co.uk.
News
Teifi Valley pylon concerns raised in Parliament
BEN LAKE MP has urged the UK Government to make underground cabling the default method for installing new electricity grid infrastructure.
There are 4,500 miles of overhead electricity transmission lines in England and Wales. This contrasts with just over 900 miles of underground cables. ‘Undergrounding’, the replacement of overhead cables with underground cables, is used in limited circumstances, such as in nationally designated landscapes.
There have been calls for an increase in undergrounding. However, the government has pointed to several issues, including the higher cost of placing cables underground when using traditional open trenching methods. However, recent advancements in cable ploughing techniques have significantly reduced the cost of placing such cables underground, such that MPs are calling on the UK Government to adopt the method as their preferred approach to new grid infrastructure.
Green GEN Cymru is proposing a new 132kV overhead line to connect Lan Fawr Energy Park in West Wales to a new National Grid substation in Carmarthen. As part of the initial consultation process, significant concerns were raised by residents and businesses about the visual, environmental, and economic impact of the proposed overhead line – with several public meetings and campaign groups forming over recent MONTHS to oppose the proposals.
Concerns over the proposed Tywi Teifi network have previously been raised in the Senedd and last week Ben Lake MP reiterated calls for the undergrounding of transmission cables during a debate in Westminster Hall on Pylons and upgrading the National Grid.
During his speech Mr Lake stated: “What’s at heart here is this idea of just transition – of balancing the concerns of communities with the need for new infrastructure. Although definitions of just transition differ, my understanding of the concept is that it should see to bring about fairer outcomes from the transition to net zero by maximising the benefits of climate action and minimising the negative impact for communities.
“We all agree that the National Grid needs upgrading. It needs strengthening, but it is disappointing that the Government has, thus far, failed to truly consider the benefits and advantages of cable ploughing techniques.”
Mr Lake argued that installing transmission cables by using cable ploughing techniques, such as is used by a local company based in Pencader (ATP), could drastically reduce the cost and time taken to complete infrastructure upgrades.
Mr Lake added: “Cable ploughing could be a means of balancing the need for any new electricity infrastructure with the importance of minimising not only financial costs, but also unnecessary environmental impact and community opposition.”
Farming
Nut trial looks at viability of producing walnuts in West Wales
A WEST WALES couple are experimenting with growing nuts on their land.
Martyn Williams and Alison Harwood have planted walnut and sweet chestnut trees on a one-hectare south facing slope overlooking the River Towy.
They have chosen varieties that are a good match for conditions at Old Castle Farm, Llangain, Carmarthenshire.
Nuts are being grown commercially more than ever in the UK as the climate heats, making products more economically viable, but what is less understood is how well suited this enterprise is to weather conditions in west Wales, or the free-draining and slightly acidic loam soils at Old Castle Farm.
To examine this, Martyn and Alison have been awarded funding from the Farming Connect ‘Try Out Fund,’ an initiative that makes provides funding to individuals and groups of farmers and growers to experiment with ideas and bring them to life.
They have planted 20 walnut trees and 20 sweet chestnut trees, varieties selected for growth characteristics matched to the latitude in this region.
Establishment is now being monitored and, to give the trees the best chance to thrive, the area around them is being kept weed-free to prevent competition for nutrients and moisture.
The plan is to explore the use of alternative mulches, such as wool, even shells from a local beach, to balance the soil temperature and retain moisture.
Nut trees are helpful for providing biodiversity on farms but compared to other European regions, Wales has a very small economy in food production from trees.
Climate change coupled with proposed changes to the Welsh government farming policy means that alternative types of food production need to be investigated.
Martyn is grateful to Farming Connect and the Try Out Fund for helping to bring the project at Old Castle Farm to life.
“It has given us a bit of a free rein, taking the pressure off trialling an enterprise that might or might not be viable.’’
It is likely to be five years before the trees produce any quantity of nuts, if indeed they do, but Martyn says planting trees is as much a legacy for future generations as the pleasure they bring to the current one.
“I love planting trees, they could be around for hundreds of years, long after we have gone. I get that farmers need to produce food to feed us but this will be our legacy.’’
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