News
Town Council slams authority
MONKTON County Councillor and IPPG member Pearl Llewellyn stormed out of a meeting of Pembroke Town Council last Thursday evening, announcing her resignation from it “forthwith”.
Councillor Llewellyn’s resignation took place during a discussion on a no confidence motion placed before the Council by Cllr John Harvey. In his address to the meeting, Cllr Harvey set out the lamentable and scandal-laden record of the IPPGled County Council: the discredited Commercial Property Grants Scheme, unlawful payments made to Bryn Parry Jones and the conduct of Deputy Leader Rob Lewis in using Council infrastructure to run the IPPG’s election campaigns in 2008 and 2012. Former IPG County Councillor Clive Collins suggested avoiding a vote on the proposal, claiming that the motion was political in nature whereas the Town Council had always been apolitical. Cllr Arwyn Williams, another County Councillor and IPPG member also left the meeting. In an embarrassing turn of events, IPPG uber-loyalist County Councillor Daphne Bush arrived at the meeting late and then left before the vote of no confidence was heard. The vote was carried by seven votes to two with four abstentions. Those voting against the motion were Cllrs Clive Collins and former mayor Keith Nicholas. One of the abstaining Councillors was County Councillor and Pembrokeshire Alliance member Jonathan Nutting. He commented: “I thought Jamie Adams should be given the opportunity to explain himself and the antics of the IPPG. The majority did not feel it was necessary. They had had enough of all the goings on in the political side of the County Council. As I had voted for this amendment I did not feel able to vote on the main agenda item. I will say though I fully understand why the others did not want to mess around further and listen to Jamie Adams’ platitudes. Pembroke and the south of the county have been treated badly for long enough. Well done those who stuck to their principles.” Cllr John Harvey, said: “I put the motion forward and took a fair amount of flak from those IPPG members present. There are good councillors sitting at County Hall; notably Mike and Viv Stoddart, Tessa Hodgson, Paul Miller, Rhys Sinnett, Tony Wilcox and Jacob Williams, to name a few. As for the IPPG, I just hope the good folk of Pembrokeshire have long memories when it comes to the next election as that is the only chance we have to get them out!” The Pembrokeshire Herald invited Cllr Llewellyn to comment on events at the meeting and her decision to resign from the Town Council. Cllr Llewellyn told The Herald: “A notice advertising a causal vacancy for the Monkton Ward on Pembroke Town Council was published online this week. Nominations are scheduled to close within fourteen days.”
Crime
Pembroke Dock woman in court for failing to remove rubbish from property
A PEMBROKE DOCK resident is due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court later today (Nov 25) for multiple alleged breaches of a community protection notice.
Sheena Deacon, of 13 Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock, faces charges under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which carries a maximum penalty of a Level 4 fine.
The charges stem from allegations that Deacon failed to remove accumulated household waste from her property on several occasions. According to court documents, the breaches occurred on September 19, September 26, October 2, October 9, and October 17 this year.
The charges indicate that Deacon, despite being issued with a community protection notice, did not comply with the requirements to clear and appropriately dispose of refuse and household waste from her address.
The Herald will bring updates on the case as it progresses.
News
Welsh Conservatives urge Labour to scrap ‘family farm tax’
THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have announced plans to bring forward a Senedd debate next week (Nov 27) calling on the UK Labour Government to abandon its proposed “family farm tax.”
The tax, introduced by the UK Labour Government, is being criticised as a move that will harm Welsh farming, threaten food security, and increase food prices. Alongside the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme and perceived “anti-farming agenda,” critics argue this new tax amounts to a coordinated effort to undermine the future of agriculture in Wales.
Shadow Minister warns of consequences
Ahead of the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, James Evans MS, condemned the proposal, stating:
“Labour’s family farm tax will put family farms out of business, threaten our food security, and lead to food prices rising. Only the Welsh Conservatives will stand up for our farmers, and that’s why we’re bringing forward a Senedd motion calling on Labour to reverse this decision. No farmers, no food.”
NFU Cymru expresses alarm
NFU Cymru President, Aled Jones, echoed these concerns, highlighting the widespread opposition from the farming community. Speaking about the impact of the tax on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, Jones said:
“Earlier this week, hundreds of farmers from across Wales journeyed to London to meet with their MPs and register their deeply held concerns about these misguided and ill-thought-out reforms.
“The proposals unveiled by the Treasury last month to introduce a tax on the passing on of our family farms to the next generation are a massive added burden. They will leave many farmers without the means, confidence, or incentive to invest in the future of their business.
“NFU Cymru reiterates its call for the UK Government to halt these changes.”
The motion to be debated
The motion, set to be debated in the Senedd, reads:
“To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the UK Labour Government to reverse its decision to impose a family farm tax on agricultural businesses.”
This debate is expected to attract significant attention, with Welsh farmers and rural communities keenly watching for the outcome.
Community
Internet outage for two villages after exchange box destroyed
RESIDENTS of Clunderwen and Llandissilio have been left without internet access following the destruction of an Openreach exchange box just outside Llandissilio village.
The incident occurred yesterday (Nov 23) when the box was reportedly demolished by a vehicle. The damage has resulted in a complete loss of internet services for the two villages, with repairs expected to take at least a couple of days.
Local residents have expressed frustration over the disruption, as the outage affects home businesses, remote workers, and households relying on internet connectivity for day-to-day tasks.
Openreach engineers have cordoned off the site, and work is ongoing to assess the extent of the damage. A spokesperson for Openreach has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.
The vehicle involved in the incident has not yet been identified. Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact the local police.
With repair timelines unclear, affected residents have called for increased communication from service providers to manage expectations during the outage.
“Bringing the community back online is a priority,” a local resident said. “We’re hoping Openreach can resolve the issue quickly and ensure it doesn’t happen again in future.”
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