PAUL DAVIES and Samuel Kurtz have reaffirmed that the Welsh Conservatives are the only political party to make an explicit manifesto commitment to protecting services at both Withybush Hospital and Bronglais Hospital.

At a time when health services across Mid and West Wales are under growing pressure, the lead Conservative candidates for Ceredigion Penfro say local people must continue to have access to safe, high-quality care close to home. They argue that means safeguarding and strengthening vital district general hospitals such as Withybush and Bronglais.

Both candidates say they have led sustained efforts to oppose further downgrades at Withybush Hospital, working closely with residents, campaigners and healthcare professionals. They have also backed community campaigns and stood alongside local people in defence of essential services.

In the Senedd, Paul Davies and Samuel Kurtz say they have repeatedly raised concerns about proposed service changes, challenged Welsh Government ministers and pressed for clear assurances over the future of local healthcare. They have also written directly to Hywel Dda University Health Board and the Health Minister calling for action to protect key services.

They say that, if re-elected, they will continue to stand up for local healthcare services regardless of which party forms the next Welsh Government.

Paul Davies said: “We have long been clear that any further downgrading of services at Withybush Hospital is unacceptable. We have stood with our communities, supported local campaigns and used every opportunity in the Senedd to fight for the services people rely on.

“The Welsh Conservatives are the only party to make an explicit commitment in our manifesto to protecting services at both Withybush and Bronglais hospitals. That shows a clear and unwavering commitment to safeguarding local healthcare in West Wales.”

Samuel Kurtz added: “People should not have to travel hours for treatment that could and should be delivered locally. We will continue to hold the Welsh Government to account, whoever forms it after May, to secure proper investment and ensure these hospitals remain at the heart of our communities.

“Let us be absolutely clear: we will be relentless in opposing any attempt to strip services from our rural hospitals, and we will not hesitate to challenge anyone who threatens their future.”

Second winding-up case linked to Rob Edwards and Morley Sports Management adds to concern after Bluebirds’ High Court drama

SUPPORTERS of Haverfordwest County AFC have fresh reason to be concerned after a new winding-up petition emerged in Scotland involving another football business linked to Haverfordwest Chairman, Rob Edwards, and Morley Sports Management.

The latest case is against 1874 Holdings Limited, the company in the ownership chain above Hamilton Academical.

That matters in Pembrokeshire because Haverfordwest County AFC Ltd was only just taken to the High Court in London by HM Revenue & Customs. That case was dismissed, but only after reaching a live hearing, with costs ordered against the club.

Now another football-linked company in the same orbit is facing winding-up action in Scotland.

For Haverfordwest fans, the question is obvious: was the Bluebirds’ court case a one-off, or part of a bigger pattern around the same people and businesses?

A notice published in The Gazette states that a petition was presented at Hamilton Sheriff Court on April 2 seeking to wind up 1874 Holdings and appoint an interim liquidator. The petitioner is Zenith Legal Services Group Limited.

Hamilton has previously said that Morley Sports Management owns 100 per cent of 1874 Holdings, which in turn owns 97.5 per cent of Hamilton Academical FC.

The Scottish club’s latest statement does not deny the petition exists. Instead, it says the claim is disputed, says lawyers are dealing with it, and argues that a winding-up petition is not the right forum for the dispute.

That line is likely to sound familiar to many in west Wales.

During the Haverfordwest case, Rob Edwards described the HMRC petition as “a non-story”, said it related to “a VAT offset against PAYE that wasn’t recorded”, and insisted no debt was owed to HMRC.

But the Haverfordwest matter still remained live until it came before the High Court on April 15, where it was dismissed only after a hearing, with costs payable by the company.

That is why the latest Scottish petition is relevant here. It suggests the recent High Court case involving Haverfordwest may not have been an isolated scare, but part of a broader picture around the same football ownership circle.

There are also growing links between the two clubs at senior level. Earlier this month, Rebecca Nuttall was credited by Haverfordwest for key work behind the scenes in the club’s successful licensing process, while Hamilton also announced she had been appointed chief executive there in a dual role.

Hours after The Herald first reported the HMRC winding-up petition against Haverfordwest County A.F.C. Ltd, the club published a call for additional members to join its Board of Directors, saying it was entering “an exciting new chapter” and looking for commercially experienced people to help drive transition and growth.

Then, on April 8, Haverfordwest announced it had been awarded both its UEFA licence and FAW Tier 1 licence for the 2026-27 season, even though the HMRC petition was still live in the court system at that point and was not disposed of until a week later.

The Herald contacted the Football Association of Wales for comment last week, asking about the licensing position and the live HMRC petition, but no response had been received by the time of publication.

A petition is not the same as a winding-up order, and liquidation is not inevitable in the Hamilton case. But it is a serious legal step.

And when two football-linked companies in the same ownership network face winding-up petitions in the same month, supporters are entitled to ask hard questions.

Lib Dem candidate says west Wales cannot afford to lose more hospital services as she attacks plans for centralisation

FEARS over the future of Withybush Hospital were thrown into sharp focus when Liberal Democrat Senedd candidate Sandra Jervis sat down with The Herald and accused the Welsh Government of allowing vital rural services to be eroded “by stealth”.

In a strongly worded interview, Jervis said people in Pembrokeshire were right to be alarmed by the steady loss of services at the Haverfordwest hospital, warning that the removal of emergency surgery was exactly the kind of move that fuels public suspicion that Withybush is being gradually run down.

She said: “We need hospitals in our locations.”

Jervis said the argument that services should be concentrated elsewhere was failing rural communities and ignoring the realities of living in west Wales, where longer journeys can have serious consequences for patients and families alike.

She also launched a fierce attack on the idea of a new central hospital for west Wales, describing it as wasteful and out of touch when existing hospitals are crying out for investment.

“I think it is the most ridiculous, ludicrous idea on this planet,” she said. “That money could be spent on investing in those hospitals and bringing them up to scratch, up to the modern standards that we deserve.”

Her comments come amid continuing anger over changes at Withybush and wider concern that Bronglais and other rural hospitals are being left to struggle while ministers and health chiefs talk increasingly about centralising services.

Jervis said the real problem was not that local hospitals were underperforming, but that they were being starved of the resources needed to do the job properly.

“They’re not underperforming. They’re under invested,” she said.

She argued that Pembrokeshire should not be expected to accept a second-rate service simply because it is rural, adding that emergency care and core hospital provision should be seen as basic standards, not optional extras.

The Lib Dem candidate also said the crisis in the NHS could not be solved without serious investment in social care, which she described as overlooked and undervalued for too long.

“Social care is severely under invested,” she said. “It is quite easily seen as the poor cousin to the NHS.”

Jervis said more support outside hospital would help free up beds, reduce backlogs and improve care for patients who no longer need to remain on wards.

Beyond health, she said west Wales faced deep-rooted economic problems, with local businesses being squeezed by rates, rising costs and lack of support, while young people were too often forced to leave the area in search of decent wages and better opportunities.

Speaking as a business owner, she said many traders felt they were being punished rather than backed.

“Everything feels like it is against you,” she said.

Jervis said town centres needed investment, business rates needed reform, and young people needed real reasons to build their lives in west Wales rather than move away.

On the environment, she said cleaning up polluted rivers and unlocking housing development had to go hand in hand, with tougher action against water companies and more urgency around delivering the homes communities need.

Asked why voters should back the Lib Dems, Jervis said the party had deep roots in west Wales and a record of challenging those in power.

“I take great pleasure in being a thorn in the side of other parties,” she said. “I can challenge, and I think that’s what we need.”