CLAIRE ARCHIBALD MS has challenged the First Minister over pressures facing rural social care in west Wales, warning that families in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion are being left without the support they need.

The Reform UK Member of the Senedd for Ceredigion Penfro raised the issue during First Minister’s Questions, saying reductions in the clinical role of rural hospitals had not been matched by proper investment in community care.

Ms Archibald, who has previously worked as a carer, said the impact was being felt by patients stuck in hospital, families struggling to secure support, and people unable to spend their final days at home.

She told the Senedd: “Across Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, Labour has reduced the clinical role in our rural hospitals, but the community care to fill the gap has simply not been put in place.

“The results are delayed discharges, families left struggling, and many people denied the chance to spend their final days at home with their loved ones.

“We have providers across west Wales handing back contracts, refusing referrals and shelving expansion because they cannot recruit the workforce.

“So, after 26 years of Labour-led government supported by your party, isn’t it the truth that rural social care has been neglected and left to pick up the pieces?

“What concrete action will your government take to restore front-line social care in west Wales?”

Following the exchange, Ms Archibald said the issue was not simply about policy, but about real families being placed in impossible situations.

She said: “I have seen first-hand how important good care is, both for the person who needs support and for the family around them.

“When community care is not there, people stay in hospital longer than they need to, families are left fighting for help, and people lose the chance to be cared for at home.

“This is especially serious in rural areas like Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, where distance, workforce shortages and reduced local services all make the pressure worse.

“For too long, rural social care has been left to carry the burden while services are taken away elsewhere.

“People in west Wales deserve better than warm words. They need clear action, proper workforce planning, and front-line care that actually reaches them.”

Ms Archibald said she would continue pressing the Welsh Government on delayed discharges, care package shortages, workforce pressures and the need to protect services in rural communities.

A DVLA worker who secretly altered official vehicle records to make damaged, stolen and cloned cars appear legitimate has been jailed.

Matthew Holloway used his access to DVLA systems to help Swansea car dealers and others hide the true histories of vehicles, Swansea Crown Court heard.

The fraud meant cars which should have carried warning markers could be made to look cleaner, newer or more valuable on paper.

Holloway, aged 32, of Ffordd y Mynydd, Birchgrove, Swansea, admitted conspiracy to commit fraud alongside Ashley Keith Harris, also known as Keith Wayne Lewis, aged 44, of Tawe Road, Llansamlet, and Joshua John Sawyer, aged 31, of Treharne Road, Morriston.

The offending took place between January 2021 and July 2022.

The court heard Holloway worked in a trusted DVLA role dealing with specialist registration matters.

Instead of protecting the integrity of the system, he used his position to interfere with records, including log book details, vehicle identification numbers, write-off markers and destruction certificates.

The prosecution said his actions helped conceal previous crashes, remove former keepers, and create false identities for vehicles which had been stolen, cloned or reconstructed.

Some alterations were made for Harris and Sawyer, who were involved in the motor trade in Swansea. Others were carried out for people and organisations elsewhere in the UK.

Among the vehicles affected were high-value models including an Audi, a Ferrari, a BMW, a Mercedes-AMG and a Range Rover Sport.

The Range Rover, worth around £65,000, had been stolen before being given false paperwork and sold on to an innocent buyer.

Prosecutors said the tampering increased the value of affected vehicles by around £1.29m.

The court was told Harris gained about £90,000, Sawyer about £75,000, and Holloway was paid £23,400 for making the changes. The DVLA also lost about £27,000 in unpaid fees.

Harris had previous convictions, including drug trafficking and fraud. Holloway and Sawyer had no previous convictions.

Defence barristers said Holloway was ashamed of what he had done, Sawyer had made a serious error while trying to build a car sales business, and Harris had difficult personal circumstances involving his young daughter’s health.

Judge Huw Rees said the case was organised crime and had damaged trust in a national vehicle registration system relied on by motorists, traders and police.

He said greed lay behind the offending.

Holloway was jailed for five years and three months.

Harris was sentenced to two years and eight months, while Sawyer was jailed for two years and four months.

After the sentencing, Lisa McCarthy, District Crown Prosecutor for CPS Cymru-Wales’ complex casework unit, said the defendants had worked to conceal the real status and history of vehicles.

She said Holloway had abused a trusted DVLA position for financial benefit, putting at risk the accuracy of records used across the UK.

A DVLA spokesperson said Holloway was dismissed immediately after the fraud was identified.

The agency said it had since strengthened internal controls and continued to work with police and partner organisations to tackle vehicle fraud.

Photo caption: Jailed: Matthew Holloway, Joshua Sawyer and Ashley Harris were sentenced at Swansea Crown Court (Pic: South Wales Police).

A PEMBROKE DOCK man has admitted breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order on two separate occasions.

Jack Thomas, aged 23, of Bush Street, Pembroke Dock, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday (Jun 8).

Thomas admitted breaching an order made by Swansea Crown Court on June 5, 2023.

The court heard that on March 23, 2026, at Pembroke Dock, Thomas used a profile name on social media which had not been approved by police before its use.

He also admitted a second breach on April 22, 2026, when he deleted a message from Facebook Messenger.

Both actions were prohibited under the terms of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Magistrates adjourned the case for the preparation of an all-options pre-sentence report.

Thomas was granted unconditional bail and must return to Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday, June 29, at 10:00am.