CEREDIGION Penfro MS Anna Nicholl has welcomed the Welsh Government’s broad ambition to strengthen rural resilience and sustainability, but has warned that farmers and local communities must be involved in shaping the detail if policies are to work in practice.

Speaking during a Senedd debate on June 23, Ms Nicholl referred to a recent visit to a farm in Pembrokeshire with the Farmers’ Union of Wales, where she heard first-hand about the significant challenges facing the sector.

She highlighted examples of farms working with Farming Connect to reduce emissions, boost biodiversity and increase profits at the same time.

Ms Nicholl welcomed some of the Government’s stated priorities, including tackling bovine TB, reforming nitrate vulnerable zone regulations and cutting red tape, saying they had given the industry “fresh hope”.

But she pressed ministers on how they would work with farmers when drawing up the detail of future policy.

In response, the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability said the Sustainable Farming Scheme was being refined following feedback, with an emphasis on working with the sector, making the system easier to navigate and offering greater long-term certainty.

Ms Nicholl said: “It’s clear that change is needed to respond to the climate and nature crises, but that change must happen with our rural communities, not against them.

“It’s not just farming that matters here – it’s about keeping our food system strong, supporting local businesses, and securing jobs in our rural areas.

“Farmers in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire want to see a system that is fair, simple to navigate, and provides real financial security, while also tackling the nature and climate crisis.

“It’s positive to hear that the Government is talking about less bureaucracy and more partnership. I look forward to seeing that happen in practice now.”

Photo caption: Anna Nicholl MS, Member of the Senedd for Ceredigion Penfro, on a farm visit in north Pembrokeshire arranged by the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

Round Table says legal clarity over pedestrian access is still holding up event plan

TENBY ROUND TABLE has welcomed Pembrokeshire County Council’s statement that it wants the Tenby Summer Spectacular to go ahead, but says one key legal question remains unanswered.

The council said on Wednesday (Jun 24) that it had not requested or directed that the event should be cancelled, and that it wanted to see the Spectacular proceed if safety requirements could be met.

But organisers say they are still waiting for a detailed response from council officers on how pedestrian access to the licensed event area at Tenby Harbour can be lawfully managed.

Tenby Round Table said volunteer members were “working tirelessly” to prepare the information needed to finalise the Event Management Plan.

However, it said the final version could not be completed until the question of lawful pedestrian access had been answered by Pembrokeshire County Council.

In a statement, Tenby Round Table said: “We welcome Cllr Miller’s statement. We obviously share his desire to see these events go ahead, they are important for the community and for the charities that benefit from them.

“We would like to clarify the position of where we are in the process however. Volunteer members of Tenby Round Table are working tirelessly to prepare all the information required to finalise our Event Management Plan.

“The reason we cannot produce the final version of this is the one outstanding question, how pedestrian access to the licensed event area will be lawfully managed, which only PCC can answer.

“A detailed response to this, backed up with a legal framework, is what we have been waiting for nine months for from PCC.”

Round Table said its most recent email on the issue was sent on Monday and had not yet been acknowledged or answered.

It said that email was itself chasing a response which had already passed an extended deadline.

The statement added: “This response is the single most important element currently holding up our EMP submission and our ability to confirm the events can proceed.

“We would very much welcome Cllr Miller’s and Cllr Skyrme-Blackhall’s encouragement of the relevant PCC officers to respond by the deadline set, as to date this press release has been our only communication from PCC since our announcement.”

Earlier, Pembrokeshire County Council Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller said the authority had supported the Spectacular for nearly 15 years and had not sought its cancellation.

He said: “The Spectacular is a much-loved event with significant number of attendees. As a result, we have an important duty to make sure the event can take place safely to address the concerns formally raised by the Responsible Authorities under the Licensing Act, which include the blue light services.

“Tenby Harbour is a working harbour and a key community asset – and just as every year this event needs to be licensed, and the organisers need to provide important information on how they plan to safely manage the event.”

Cllr Miller added: “As a council, we very much want this event to go ahead but we have to make sure the event is safe for the public, with the right safety measures in place.

“Once the organisers provide the required information, the Licensing Sub-Committee, currently scheduled for July, will consider the event application, in exactly the same way they consider the large number of other events which occur across Pembrokeshire each year.”

Local member Cllr Sam Skyrme-Blackhall also said she wanted to see the Spectaculars go ahead.

She said: “It is important for locals and visitors alike to celebrate Tenby, have fun and raise money for worthy causes.

“I am really encouraged from meetings that I have had with senior officers that everyone is ready to do all that they can to enable these events to go ahead.”

The future of this year’s Tenby Spectaculars now appears to rest on whether the outstanding legal question over pedestrian access can be resolved in time for organisers to submit their final Event Management Plan ahead of the Licensing Sub-Committee hearing expected in July.

CYMDEITHAS YR LAITH has welcomed Carmarthenshire County Council’s decision to expand Welsh-medium education provision in some of the county’s urban areas.

The Council’s Education, Young People and Welsh Language Scrutiny Committee approved a recommendation to consult on making a regulated change to Welsh-language provision in the following primary schools: Ysgol Bro Banw, Ysgol Griffith Jones, Ysgol Llangynnwr, and Ysgol Llandybie. The decision will go before the Cabinet on Monday (29/06/2026) for final approval.

A spokesperson for Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Carmarthenshire Region said: “We are very pleased that the Council intends to expand Welsh-medium education provision in these schools, moving closer to the goal of ensuring that no pupil is deprived of the ability to work and communicate confidently in both languages.

“We particularly welcome the changes at the large urban school, Ysgol Bro Banw. However, we seek clarification regarding the decision to introduce bilingual provision at the school, rather than converting it into a fully Welsh-medium school. Research shows that Welsh-medium education is the only way to ensure bilingualism among young people.

“It is worth noting that there are seven bilingual primary schools in the county, in addition to those mentioned in the report, and several of these provide only Welsh-medium education during the Foundation Phase. We therefore encourage the Council to continue the work of converting all these bilingual schools into Welsh-medium schools and to address gaps in Welsh-medium education provision in areas such as the south-west of the county and the town of Carmarthen as well. 

“At the same time, we are disappointed that the Council is removing Welsh-medium education from our rural communities. Although they are increasing capacity in St Clears, they are simultaneously losing Welsh-medium capacity in the area through their plans to close Ysgol Meidrim. We therefore call for a new and sustainable strategy for rural education.” 

The spokesperson added: “We look forward to the Council’s next announcement, when the names of four additional schools will be revealed. Nevertheless, it is disappointing that we have to wait until the autumn for that announcement. We respectfully ask the Council to accelerate the process in order to prevent the ongoing injustice whereby pupils are being deprived of the ability to communicate and work in Welsh as well as English.”