WALES’ new First Minister Eluned Morgan vowed to focus on the issues that matter most to people as she outlined the Welsh Government’s priorities.

Baroness Morgan, who took the reins in August after Vaughan Gething was forced to resign, promised to prioritise health, education and the economy ahead of the next election in 2026.

She said her new-look Welsh Government has spent the summer listening to people in every corner of Wales, helping to shape her plans.

She told the Senedd: “Health and social care, particularly addressing those long waiting times for treatment, are the top priorities.

“There’s also a strong desire for us to make faster progress on improving education standards, and in creating jobs and growing the economy over the next 18 months.”

The first minister stressed that delivery, accountability and improved productivity will be the watchwords of her administration over the next 18 months.

Baroness Morgan, who was health secretary for three years before taking the top job, vowed to cut long NHS waits, including in mental health, and improve access to social care.

She told the chamber: “In Torfaen, young women told me they wanted more support for mental health and women’s health issues, like period pains and endometriosis.   

“The business community and housing developers in our capital city told me they wanted to see a speed up of the planning process.

“In Brecon, I was told school standards need to be raised, and many across Wales told me how they were struggling to pay their rent. One man told me his family was delaying having a second child due to worries over the rising costs….

“In the valleys, people called for better public transport links. In Connah’s Quay nearly every conversation was about the need to fix the roads.

“These conversations and many others like them have helped define this government’s priorities. We are listening. We can’t do everything, so we are setting priorities.”

She recognised concerns about the roll-out of 20 mph as protesters once again gathered on the Senedd steps, accusing ministers of ignoring nearly 500,000 who signed a petition.

Baroness Morgan cautioned that tough decisions lie ahead due to a £22bn “black hole” in the UK’s finances which she claimed was left by the previous Conservative government.

“I know that this won’t be easy,” she warned. “And I know the damage that 14 years of Conservative mismanagement has done to the UK’s public finances.

“As Nye Bevan, the founder of the NHS, said: ‘The language of priorities is the religion of socialism.’ That’s what we’re going to do in government.

“Today, we have the best opportunity in more than 14 years to realise our ambitions.”

Wales’ first minister, who was appointed six weeks ago, hailed a new dawn – with a “partnership of power” between two Labour governments at either end of the M4.

In closing, she vowed: “We have listened, we have learned – and we will deliver.”

Andrew RT Davies claimed it was the seventh such statement on priorities in the past year, saying it was the lightest on detail since he was elected more than a decade ago.

The leader of the Conservative opposition warned: “It’s no wonder those charged with delivering this … really don’t know which way to turn.”

Mr Davies criticised the first minister for “taking aim” at NHS chief executives in a BBC Wales interview, saying she appointed six of seven health board bosses.

The Tory pointed out that the Welsh Government has so far missed every target in its 2022 blueprint to reduce waiting lists.

“We’ve heard it all before,” he told the Senedd. “Time and time again, Labour ministers have come to this chamber to say that waiting lists are the priority.

“Well, the proof is in the pudding – waiting lists are going up here in Wales.”

Mr Davies also called for investment in universities and action to tackle “stubbornly high” school absenteeism rates in some of the poorest parts of Wales.

Rhun ap Iorwerth called the first minister’s statement “very, very thin” and claimed the Welsh Government wasted five weeks before appointing a permanent cabinet,

Plaid Cymru’s leader criticised a “summer of silence” from Wales’ new first minister, describing the listening exercise as a public relations stunt.

He said: “The result of the exercise … surprise, surprise was that health, education and the economy were the top priorities.

“Goodness me, if a party that’s been leading the Welsh Government for 25 years hadn’t realised those were the priorities then we’re in deeper trouble with Labour than I thought.”

Mr ap Iorwerth attacked the first minister’s “unwillingness” to fight Wales’ corner.

He said: “On the Barnett formula, HS2 consequences, on devolving the Crown Estate, justice and policing, Labour’s message to Wales is ‘no, no, no.”

During the meeting on September 17, Mr ap Iorwerth suggested the well of “clear-red water” between Welsh and UK Labour is beginning to run dry.

CONCERNS over ambulance services in Pembrokeshire have escalated, with local politician Paul Davies MS raising critical questions in the Senedd today, demanding urgent reassurances from the Welsh Government. The issue comes in the wake of several distressing incidents, including the recent death of a man after a nine-hour wait for an ambulance in Pembroke Dock.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Mr Davies expressed his alarm following numerous complaints from local residents. He said: “I’ve called for a statement from the Welsh Government on the delivery of ambulance services, following local concerns that I’ve received. Reassurances must be given that beds will not be removed from Withybush Hospital, as the removal of beds will only add further strain to the system. Support is also needed as a matter of urgency, as staff feel that they’re facing more and more paperwork and targets.”

The Conservative Senedd Member also highlighted that ambulance staff are increasingly struggling under heavy pressure, with added paperwork and challenging targets contributing to low morale. He raised the matter in the Senedd chamber, calling on the new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to make an urgent statement.

Addressing the Trefnydd, Mr Davies said: “Ambulance staff have raised concerns with me about services in Pembrokeshire, and I was alarmed to hear that 30 beds are to be removed from Withybush Hospital and Glangwili Hospital in due course. I was also alarmed to hear that ambulances despatched to Pembrokeshire are no longer ring-fenced to return, and the priority is to clear the backlog at Glangwili Hospital before any backlogs at Withybush Hospital.”

He further noted that staff are now facing a target of 15 minutes to complete a patient handover at A&E and another 15 minutes to restock and clean the ambulance, which is putting significant strain on already overstretched emergency workers. According to Mr Davies, morale among ambulance staff is at an all-time low, with many refusing to work overtime, particularly at night, due to concerns over spending extended hours waiting to discharge patients at hospitals.

“These are serious issues affecting both patient care and staff wellbeing,” he said. “Staff are telling me they are under more pressure than ever, with unnecessary paperwork and a target-driven approach that’s draining morale. It’s clear that we need a statement from the new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to address these concerns urgently.”

The demand for action follows a number of recent tragedies in the area linked to delayed ambulance response times. The case of David Bye, who died after a nine-hour wait for an ambulance in Pembroke Dock, has shocked local residents, who are now vocal in their demands for improved healthcare services across Pembrokeshire. Mr Bye’s death, along with other similar incidents, has intensified the public outcry for improvements to the region’s emergency response system.

The Welsh Ambulance Service has cited broader system-wide pressures, including long delays in transferring patients into hospitals, as a key cause of slow ambulance response times. However, residents and staff alike have expressed fears that removing beds from hospitals like Withybush will only exacerbate the problem.

Mr Davies has warned that without immediate intervention, the already stretched healthcare system in Pembrokeshire could deteriorate further, with severe consequences for patients and medical staff alike.

In his closing remarks in the Senedd, Mr Davies reiterated the urgency of the situation: “In light of the seriousness of the concerns raised, I believe that we need a statement now from the new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to address some of these concerns as soon as possible.”

The Pembrokeshire community will be watching closely to see if the Welsh Government responds with decisive action to ensure that local ambulance services and hospitals are properly supported, and that no more lives are lost due to delays in care.

A PRE-APPLICATION consultation on plans to build 35 affordable homes on the site of the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel, Pembroke Dock is to be launched next week.

In a prime location at one of the entrances to Pembroke Dock the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel has been derelict since a fire in March 2019, which brought emergency services from as far afield as Ammanford, Aberystwyth and Swansea.

A previous planning application for the demolition of the hotel and siting of a residential care home and linked bungalows was submitted in October 2022 and which was subsequently granted permission in February 2023.

This permission, whilst in outline, is still live and allows for the loss of the hotel use of the site and its alternative redevelopment as a residential care home.

The site has now been purchased by Castell Group Property Specialists who specialise in delivering affordable housing in South Wales and have undertaken a joint development deal with Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) and that deal was agreed back in April 2024.

Castell Group Property Specialists, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, now wants to demolish what is left of the hotel, with a development of two-storey affordable housing units, with landscaping and ecological enhancements, the housing being 100 per cent affordable, in a mix of a mix of social rent and affordable housing.

Initial discussions with the council were for 38 affordable units, which has been lowered to 35 in a mix of 16 x 1 bed units, 11 x 2-bed units, 6 x 3-bed units and 2 x 4 bed units.

Anyone who wishes to make representations about this proposed development must do so by the October 18, the formal consultation period commencing on September 18.

Details may be viewed here.

Responses should be emailed or posted to Hayston Development & Planning Ltd, Planning Studio, Hayston Bridge, Johnston, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA62 3HJ.

A formal application to Pembrokeshire County Council will follow the pre-consultation.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has previously said the 2019 fire was started by a deliberate act.
Following a fire investigation, Dyfed-Powys Police said they found there to be insufficient evidence to identify a suspect.