Annual Self-Assessment 2025-26

Well-being Objective 2 - Our Place

Prosperous places, with clean, safe and sustainable environments, where people can live well and thrive.

 

Assessment of current performance – how well are we doing?

General

  • Alongside ten other councils, we undertook the ‘Let’s Talk’ residents’ survey last summer (results were reported to November 2025 Cabinet (opens in a new tab)).
    • 57% of people agreed or strongly agreed that their local area is well looked after, the highest percentage across other councils, but people who lived in our main towns were much less likely to agree/strongly agree.
    • 63% of people agreed or strongly agreed that their local area has a clean environment, the highest percentage across other councils, but again, people living in our main towns were much less likely to agree/strongly agree.
    • 72% of people felt safe or very safe when outside in their local area after dark, the highest percentage across other councils.  People in our main towns were less likely to feel safe or very safe than those in other areas.
    • Satisfaction rates with services that have the greatest impact on place, such as housing, highways and transport, leisure and regeneration, were mixed but were consistently higher than for other Welsh councils. Satisfaction rates were highest for waste management and leisure, cultural and tourism where over half of respondents were satisfied, and lowest for housing and regeneration where fewer than one out of five respondents were satisfied.
  • During 2025-26, we restructured how place-based services within the Council are managed and organised so that we can give a greater focus to work collaboratively across the Council, with people at the heart of the process, to plan for the future development of distinctive and vibrant places.

Environmental Services

  • We began implementing our new Environmental Services Strategy by introducing kerbside collection of small electrical items and vapes helping to divert valuable materials incineration.  We also undertook initial works for reuse shops at our six Waste and Recycling Centres, which are scheduled to open by Autumn 2026.
  • We were proud to be named finalists in the Best Efficiency and Transformation Initiative category in recognition of our state-of-the-art Waste Transfer Station, The Eco Park in Milford Haven. The facility represents a significant investment in modern, efficient waste infrastructure, supporting improved operational performance and helping to future-proof waste and recycling services for Pembrokeshire.
  • We continued to perform exceptionally well in recycling. The latest published figures for 2024–25, show that Pembrokeshire achieved a recycling rate of 73.6%, the highest of all local authorities in Wales. The 2025–26 figures are still being reconciled and verified. We did not send any waste directly to landfill during 2025-26. The Withyhedge landfill site is independently owned and operated, and decisions regarding the disposal of waste at the site are the responsibility of the site operator rather than the Council.
  • Whilst the percentage of missed collections remained low at 0.126%, representing an 8% reduction compared with 2024–25, we recognised the need to further strengthen the resilience of the waste and recycling service during 2025–26. To support this, we invested in our workforce by recruiting additional staff and holding a Recruitment Open Day, which attracted around 100 attendees and generated over 200 applications for 3 posts. We also introduced monthly crew meetings to improve communication, engagement, and operational consistency across the service. Alongside these measures, interim vehicle arrangements were implemented to maintain service delivery while a robust procurement process commenced to enable the phased replacement of our ageing refuse and recycling vehicle fleet, providing a more resilient and sustainable long-term solution.
  • Our waste and recycling service continues to work closely with the Council's Fleet Management Service to support the delivery of reliable frontline services. During the year, an independent review of the Council's transport and fleet operations was commissioned to identify opportunities to further strengthen regulatory compliance, asset management, and operational efficiency.  The review has provided a clear framework for improvement, and a comprehensive action plan is now being implemented to enhance fleet management arrangements and support the long-term resilience of the service. Reflecting the importance of this improvement programme, it has been recognised as a significant governance matter within the Council's Annual Governance Statement (see the Our Council section).
  • Our Street Cleansing Team successfully secured funding for three mobile CCTV cameras, which will be deployed at identified fly-tipping hotspots. The cameras will support targeted enforcement activity, help deter environmental crime, and contribute to keeping our communities clean and safe.
  • We also secured funding to invest in new waste and recycling bins, including the introduction of larger-capacity bins with dedicated apertures designed to encourage correct recycling and reduce contamination. These bins will be installed in high-footfall tourist areas to improve recycling performance and enhance the local environment.

Housing

  • We made positive progress in 2025-26 with our housing development programme, delivering and progressing 221 units in total.  Schemes that had already started such as Glasfryn Phase 2 (11 units) and the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel scheme (35 units) have been progressing well. A number of complex schemes that had experienced delays are now underway including: Brynhir Tenby (125 units), Havens View (24 units) and Haverfordia (sheltered housing 26 units).  Welsh Government has committed to support these schemes with £43.8m worth of grant with match funding being provided by the Housing Revenue Account.
  • In addition to the 221 new homes (completed and underway) the Council is building, we continue to increase our housing stock through a number of other initiatives such as: Off The Shelf Purchases (25 units in Hook and Rosemarket), via Section 106 obligations (an agreement to purchase 21 units under construction in Saundersfoot), and purchase of suitable existing homes (34 properties).
  • Our approach to developing new homes has involved the community, and regular community events have been held during the planning development process for all schemes. Following commencement on site, further ‘meet the contractor’ events have been held so that the local communities can ask any further questions.  We have also developed local letting policies, for instance at Hook where we involved the community council, and this will go some way to meet the local demand and help young local families stay in their local area.
  • We worked on our Choice Homes housing allocations policy throughout 2025-26 which was developed in collaboration with ateb, Wales & West Housing, Barcud and Codi (formerly Pobl) Housing Associations.  The policy was agreed in June 2026 and will come into effect in October 2026.
  • We commenced the first stage of a Tenancy Management Restructure in order to create a person centred, proactive, and preventative rather than reactive service. A pilot was undertaken on the Mount Estate where the team worked with the Police, waste management and other partners in order to improve community cohesion and reduce anti-social behaviour.
  • The Tenants’ Financial Support Team actioned 1,441 referrals for people struggling with rent and bills. The team has moved to a more preventative model of working practice, seeking early intervention with tenants to prevent the escalation of debt.
  • For building maintenance, the introduction of Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2023 represents a step change in regulatory expectations.  This will require robust property level and component level data collected by comprehensive condition surveys.  It will also require software development and data management capability.  In response we have:
  • Established a Compliance Programme Manager.
  • Expanded our capacity to deliver major schemes.
  • Expanded our energy efficiency teams.
  • Created a void property team as well as one that specialises in damp/condensation issues.
  • Strengthened the workforce. Ten new apprentices were recruited into building maintenance in September 2025, building on the successful intake of four apprentices in September 2023.  A total of 28 staff and apprentices are currently undertaking degree apprenticeships at various stages.  This approach is strengthening the workforce pipeline and reducing future recruitment risk, although it does not negate the immediate need for additional experienced officers.

Public Protection

  • Throughout the year, we monitored air quality around Withyhedge Landfill site following concerns from the local community and introduced a dedicated complaint line. Monitoring results were reported to Services O&S Committee and overall levels of ‘bad egg gas’ (H2S) were low, as well as a reduced level of complaints compared to 2024-25.
  • Improvement in Food Safety and Standards and capacity issues were addressed through recruiting two qualified and experienced Environmental Health Officers and two other officers finishing their training and qualifying as Registered Environmental Health Practitioners. The service is on track to meet its recovery timetable by mid-2027.
  • Recruitment issues in Trading Standards persist. We are tackling this through a ‘grow your own’ approach of training staff. Throughout 2025-26, key priorities were taking action on the sale of illegal vapes and tobacco, and prolific rogue traders.
  • The animal health team has continued to prioritise serious complaints relating to the welfare of livestock and investigating illegal dog breeding and importation. Work has included supporting Animal and Plant Health Agency response to large avian flu outbreak and a number of high-profile prosecutions.

Infrastructure

  • We worked with other local authorities in south-west Wales to prepare for bus reform which will be introduced from April 2027. In collaboration other councils in south-west Wales and Transport for Wales, we consulted on proposed improvements to the bus network in summer 2025.
  • We continued to work on active travel proposals (walking, wheeling and cycling) and consulted on proposed routes, existing ones and asked for comment on which routes people would like to see introduced or improved.
  • Following a consultation in 2024, a review of 20mph limits commenced in June 2025 on a settlement-by-settlement basis.  The review led to proposals to change speed limits but further consultation with local residents was undertaken prior to formal change.

Property & Asset Management

  • During 2025-26, the property team took time to review its structures following the appointment of a new Head of Service.  The property team had previously undergone an extended period without a settled leadership.
  • We have accelerated our acquisitions and disposals processes by reviewing the Council’s Estate to identify underused or vacant properties that are no longer required for service delivery and could be transferred internally or disposed of to generate capital receipts. An example is the Asset Re-Categorisation of Properties report considered by Cabinet at its 16 March 2026 meeting. 

Planning/Biodiversity

  • The Annual Monitoring Plan, that will be produced for the 13th year of the current Local Development Plan, is due to be published later in the 2026-27 year. This will contain more detailed information on the performance of the planning system.
  • We continued to progress our replacement Local Development Plan.  Following Council endorsement, the Plan was submitted to Welsh Government for its independent examination.  This process has commenced but Inspectors have called an Exploratory meeting with the Council due to concerns relating to nutrient neutrality.
  • Nutrient neutrality requirements for the Cleddau catchment were worked on throughout the year, and Cabinet endorsed an action plan to address this issue in October 2025.  This is the Council’s highest risk, as it has the potential to have a significant impact on development and on Pembrokeshire’s economy. As the majority of nutrients in affected rivers originate from agriculture, there is also a question on whether pausing development is likely to be effective in returning rivers to good ecological health. A report to Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee (opens in a new tab) on 25th June 2026 gives a comprehensive update on nitrogen neutrality.
  • We are required to report annually on biodiversity in line with section 6 of the Environment Act 2016.  In summary, overall delivery against the Section 6 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience Plan has been strong. Of the 24 actions identified for this reporting period, three are no longer applicable. Of the remaining 21 actions, 10 have been delivered in full and 10 in part, and one action not progressing due to long term staff absence. While a high proportion of actions have been implemented, the review indicates that several have only been achieved at a basic or compliant level, rather than demonstrating the level of ambition and best practice sought.
  • We maintained good performance on application turn around and for planning enforcement (which is needed to maintain confidence in the planning system).  However, a small but growing number of applications are ‘caught’ by nutrient neutrality requirements including some major applications (including new affordable housing) and are stalled.
  • We worked with other councils and planning authorities in the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee to progress its Strategic Development Plan. We consulted on its Delivery Agreement, one of the first stages in agreeing this regional plan aimed at addressing issues such as housing need, travel-to-work patterns, economic opportunity areas, and the delivery of major infrastructure projects.

Regeneration

  • Based on claimant count figures (a measure of unemployment) the overall rate in Pembrokeshire changed little between 2024-25 and 2025-26. However, like all other Welsh councils, the rate for people aged 16 – 24 increased and one in five people in that cohort in Pembrokeshire is unemployed.  Addressing young people not in education, training or employment is part of our approach to prevention.
  • We did not renew the Pembrokeshire Recovery and Regeneration Strategy 2020-2030, but we contributed to the development of the South West Wales Regional Economic Delivery Plan (opens in a new tab) which is based around three key themes: renewable energy and the net zero economy; building a strong business base; and growing the 'experience' offer. Our Place based approach will inform future regeneration work within Pembrokeshire.
  • We continued to support the Celtic Freeport (opens in a new tab) through its preparatory stages.  Through the Council’s Accelerated Change Programme, £186k to support the Freeport Team for 12 months was agreed and Cabinet discussed a third tax site at its November 2025 meeting.  The Celtic Freeport is now live and open for business and seed capital funding can be accessed.  More information about the Freeport can be found in its Five Year Strategy (opens in a new tab), agreed in June 2026. 
  • We are one of the partners for Swansea Bay City Deal, a £1.3 billion regional investment programme which is in its delivery phase.  In December 2025, Cabinet agreed a change to its decision-making processes, aligning it with the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee, thereby reducing duplication and streamlining governance. The performance of Swansea Bay City Deal is evaluated and an independent review found that it “is well supported, governed, and managed with strong alignment of all participating partners. Benefits are already being evidenced and there are additional benefits potentially not being captured or celebrated.”
  • Retail Vacancy rates are one way the health and vitality of our towns can be assessed.  The 2025 retail survey found the towns of Fishguard, Milford Haven, Narberth and Pembroke have a lower vacancy rate than the national UK average.  The vacancy rate in Milford Haven has fallen significantly, from 21% to 12% following a similar drop from a 12-year high of 30% in 2022. Pembroke also shows small signs of improvement with vacancies dropping from 20% to 16% and Fishguard with a 3% drop to 14% since 2023. The vacancy rate in Milford Waterfront shows a dramatic increase to 27%, although it is a small centre. Vacancy rates in Haverfordwest (26%) and Pembroke Dock (18%) have remained about the same. Key town centre projects undertaken in 2025-26 are listed below:
    • Excellent progress has been made in progressing the Heart of Pembrokeshire project, a multi‑million‑pound programme to regenerate Haverfordwest town centre focusing on Haverfordwest Castle, a new visitor/heritage attraction and revitalising the town’s economy, culture, and public spaces.  The new striking signature bridge opened in August 2026 and creative waymarkers were installed in June 2026.
    • The Tenby Brewing Company agreed headline terms to lease the old Marychurch Foundry at Western Quayside in August 2025, joining Waldos which opened the previous year as a business trading in the area. 
    • We agreed to further investment (via a £1m Town Centre Loan fund) to repurpose the former Wilko building located on Old Bridge, Haverfordwest.  This investment is necessary to attract a new tenant for this key site in order to maintain the momentum for the town’s regeneration.
    • Good progress has been made on Haverfordwest Transport Interchange which is due to open in autumn 2026.  It will have around 280 spaces (which are wider for easier parking) along with electric vehicle charging points and solar panels on the car park roof.  The area around the interchange will be upgraded to promote active travel, such as walking and cycling, and bus access at Haverfordwest railway station will also be improved.
    • Designs for the Milford Haven Interchange were unveiled in September 2025 which was approved by Network Rail in July 2025.  Further information about the project, which is due to completed in mid-2027, is available on the dedicated Milford Haven Interchange webpage (opens in a new tab).
    • We continued to progress South Quay Pembroke, a difficult and complex project to renovate a derelict building in a prominent position close to the castle.  The project is due to complete in March 2027 and will house a new library and community café, and a healthcare, social services and supported employment facility.  We were successful in obtaining additional funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for a one-year Community Programme Coordinator post to deliver a vibrant calendar of events and activities at the new Centre, and a volunteering programme and educational resources for schools.  The Henry Tudor Trust will operate the new heritage centre, and it is expected to receive around 30,000 visitors a year.

Culture and Leisure

  • We achieved excellent growth across leisure centres with activity usage growing by 45,313 visits compared with 2024-25. 1,388,444 visits were recorded, a 2% growth above the annual target.  We refurbished the fitness suites at Tenby, Pembroke, Milford Haven, St Davids & Fishguard Leisure Centre.  Customer satisfaction improved over the past 12 months whereas our comparators saw a decrease in overall customer satisfaction.
  • Following condition surveys for Tenby and Pembroke swimming pools, in March 2026 Cabinet approved a Leisure Investment Programme addressing not just Tenby and Pembroke pools, but also an agreement to invest in producing the detailed the design for a new leisure centre in Milford Haven as part of the development of the new English medium primary and secondary school. 
  • Given the size of the funding required for the Leisure Investment Programme, Cabinet agreed to different governance arrangements for capital funding by incorporating Leisure capital schemes within the existing Sustainable Communities for Learning Schools Programme Board.  A further report will be presented to Cabinet in autumn 2026 which will review and prioritise capital schemes up to 2041-42 as modelling shows that potential requests for capital programme exceed the resources available (see Our Council section).
  • Improvements were undertaken at Haverfordwest library in January 2026.  This included an improved children’s library, enhanced digital and visitor information services and an improved customer flow through the building by modifying entrances and exits.  In 2025-26, visits to libraries (which provide a wide range of services) were very similar to the previous year.  Issues of digital material increased a little, issues of books and other physical material decreased a little. Last year, the library service was successful in agreeing partnership funding agreement with Milford Town council and in Fishguard, a benefactor provided significant funding to support the library. 

 

Evidence - how do we know?

 

Improvement actions - what can we do better and how?

  • Introduce the recycling of soft plastic as an additional waste stream collected from the kerbside and complete actions in our Environmental Services Strategy.
  • Implement the comprehensive and wide-ranging action plan for transport and fleet operations.  This will require additional resource capacity, alongside appropriate structural and cultural changes, to ensure that revised arrangements are robust, embedded and capable of delivering ongoing compliance and operational resilience.
  • Progress our Local Development Plan through its Examination stage to adoption by Council (anticipated by March 2027) alongside key Supplementary Planning Guidance.  This will result in an updated framework for planning decisions that reflects the county’s needs and development opportunities.
  • Continue to support the Celtic Freeport into its next phase of delivery.
  • As part of adopting the Local Development Plan, find a way forward for developments affected by nutrient neutrality requirements.  Options for this include a mitigation package using land owned by the Council alongside a local nutrient credit trading system, as well as working with partners on a nutrient Catchment Recovery Plan for Afon Cleddau.
  • Introduce a place making approach to service delivery across the Council.  This will complement the Local Development Plan and provide a holistic view on future of towns to include education, transport, regeneration, and health.  The approach will be underpinned by a series of town plans, developed following engagement with a wide range of stakeholders.
  • Implement a Corporate Landlord model to improve the management of the Council’s property and assets.  This will also enable the Council to have much better information on the condition and on-going costs of its property.
  • Resolving nitrate neutrality issues is key to development in Pembrokeshire as well as to our affordable housing programme.  In addition, building costs for affordable housing continue to grow, constraining our ability to increase house building programmes for both the Council and our Registered Social Landlord partners.
  • Progress our Leisure Investment Programme.  As part of the agreed programme, Cabinet agreed to receive a number of update reports including on the outcomes of a review to consider the most appropriate operating model for Leisure Services.
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