IN response to the announcement of a smoking ban to be trialled on Little Haven beach, I had to check my edition wasn’t from April 1 but alas Jamie’s Great Ideas Machine has struck again – not content with a cycle route from town to nowhere, now this?!

This is a complete and utter joke, a voluntary ban? What does that even technically mean? How much is this costing us to undertake and what are the ongoing costs for enforcement?

I am aware since it is voluntary that there are no penalties but I don’t doubt they will need somebody to enforce it to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign.

There are far more significant pollutants of our coast and countryside than this and money should be better utilised to tackle those issues. Littering, waste left after barbecues and in particular, dog fouling. It is a countywide issue that is undermanned and not policed effectively... something we have raised time and time again as Solva Community Council and a problem that persists in every community in Pembrokeshire.

I sense this policy was a chance for PCC to grab headlines of a semi-positive nature from an authority flailing around for ideas.

Look at our town centres, our coastal communities.

These are being drained and left to decay; Haverfordwest is a shambles with no clear plan for regeneration and the common trend towards the centralisation of services is slowly alienating rural communities, particularly ours on the peninsula.

I think once again this shows the deep division between the people of this county and those in county hall, Jamie’s Think Tank must be running dry as the leadership limps towards next year’s election, battered and bruised by mishandling education reforms and not to mention the Bryn Parry Saga.

I’d suggest they go back to the drawing board and get their priorities right.

JOSHUA PHILLIPS

Chair

Solva Community Council