Residents and councillors voice concerns over Tenby's neglect and upkeep issues

Local residents and county councillors have expressed their concerns over Tenby’s neglect and upkeep, with many criticising Pembrokeshire County Council’s lack of investment for leaving it looking ‘tired and rundown’.

The age old adage of the Local Authority using Tenby as a ‘cash cow’ to fill the Council’s ‘coffers’ - has resurfaced, with fingers once again being pointed at Pembrokeshire County Council for a lack of investment in infrastructure for the local community - leaving the seaside town looking in somewhat a ‘dire state’.

Many of the damning comments have been sparked by a comedic post on social media from a spoof ‘Tenby Town Council’ profile, which firmly took aim at Pembrokeshire County Council in its musings refering to Tenby’s standing as ‘The Jewel in the Crown’ of Pembrokeshire as nothing more now than a ‘fairy tale’

The post which painted a somewhat dystopian picture of Tenby’s picturesque harbour stated: “In a magical corner of deepest darkest West Wales, there stood a beautiful walled town with pastel houses, golden beaches, and a harbour that graced a thousand postcards. They called it the Jewel in the Crown. Tourists flocked. Instagram lit up with pictures of the harbour or reels of Tenby’s quirky side.

“Everyone agreed: Tenby was special. Tenby is special. What nobody mentioned in the brochure was that the Crown itself had apparently misplaced the polishing cloth sometime around 2010 and never bothered looking for it again. PCC has its Tenby blinkers firmly attached.

“Botanists take note: outside the town walls Tenby's pavements have quietly become one of the most biodiverse habitats in West Wales. Where once there was tarmac, now there is a thriving ecosystem amongst the pavements and any crack big enough now houses weeds, grass, dandelions, buddleia, and something unidentifiable, PCC’s disdain for the town, visibly seeping out of the cracks in the pavements and those of the town walls.

“Streets like Warren Street, St Johns Hill, Culver park and Clareston Road are starting to look like the Serengeti in the dry season. The town walls themselves — a genuine scheduled monument, several hundred years old, surviving sieges, storms, and the Tudors — are now valiantly fighting off their toughest opponent yet: weeds so ingrained that their roots are pushing out the mortar that holds them together. Historians agree this is the first recorded instance of a medieval fortification being defeated by neglect rather than cannon fire.

“Every jewel needs its setting, and Tenby's setting is increasingly a light dusting of overflowing bins, discarded ripped open bin bags from the numerous holiday lets, chip papers, dog mess, and the occasional abandoned disposable vape, artfully arranged by wind and tide. It's become a kind of found-art installation call it "Still Life With No Bin Collection."

“Locals from Saundersfoot and Narberth grin from ear to ear as they walk the town and have reportedly been overheard remarking on how tidy and well kept their own towns are by comparison, before quietly wondering aloud why that might be. It's almost as if investment produces results. Almost.

“Faced with the age-old problem of teenagers jumping into the sea, PCC did what PCC does best: spent money on the wrong thing. A shiny new gate now guards the pier, backed up by not one but two security guards, council tax revenue well spent? Their job is to stand watch and prevent young people from leaping off a perfectly serviceable, relatively safe jumping spot.

“A triumph of risk management, surely. Except the teenagers, being teenagers, didn’t stop jumping — they just relocated to the considerably less safe cliffs and rocks around Castle Hill, where there is no gate, no security guard, and rather more chance of serious injury. It’s the civic equivalent of locking one door in a house made entirely of open windows, and congratulating yourself on the lock. Another sticky plaster solution from PCC.

“Nothing says "we value you" quite like doubling a business's rates while quietly removing services, the extra cleaning, the extra anything. Local business and tradesmen now volunteer to clean the streets, giving back to the community where PCC has fallen short, again.

“How much can they give before deciding enough is enough. Pub landlords, café owners, butchers shops, any business across the town have been offered a simple choice: raise prices, raise them enough to survive, until a pint and a pub meal are a special-occasion purchase.

“Meanwhile, in other corners of the county, business rates are so gentle you'd barely notice them, a pint is affordable, a meal out doesn’t break the bank, presumably because those towns haven't yet had the misfortune of becoming popular enough to be treated as a revenue stream. It's remarkable, really — being loved by tourists apparently costs you more than being ignored by everyone.

“A warning for those towns on the up, when the jewel slips the burden will pass to you. Travel a few miles up the road and the story changes entirely. Haverfordwest, Saundersfoot, and Narberth have all seen investment arrive and, wouldn't you know it, actual improvement follow. Clean streets. Functioning services. The radical notion that money spent on a place might make that place nicer. It's a genuinely inspiring case study.

“There's an old fairy tale logic to all this: keep taking the gold from the goose, keep giving nothing back, and eventually you don't have a goose anymore — you have a tired, unkept, overgrown, litter-strewn cautionary tale with excellent beaches.

“Tenby can keep the paint fresh and the postcards flattering for a while yet. But a facade, however colourful, can only hold up so much weight before the cracks start showing through — and right now, PCC seems less interested in checking the foundations than in cashing the next cheque.

“The jewel is still there. It's just gathering dust, and nobody with the polishing cloth seems to be answering the phone.”

County councillor for Tenby’s North ward, Cllr Michael Williams said that the Local Authority needs to ‘buck’ its ideas up, commenting: “I visited Cork and Cobh over the summer and I was hugely impressed by the quality of Local Authority services, spotless streets with not a weed in sight, but just look at our town and compare.

Cllr Williams said that he is fortunate to visit Eastern Europe annually: “Some of the poorest counties on the continent, and even they are leaving us behind in their cleanliness and quality of local government servces!

“We really have to buck our ideas up if we expect tourist to continue to visit us, before it’s too late,” he added.

For a seaside town that used to be famous for its floral accolades, enjoying success in both the Britain in Bloom and Wales in Bloom contests down the years, former Mayor and Town Councillor, Sue Lane who is chair of the Tenby in Bloom committee, said: “It breaks my heart to see how rundown and neglected Tenby has become over such a short time. Very sad but true.”

Although in the past Tenby in Bloom [an independent organisation with a charitable status] has worked alongside the local authority in supporting their work, the organisation has no connection to Pembrokeshire County Council or Tenby Town Council, who are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the town’s public gardens and displays.

Going into the budget setting for 2025/26, members of Tenby Town Council agreed to look at cutting the costs of the public floral displays.

A costings calculation for this year’s planting from Pembrokeshire County Council’s environmental services operations manager Neil McCarthy, explained that different scenarios such as dispensing with the flower towers that sit along the South Parade could save over £3,000.

Cllr. Sam Skyrme-Blackhall said at the time: “I have long had an opinion about the flower towers and I think they have had their day.

“We need to be looking at perennials, not plants that are taken out and thrown away every year.”

Her fellow councillor, Cllr Charles Dales concurred, stating: “The South Parade towers look tired very easily. Our responsibility is to look after the future.”

Subsequently, the ‘flower towers’ were brought back to the town’s South Parade this summer, as a last minute method to prevent inconsiderate parking that was regularly occurring alongside the historic Town Walls.

Another former town councillor and Deputy Mayor, asked the question as to what Pembrokeshire County Council has done for Tenby in recent years?

“One of the things that really gets to me is the closing of the toilets. We are supposed to be a family resort and people need toilets especially little people!” said Sandra Williams.

“Plus the lack of bins, most that have been there for years were all removed and now the litter is everywhere!”

Local resident Thelma Rind remarked: “All the pavements within the town walls, along South Parade and The Esplanade, seem to have become a public toilet, dog toilet, bird crap avenue, spittoons, chewing gum deposit sites, rubbish dumps!

“Pavements are sticky with spilled beer, or other beverage sold as a takeaway drink. It's almost impossible to find a bench to sit on, that doesn't have bird crap on, chewing gum stuck on, or doesn't have pigeons nesting above.

“It’s very sad to see Tenby in this dire state. I wonder what tourists, especially foreign tourists visiting Tenby for the first time must think when they walk our streets. Many towns in Europe undertake a cleaning programme of their streets and town centres on a daily basis. Why can't Tenby do this?

“The pavements and roads are guaranteed to be cleaned the week before Ironman, but what about the other 51 weeks of the year. People walk the streets of Tenby 365 days a year not just the Sunday of Ironman. There is only one word to describe the streets of Tenby - disgusting!

Another local, Alan Argent said: “We’re only a few seasons away from 12 Monkeys!Nature appears to have been awarded Tenby’s maintenance contract.”

A recent push by the Time for Tenby voluntary group, urged local businesses and traders to work together to clean the streets of the town centre and High Street early every morning.

Whilst many praised the volunteers’ efforts, others felt that the Council Tax that everyone pays should ensure that such cleaning provision is covered by the County Council on a daily basis, especially during peak summer season.

On the initiative, Cllr Laurence Blackhall commented: “In an ideal world we wouldn't need to - but it isn't an ideal world. So, with willing volunteers, business support and the odd spare hour, we can make a difference.”

At a recent meeting of Tenby Town Council it was discussed that the ‘Time for Tenby’ group were carrying out the work using Pembrokeshire County Council equipment.

It was highlighted to members that paving slabs on High Street and in Tudor Square were now showing their ‘true colours’. Councillors heard that the partnership was really positive, and that in a future meeting they planned more discussions on recruiting further volunteers.

The ‘Time for Tenby’ group also organise litter picks for the town’s beaches every Thursday meeting at the harbour from 6pm.

One local county councillor, whose wards neighbour the seaside resort, believes that all the blame for Tenby’s appearance shouldn’t all fall on the Local Authority however.

County councillor for St Florence and St Mary Out Liberty (New Hedges) - Cllr Rhys Jordan believes the Town Council should step-up with more funding to help keep Tenby better ‘well maintained’.

“Tenby Town Council could learn a lot from Pembroke Dock Town Council,” stated Cllr Jordan.

“Pembroke Dock funds a dedicated member of staff who helps keep the town looking its best by weeding, sweeping, emptying dog waste bins, and dealing with the day-to-day jobs that make a real difference.

“Meanwhile, Tenby Town Council continues to hold substantial reserves while residents are among the highest precept payers in Pembrokeshire!

“Personally, I’d rather see more of our precept spent on keeping the town clean, tidy, and well maintained than on additional engagement officers or other administrative roles.

“Investing in the appearance of the town would deliver a visible benefit for residents, businesses, and visitors alike. And while it’s commendable that volunteers give up their own time to help keep the town looking presentable, they shouldn’t have to.

“Keeping our streets clean and tidy is a basic public service and something our precept should be helping to fund.

“Pembrokeshire County Council can’t take all the blame for the town’s condition. If the money is available, why isn’t more of it being invested where people can see the difference?” he added.