The Welsh Government published a press release on 10 March 2023 setting out the support available through Keep Warm Keep Well Pembrokeshire, a programme that connects residents to local information and help. The publication followed a visit by Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, to the Old Chapel warm space in Tenby the previous day1.
Keep Warm Keep Well Pembrokeshire is led by the Pembrokeshire Community Hub in partnership with Pembrokeshire County Council, Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services (PAVS) and other organisations. The support it connects people to includes warm hubs, hot meals, community activities, and energy, money and debt advice1. Residents can contact the Pembrokeshire Community Hub on 01437 7236601.
More than 700 warm hubs have been set up across Wales this winter, with Welsh Government funding helping local authorities build on existing networks. This investment forms part of a wider £1.6 billion Welsh Government package of targeted cost-of-living support provided in the financial year, which the government describes as including universal programmes to tackle poverty1. The final 2023-2024 budget passed by the Senedd earlier that week included a further £18.8 million for the Discretionary Assistance Fund, to continue providing emergency support payments to cover essentials such as rent and bills1.
Sue Leonard, PAVS Chief Officer, said the Community Hub and delivery partners had mobilised quickly to provide a single point of contact for anyone needing help1.
"Our message is simple, one call, that’s all. I’d like to thank all our delivery partners and the network of community buildings offering warm welcome spaces for everything they have done to help people over the past few months."
Ahead of the Spring Budget the following week, the minister wrote to Jeremy Hunt to suggest practical actions the Chancellor could take, including abolishing standing charges on pre-payment meters and increasing Local Housing Allowance rates1. Rebecca Evans said support for the most vulnerable was at the heart of the budget, and that she had urged the Chancellor to use the welfare and tax levers available to help those struggling most with energy costs, housing needs and welfare benefits1.
Why it matters for households
The programme is a signposting route rather than a payment in itself: it directs households to warm hubs, hot meals and advice services, and to energy, money and debt support1. For a home trying to manage energy costs, the practical value lies in the advice and the emergency payments reachable through it, such as the Discretionary Assistance Fund, which the government says covers essentials including rent and bills1. The minister also pointed households to Advicelink Cymru to check entitlement to support1. The call for standing charges on pre-payment meters to be abolished and for Local Housing Allowance rates to rise had not been agreed by the UK government at the time of publication; the release records the request, not an outcome1.
What happens next
The Spring Budget was due the following week, and the minister had written to the Chancellor ahead of it1. No further dates for the Pembrokeshire programme are given in the release1.