Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Children have enjoyed half term holiday fun at Ammanford, Carmarthen and Llanelli libraries with pantomime favourites Dick Whittington and Alice Fitzwarren. Actors from Jermin Productions, which is staging Dick Whittington, spent time with the children and even joined in a Lego session! Osian and Griff Parry who visited Ammanford Library with their grandmother Sue Parry, who is a library member, are pictured meeting Dick Whittington and Alice Fitzwarren.

Young people across Carmarthenshire are invited to give their views on what is important to them to help shape the future of the county. This year’s Youth Conference, which is taking place at Ffos Las Racecourse on Thursday, November 3, is exploring well-being. It will give young people the opportunity to share their views on health and well-being, which will be fed into Carmarthenshire’s Wellbeing plan, being produced by the new Public Services Board. Well-being covers topics such as education, the environment, safety, health, jobs, the economy and all matters young people need to be happy, healthy and successful. There will be a number of workshops based on well-being at the conference which will take place from 9.30am to 2.30pm. Members of the Public Services Board (PSB) will also be in attendance to give advice and receive feedback. The PSB is a collection of public organisations working together to improve the health and well-being of Carmarthenshire. It was set up to deliver th...

The first phase of the £5 million Carmarthen West Link Road has been completed with the opening of the new Jobswell Road junction. The road, which will connect the A40 at Travellers Rest with College Road in Johnstown, is under construction by Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd, on behalf of the council. It will improve access to key employment sites at St David’s Park, the University of Wales Trinity St David and Coleg Sir Gâr, and serve the new S4C headquarters Yr Egin; as well as open up land for new homes and a primary school. A major milestone is the completion of the new junction on Jobswell Road featuring MOVA (Microprocessor Optimised Vehicle Actuation) technology traffic signals. This means the signals are more responsive to traffic conditions helping to disperse queues and keep traffic flowing, particularly during peak times. The completion of these works also coincides with planning consent being granted to the University of Wales Trinity St David for the Canolfan S4C Yr Egi...

The latest Clay Shaw Butler Money Matters column from the Carmarthenshire Herald. By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants. We often get questions from charities and community groups in West Wales looking for clarification on how Gift Aid works. The tax people at HMRC have updated their guidance for charities and community amateur sports clubs (CASC) on claiming Gift Aid on donations. The guidance has been amended to reflect updated guidance on the retail Gift Aid process operated by charity shops on donated goods. Gift Aid can be claimed on donations of money made by an individual UK income taxpayer. It’s an easy way to help your charity or community amateur sports club (CASC) maximise the value of donations. To claim Gift Aid, you must be recognised by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as a charity or CASC and you’ll need to ask donors to make a Gift Aid declaration. In certain circumstances, some payments made to chari...

Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen is seeing high volumes of very unwell patients in its Emergency Department and is taking all action possible to ensure patients are provided with the care they need. The hospital, like all others in Wales, saw high volumes of emergency patients during the weekend, many of which had complex health needs and required emergency hospital admission. Hywel Dda University Health Board is taking all actions, in line with its winter plan, to ensure that patients get the care they urgently need. This has included ensuring full staffing levels are maintained, discharging any patients that do not need hospital treatment in a timely fashion, and postponing some non-emergency operations. Carmarthenshire County Director Linda Williams explained: “It has been particularly busy this weekend, with lots of attendees arriving by ambulance and needing admission to hospital. Monday night in particular was very busy and people had to wait longer than usual. "Our front...

A celebratory event to mark the success of a project aimed at improving population health by promoting health and wellbeing in primary care settings has been held in Carmarthen. Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Public Health team marked the success of the Lifestyle Advocates: Promoting Health in Practice project with a special ceremony at St Peter’s Civic Hall, Nott Square. The Lifestyle Advocates project is a development programme, carried out in conjunction between public health and primary care, and aims to enable enthusiastic individuals to become skilled Advocates for healthier lives and promote wellbeing and prevention in their settings. More than 30 primary care staff have taken part in this new, innovative programme; gaining confidence in how to raise and discuss health promoting life changes and linking with local support groups and services. They have reported changing their own health behaviour as well as supporting patients to live healthier lives. The Cluster areas ...

Some 60 children from the Morfa area joined in a Halloween party at Carmarthenshire Council’s Morfa Integrated Children’s Centre enjoying dance sessions with numbers like Ghost Busters and Monster Mash. They were joined by Scooby Doo, and a snow machine added to the shivers for scary-faced painted children and plastic spiders abundant in the fun session. All the children received prizes for their fancy dress and party tricks. County executive board member for Carmarthenshire Council's Children Services, Cllr Gareth Jones, said :"The centre is extremely innovative putting a number of these fun events together at holiday times to engage with the children from the community."

Carmarthen's legendary Merlin Festival is planned for a relaunch in 2017. The event aims to celebrate the “Year of the Legend” in Carmarthenshire, one of a series of themed years being spearheaded by Visit Wales to promote what the country has to offer to tourists. The current 2016 ‘Year of Adventure’ is aimed at the growing action holiday market and promotes activities such as orienteering and walking. In 2018 it will be the ‘Year of the Sea’. A range of activities are being planned by Carmarthenshire County Council’s Marketing and Media team to mark the year locally, one of the highlights of which will be the Merlin Festival, centred in Carmarthen. The event is scheduled to take place on March 24 and 25, and aims to celebrate the legend of Merlin and other Arthurian characters said to have lived in the town and given it its name. Carmarthen is translated into Caerfyrddin in Welsh, which means Merlin’s Fort; the town also has Merlin’s Oak and Merlin’s Hill, plus many tales of t...

Pumpkins, conkers and daffodil bulbs are all in the mix for a half-term Carmarthenshire Council fostering fun day. And the venue could not be more spectacular, the National Botanic Garden of Wales at Llanarthne, on Friday October 28th. Entry to the Gardens is free for all the foster families and anyone who has an interest in becoming a foster carer and call 08000933699 to confirm their attendance. The day starting at 11am will be full of free activities including pumping carving, taking part in Bonkers Conker Competitions, conker necklace making, craft tables and face painting and a trip to the new Butterfly House ahead of a significant bulb planting ceremony. Anyone interested in fostering a Carmarthenshire child can contact the fostering service on 08000933699.

The growing army of older people in our community have so much to offer with an array of skills and talents. This became evident when Carmarthenshire council’s community resource team took to the road visiting Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford on Older Persons Day. They found a golden thread of multi-skilled talent learned over many long lifetimes running through the elder generation who popped along a breakfast in Llanelli, a fruit kebab lunch in Carmarthen and a cream team in Ammanford County Department of Communities locality community coordinator Ed Dewar said Integrated Services in partnership with Spice, were focusing on addressing social isolation and loneliness amongst older people.

The first e-version of community news publication Carms News is now available to view on the Carmarthenshire Public Services Board (PSB) website. You can view the Autumn edition online when you visit The Carmarthenshire We Want website. Carms News is a PSB partnership publication, which is usually produced quarterly as a hard copy and distributed to every household in the county. Now, two of these versions - Autumn and Spring - will be produced electronically. The Summer and Winter editions will continue to be produced as a hard copy. Through Carms News the PSB, which involves all major organisations concerned with our county working together to help improve the health and well-being of all who live and work here, aims to provide residents with all the latest news and information from across Carmarthenshire. Carmarthenshire County Council is one of the PSB partners. Others include Coleg Sir Gar, The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Hywel Dda University Health Board, Dyfed Pow...

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post. Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. www.philevans.co.uk ------------------------------------------ A spooktacular time? I’ve tried. I really have. After weeks of entering supermarkets piled high with plastic pumpkins and fake skulls, synthetic spider webs, rubber monster masks, battery-operated ‘torture victims’ in chains howling in pain and other ghastly, horror-themed tat, I’ve tried to join in with the relatively recent British obsession with Halloween. But I still loathe everything about it. You may think it’s just a bit of fun – but in reality Halloween is a money-making monolith that exists solely to sell you things you really don’t need and will be discarded on November the 1st. The shops and their suppliers don’t care because they’ve already taken your money and know they’ll take more from you next year. The highlight of the Autumn used to be Bonfire Nig...

Aberystwyth residents are invited to keep their eyes peeled over the coming weeks as pavements become awash with ‘clean graffiti’ supporting the Wales-wide Beat Flu campaign. The eye-catching messaging is part of the annual Beat Flu campaign which aims to encourage eligible people to get their free flu vaccine in order to ‘Beat Flu’ this winter. Adults aged 65 and over, people with long term health conditions and pregnant women are eligible for a free flu vaccine against this potentially dangerous disease. Carers, volunteers providing planned emergency first aid and Community First Responders are also entitled to the vaccine, which is delivered to adults as a small injection in the arm, and eligible children get a needle free nasal spray vaccine. Frontline health and social care workers should have the vaccine as part of their occupational health care, to protect themselves and those they care for. Dr Richard Roberts, Head of the Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme in Public ...

The latest 'On Song' column (about the choral scene in and around West Wales) from the Carmarthen Journal and the Llanelli Star newspapers - Get out the big red pen and make a date in your diary for Saturday, February 4, 2017. There’s a musical spectacular being staged at the Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli. The concert is being organised by the Chairman of Carmarthenshire County Council, Councillor Eryl Morgan, to support his chosen charities for his year of office. Councillor Morgan is raising cash for the Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli and for a new MRI scanner for Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli. Top of the bill will be the sensational Valli Boys, South Wales based performers who specialise in the ‘Jersey Boys’ catalogue made famous by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The Valli Boys are made up of four very talented West End performers. The Valli Boys members have appeared in musicals such as Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, The Lord Of The Rings, Merrily We Roll Along, Starligh...

Tax reminder from team at Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants in Carmarthen - The following Tax Events are due on 2nd November 2016: Deadline for submitting P46(car) for employees whose car/fuel benefits changed during the quarter to 5th October 2016 This deadline is relevant to employers who provide any employees with the use of a car. The form P46 (car) only needs to be completed where a car is first provided or an additional car is provided, or an employee ceases to have the use of a car without replacement. The completion of the form enables HMRC to amend the individual's coding notice to reflect the change in benefit. This notification may be made by paper or online form. Where one car is merely replaced with another, this may be reported online.

Environmental enforcement officers are increasing patrols in Cwmllynfell following complaints of dog fouling. Residents are concerned about the amount of dog mess on the streets, particularly in the New Road and Dolawel area. Officers will be patrolling the village and anyone caught failing to clean up after their dog will be fined. Residents are also being asked to help by providing information to help catch offenders. If you see anyone failing to clean up after their dog, note what has happened as soon as possible; include the time, date and location, a description of the dog and person in charge of the dog. The information can then be used by officers to target specific areas at key times. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “We have a zero tolerance approach towards dog fouling offences. Dog mess left anywhere is not only a nuisance and very unpleasant, but it can have serious health implications. “We take complaints of dog fouling ...

Hundreds of pumpkins blanketing a hill overlooking Llanelli have been ripening in time for Halloween And they have been rolling on down to the Market Garden stall of Miriam and Stephen Phillips at Llanelli Market ready for Halloween enthusiasts to carve their own masterpieces or make pumpkin pie or soup. From football size to giant pear shaped monster pumpkins more than two feet across, they adorn the stall almost begging to be carved to smile, grimace, happily gaze and even scare with twinkling lights on All Hollows Eve. Whilst quite an attraction at the Cowell Street entrance to Llanelli Market, the pumpkins always draw wide-eyed children in awe at the size of Jack-o-Lanterns on the Phillips family stall. They also attract the Mary Berry serious cook and, capitalising on this, the Phillips market stallholders give away helpful recipe sheets for making pumpkin pies and soup. The stall also supplies hotels and schools about Llanelli with the produce of their bountiful autumnal harves...

A Carmarthen farmer has been prosecuted for moving cattle while his farm was under TB restrictions. David Grant Hartman pleaded guilty at Llanelli Magistrates Court on Friday to four offences under the TB (Wales) Order 2010 in a prosecution brought by Carmarthenshire County Council. The court was told that Mr Hartman’s farm, Trebersed Farm at Travellers Rest, was put under TB restrictions which are supposed to prevent the movement of cattle onto or off a farm. These restrictions are put in place to reduce the potential of the spread of TB and to reduce existing breakdowns. Despite these restrictions the defendant moved dairy cows onto his farm on three separate occasions. The investigation also discovered that cows declared as inconclusive reactors, animals that tests had neither confirmed to have TB nor shown to be free of TB, which must be isolated from the rest of the herd, had not been isolated as required. Mr Hartman said that he had been under financial pressures and had brough...

A significant amount of the Kerosene oil which escaped from the damaged pipeline at the A48 in Nantycaws, Carmarthen, has been recovered. Valero, the company responsible for the pipeline works has confirmed approximately 120,000 litres of the estimated 140,000 litres of oil lost has been recovered to date. Works to repair the pipeline and isolate the leak last weekend were successful; with the westbound carriageway of the A48 opening earlier than planned. Commissioning of the new pipeline will commence at the end of this week and the re-opening of the A48 eastbound carriageway is planned to take place on November 1. Carmarthenshire County Council has now taken over as lead agency as part of the recovery operation, working closely with Natural Resources Wales, Public Health Wales, Dyfed-Powys Police and other partners. NRW staff are continuing to monitor the site and investigate the impact of the incident on the local environment. Tests confirm no public water drinking supplies have b...

A new scheme for the collection of garden waste has been given the go ahead by the council’s Executive Board. It will replace the current collection scheme of garden waste bags, which will stop at the end of October. Under the new scheme, residents will be provided with a 240 litre wheeled bin and garden waste will be collected fortnightly between March/April and October. Householders can request a smaller bin of 140 litres if they wish. It will cost £48 a year and residents can choose to pay by direct debit with payments spread over six months (April to September); or if they choose to pay in full they will receive a 15 per cent discount reducing the cost to £40.80. The council is taking delivery of a new fleet of refuse vehicles which come into operation from October 31 and they will not be able to collect garden waste. Currently, garden waste is collected with the food waste in the rear of the vehicles; however, the new vehicles will have a separate pod for food waste only. Loc...

A leading expert on history and international relations, Professor Margaret MacMillan, will deliver this year’s EH Carr Memorial Lecture at 6pm on Thursday 27 October in the International Politics Building at Aberystwyth University. The EH Carr Memorial Lecture is now widely regarded as the most distinguished lecture series in the field of international politics. Professor Margaret MacMillan will deliver the 33rd Carr Lecture, the title of which is ‘Sometimes It Matters Who Is In Power’. Professor MacMillan is Warden of St Anthony’s College, Oxford. She is the renowned and prize-winning author of several international bestsellers, and many people will have become familiar with her voice on Radio 4 in 2014 on programmes marking the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War. Speaking of the upcoming lecture, Professor Ken Booth from the Department of International Politics stated: “We are tremendously lucky to be able to welcome Margaret to Aberystwyth: she must be one of the ...

Two members of the Loud Applause Productions 'Rising Stars' team are on their way to The Netherlands to sing at a prestigious event. Thomas Bytheway (above) and Callum Rhys Williams (top) will join Loud Applause Ambassador Mark Llewellyn Evans at special events in the famous town of s'Hertogenbosch. The town has great links with Wales from World War Two and always includes Welsh artistes in concerts designed to mark the wartime liberation of the town. On the 22nd October 1944, the 53rd Welsh Division returned southwards from Nijmegen to capture the town of s'Hertogenbosch. For the next five days it was involved in some brutal fighting advancing to and then capturing the town. The 53rd Division finally liberated s'Hertogenbosch on the 27th October. Loud Applause Rising Stars (LARS) were honoured to receive an invite to perform in the town on the 26th and 27th October. They will join events under the baton of the conductor of the s'Hertogenbosch m...

For the second year running, Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth has come out as the top hospital in Wales for quality of care provided for patients undergoing an emergency laparotomy, according to a national audit. The National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) report also shows for the second year running, Bronglais is the only hospital in Wales to be highly rated for carrying out postoperative assessments by a specialist in patients over the age of 70. In fact, across both Wales and England, this element was only seen in fewer than 10% of older patients and for Bronglais to have been marked ‘green’ means this standard is being met for at least 80% of patients. Dr Phil Jones, Hospital Director of Bronglais General Hospital, praised the continuing success of the service in Aberystwyth: “These results are a reflection on the dedication and skill of the surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre and ward nurses, operating department assistants and all the support staff who care for patients with ...

Students and members of the public in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion are being invited to a careers event in Newcastle Emlyn next week to find out more about the range of careers within Hywel Dda University Health Board – as well as what it’s like to work in the NHS. Approximately 30 health board departments - together with representatives from the University of South Wales and Swansea University - will be represented at the careers fair, which will be held at Newcastle Emlyn Leisure Centre between 9am and 5pm on Thursday 3 November. Staff from the health board’s resourcing department will also be attending and will be available to answer any questions about applying for jobs, while the health board will also be running separate morning and afternoon sessions on how to complete applications forms, interview techniques, and a workshop on what it’s like to be a nurse in the NHS. Lesley Oldale, Future Workforce Officer at Hywel Dda, said: “Hywel Dda wants to highlight the huge range of ca...

Llanelli Youth Theatre's forthcoming production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible takes place at Stiwdio Stepni, Ffwrnes, Llanelli, next month. Llanelli Youth Theatre are renowned for their imaginative and highly innovative productions, being readily accessible, highly stimulating and visually entertaining for all ages allowing audiences to experience, celebrate and comment on the world in which they live. In a small, tight-knit community, personal grievances collide with lust and superstition, fuelling widespread hysteria. Miller’s timeless parable attacks the evils of mindless persecution and the terrifying power of false accusations. Both a gripping historical play and a timely parable of contemporary society, The Crucible is arguably the most important play written in the 20th Century. The Crucible runs nightly from Thursday 10th – Saturday 12th November at 7.15pm with a Saturday matinee at 3pm.

Residents across Carmarthenshire are being asked to help make a child’s Christmas by donating a gift. In its sixth year, the annual Toybox appeal, led by Carmarthenshire Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Pam Palmer, aims to provide presents for hundreds of children from families who can’t afford to buy them food, gifts or toys. Last year 679 disadvantaged children benefited from the Christmas Toybox Appeal with 2,500 gifts distributed. In addition to this 281 food hampers were given out to families. Unwrapped gifts are needed for children of all ages, from birth to teenagers and can be dropped off at a number of collection points throughout the county. Cllr Pam Palmer said: “The people of Carmarthenshire are always very kind in giving to this scheme. With a greater number of people using foodbanks, we are helping more families now than ever. We are really grateful for the gifts that we receive, however, there does appear to be a shortage for teenagers and we would appreciate if people re...

More than 60 new council homes could soon be built in Carmarthenshire. Development of 61 homes would begin in Dylan, Llwynhendy; Garreglwyd, Pembrey; Maespiode, Llandybie and Pantycelyn in Llandovery after Carmarthenshire Council’s Executive Board members agreed this week to move forward with phase one of an £8.5million investment to grow the local authority’s housing stock over the next two years. Building could be begin in March next year. The council is also adding new homes to its stock at an average rate of one a week by buying suitable properties on the open market – nearly 20 homes have been bought already this year at a cost of £1.7million, with the needs of specific families in mind. Carmarthenshire is one of only half of Welsh local authorities to retain its housing stock, and became the first in Wales to build new council accommodation since the 80s when it developed 12 new homes in 2014 – an act followed up shortly later when it became the first in Wales to suspend its Ri...

The parents of an Aberystwyth University graduate have donated trees to a local nature reserve as a thank you for their daughter’s excellent education. Since graduating in Countryside Conservation from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) in July 2016, Lizzie Tyson and her parents have been reflecting on her happy time at Aberystwyth - including her work at Parc Natur Penglais with the student Conservation Volunteers group. Seeing her enthusiasm for the education and experiences gained at Aberystwyth, Lizzie’s parents decided they would like to give something back to the University and town in a fitting way by generously donating lime and wych elm tree saplings to be placed in Parc Natur Penglais, where Lizzie spent some of her most enjoyable times. Famed for its fine displays of wild bluebells in early spring and spanning 11 hectares, the park offers peaceful woodland walks and excellent views of the town. Once part of the Penglais Estate, the beaut...

Staff and patients have been celebrating real life superheroes in children’s wards and units at Bronglais, Glangwili and Withybush Hospitals. A huge range of activities have taken place during National Play in Hospital Week, from colouring competitions, poster displays, parties and shows to visits from other real life heroes, such as the fire service and police. It was all organised by Hywel Dda University Health Board staff, children and families. Photos from Bronglais, Glangwili and Withybush Hospitals.

Carmarthenshire County Council is helping ensure bonfire night doesn’t end up a damp squib. Some 31 outlets across the county have been granted licenses to store and sell fireworks for 2016, and Trading Standards officers have been busy inspecting premises to ensure fireworks meet safety standards, are stored safely, and are only sold to people aged over 18. The council is also helping to share important safety messages as part of Operation Bang (#OpBANG) – a Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership initiative which ensures a joint approach to safety and policing over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period. Whilst people are being encouraged to attend organised displays, anyone who does wish to purchase their own fireworks is advised to only buy through an approved seller which will have been inspected by Trading Standards officers. Cllr Jim Jones, Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection, said: “We would prefer that people enjoy fireworks from a safe dist...

This week's special offers at Jenkins Bakery shops - WEEK COMMENCING October 24, 2016 3 Medium Corned Beef Pasties, £1.75 2 Large Corned Beef Pasties, £2.10 4 Medium Sausage Rolls, £1.90 2 Custard Slices, £1.85 Sandwich of the Week, Salmon and Cucumber, £2.20 Rustic Baguette of the Week, Chicken and Bacon, £2.50 Filled Softie of the Week, Turkey and Stuffing, £2.35 Website - http://jenkinsbakery.co.uk/

Parents across Carmarthenshire are being reminded to make sure their children can ‘Be seen this Halloween’. The council’s road safety team is launching its annual ‘be seen’ campaign to coincide with the clocks going back on Sunday, October 30. With the darker mornings and nights coming in, children are being encouraged to wear bright clothing. Parents could also consider investing in fluorescent / reflective armbands or tabards to help keep their children safe when out and about near roads. Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “On dark nights and in bad weather all pedestrians; and children in particular, are vulnerable on the roads because they are less visible to motorists. “We want to encourage parents to ensure that their children are made aware of the importance of wearing bright clothing this time of year. “Anyone travelling near traffic, for example children walking to and from school in the winter, should wear or carry something reflective in poor...

Two star Carmarthen pupils have been thrust into the limelight for their commitment and dedication both in and out of school. Luke Richards and Britany Day of Rhydygors School are celebrating after winning top awards at Radio Carmarthenshire’s Young Achiever Awards 2016 earlier this month. Luke took the Outstanding Secondary Progress Award for turning his life around despite being diagnosed with Autism. Britany, aged 15 and suffers with symptomatic residual dysplasia of her right hip, walked away with the Young Carers Award for caring for her family and younger siblings. The council’s executive board member for education, Cllr Gareth Jones said: “What a remarkable achievement for these two young students despite being faced with their own personal struggles. Their education continues to flourish and they really are a credit to the school. Well done Luke, Britany and the teaching staff at Rhydygors.” In 2014 ago Luke was refusing to go to school, engage in any school work and was gene...

Carmarthenshire residents are being reminded that changes to the benefit cap, coming in to force on November 7, could affect their Housing Benefit payments. The level of the benefit cap is changing nationally so that households will no longer be entitled to receive more than £20,000 in benefit. The change was announced by the Government in the 2015 Summer Budget. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has written to potentially affected claimants, informing them that they may be subject to the cap. In Carmarthenshire the new annual rates are £13,400 in the case of single claimants and £20,000 in the case of all other claimants. For some, the changes will mean a reduction to their Housing Benefit. Anyone who thinks their Housing Benefit may be affected is advised to seek advice. Email housing.benefits@carmarthenshire.gov.uk or call 01554 742100. Link Housing benefit cap