News

Our county the reason why Wales has to change

Published

11 years ago

February 24, 2015

WELSH Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews did not pull any punches when making the case for reform of local government. Highlighting events

Leighton Andrews: For reform of
local government.

in Pembrokeshire as an example of why reform was needed, the minister heavily criticised the authority over the size of former chief Bryn Parry- Jones’s remuneration package and was scathing about the perks doled out to the man dubbed ‘Pensioner of the Year’ by Private Eye. Leighton Andrews gave a hint that he anticipated movement from the UK Labour Party on the controversial Barnett formula, by which public funds are distributed across the UK.

Responding to a question about the commitment in the 2011 Assembly Manifesto to redress the balance of public funding between the different parts of the UK, the Minister told The Herald: “Ed Milliband has made it clear that he wants to see a fair funding formula for Wales and he will, I am sure, have something to say about this at this weekend’s Welsh Labour conference.”

He also said that he was open to the idea of reforming Dyfed as a local authority area, from which Pembrokeshire gained hard-fought independence only eighteen years ago. Visiting Pembrokeshire to discuss local government reform and council leadership, the Minister said: “We want to see a very clear distinction between the role of leader of the council and the role of the Chief Executive. In many authorities in Wales, there is clarity and people understand their roles and the difference between the political leadership and the executive leadership of the authority. Other authorities, however, we regard as being officer-led.

I think councillors have been afraid to challenge senior officers and we have, I’m afraid, seen some evidence of this in Pembrokeshire.” On the issue of the Chief Officer’s remuneration he was equally forthright: “I do not think it is acceptable for any chief executive to have a car allowance that is over twice the basic pay of other council employees, or that it can be considered appropriate for a council chief executive to be offered a luxury car, like a Porsche, by the local authority.

I think that the situation we have seen here, in Pembrokeshire, has demonstrated that things have got completely out of hand. We have taken measures to tackle this by establishing an Independent Remuneration Panel to assess senior officers’ pay. In the White Paper, we speak about an Appointments Commission for Wales for senior council staff.

I think that is a proposal that is worthy of consideration.” Highlighting a policy area that will strike accord with opposition parties at County Hall, the Minister detailed proposals to ensure that councillors are accountable to their electorate: “We have a lot to say about the political leadership in the White Paper; including the way in which we think leaders should present a manifesto so that they can be held to the promises they make.”

Mr Andrews did not underestimate the size of the task he faces or the magnitude of the test ahead: “I would say on balance that most council leaders would prefer the status quo. But I do not think that is a viable option. We have seen over recent years, service failures in social services and in education services. When I was education minister, of course, I had to intervene in Pembrokeshire. We have seen a lot of stories about the perks and payoffs of Chief Executives, not least in Pembrokeshire and the scandal of the Porsche.

I think that the public are getting fed up with what has been going on with local government in Wales. I don’t think that anybody in an ideal world would have created a system with 22 councils.” He continued: “I don’t think it will be an easy sell. There will be widespread public debate on the issue and the discussions that are ongoing will not be finished by the time of the next Assembly elections in 2016. There will need to be a consensus to move forward in the Assembly and that will require at least one other party to come on board with the Welsh Government, in my view.”

The Herald pointed out that, on the basis of what Carmarthenshire Council Leader Kevin Madge, a Labour member, had told it last year, that there was not even consensus within the Labour Party on local government reform. Acknowledging the point with good humour, Mr Andrews told us: “There is division in every political party within Wales, based on the conversations I’ve had. I think that is inevitable. Change of this nature needs a lot of discussion and, let’s be honest about this, there are a lot of vested interests involved in the process. There has been a lot of conversations over the last twelve months and those discussions will continue.”

We asked the minister about the prospect of forcing councils to merge, pointing out that Ceredigion had declined the chance to discuss merger with Pembrokeshire when it was the Williams Commission’s preferred option: “I am going to meet the Ceredigion leader later. While the Williams Commission suggested a merger with Ceredigion, it also set out the option of reforming Dyfed as a local authority area. So, there is more than one option to consider going forward.”

We asked how the reorganization would be funded, bearing in mind that councils are feeling the effect of Westminster’s cut in funding to the Welsh Government, which then has to pass on those cuts to local authorities under its control: “These are tough times, and tough times for everybody within local government. There is a cost to merging and a cost to not merging. We have given councils the opportunities to collaborate better together, to look at appointing officers together and save council tax payers’ money.

They have failed to do that and the opportunity costs of not merging are sometimes overlooked.” It seemed from his answer that the minister thought that the savings made would fund the costs of mergers. We asked whether that was really the case: “Ultimately I think that will be true. We have seen a number of estimates of the level of savings that will be made. A review commissioned by the Welsh Local Government Association suggested that savings of £65m a year could be made.

Those are very substantial savings. We will look at all of the costings as we look at our proposals.” One particular proposal that has attracted a lot of comment is that of term limits on service both as a councillor and as a member of a council’s cabinet. We asked whether the Minister would lobby for term limits for AM’s, as well: “I’m relaxed about that. We don’t have a government policy on it. However, we don’t have the powers to set term limits for Assembly Member: that is reserved to the UK government.”

News

Legal services oversight ‘not fit for purpose’ as reports call for major reform

Published

16 hours ago

July 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Independent review and Consumer Panel proposals highlight fragmented regulation, consumer harm and the need for a single oversight system

TWO major reports published within days of each other have raised serious concerns about the fragmented regulation of legal services in England and Wales.

An independent review of the Legal Services Board, published by the Ministry of Justice on July 13, found that weaknesses in regulatory oversight had resulted in “significant consumer detriment”.

The review, led by consumer rights expert Richard Lloyd, examined the performance of the Legal Services Board, which oversees frontline regulators including the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board.

It concluded that gaps in oversight had contributed to regulatory failures, with the Legal Services Board acknowledging that improvements were needed.

Three days later, the Legal Services Consumer Panel published its position paper, A Regulatory Framework for the Future, calling for the existing system to be replaced by a single regulator covering solicitors, barristers and other legal professionals.

The panel also proposed a unified disciplinary process and a central intelligence function bringing together complaints, professional conduct reports and financial monitoring.

However, neither report anticipates a substantially reformed regulatory system being operational before 2029.

The findings have also highlighted the pressures already facing barristers’ chambers, which must meet direct obligations relating to anti-money laundering procedures, cybersecurity and the safeguarding of client and chambers’ finances.

Unlike many solicitors’ firms, chambers are often managed by a senior clerk and a relatively small operational team, rather than a dedicated compliance department.

Compliance information may therefore be spread across several systems, including practice-management software, spreadsheets, external cybersecurity providers and separate financial controls.

VENTRiQ, which provides operational and compliance infrastructure to barristers’ chambers, said the problems identified at national level reflected challenges already being managed within individual legal practices.

Kevin Morrow, Head of Business Development at VENTRiQ, said: “What the Consumer Panel is describing nationally, a compliance picture stitched together from systems that do not talk to each other, is what a lot of sets are running internally today.

“AML checks might be held in one place, cybersecurity managed by an outside contractor and financial safeguards recorded on a spreadsheet.

“None of it is connected or visible in one place to the person who is ultimately accountable.”

Mr Morrow said chambers did not need to wait for the introduction of a new national regulatory structure before improving their internal oversight.

He added: “Most of what is being proposed, including having one place to view risk, complaints and financial exposure together, is something a set can already put in place.

“Better-connected systems can give chambers a clearer picture of their obligations and allow potential problems to be identified much earlier.”

The Legal Services Consumer Panel said its preferred model would simplify accountability, improve information sharing and create a more consistent disciplinary process across the profession.

Its recommendations are expected to contribute to a wider debate over the future regulation of legal services and whether the current structure remains capable of protecting consumers.

Health

Every child in Wales to be offered 20 school swimming and water safety lessons

Published

16 hours ago

July 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair

New £2 million Nofio Ysgol programme will begin in nine council areas this September before expanding across Wales

EVERY child in Wales is to be given the opportunity to learn how to swim and stay safe around water under a new national school swimming programme.

The Welsh Government has announced that its Nofio Ysgol programme will begin in September 2026, providing pupils with a minimum of 20 swimming and water safety lessons, primarily during Years 4 and 5.

The scheme is intended to address major differences in access to school swimming across Wales. Around one in five maintained primary schools currently offers no swimming lessons, while relatively few children take part in swimming activities outside school.

For many pupils, lessons organised through their school are their only opportunity to become confident in the water, learn essential swimming techniques and develop potentially life-saving self-rescue skills.

The first phase of the programme will begin in nine pathfinder local authority areas in September, backed by £2 million of Welsh Government funding.

It will then expand to as many as 16 council areas from September 2027 before being introduced across all 22 Welsh local authorities from September 2028.

The programme will include swimming instruction, water safety education and Swim Safe Cymru sessions, together with classroom resources linked to the Curriculum for Wales.

Additional support will be provided to children and communities facing the greatest barriers to participation, including pupils in rural and deprived areas, Welsh-medium schools, disabled learners and children with Additional Learning Needs or healthcare requirements.

The programme will be funded directly by the Welsh Government and delivered through participating local authorities, with national support from Swim Wales.

Announcing the Nofio Ysgol Implementation Plan for 2026–2029, Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan said swimming was both a life-saving skill and an important foundation for lifelong physical activity.

She said: “Every child in Wales should have the opportunity to learn to swim, understand how to stay safe in and around water, and develop skills that could one day save their life.”

The Welsh Government said the phased introduction would allow councils and schools to test different delivery models, strengthen the swimming-teaching workforce, improve the collection of information and assess the programme’s impact.

The scheme forms part of the Government’s commitment to improving preventative health, physical activity and children’s mental and physical wellbeing.

Ministers said the long-term aim was to ensure that a child’s access to swimming lessons was not determined by where they lived, the school they attended or their family’s ability to pay for private lessons.

News

Royal visit, Welsh choir debut and shearing victory among Royal Welsh Show highlights

Published

16 hours ago

July 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair

The Duchess of Edinburgh joined packed crowds at Llanelwedd as Welsh agriculture, livestock, food and rural traditions took centre stage during the four-day event

A ROYAL visit, a landmark performance by the Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir and victory for Wales in the Six Nations Shearing Championship were among the highlights of the 2026 Royal Welsh Show.

Large crowds packed into the Llanelwedd showground during four days of sunshine to celebrate the very best of Welsh and British agriculture, food production and rural life.

The Duchess of Edinburgh attended the show on Tuesday, making her first visit in her role as patron of the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations.

A longstanding supporter of farming, food production and rural communities, the Duchess toured the showground and met exhibitors, staff, volunteers and members of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.

Another memorable moment came when the Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir performed the Welsh hymn Calon Lân in the main ring.

It was the choir’s first official performance in Wales since winning ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent and received a warm response from the crowd.

Livestock remained at the heart of the show, with exhibitors travelling from across the country to compete for some of the most prestigious prizes in British agriculture.

The supreme champion beef title was awarded to Charolais heifer Larahill Voiet, exhibited by Mike and Melanie Alford and bred by John O’Connor.

Corringham Lambda S Gremlin, a Holstein cow bred and exhibited by A Salter-Chalker and David Jones, was named supreme champion dairy cow.

In the sheep section, Arnold Oare claimed the supreme championship with a yearling Suffolk ewe, while the pig supreme champion title went to a Duroc bred by Morgan Halliday and exhibited by Pigs Dyfodol Pedigree.

Four days of equestrian competition culminated in the Royal Welsh supreme horse championship, which was awarded to Glyncoch Capoeira, a Section D Welsh Cob brood mare bred and exhibited by Glyncoch Stud.

A new Charles Arch Memorial Award was also presented during the grand parade in memory of the much-loved Royal Welsh commentator.

Charles served the show for more than four decades and was known for his commitment to encouraging young talent and promoting the Welsh language.

The inaugural award, which recognises an outstanding young handler, was presented to beef cattle champion Iestyn Llyr Hughes.

Wales also celebrated success in the Meirionnydd Shearing Centre, where the home team won the Six Nations Shearing Championship.

Champion Shearer of Wales Gwion Lloyd Evans and Llyr Jones, led by team manager Rhys Jones, defeated teams representing England, Scotland, France, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

New Zealand took victory in the Wales versus New Zealand Machine Shearing Test under the guidance of manager Digger Balme.

The main ring programme included the return of the Paul Hannam Quad Bike Stunt Show, while the Shetland Pony Grand National made its first appearance at the Royal Welsh.

More than 64 newly elected Members of the Senedd attended the show, reflecting the event’s importance as a meeting place for farmers, rural communities, industry representatives and policymakers.

New attractions included Cynefin, the Welsh Sheep Village, while the Food Hall showcased produce from businesses across Wales and further afield.

The Welsh Food and Drink Village, Gwledd, featured live performances from the BBC Radio Cymru stage, while the Horticulture Village hosted demonstrations and talks.

The Heavy Horse Village also celebrated the heritage and continuing importance of working horses.

Aled Rhys Jones, chief executive of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, described the show as a “tremendous week”.

He said: “One of the highlights was seeing the Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir perform in the main ring.

“The engagement we’ve had on social media has also been absolutely sensational, with more than two million views across our channels.

“Thank you so much to everybody who supported this year’s Royal Welsh Show and to the incredible team from the Brecknock feature county, led with great distinction by our president, Gethin Havard, and his wife Ceri.

“We are pleased with all the feedback we have received about the new additions this year, including Cynefin, our new sheep village.

“Our thanks go to everyone who plays their part in making this show so special.”