News

Clash of the councillors over ‘phantom’ grant improvements

Published

12 years ago

December 12, 2013

A WAR OF WORDS broke out at Pembrokeshire County Council’s monthly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, as the row over grant money awarded to controversial Irish property developer, Cathal McCosker, escalated.

Members of the Cabinet discussed backbench member Cllr Mike Stoddart’s request for the authority to make available all information to councillors relating to the Pembroke Dock property grants schemes after serious doubts have been raised over their administration.

Cllr Stoddart addressed the cabinet meeting in support of his request, and said that as a member of the council the information he is requesting – bills of quantities, tender reports, and final accounts – should be available to him as a matter of course, however officers and the cabinet disagree and hope to keep the information under wraps.

Cllr Stoddart explained that he had a lengthy career in the building trade, and had concerns that public money had been given out for building works which had ‘simply never taken place’, and that he had been hampered in his quest to ‘get to the truth’ by officers.

Council Leader Cllr Jamie Adams, and other cabinet members were less than sympathetic to the request, and became hostile to the idea that there was something going on which the council’s internal auditors, among others, had failed to pick up on. At one point Cllr David Pugh, cabinet member with responsibility for the portfolio under which the grant scheme operates, shouted at Cllr Stoddart, during a tirade in which he said that there were no problems with the awards and that the necessary works referred to had either taken place or were not paid for by public money.

According to Cllr Stoddart, money from both the National Lottery funded Townscape Heritage Initiative, and the European funded Commercial Property Grant scheme has been spent on certain construction work which has never materialised, on Pembroke Dock properties owned by Mr Cathal McCosker or companies which he is a director of.

He believes that there could be administrative shortcomings in relation to the grant payments, and that the Council is further trying to cover it up, backed by councillors and officers at the highest level in the authority, and preventing him from ‘getting to the truth’.

In a lengthy presentation, Cllr Stoddart told the meeting: “My attempts to obtain further information via Freedom of Information requests have met stubborn resistance from the Council. When I did receive some of the information, black redactions were included in the reports. All financial information had been blacked-out.”

Emphasizing that the redactions were not due to an over-careful council, but an attempt to hinder Cllr Stoddart’s attempts to uncover the truth, he said: “During the public inspection of the accounts I found sheets readily available for inspection with even the bank details of the developer, Cathal Mc Cosker, and his signature, there for all to see.”

However, the cabinet committee was having none of it, and Cllr Stoddart’s attempts seemed to be falling on deaf – or bunged – ears.

“All I want is the access to information that I require so that I can get to the truth” he said; adding:

“I am entitled to these documents as an elected member of the Council.”

To explain the difficulties he had been faced with, holding up one document, which was blank except for several large areas with black rectangles, Cllr Stoddart said:

“Look at this sheet. These are the names of the tenders I requested. Look here, all information has been blacked out. All this is cloak-and-dagger stuff about hiding behind the Data Protection Act, when really it is about not wishing to disclose the information.”

Cllr Stoddart added: “If the amount of money claimed for all of the building works has actually been spent on 29 Dimond Street then, in the famous words of Private Eye editor Ian Hislop, ‘I am a banana’.”

“In respect of 16-19 Commercial Row, Pembroke Dock, £41,900 is said to have been spent on 427 square metres of “New Spanish slates” at a price of £98.25 per square metre. This is already an expensive price, however, seven-eighths of the roof currently does not have new slate on it, yet the developer has been paid for the work.”

Cllr Stoddart told the committee: “With respect to 25 Dimond Street, there was a tender of £222,000 for a small shop of 35 metres squared retail space. You could easily knock it down and rebuild it twice completely for that price. In fact, for little more than that, Persimmon Homes would fit you up with a pair of semi-detached houses including the plot of land, road, and sewerage connection.”

Several decades ago, Cllr Stoddart ran his own construction company which employed thirty people at its peak. His company built many large developments in the county including commercial buildings and schools. Attempting to discredit Cllr Stoddart’s judgement and knowledge of the work conducted on the Pembroke Dock properties, Cllr Adams attacked his record as a builder, saying: “I have received information that you were not so successful in the building trade,” though he refused to say any more after being brought to task about it.

When pushed by Cllr Stoddart, the leader would not say what he had heard or from whom, and asked to ‘move on.’

In defiance, Cllr Stoddart said: “No, I will not move on. You have not addressed the snide innuendo you’ve just made about my career in the building industry.”

Cllr Adams barked back: “I am chairing this meeting – I will ask you to stand down”, and said he thought Cllr Stoddart was ‘confused’ over which works he referred to were eligible for grant funding, and those which were not eligible.

He also added: “And, from some of the submissions you have made, your understanding of the building trade is not what I would have expected. The fact that you consider it appropriate to make some sort of comparison between Persimmon Homes and restoration work on important heritage properties shows you have a lack of understanding. Nevertheless we will move on.”

Following the meeting Mike Stoddart told The Herald: “This is Cllr Adams’ usual tactic. He uses smears when he can’t think of anything intelligent to say. As you can imagine, he uses this tactic quite often.”

The ongoing saga of the notorious Pembroke Dock grants scheme and the council’s attempts to deny access to the necessary information to establish the truth has even attracted the attention of the national media.

In its ‘Rotten Boroughs’ column, last week’s edition of the satirical news magazine, Private Eye, reported on a statement it had received after approaching the council for its view on the “phantom building works.”

Private Eye published: “A statement explained that the chimney and playground (non) works had not been paid for with public money but “by the developer ” . How generous! As for the roof, it was indeed grant-funded: “The whole roof was stripped of and re-covered in a mixture of new and recycled natural slate on new felt and battens” in 2010, according to the council statement . Achieving such an “aged” look on a brand-new roof must require restoration skills of the very highest order!”

The cabinet’s unanimous vote, to deny Cllr Stoddart’s request “that all information (Bills of quantities, tender reports, final accounts, etc) on the Pembroke and Pembroke Dock commercial property grants scheme is made available on a confidential basis to all Council Members”, is not the final decision. That decision ultimately rests with full council at its 10am meeting on Thursday December 12.

Farming

Basic Payment Scheme 2025 balance paid to 95% of Welsh farmers

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Final year of BPS as transition to Sustainable Farming Scheme begins

The WELSH Government says more than ninety-five per cent of farm businesses have now received their full or balance payment under the final year of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), ahead of the introduction of the new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) in 2026.

Announcing the update on Friday (Dec 12), Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, confirmed that over 15,400 Welsh farm businesses have been paid £68.7m. This comes on top of the £160m issued in BPS advance payments since 14 October.

Final round of BPS payments

The Basic Payment Scheme, which has been the backbone of farm support in Wales for a decade, provides direct income support to help farmers plan and manage their businesses. BPS 2025 marks the last year in which full BPS payments will be made before the scheme begins to be phased out.

The Cabinet Secretary said officials would “continue to process the outstanding BPS 2025 claims as soon as possible,” adding that all but the most complex cases should be completed by 30 June 2026.

Payments issued today represent the main balance due to farmers following earlier advances, giving many businesses the cash flow they need during the quieter winter period—traditionally a challenging time in the agricultural calendar.

Shift to Sustainable Farming Scheme in 2026

From 1 January 2026, the Welsh Government will begin rolling out the Sustainable Farming Scheme, a major reform to how agricultural support is delivered. The SFS will reward farmers for environmental outcomes such as habitat management, carbon reduction and biodiversity improvements, alongside continued food production.

The government has argued that the new scheme is essential to meeting Wales’ climate and nature targets while ensuring long-term resilience in the sector. However, the transition has been closely watched by farming unions, who have raised concerns about the administrative burden, income stability, and the speed at which BPS is being phased out.

Mr Irranca-Davies reaffirmed the government’s stance, saying: “This government is steadfastly committed to supporting Welsh farmers to sustainably produce quality food. This is demonstrated today in our payment of the BPS 2025 balance payments and will continue throughout the transition period.”

Sector reaction

Farming unions are expected to scrutinise the detail of today’s announcement, particularly around remaining unpaid cases. Last year, late payments led to frustration in parts of the sector, with unions calling for greater certainty as the industry faces rising input costs, supply chain pressures and continued market volatility.

The move to the SFS remains one of the most significant agricultural policy changes in Wales since devolution. Ministers insist the shift is designed to support both food production and environmental stewardship, while critics warn the transition must not undermine farm viability—especially for family-run livestock farms that dominate rural areas such as Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

What happens next

Farmers still awaiting their BPS 2025 balance will continue to be processed “as soon as possible”, the Welsh Government said. Officials will also publish updated guidance on the Sustainable Farming Scheme ahead of its launch.

The coming year will therefore become a pivotal moment for Welsh agriculture, as the long-standing BPS framework—which provided over £200m annually to Welsh farmers—makes way for a new results-based model that will shape the industry for decades to come.

News

Improved train timetable launches across Wales

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Extra services, later trains and boosted Sunday routes as £800m rail investment takes effect

An improved train timetable has come into force across Wales today (Sunday, 14 December), with Transport for Wales (TfW) introducing more frequent services, stronger connections and additional late-night trains on key routes.

The winter timetable update brings one of the most substantial uplifts in recent years on the Wales and Borders network, forming part of the Welsh Government’s ongoing £800 million investment in brand-new rolling stock and reliability improvements.

More trains and later journeys

Among the upgrades, passengers will see:

A new hourly additional service between Chester and Wrexham, effectively doubling the frequency on one of the region’s busiest commuter corridors.
An extra train in each direction every day on the Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury.
Three later last trains from Cardiff to Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil, supporting shift workers and the night-time economy.
A new hourly Sunday service on the Coryton line in Cardiff.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said improved connectivity was “absolutely vital” for economic growth and passenger confidence.

“These changes will make a real difference to customers, who will benefit from more services and greater connectivity,” he said. “This has been made possible by our £800m investment in brand-new trains for the Wales and Borders network.

“We will see the doubling of trains between Wrexham and Chester and a later service from the capital to valley communities. In South Wales, people will continue to benefit from simpler, fairer fares through TfW’s Pay As You Go service, and its forthcoming introduction in North Wales will help even more passengers access easy, transparent pricing.”

Full details of the updated timetable are available at: tfw.wales/service-status/timetables

News

Wrecked guard boat still under watch off north Pembrokeshire coast

Published

8 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Tidal changes monitored after dramatic early-morning rescue

A GUARD VESSEL that ran aground off the north Pembrokeshire coast in the early hours of Thursday morning (Dec 11) remains under close observation as tides continue to shift.

The Resolute, a 24-metre guard boat understood to be working for an offshore wind project off the Irish coast, had been sheltering in worsening weather when she was pushed onto rocks near Aber Hywel, Dinas, shortly after 3:25am.

Four crew members were onboard when the vessel grounded in rough seas and a strong southerly wind.

Major rescue effort launched

The crew issued an emergency alert, prompting a full multi-agency response.
A coastguard rescue helicopter, both Fishguard RNLI lifeboats, and coastguard teams from Fishguard and St Davids were sent to the scene.

Turbulent air made a winch rescue impossible and Fishguard’s all-weather lifeboat was unable to get close due to cliffs and submerged hazards. The inshore lifeboat was instead deployed to attempt a transfer in extremely challenging conditions.

During the evacuation, the third crew member descending to the vessel’s life raft slipped, fell into the water and was swept away. Speaking afterwards, RNLI crew member Cedwyn Rogers said the team immediately switched into “hyper-focused” mode as training took over.

Despite the casualty drifting, helm Warren Bean — a volunteer with more than 30 years’ RNLI experience — manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside, allowing crew to haul the man to safety. The remaining crew member was then retrieved, and all four were taken aboard the all-weather lifeboat and brought ashore to Fishguard.

All rescue units were later stood down.

Vessel still stranded and taking on water

The Herald understands that the Resolute remained aground on the rocks yesterday and was taking on water. The crew were later assisted back onboard by a local fisherman to assess damage on behalf of the vessel’s operators.

Management representatives from Ireland were due to arrive to draw up a recovery plan, including arrangements to remove fuel to prevent any potential environmental impact.

Further inspections have been taking place today as the team evaluates the next steps.

Coastguard statement

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “At 3.28am on Thursday morning, HM Coastguard was made aware of a vessel with four persons onboard aground on rocks at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. RNLI lifeboats and coastguard rescue teams from Fishguard and St Davids were sent to the scene. The four people aboard were rescued by lifeboat, and the helicopter was stood down. The vessel, which is still aground, is being monitored as tidal conditions change.”