News

Grants scandal: Council rejected offer of repayment

Published

10 years ago

May 3, 2016

Tom Sinclair

Cllr Mike Stoddart: Tax payer money, we have a right to know

IN AN effort to clear up the mystery of repayment of grant monies for schemes in Pembroke Dock, Hakin councillor Mike Stoddart has put down a notice of motion for the next meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC).

According to C llr Stoddart, in early 2014 developer Cathal McCosker offered to pay back the whole of the £180,000 in grants he had received for four projects (10 Meyrick Street and Nos 25, 27 and 29 Dimond Street) in Pembroke Dock.

The offer came after the council demanded that he should produce bank statements as proof of payment to the builder, as required by the grant agreement,

Cllr Stoddart claims that, during a meeting with officers from the Wales European Funding Office (WEFO) in the summer of 2014, he was told that, rather than produce the bank statements, Mr McCosker said he would repay all the monies received for the four properties with the Meyrick Street grant being paid back immediately and the rest within 12 months.

In the meantime, because of irregularities in the grant payments discovered by Cllr Stoddart, the council had to return the £180,000 to WEFO, so, until such time as the money is recovered from Mr McCosker, it isn’t available to support regeneration projects in Pembroke and Pembroke Dock.

That prompted him to put down a motion to the council meeting in December 2014 calling for all correspondence on the subject of grant repayments to be made available to elected members. That was not adopted, but council agreed on a recorded vote that members of the audit committee should have access to the documents on a confidential basis.

“It seems that the issue has disappeared into the long grass because nothing has been heard since” Mike Stoddart told the Herald.

During PCC’s public audit inspection in July 2015, the Hakin councillor discovered that an invoice had been raised against Mr McCosker for £189,000 – the amount of grant to be repaid.

However, there was no record of any repayments being made.

When he made enquiries with the council’s finance department he was told “Payments are being made and monitored but at the current level they will take years to recover”

Mike Stoddart has made a series of emails available to the Herald which paint a very confused picture.

On 31 March 2016 was told: “Mr McCosker is repaying the debt and the payments are going to an account in his personal name”

This email also contained an extract from a statement the council had made to the police: “A letter was received by PCC from Mr McCosker offering to repay the £189,000, this was dismissed.”

Clearly, the claim that the repayment offer had been “dismissed” was not consistent with the statement in the same email that “Mr McCosker is repaying the debt”

When Cllr Stoddart sought clarification he was told: “to date £18,000 has been collected towards the debt.”

So, two years after Mr McCosker offered to pay back the whole of the £180,000 within twelve months, only 10% has been collected and, for some as yet unexplained reason, that has been paid into an account in Mr McCosker’s personal name.

Mike Stoddart told the Herald: “This is taxpayers’ money and people have the right to know what is going on. When my notice of motion comes before the council I will be calling for a recorded vote so that the electorate can see who is for openness and transparency and who isn’t”

Community

Surfers take sewage protest to Broad Haven beach

Published

11 hours ago

May 16, 2026

Tom Sinclair

CAMPAIGNERS took to the sea at Broad Haven today in a colourful protest demanding urgent action over sewage pollution in Welsh waters.

Surfers, paddleboarders, swimmers and families gathered on the beach on Saturday, with banners calling for cleaner seas and an end to pollution incidents affecting rivers and coastal waters.

The protest was part of the Surfers Against Sewage campaign, with demonstrators carrying placards reading “Keep the sea clean”, “Stop the pollution” and “Cut the crap”.

Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell attended the demonstration and made a speech supporting calls for tougher action. He has also recently written to Welsh Water raising concerns about pollution and water quality in the Tenby area.

***Henry Tufnell MP speaking at the protest (Pic: Martin Cavaney / Herald)***

Local community councillor Jeff Tierney, who works on and in the water at Abereiddy, said he fully supported the campaign.

Cllr Tierney said: “As a surfer, local community councillor and someone who works on and in the water at Abereiddy, I fully support the Surfers Against Sewage campaign.

“We are lucky at Abereiddy our water is excellent, but it’s clear the water companies have failed to invest adequately in ageing infrastructure over the past decades, allowing unregulated sewage discharges, poorly maintained drains and outdated treatment systems to become the norm.

“The result is that some of the treatment works are completely overwhelmed with sewage now effectively bypassing the treatment process, resulting in some rivers and coastal areas at times becoming unsafe and hazardous for swimmers, surfers, fishermen and other water users.

***Making a stand: Surfers, swimmers and campaigners gathered at Broad Haven beach to protest over sewage pollution in Welsh waters (Pic: Martin Cavaney / Herald)***

“Clean water should not be viewed as a luxury. It’s essential for public health, tourism, local livelihoods and the environment.

“The more this issue is brought into the public domain to make the public aware and put pressure on Natural Resources Wales to do their job properly, the better.”

Campaigners said the issue is no longer just an environmental concern, but one affecting public health, tourism, local businesses and confidence in Wales’ coastal waters.

Broad Haven, like many Pembrokeshire beaches, is central to the county’s identity and visitor economy.

Saturday’s protest showed the strength of feeling among those who use the sea regularly and believe not enough is being done to protect it.

Health

New NHS regional body raises questions over future hospital services in Pembrokeshire

Published

23 hours ago

May 16, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Health bosses promise better joined-up care — but patients will want assurances over Withybush and travel distances

PEMBROKESHIRE patients are likely to be asking what a major NHS shake-up means for the future of hospital services closer to home after a new regional health body formally took over planning across south west Wales.

Health chiefs this week confirmed that regional working has formally transferred from ARCH (A Regional Collaboration for Health) to the South West Wales Regional Joint Committee (RJC), bringing together Hywel Dda and Swansea Bay university health boards under a new leadership structure.

The move is being presented by NHS leaders as a way to improve coordination, reduce waiting times and strengthen specialist healthcare across the region.

Key programmes expected to continue under the new body include cancer care, stroke services, vascular treatment, orthopaedics, pathology and eye care.

But for many in Pembrokeshire, the announcement may trigger familiar concerns about whether “regional working” could eventually mean more services being delivered further east, requiring patients to travel longer distances to Carmarthen or Swansea.

Withybush Hospital remains fiercely valued by local communities, and previous changes to hospital services have often sparked strong public reaction.

For patients in more rural parts of Pembrokeshire — including St Davids, Fishguard, Newport, Crymych and Tenby — access to healthcare can already involve journeys of 40 to 60 miles or more for appointments and treatment.

While health officials insist the new structure is about improving care and making better use of expertise across the region, questions are likely to be asked locally over how Pembrokeshire’s voice will be represented in decisions affecting frontline services.

Among the issues patients may want clarified are whether services currently provided at Withybush could be affected, how travel difficulties for rural communities will be considered, and whether the new regional approach will improve care locally or lead to greater centralisation.

The Regional Joint Committee replaces ARCH, which since 2015 brought together Swansea Bay University Health Board, Hywel Dda University Health Board and Swansea University to support healthcare innovation and service planning.

Health leaders say the new committee will continue to support research, technology and partnership working, while involving patients and communities in shaping services.

But in here Pembrokeshire, many will this plan weaken Withybush, not strengthen it.

Crime

Man used vulnerable victim’s bank card at Milford Haven Tesco

Published

23 hours ago

May 16, 2026

Court Reporter

A 41-YEAR-OLD man has been given a suspended prison sentence after using a vulnerable man’s bank card at Tesco Extra in Milford Haven.

Mark Anthony Hambrook, of Keeston, admitted fraud by false representation when he appeared before magistrates.

The court heard that Hambrook dishonestly used the card on April 29, 2025, spending £220.

Magistrates said the offence crossed the custody threshold because it involved a breach of trust, a vulnerable victim, and was committed while Hambrook was on post-sentence supervision.

He was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

Hambrook was also ordered to pay £220 compensation, together with a £154 surcharge and £85 costs.