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Police letter ending grants case raises new questions

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IN A LETTER to Council Chief Executive Ian Westley, Dyfed Powys Police have confirmed that NO prosecutions will take place in relation to the Commercial Property Grants scandal affecting Pembroke Dock.

The scandal revolved around the gross misuse of European grant money to build bedsits in Pembroke Dock instead of regenerating the town’s commercial centre, which was the schemes’ supposed intention.

The scandal came to light when Councillors Mike Williams and Mike Stoddart raised a series of inquiries into the scheme’s administration and the purposes to which it was being put. Cllr Stoddart and Pembrokeshire’s Best Magazine continued to pursue to the matter, uncovering a web of company ownership involving a single person, Cathal McCosker.

The magazine dubbed Mr McCosker ‘The Baron of the Bedsits’.

Mr McCosker and his companies had cornered the market in obtaining grants from the Council under the Commercial Property Grants Scheme. Suggestions of cosy links between Mr McCosker and prominent councillors and council officers were vigorously denied.

However, after a stormy Council meeting in December 2013 and a visit to locations in Pembroke Dock which had purportedly been the subject of extensive renovations using public money, it became clear that – at best – works claimed for had not been done. Had any inspection by council officers who signed off the works actually took place, the situation would have been obvious.

In one property, the former Chemists shop at 29 Dimond Street, it was obvious that no material changes had taken place in the commercial premises – even the original shop’s racking was still in place – and that grant money had been spent developing bedsits to the property’s rear.

An examination of documents by three councillors, current Council Leader David Simpson, Cllr Jacob Williams, and Cllr Mike Stoddart led to the discovery that different Bills of Quantities had been provided to different firms. Mr McCosker’s favoured construction partner received at least one significantly cheaper schedule of works for delivery than their tendering rivals.

Cllrs Williams and Stoddart reported what they found to senior officers, who shortly thereafter, in March 2014, referred the matter to the Police.

The Herald revealed that internal records had been doctored by an officer and we have confirmed that former Chief Executive Bryn Parry Jones interfered directly in efforts to discipline staff involved in handling the scheme. One employee, intimately concerned in the supervision of Cathal McCosker’s projects, was allowed to retire on ill-health grounds. A further member of staff fiddled the minutes of grants committee meetings to show that scrutiny took place when it had not.

Now – over five years later – and with Cathal McCosker having voluntarily repaid a large sum of money to the Council, the CPS has decided not to prosecute anyone.

One of the key reasons given for not prosecuting is that the evidence of council officers is inconsistent and contradictory, key documents have gone astray, and a piece of evidence contained on an officer’s hard drive no longer exists.

You can add to that the reality that it would be difficult for a court to rely on documents when there was clear evidence that some – at least – had been doctored by officers.

An effort to shift the blame on to an unnamed councillor operating a blog – which can refer only to Cllrs Williams and Stoddart – is fatally flawed.

The Police claim they asked the unnamed blogger to stop coverage of their Keystone Cops investigation: they approached neither Cllr Stoddart nor Cllr Williams with such a request.

The key questions are: which officers’ evidence is inconsistent and contradictory and why?

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Closure of Tata Steel’s coke ovens sparks political and union backlash

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THE recent announcement by Tata Steel to close the coke ovens at its Port Talbot plant in South Wales has ignited a firestorm of political and industrial action, highlighting the deepening crisis within the British steel industry and the challenges facing the transition to green steel.

Jo Stevens MP, the Shadow Welsh Secretary, expressed her concerns over the impact of the closure on the Welsh steel industry and the workers affected. Stevens emphasized the need for assurances about the workers’ immediate future and pledged that a UK Labour government would invest in the steel industry to support the transition to green steel, harnessing the skills, talent, and ambition of Welsh steelworkers.

The closure, slated for Wednesday due to concerns over the ovens’ “operational stability,” has been criticized by regional Senedd Members for South Wales West, Tom Giffard MS, and Dr. Altaf Hussain MS. They accused the Labour Welsh Government of neglecting its support for the Tata Steelworks in Port Talbot, highlighting a lack of financial assistance since 2019 and calling for a change in response to the current developments.

Unite, the UK’s leading union, has been vocal in its opposition to Tata’s decision, describing it as a shock and a “result of years of betrayal.” The union criticized Tata for not disclosing the imminent risk of closure during recent consultations and announced a ballot for industrial action among 1,500 Tata workers. Unite insists there should be no job losses at Port Talbot or Llanwern and that a blast furnace should remain operational.

Peter Hughes, Unite’s regional secretary for Wales, called for Tata to halt its closure plans in anticipation of Labour’s promised £3 billion investment to rejuvenate the UK steel industry. He accused Tata of managing the decline of UK steel while accepting government subsidies, describing the company’s actions as “deliberate industrial vandalism.”

The closure has not only raised concerns about the future of steel production in the UK but also spotlighted the political and economic strategies required to ensure the industry’s survival and transition towards more sustainable practices. The unfolding situation underscores the need for a collaborative approach between the government, industry stakeholders, and the workforce to navigate the complex challenges ahead.

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Firefighters tackle blaze at block of garages in Monkton

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ONE person was injured as a result of a sunday afternoon garage fire in a block of garages in Monkton.

A spokesperson for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service told The Pembrokeshire Herald said: “At 1.31pm on March 17, Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven crews were called to extinguish a fire in an alight central garage and were forced to use two breathing apparatus and two hose reels.

“The firefighters reportedly left the scene at 3.02pm after continuing to dampen the fire and check for fire spread.

“The casualty was treated by ambulance service personnel also in attendance.”

The police confirmed that a garage fire had been dealt with by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Welsh Ambulance Service attended.

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Air ambulance called following incident at Aldi Pembroke Dock

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THE WALES AIR AMBULANCE, along with the Welsh Ambulance Service and police were called on Monday morning to an incident at the Aldi supermarket car park in Pembroke Dock.

The Herald understands that the alarm was raised after a car hit a person in the car park after 9am.

We have been told that the incident involved a local taxi.

The emergency services have been asked for a comment.

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