A PEMBROKESHIRE county councillor has come forward to oppose the appointment of the authority’s new Chief Executive despite not voting against it when an Extraordinary Meeting of the Council considered.

Controversial Pembroke Dock Central county councillor Paul Dowson issued a press release in which he said that the new CEO had ‘no track record’ in the role.
Last Wednesday (March 31) Pembrokeshire County Council overwhelmingly voted in favour of Major-General Will Bramble’s appointment.

Councillors voted 48 votes for with two abstentions and one against.

Milford Central councillor Stephen Joseph’s was the sole vote against the appointment.

Cllr Joseph is a noted booster of former CEO Ian Westley, whose departure with a £95,000 pay-off caused controversy.

An Audit Wales investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Westley’s pay-off is due to report within a few weeks.

Major-General Bramble is currently the Senior British Officer in Italy and Deputy Commander of the NATO Corps in Italy.

His track record was not enough to impress Cllr Dowson, however.

Cllr Dowson said:  “He has no experience in a local authority having spent his career entirely in the military.

“I felt that the massive responsibility that comes with this role and the salary level requires more than just one candidate at final stages.

“Cllrs Josh Beynon and Di Clements both stated, ‘give him a chance”.

“I’m afraid at this level you don’t give someone a chance,especially one with no track record in the job.

“He was a very good candidate but I’m not prepared to make a decision on an option already chosen by the senior staff committee and presented to the full council for approval.

“The candidate was strong but the post should have been readvertised and he should have been put forward for the final round when others were competing for the job too.”

MEMBERS of the Senedd voted to pass the National Curriculum Bill’s final text, meaning the Curriculum for Wales will now be introduced in 2022. Throughout the debate on its final stage, which took place on Tuesday (March 9), opposition members praised Wales’ Education Minister, Kirsty Williams. Members from all sides saluted her patience and diligence in guiding a significant piece of legislation onto the statute book. Even members who disagreed with the Bill’s content and opposed its passage highlighted the Minister’s personal contribution and commitment to creating Wales’ first national Curriculum. A NATIONAL MISSION The Bill was the subject of intensive scrutiny and broad consultation. Speaking in the Senedd, Mrs Williams said the Bill’s passage was ’a national mission’. “It would have been simpler to cook up plans in Cathays Park in a back office and issue a ‘take it or leave it’ offer,” the Education Minister said. She continued: “But our combined efforts with teachers, academics, parents, and many organisations here and abroad is worth so much more because of that ‘national mission’ spirit.” Kirsty Williams paid a personal tribute to Labour MS Lynn Neagle, Chair of the Children’s and Young Persons’ Committee. Under Lynn Neagle’s leadership, the Committee rigorously scrutinised the Bill and made a series of recommendations in its text. Of the Labour backbencher, Kirsty Williams said: “I conclude by thanking Lynne Neagle for her tough, astute, tenacious, sometimes bloody-mindedness in her approach to this legislation. I mean that as a compliment, Lynne. “As I said earlier, the results of the committee’s work have made this a better Bill.” She had similarly warm words for her Conservative opposite number, Suzy Davies. Mrs Williams acknowledged: “She has worked incredibly hard on this Bill, and I know that she’s been fully committed to the scrutiny process. As I said in opening my comments today, I think we have a better Bill due to the CYPE committee’s efforts. I have gone to great lengths to try and respond positively to the cross-party report that the Committee published to try and meet those aspirations.” Like Mrs Williams, Suzy Davies steps down as an MS in May. She was unable to attend the debate. CURRICULUM CONTROVERSY Despite the Minister’s warm words, the new Curriculum’s journey to the statute book has not been without controversy. Activists railed against the Curriculum’s Religion Values and Ethics element and its focus on Welsh language teaching’s importance to all of Wales’ pupils. The inclusion of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in the Curriculum provoked vituperative responses from a small group of parents. They opposed children receiving what they’ve claimed will be inappropriately explicit sexual education. Senior Policy Researcher for NSPCC Cymru/Wales, Dr Sarah Witcombe-Hayes says: “The strength of support for mandatory relationships and sexuality education to be included in the new Curriculum for Wales by leading child protection experts and charities highlights what a game-changer this is. “The changes are long overdue, but in passing this Bill Senedd members are helping to protect children and young people from abuse – making sure every child and young person in Wales can access high quality RSE that is relevant, sensitive and appropriate to their own capacities and needs. “It will help all learners understand their rights to safe, healthy and fulfilling relationships throughout their lives, and schools must now be supported and fully resourced to deliver inclusive and high quality RSE from September 2022.” Regarding Welsh Language teaching and RSE, those with genuine concerns had those worries preyed upon to grandstanding political effect by fringe political movements, such as Ukip and Abolish the Assembly (sic.) Speaking for the latter group, Gareth Bennett said: “The downgrading of English teaching in the interest of immersion in Welsh is a sinister development. It will surely disadvantage Welsh schoolchildren who are not from a background of speaking Welsh at home.” Dr Felix Aubel, a noted controversialist, said: “UKIP would divert millions of pounds by abolishing the legal requirement to forcibly impose the Welsh language on people.” Like Abolish, UKIP will campaign on a platform of abolishing Welsh parliamentary democracy. Those organisations’ concerns on Welsh language education ignore the fact Welsh is the national language of Wales. Every credible educational study underlines how children benefit from bilingual education. HISTORY TEACHING CONCERNS PLAID On Tuesday, further and concerted criticism of the new Curriculum came from Plaid Cymru. Perturbed by the absence of Welsh history’s teaching, Plaid’s Sian Gwenllian announced the party would vote against the Bill in its final stage. Plaid’s Shadow Education Minister said that, although her party supported the Bill’s direction of travel: “Plaid Cymru argued for the inclusion of two other mandatory elements that could also contribute towards creating that social, far-reaching transformation that we want to see, namely the history of Wales in all of its diversity, including black and people of colour history, and environmental education, including climate change.

PEMBROKESHIRE County Councillor, Paul Dowson, has been named as UKIP’s candidate for the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituency for the Senedd
Elections.

Paul Dowson is the sitting UKIP Councillor for Pembroke Dock Central and will contest his home constituency of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire and the Mid & West Wales regional list.

Cllr Dowson was born in the constituency from where he now runs his own TV and aerial business. He has worked in the hospitality industry, in social care and as a trouble-shooter for an international hotel chain.

Commenting on the announcement today, Cllr Dowson said: “I am delighted to be selected as the UKIP candidate for my home constituency of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire. Since my election to Pembrokeshire County Council, I have been shocked at the void between the mainstream political parties and local people. Labour, Tory and Plaid have taken people’s votes for granted and, in this election, UKIP will give them a wakeup call they cannot ignore.

“The Penally Camp migrant crisis brought the reality of the Senedd Woke Brigade’s policies on open door immigration to South Pembrokeshire. I stood alone in the Council chamber when I voiced concerns from local residents, who were not even consulted about the decision to house 250 illegal migrants at Penally Army Base. In 2020, illegal migration into the UK was more than 2018 and 2019 combined. At a time when 1 in 4 Welsh people live in fuel poverty, Penally showed that Wales is ill-equipped to be a Nation of Sanctuary.

“Last year, immigration into the UK was at 715,000, something Senedd and Westminster politicians want to ignore. The Tories say they have taken back control of our borders but net-immigration rose to 313,000 last year. That’s a city nearly the size of Cardiff added to the population every year. Unlike the Tories, the figures don’t lie.

“Wales is being made to suffer the consequences of an out of touch political elite, who dismiss anyone with legitimate concerns about immigration as ‘extreme’. It’s a blatant attempt to silence opposition. I won’t be silenced. Wales needs straight talking, real people in the Senedd, not career politicians.

“I called out the self-proclaimed Marxist group, Black Lives Matter, when they vandalised property, defaced war memorials and attacked police officers. Unlike Labour and Plaid, I did not grovel on my knees to the divisive politics of the Far Left. UKIP remained standing and I am proud to stand with them to save Wales from the anti-British Senedd. “

UKIP Leader, Neil Hamilton MS, added: “Paul has been a lone voice for the people of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire. When other Councillors, MPs and Members of the Senedd put their careers first, he bravely stood with the residents of “Penally and called out Labour’s Nation of Sanctuary for what it is – virtue signalling of the most dangerous kind.

“I am delighted to have Paul as an integral part of UKIP’s Election Campaign. Voters have a choice: more of Drakeford’s Senedd or vote UKIP and scrap it altogether.”