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Controversial council boss could receive a £320,000 pay-off

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Back to work: Bryn Parry Jones

Back to work: Bryn Parry Jones

ON THURSDAY afternoon (Oct 16), Pembrokeshire’s County Councillors will meet in what is likely to be a private session to discuss the terms of a settlement between the Council and its most senior employee, Chief Executive Bryn Parry-Jones.

The Pembrokeshire Herald understands that the sum likely to be on the table is in excess of £320,000.

While all councillors spoken to by this newspaper are staying tight-lipped about the potential terms of any settlement, a County Hall insider has told us the key components of any settlement.

After speaking with a public sector employment specialist, The Herald has established that in most Welsh local government contracts for senior staff, guidance  for calculating settlements indicates a gross payment of between three months’ to two years’ salary, based on seniority and overall length of service.

Bryn Parry-Jones would be at the upper end of the settlement framework.

Starting from that point (and stripping away other payments) Bryn Parry-Jones’ base salary is around £173,000.

In a settlement agreement it would also be usual to incorporate a provision for payment in lieu of notice. While this might vary depending on circumstances, the amount in lieu of notice would usually be around three months’ pay.

In local government contracts there is a provision for a payment in respect of other guaranteed payments additional to the base salary and these are often incorporated into the settlement agreement sum.

The Council would be obliged to deduct tax from the any part of the payment exceeding £30,000.

One potential sticking point is how the Council deals with Mr Parry-Jones’ pension. As things stand he would need the Council’s permission to draw any benefit from the scheme, as he opted out of it two years’ ago when the Council approved the unlawful payments scheme which has ultimately led to the current fracture between the parties. Mr Parry-Jones has previously told Councillors that he regards that issue to be far from closed. The Council ceased paying Mr Parry-Jones’ pension contributions (the unlawful pay supplement) around the time of the Extraordinary Meeting which discussed it on February 14, this year.

The overall position turns on how both sides view their risk exposure. An employer, particularly a County Council, will always need to bear in mind political as well as litigation pressure.

The prospect of a significant monetary settlement will weigh heavily upon councillors, who will bear in mind the likely outraged reaction of their constituents if Mr Parry-Jones walks away with what potentially equates to a 1% increase in Council Tax for every household in Pembrokeshire.

The prospect of further protests tomorrow about the settlement, as the Council tries to push through £50m in cuts, cannot be discounted.

The pay-off is due to be debated after 2pm.

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Business

Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Business

Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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News

Welsh Water has increased sewage discharges into waterways ‘by 40%’

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NEW figures released by the Environment Agency have shown that Dwr Cymru discharged sewage into waterways for a staggering 23,354 hours last year, a 40% increase on 2022. 

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are now calling for tougher action against sewage dumping in Welsh waterways.

The party has also called for a halt on bonuses for water company bosses whose firms have dumped sewage into waterways.

Conservative MPs have consistently voted against measures which would have helped to tackle the crisis.

The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said: “It is a complete scandal that filthy sewage is being pumped into our nation’s rivers and waterways without consequence.

“It’s beggars’ belief that both the UK Conservative Government and the Welsh Labour government are allowing water firms to get away with this environmental vandalism.

“We as a party are calling for tougher action to stop sewage being dumped in local waterways. We have also called for a halt on bonuses for water company fat cats whose firms have pumped filth into our waterways.”

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