News

£130,000 for Bryn’s replacement

Published

11 years ago

February 18, 2015

THE MESSAGE from this week’s meeting of the Senior Staff Committee was clear: The days of high Chief Executive pay are over.

Unanimous: Senior Staff Committee votes to support a £130k basic salary for the man or woman who will
succeed Bryn Parry-Jones

However, while the seven members of the Committee were unanimous in voting through a salary of £130K to replace the pensioned-off Bryn Parry-Jones, the journey they took to reach that position was, by turns, tortuous and winding.

The decision of December’s council was to refer elements of the appointments process for Bryn’s successor to the Senior Staff Committee. The Committee’s objective was to refer back to Council questions about the job description, timetable, and salary: The council would consider the matter of salary, taking into account Committee’s recommendation.

Whether it was the pressure of the BBC being in attendance or the descent of a spirit of unity and bonhomie, the debate was noticeably less sharp-edged than might have been expected. Although perhaps after over two hours’ debate on the day, and with the finishing line of L’affaire Bryn in sight, councillors were happy to just get things done with little drama and all passions spent.

Council Leader Jamie Adams was, for once, nonplussed to find himself in an increasingly isolated minority of one on most of the key points under debate. His personal preference, for there being a Managing Director as one of a board of directors, was torpedoed by the Council’s head of human resources, Ceri Davies.

Prompted by a question for Cllr Tessa Hodgson (Lamphey, Unaffiliated), Mr Davies stated that his view was that while the model based around having a managing director was sustainable in the short term, he did not regard it as feasible beyond that. He continued with the observation that while Ian Westley was putting in long hours in fulfilling his acting Head of Service role with his broader portfolio responsibilities, it was inappropriate for that to long continue.

In addition, Ceri Davies suggested a possibly terminal flaw in adopting the managing director model. He told the meeting that: “Appointing a lead director would present an additional challenge to re-organisation; namely, how would one facilitate a directorate for that person to manage? If that individual’s skill set dictated, for example, a social care brief, how could we deal with making the current post holder redundant or subject to redeployment.”

His observations were supported by Cllr Rob Lewis (Martletwy, IPPG), former deputy leader of the authority and the Cabinet member responsible for Ian Westley’s technical directorate (highways, transportation and major events). Suggesting that the current arrangements were ‘detrimental to the authority’, Cllr Lewis went on to say that: “It has become extremely difficult to engage with Ian Westley due to him juggling his different roles. Ian has a capable team around him, but I think the current position would be unsustainable.”

While the concern about combining the executive role with a technical one was batted about, nobody seemed prepared to consider whether the combination of functions would include prevailing up current Deputy Chief Executive Ben Prykett to fulfil part of the Chief Executive’s functions while a technical director ‘doubled up’. Mr Prykett’s post is, if not unique in Wales, certainly anomalous.

Cllr Paul Miller (Neyland West, Labour) wanted to open up the debate regarding the appointment to embrace a wider review of the whole of the senior staff structure and senior staff pay and grading. He was resisted by Cllr Adams, who suggested that the question structure was one that could be dealt with by any new incumbent to the senior role, who could decide upon the structure they preferred. The leader’s opinion was developed by vice-chair David Lloyd (St Davids, Unaffiliated) who suggested that it was made express to candidates that they would be expected to work collegially and to consider the council’s management structure in conjunction with the Senior Staff Committee after appointment.

That left Cllr Adams facing rather a struggle to row back from the logical consequences of a position that he had advanced not long before. However, he was successful in resisting calls for an immediate review of the matter ahead of appointment of a new Head of Service.

Relieved by that success, he appeared to be caught off guard by Cllr Huw George (Maenclochog, IPPG) enthusiastically endorsing Paul Miller’s suggestion that the council set a ratio between any new Chief’s pay and the pay of the lowest paid members of the County Council’s staff. Again, Cllr Adams was keen to put this decision off to another day. While he succeeded, it will be difficult for the leader to resist such a motion if it went to Full Council, given the heads on his own side nodding in support of Cllr Miller’s idea.

The debate moved on to discuss the thorny issue of salary: the former post holder’s remuneration package attracted publicity for all the wrong reasons and the Council accepted it had to reduce the salary paid. The question was by how much.

The committee, unsurprisingly, were reluctant to endorse the status quo and remunerate a new post holder as generously as their predecessor. It would have taken a very courageous member indeed to suggest that option. Debate thereafter settled on one of three options: Follow the pay award suggested by the Independent Remuneration Panel (£130K); follow the suggestion advanced in-house of £147,000; Find a messy compromise figure in the middle.

Cllrs Miller, Lloyd and Hodgson firmly backed the £130,000 figure, especially after Cllr Hodgson teased out the information that with a car allowance now trimmed to £7,300 per annum and employer’s pension contributions the total package would be worth in excess of £156,000: On top of which would be the fees paid to the appointee as Returning Officer for elections (around £12,000).

With Cllr Tom Richards (Letterston, IPPG) agreeing with Cllr Lloyd’s suggestion that the council move to recruit on a salary of £130,000 with a review if the post attracts insufficient applicants of sufficient quality, Cllr Adams was left isolated in trying to find a compromise between the £130,000 and £147,000 figure and went with the flow of the meeting. The £130,000 figure was approved unanimously in a moment captured by Cllr Jacob Williams’ camera.

With the Welsh Government suggesting it could limit the term Chief Executives could be employed by local authorities, the question for certainty seems unending.

The next stopping point on this journey is March’s Full Council, where the committee’s recommendation will be debated. At that point, we shall see whether Cllr Miller advances his plan to ensure that the pay of the authority’s most senior employee is not out of sight of those at the bottom of the pay-scale.

Community

Tudor women’s lives explored in upcoming Pembroke history talk

Published

2 hours ago

February 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKE & MONKTON Local History Society will welcome a leading Tudor historian to its next meeting on Saturday, March 7, promising a fascinating insight into the lives of women in the sixteenth century.

Guest speaker Melita Thomas will present a talk titled The Life and Times of Tudor Women, drawing on research from her acclaimed book 1000 Tudor People. The talk will explore the social, legal, political and economic challenges faced by women during the Tudor period, while also examining how some were able to carve out their own paths in areas such as trade, literature and even warfare.

Organisers say the event will offer a fresh perspective on whether Tudor women’s lives were as restricted as often portrayed, highlighting both the hardships and opportunities of the era.

Melita is the founder of the popular Tudor Times website and a member of the Tudor Players performance group. Alongside researching and writing books, she is currently undertaking a PhD at University College London.

Doors open at 10:00am for coffee, with the talk beginning at 11:00am. The event takes place at Pembroke Town Hall, where the Pembroke Museum and Council Chamber — located on the first floor — will also be open to visitors. A lift is available for disabled access.

The society has also announced that Pembroke Museum has reopened following its winter closure. The museum is open from 10:00am to 12:30pm Monday to Friday, with hours extended until 3:00pm from Easter. Entry is free.

For more information, visit www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk or follow the society on Facebook. Enquiries can be sent to [email protected].

Local Government

Candidate who withdrew from Hakin race will still appear on ballot paper

Published

2 hours ago

February 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Election law means Labour hopeful’s name cannot be removed after nominations close

THE LABOUR candidate who withdrew from the Hakin county council by-election yesterday will still appear on ballot papers when voters go to the polls next month.

Nicola Harteveld announced she was stepping back from the race after nominations had already closed, meaning election officials are legally unable to remove her name from the ballot or allow Welsh Labour to nominate a replacement candidate.

Under UK election rules, once the deadline for nominations passes and candidates are formally confirmed, the ballot paper is fixed except in very limited circumstances, such as the death of a candidate. Withdrawal after that point does not change the ballot.

As a result, Harteveld will remain listed as the Welsh Labour candidate for the Hakin ward when voting takes place on Tuesday, March 17, even though she is no longer campaigning.

***The First Minister gave Nicola Harteveld her endorsement earlier this week in a social media video***

Potential confusion for voters

One elector in the ward told The Herald the situation could lead to uncertainty at the polling station.

“This will cause confusion, and technically means she could still be elected, when in reality she doesn’t want to be,” the resident said.

Any votes cast for Harteveld will still be counted in the election result, as there is no mechanism to invalidate votes for a candidate who has voluntarily withdrawn after the close of nominations.

If a withdrawn candidate were to receive the most votes, further procedural steps could be required, potentially including a fresh election depending on the circumstances at that stage.

Background to withdrawal

Harteveld stepped back from the contest after reporting verbal abuse directed towards her son, in a development that also led to political controversy after the First Minister visited the ward to support her campaign on the same day she did not attend and later confirmed her withdrawal.

Because nominations had already closed by that point, Labour was unable to field another candidate, leaving the party without an active campaign presence in the contest.

Election context

The Hakin by-election was called following the death of long-serving Independent councillor Mike Stoddart.

The remaining active candidates are:

Derrick Abbott (Independent)
Sam Booth (Wales Green Party)
Lee James Bridges (Independent)
Duncan Edwards (Independent)
Brian Taylor (Welsh Conservative)
Scott Thorley (Reform UK)
Sam Warden (Welsh Liberal Democrats)

Polling stations across the ward will be open from 7:00am to 10:00pm on March 17.

Local Government

First Minister left red-faced as Labour candidate pulls out during Hakin campaign visit

Published

19 hours ago

February 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Candidate says withdrawal follows ‘abuse’ towards candidate’s son and backlash over Withybush Hospital downgrade plan

THE FIRST MINISTER was left in the embarrassing position of arriving to campaign in the Hakin ward without an active candidate. Labour’s by-election hopeful withdrew from the race on the same day as a high-profile visit to support her campaign.

The visit had been organised to support Labour candidate Nicola Harteveld, but she failed to appear, leaving party activists canvassing in the ward without her and apparently unaware she was about to pull out of the contest.

Harteveld later confirmed she had been considering her position before announcing her withdrawal shortly afterwards.

The former Labour candidate confirmed she was stepping back from the Pembrokeshire County Council by-election following verbal abuse directed towards her youngest son, bringing an abrupt end to the party’s campaign after nominations had already closed.

The development meant Welsh Labour could not field a replacement candidate, leaving the party effectively without representation in the contest despite a scheduled campaign visit by First Minister Eluned Morgan MS and party activists.

***First Minister: Eluned Morgan MS, made a video statement backing Nicola Harteveld on Thursday***

‘Abuse’ towards child

In a video statement released on social media, Harteveld said the decision followed an incident in which her son was allegedly shouted at by two men while walking home from volunteering.

“My youngest was walking home… and two men on the opposite side of the road shouted across ‘tell your mother she’s a Labour loving c***’,” she said.

She said her son was “absolutely devastated” by the incident.

“My family comes first. I am not prepared to put them in the line of fire to be targeted because of something that I’m doing,” she added.

Final decision

Harteveld, who currently serves as a town councillor, said she had spent several days reflecting on whether continuing in the election was compatible with her personal values before the incident involving her son became “the final straw”.

“My morals, my views and my values will not allow me to take this by-election any further,” she said.

She explained that she had wanted to stand in order to take residents’ concerns directly to County Hall, rather than relying on others to represent them, and believed standing as a Labour candidate would have allowed her to raise issues more directly with decision-makers.

First Minister visit confusion

Earlier the same day, First Minister Eluned Morgan MS and Labour activists were canvassing in the Hakin ward in support of Harteveld, apparently unaware she was considering withdrawing from the race.

Campaign photographs were later shared on social media showing the First Minister and party members canvassing locally. However, observers quickly noticed the absence of the candidate herself, prompting repeated questions online about her whereabouts.

Multiple commenters asked “Where is the candidate?” beneath the post, with the situation attracting significant criticism from some social media users.

Shortly afterwards, Harteveld confirmed she was withdrawing from the election.

A post by the First Minister praising what she described as a “great response in Hakin for Nicola Harteveld & Welsh Labour” while also addressing concerns about Withybush Hospital services was later deleted after attracting a large number of comments, many of them critical of Labour and Welsh Government health policies.

Healthcare tensions backdrop

The by-election campaign has taken place against the backdrop of continuing anger across Pembrokeshire over decisions affecting Withybush Hospital, which Harteveld acknowledged had “rocked our community”.

She described personal experiences of travelling long distances for medical appointments with her partner, saying such situations contributed to frustration among residents.

The hospital controversy has become a dominant political issue locally, with strong emotions expressed during campaigning and on social media.

Political impact

Because Harteveld withdrew after the legal deadline for nominations closed, Welsh Labour cannot substitute another candidate. Her name may still appear on ballot papers depending on printing arrangements, although she is no longer campaigning.

The sequence of events left Labour campaigning in the ward without an active candidate and represents a significant setback for the party locally, particularly given the personal involvement of the First Minister in the visit.

Election background

The by-election, scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, was called following the death of Independent councillor Mike Stoddart, who had represented the Hakin ward for many years.

The remaining candidates are: