News

Councillor Pugh in a stew

Published

13 years ago

January 3, 2014

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL’s Cabinet member Cllr David Pugh has issued an “unreserved apology” over remarks he made during a sustained and savage attack on Hakin’s Cllr Mike Stoddart at last Thursday’s county council meeting when the controversial property grants in Pembroke and Pembroke Dock were debated.

Cllr Pugh asserted that Cllr Stoddart had made false claims on his website (oldgrumpy.co.uk) regarding the area of rendering at the grant-aided project No. 25 Dimond Street, Pembroke Dock.

According to the website, the area of hack off and re-render to the front and rear elevations in the tender (125 sq m) exceed that shown on the drawings (50 sq m) by two-and-a-half times and the area of paintwork to the same render (300 sq m) by six times.

Cllr Stoddart estimated that this over measurement had let to an inflation of the grant awarded by between £7,000 and £9,000.

But Cllr Pugh said he had visited the premises and, on accessing the backyard, discovered that Cllr Stoddart had failed to take into consideration a “third side elevation” measuring 8 m x 7 m which accounted for most of the discrepancy in the tender.

He told his fellow councillors:

“So whether this was a deliberate untruth, or sheer incompetence on his behalf in not checking the facts, I’ll leave you to decide”.

In response to this attack on his honesty and competence, Mike Stoddart posted photographs on his website that proved conclusively that this “third side elevation” to the rear of No. 25 was a figment of Cllr Pugh’s imagination.

He emailed Cllr Pugh demanding that this slur be withdrawn and on Wednesday morning the cabinet member replied admitting that the “third side elevation” belonged to a different building altogether. Cllr Pugh wrote to Cllr Stoddart, copying in all council members, “I freely admit that we made a mistake in looking at the rear of the properties in Dimond Street and confused Nos 25 and 27. I take full responsibility for the genuine error and hereby offer an unreserved apology for the remarks I made in Council regarding the rendering of no 25 Dimond Street.

“Having said that, I hope you will also take the opportunity to put on record that most of your allegations regarding these grant schemes have proved to be without foundation and incorrect.”

Mike Stoddart told The Herald: “It is rather ironic that, after accusing me of incompetence for not checking the facts, we now find Cllr Pugh admitting that his intemperate attack on me was based on the wrong property.

“At least he was in the right street.

“I would have expected him to have been accompanied on this visit by one of the council’s officers involved with these projects, so it is difficult to understand how he came to make such a schoolboy error.

“And it is a strange sort of ‘unreserved apology’ that is conditional on me admitting I was wrong about everything else.

“Cllr Pugh should realise that all I have ever written on this subject has been founded on careful research, including, as he now knows to his cost, my calculations regarding the rendering at No. 25 Dimond Street.

“During his poisonous attack he also accused me of conducting ‘a campaign of innuendo and smear’ and of making allegations ‘without any evidence – just his unjustified opinions and self-proclaimed expertise’.”

“Not satisfied with that, he concluded that I had made ‘many more spurious claims’ and that ‘getting at the truth is apparently not on his agenda’.”

“He even went so far as to suggest I was, like the fictional Don Quixote, afflicted by madness.

“As his apology is restricted only to his false claims about No. 25, none of this has been retracted.

“That is not a situation that I intend should endure.

“Finally, I hope that, having deployed their block vote to reject my notice of motion calling for more information on these grants to be released to elected members, the IPPG’s lemmings are feeling proud of themselves.

“And I have posted further information on the tender for No 25 on my website that Cllr Pugh might find of interest.”

Cllr Paul Miller told The Herald:

“Cllr David Pugh has, over the last few weeks, viciously attacked both Cllr Stoddart and myself for daring to question the oversight he, cabinet and officers have been giving to these grant schemes in Pembroke Dock. He even suggested during Thursday’s council meeting that Cllr Stoddart’s questioning of the rendering to 25 Diamond Street proved that he was either deliberately misleading council or incompetent. Well, this revelation proves two things. (1) That it is Cllr Pugh who is either incompetent or has been deliberately misleading council and (2) That there is indeed an issue with the grant paid for the rending of number 25 Diamond Street.”

He added: “So, over to the Pembrokeshire Public. Do you trust Cllr Pugh and Cllr Adams to get to the bottom of this? I’m afraid I don’t and I’m also afraid that my confidence in Cllr Pugh has been irreversibly damaged by this very unfortunate episode.”

Crime

Fishguard man banned from driving after failing to provide blood sample

Published

1 minute ago

July 27, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

Arnold Phillips was banned for 3 years and ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work

A FISHGUARD man has been banned from driving for three years after admitting that he failed to provide a blood sample during a police investigation.

Arnold Phillips, aged 35, of Pontfaen, Fishguard, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, July 23.

Phillips admitted failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of blood for laboratory analysis in Cardigan on June 9.

The sample had been requested as part of an investigation into whether he had committed a road traffic offence.

Magistrates imposed a 12-month community order and ordered Phillips to complete 180 hours of unpaid work.

He was disqualified from driving for 36 months and must pay £85 in prosecution costs and a £114 court surcharge.

Phillips also admitted failing, without good cause, to provide a non-intimate sample to establish whether he had a Class A drug in his body while being held in police detention.

No separate penalty was imposed for that offence.

A separate charge alleging that Phillips drove a BMW without due care and attention on the A4076 in Cardigan was dismissed after the prosecution offered no evidence.

Crime

Pembroke Dock woman accused of neglecting three French bulldogs

Published

19 minutes ago

July 27, 2026

Court Reporter

RSPCA alleges dogs were not provided with suitable living conditions, adequate food, water or veterinary care

A PEMBROKE DOCK woman has appeared before magistrates accused of failing to meet the welfare needs of three French bulldogs.

Lisa Jane Tania Bridgeman, aged 42, of Queen Street, Pembroke Dock, is charged in connection with the care of dogs named Pad, Teddy/Bear and Zorro.

The RSPCA alleges that, at an address in Tir Einin, Llanelli, on December 24, 2025, Bridgeman failed to take reasonable steps to ensure the animals’ needs were met.

The charge alleges that the dogs were not provided with a suitable environment or an adequate diet, including fresh drinking water.

It is also alleged that Bridgeman failed to provide adequate and effective treatment for flea infestations and resulting skin conditions, failed to maintain the dogs at an appropriate body condition, and failed to provide reasonable daily care and supervision.

The prosecution further alleges that the animals were not given the opportunity to exhibit normal behaviour.

Bridgeman was not present when the case was called at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on July 23.

No plea was entered and the allegations have not been proved.

The case was adjourned until September 10, when Bridgeman has been ordered to attend court. Magistrates warned that a warrant could be issued, or the case could proceed in her absence, if she does not attend.

Business

Apprenticeships must be central to tackling Wales’s youth employment challenge

Published

22 minutes ago

July 27, 2026

Staff Writer

By Lisa Mytton, Strategic Director of the National Training Federation for Wales

WALES cannot tackle skills shortages and the growing number of young people outside education, employment or training as separate problems.

They are closely connected, and apprenticeships must be placed at the heart of the solution.

The new Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, Cefin Campbell, has outlined plans for a business-led review of Wales’s skills system, with a greater focus on data, employer demand and the needs of the future economy.

That approach is both welcome and urgently needed.

Latest Welsh Government figures show that 11.6% of people aged between 16 and 24 in Wales were not in education, employment or training, known as NEET, in the year ending December 2024.

At the same time, employers across Wales continue to report difficulties finding people with the right skills.

These challenges are two sides of the same coin.

If Wales is serious about growing its economy, improving productivity and creating meaningful opportunities for young people, it must develop a skills system that responds directly to the needs of both employers and communities.

Businesses should have a strong voice in shaping that system.

Employers are on the frontline of economic change. They understand where shortages already exist and where new opportunities are likely to emerge.

The forthcoming Skills Audit and Future Skills Summit provide an important opportunity to ensure that training provision reflects the realities of the labour market.

Apprenticeships are one of the most effective ways of turning that employer knowledge into genuine employment opportunities.

They allow people to earn while they learn, gain recognised qualifications and develop practical skills in a real working environment.

For young people who may not see university or further academic study as the right route, an apprenticeship can offer a clear and accessible pathway into a worthwhile career.

That is particularly important for those who have become disconnected from education or employment.

The long-term effects of the Covid pandemic on young people’s confidence, resilience and mental wellbeing should not be underestimated.

Re-engaging those young people will require more than simply offering another course.

They need clear pathways, supportive workplaces and opportunities that are visibly linked to stable and rewarding careers.

Apprenticeships can provide that structure.

They offer workplace mentoring, practical experience and the chance to build confidence through meaningful employment. They also help young people develop the behaviours, communication skills and experience needed to succeed at work.

Apprenticeships will also be essential if Welsh communities are to benefit from investment in the industries expected to drive future economic growth.

The Deputy Minister has identified green energy, advanced manufacturing, health and social care and the nuclear sector among the areas likely to create future jobs.

Wales must begin building the workforce needed to support those industries now.

That means developing apprenticeship routes aligned with emerging opportunities and ensuring that young people across the country can access them.

Apprenticeships should not, however, be seen solely as a route for school leavers.

They also have an important role in helping existing employees develop new skills, progress in their careers and respond to technological and economic change.

For businesses, they can support innovation, productivity and long-term workforce planning.

The Skills Audit represents an opportunity to take a fresh look at how Wales prepares its workforce for the future.

To succeed, it must keep employers at the centre of decision-making and recognise apprenticeships as a key way of delivering the skills the economy needs.

Wales has an opportunity to address youth disengagement and employer skills shortages at the same time.

By strengthening employer-led apprenticeship programmes and aligning them with future growth sectors, we can create clearer routes into employment, support Welsh businesses and unlock the potential of thousands of young people.

Apprenticeships are not simply training programmes.

They are an investment in people, businesses and the future prosperity of Wales.