News
Vote to elect Council leader fails
A NOTICE of Motion from Cllr Jacob Williams to elect the Council leader annually was narrowly defeated by one vote of 29 votes to 28 at Thursday’s meeting. Cllr Williams said: “At the moment we elect the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Planning and Licensing heads and this motion seeks to add the leader to that list. The leader is elected at the AGM and he/ she remains in post till he/ she resigns or is no longer a councillor. Any incumbent, if they were unsuccessful in seeking re-election, would only be because a majority failed to have confidence in him or her. Introducing an annual election will address the weakness and accountability of this council. “Some believe it is best to have someone who has been there for a long time and someone that has confidence of councillors. There is a difference – continuity should be earned by an annual election at the AGM. This isn’t extraordinary – we could also add the leader and cabinet members but this is just to elect the leader.”
Council leader Jamie Adams responded: “I am not convinced of the notice of motion. It will always be the largest group that provides the leader of the council, and the best opportunity for influencing the leader of this council would be to join the Independent group. “The role of leader is something that one person cannot commit to for a short period of time. We complete the budget process in March, and would vote for a leader in May, and that is dangerous. “The leader does have to make unpopular, pragmatic decisions, and that requires a longer term.
I remain convinced that the role of leader does require that commitment. My group has the option to remove me if they wish and that provides the democratic accountability. Cllr Bob Kilmister said: “This notice of motion makes it less likely that we will have votes of no confidence. An annual vote will only take place if someone stands against them. This will only take place if there is a chance of a meaningful vote. “At the moment we don’t have the opportunity, we had it when we first formed and from thereon in we are stuck.
I do not think this is democracy and it is not the right way of doing something about it. “If our leader wins the election he will be able to see he has the backing of the council, without that confidence the leader is frightened of being challenged by people in this council”. Cllr Tessa Hodgson said: “I am quite surprised that the leader doesn’t welcome this motion. It suggests that he is not confident that he has the backing of other councillors”.
Cllr Reg Owens said: “When we passed the earlier item 6 on this agenda this was one more step to more openness for Pembrokeshire County Council. Also the exit of the chief executive is going to ensure more openness and this motion will extend that even more. “If the leader is against this then he lacks confidence. If we are brave enough to pass this today, it will only be good for Pembrokeshire”. Cllr Sue Perkins said: “This is the most ridiculous notice of motion I have ever read. Continuity is the most important thing.
There are a huge amount of things to learn, it’s not going to take 2-3 months. Cllr Tom Tudor said: “I can’t see what the problem is here. We should embrace this notice of motion to show the people of Pembrokeshire that Pembrokeshire County Council is trying to get away from the past and be more transparent. I would strongly urge members to vote in favour of this motion and instil some confidence back in the people. Cllr David Lloyd said: “I would invite the leader to take on this challenge and have the courage to do so.
He has nothing to lose. I would ask him to take this challenge and win our support. Cllr Paul Miller added an amendment to the original notice of motion to add the election of Cabinet members as well as the Leader but that was defeated by 37 votes to 20. Cllr Williams summed up saying: “There was talk of continuity. We are talking about Pembrokeshire County Council here. Let us take time to recall that we had 18 years of continuity under the Chief Executive and look where that has led us”. Cllr Williams motion was defeated by 29 votes to 28 with Cllr Steve Yelland casting the deciding vote.
Crime
Waste dumped at recycling centre leads police to drug factory near Cardigan

Man jailed after drug discovery sparked by vigilant staff
A TIP-OFF from staff at an Aberystwyth recycling centre has led to the discovery of a large cannabis factory in a derelict property near Cardigan — and landed a 20-year-old man behind bars.
Manuel Nerguti was sentenced to six months in prison at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (July 11) after pleading guilty to producing a class B drug.
The court heard that on May 1 this year, workers at the Aberystwyth recycling centre reported a suspicious delivery: four to five bags of cannabis stalks, apparently dumped by men in a hired Ford Transit van.
Police acted quickly and intercepted the van later that afternoon on the road between Aberystwyth and Cardigan. Nerguti and two other men were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cannabis, but were released without charge at the time, as no grow site had been located.
However, a month later, acting on new intelligence, Dyfed-Powys Police executed a warrant at a derelict house in Bridell, near Cardigan. Inside, they discovered a sophisticated cannabis cultivation operation: 260 mature plants spread across five rooms and an attic, with the electricity supply illegally bypassed.
During the raid on June 7, Nerguti attempted to flee but was found hiding behind a washing machine in the garage.
He was charged and later pleaded guilty to producing cannabis.
Detective Constable Sam Garside, who led the investigation, praised the recycling centre staff for their quick thinking.
He said: “This result is thanks to the staff at the recycling centre for recognising that criminal activity was taking place and for alerting police quickly.
“We rely on the public to inform us of anything suspicious going on in their communities and we encourage people to get in touch if they suspect anything. We were able to use our local knowledge and police intelligence to execute a successful warrant and shut down an illegal cannabis factory.
“We are committed to continuing our drug operations across Dyfed-Powys and bringing offenders like Nerguti to justice.”
Police estimate the cannabis seized had a potential street value of up to £242,000.
More information on Operation Scotney — Dyfed-Powys Police’s campaign to tackle cannabis cultivation — including how to spot signs of a drug grow, can be found on their website.
News
Pembrokeshire County Council group to review ‘climate emergency’

A CALL for a group to review Pembrokeshire County Council’s decision to declare a climate emergency some six years ago has been backed by councillors.
In May 2019, the council declare a climate emergency following a notice of motion by Cllr Joshua Beynon calling on the authority to back the global consensus that climate change poses a risk to the well-being of future generations.
He had urged county councillors to back a motion to take “bold, decisive action” to fight “truly, catastrophic” climate change.
He called on the council to commit to becoming a zero-carbon local authority by 2030.
At the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, a notice of motion by Cllr Mike Stoddart called for the establishment of a working group to review the decision made by the council to declare a climate change emergency.
Cllr Stoddart’s motion said: “Given the turbulence on the global financial markets; the parlous state of the UK’s public finances; Pembrokeshire County Council’s projected funding gap; and the government’s softening of its policies on the switch to EV vehicles and heat pumps, this council establishes a seven person, politically balanced working group to review the authority’s decision to declare a climate emergency at its meeting on May 9, 2019.
“The working group will be asked to: (a) examine the effect of the emergency declaration on the level of council tax in Pembrokeshire and particularly the extent to which any such increases militate against the authority’s anti-poverty policies.
“(b) The cost of decarbonising the council’s housing stock and the effect this has had on the authority’s ability to finance the building of new housing.
“(c) The extent to which the council’s decarbonisation programme has contributed to a reduction of the risk of runaway global temperature increases, and (d) any other effects that the working group considers may have adversely impacted the wellbeing of the residents of Pembrokeshire.”
Cllr Stoddart’s notice of motion was previously supported at the June meeting of the council’s corporate overview and scrutiny committee, with a recommendation to full council in July meeting, to reinstate the Net Zero Working Group to review the contents of the notice of motion and, subject to the outcome of this review, review the future delivery of the Net Zero Action Plan.
Cllr Stoddart’s call was backed by Cllr Steve Alderman, and Cllr Rhys Jordan, who said: “I fully support this, it couldn’t come sooner; around England and Wales councils are looking at this, there’s been a huge push for a ‘net zero’ agenda at any cost, I don’t think we’re in a position to drive that.”
Cllr Aaron Carey said: “We’ve set ourselves some lofty goals, but we haven’t got the money to back it up.”
Members overwhelmingly agreed to back the June committee recommendations.
News
Urgent appeal to save 1,000 hens in Pembrokeshire and beyond

British Hen Welfare Trust seeks homes before Friday deadline
AN URGENT appeal has been launched to find homes for more than 1,000 hens due to be rehomed next weekend – including from a rescue centre in Boncath, Pembrokeshire.
The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) is coordinating the rehoming effort on Saturday (July 26), aiming to rescue ex-caged hens from slaughter and instead place them into loving homes. The appeal also covers rehoming centres in Locking, near Bristol, and Kineton in Warwickshire.
The charity says the hens have come to the end of their commercial egg-laying lives, but remain healthy and can thrive as pets. However, they must be rehomed by Friday (July 25) to avoid being needlessly killed.
“This is a time-sensitive and visual story that resonates locally,” said Andy Hill, Marketing & Communications Officer for the BHWT. “These hens have worked hard their whole lives and deserve a second chance.”
The organisation recently marked the rehoming of its one millionth hen – which was adopted by King Charles III – and the upcoming effort is part of its continued mission to improve hen welfare across the UK.
Local spokespeople are available for interview, and high-resolution images are available for media use.
For more information or to register interest in adopting hens, visit: www.bhwt.org.uk
Image for illustration purposes only
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ieuan
December 31, 2014 at 6:27 pm
Good try Jacob, maybe next time!
tomos
January 2, 2015 at 6:14 pm
Jamie STILL trying to get more rats to join the sinking ship HMS IPiG ?