Connect with us
Advertisement
Advertisement

News

Fishguard: Lie over lotto funding left town council ‘embarrassed’

Published

on

Misled town council: Former councillor, Chris John

Misled town council: Former councillor, Chris John

THE PUBLIC SERVICES OMBUDSMAN FOR WALES has looked into a former Fishguard and Goodwick town councillor, after it was alleged that he misled the parish council into believing he was securing lottery cash.

The ombudsman was informed that Cllr Chris John had deceived the town council, during five meetings – between April 2013 and March 2014 – that he had submitted an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund, for help with funding the World War One commemorations.

The community councillor said his application had passed the ‘first stage’ and was now on ‘stage two’ of the funding process. However, enquiries by the town council revealed that Cllr John had only submitted an expression of interest and no funding had been applied for.

The mayor at the time, Cllr Richard Grosvenor said the Cllr John’s dithering had left it too late for an application, and as a result many local organisations had been left disappointed.

The ombudsman found that Cllr John breached paragraph 6 1 (a) of the code of conduct. Cllr John was elected to the town council in 2012 and Cllr Grosvenor told The Herald: “Cllr John gave very articulate reports and he was praised by his fellow councillors for all the hard work he had been putting into the WWI project. This really is an embarrassing situation for the council.”

The town clerk Sarah McColl Dorion added: “Misrepresenting is a serious offence. Once we knew Cllr John had been misleading us, we contacted the ombudsman.”

Mr John said that with his farming job and the birth of his first child he had less time to devote to the project. “All I can say is that the timescale did go on too long and I apologise for that,” he said.

“I’m extremely apologetic to have caused any upset or disappointment. It was never my intention to mislead anyone on this.”

As Cllr Chris John has resigned due to ‘moving out of the parish’, the ombudsman cannot take any action.

UPDATE

Former Cllr Chris John send the following letter to The Herald on Saturday (Jan 5), which we publish here in full:

 

DEAR SIR,

I have seen and read many articles printed and published in the last couple of days regarding the findings of a Public Services Ombudsman investigation against me, condemning me and how I have misled and deeply embarrassed the Fishguard & Goodwick Town Council with regards to a Heritage Lottery Funding Application for monies to assist in the holding of commemoration events in our Twin Towns, and worse, to have let down my community as a whole. May I take this opportunity to say that I am extremely apologetic if I have caused upset and disappointment to anyone, as this was never my intention, nor did I mean to mislead anyone on this project.

However, I feel the full version of events has not been told, and until they are, I do not think the people of Fishguard & Goodwick can make up their own minds regarding this situation.

The Fishguard & Goodwick Town Council first began exploring the possibility of holding commemorational events for the 2014 First World War Centenary back in the autumn of 2012 under the leadership of then Mayor, Mrs. Maggie Stringer. A Committee was assembled by the Town Council to look into this project, and I was extremely keen to be involved due to my keen interest in both local and military history – this project married the two perfectly in my view. In a committee meeting that autumn, I was chosen to be the Chairman of the WW1 Committee, a great honour to be bestowed on such a new, and young, councillor and I was delighted.

The project started out on a really good footing; we held a public meeting in the Bay Hotel with other organisations, hoping that they would get involved. A number of them showed interest in this, and we talked about the various ideas of ways of commemorating such an important date in our nation’s calendar. It soon became apparent that many organisations wanted to hold a variety of events, and so it seemed to me that our Council should take an overall supervisory and administrative position; and this was reported to the full Town Council who agreed.

I was new and naive to the ways of local government, but I had some older and more experienced councillors on the Committee, and I felt that together we could make this project really work for our community. It was decided by the committee that we should look at obtaining HLF funding for this project as the supervisory body, and assist each of the different planned events by allocating funding. I was informed by Cllrs. Allison and Grosvenor who were on the WW1 Committee, that the process was “two-fold”. I then proceeded with speaking to the Heritage Lottery Fund in Cardiff via telephone about what kinds of events or projects they covered, the possibility of putting in a single, all-encompassing application for funding, and for ideas for projects. They informed me that I would need to make an Expression of Interest online to them, and then put together a comprehensive application, after which it would be considered and possible funding granted. I believed that this was the “two stages” of the process, and so I completed the Expression of Interest form online. I reported this to the Town Council, stating that we had completed “stage one” and we were looking at the “second stage” of the funding. With hindsight I can now see that my misunderstanding of the process coupled with the misdirection by certain councillors led me to make a complete muddle of my teminology used in the Council Chamber and recorded by the Town Clerk, which led to this investigation.

I spent the months, during which I reiterated our “progression to stage two” of the application process to the Town Council, obtaining ideas, collaborating with local organisations, attending numerous meetings, collating information on the men of Fishguard & Goodwick who fought and died in World War One, and obtaining quotes for a number of different proposals for the formal application. As those of you who have had dealings with democratic politics, by the time this information is compiled, relayed and acted upon takes time. Each committee member was employed full-time, and due to a number of reasons, it soon became a “one-man” committee.

However, I was determined this project carried on in honour of those who had fought and died in the First World War. Again, with hindsight, maybe this was a bad move on my part and I should have abandoned the plans according to Council Standing Orders as a committee must form a quorum of members for approval of suggestions to be brought to the Full Council.

Due to my occupation as a full-time dairy farm worker, and at the time my partner being heavily pregnant with our first child (who was born in April 2014 just after my removal from the WW1 Committee) I found myself having more and more limited spare time to devote to the project, just as the workload became more and more cumbersome. I even mentioned this informally to members of the Council, but I continued unaided.

Finally, with all the information gathered that I felt I required to complete the application process, I began to make a formal application online for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for projects such as replica uniforms for the Army Cadets to wear and parade, trips to the Penally Trench system and local museums, and working on projects with the local schools to educate them about the First World War, and make sure this centenary did not pass without the sacrifices and information passed onto the next generation.

I had just began the application process when I was summoned to the Clerk’s Office for a meeting with the Clerk and the then Mayor. I spoke to them regarding all of the above, giving my explanation as to why the timescale had been far over-reached. It was then in that meeting I was told I was to be reported to the Ombudsman for misleading the Council, and gross misconduct. Although deeply hurt and frustrated, I accepted this as it was the correct procedure and had to be applied, and I was removed from the WW1 Committee. In my opinion, with my removal, the committee fell by the wayside and the planned events and application was abandoned by the decision of Cllr. Grosvenor.

I continued, wherever possible after my daughter’s birth, to attend Council meetings, and assisted the Clerk in making sure the History and Art Competitions went ahead apace in the local schools, designing the posters etc. The WW1 Committee regularly came up on the agenda of full Council meetings, but nothing was said, and the agenda item was quickly passed over. Retrospectively, I have wondered why no-one from the Committee stepped up to replace me and take over, especially as all the background work had been completed, and try to ensure that more of the planned events went ahead regardless of my removal. But, no-one did. Time soon passed, Remembrance Day came and went, and now in 2015 the Centenary Year is over, with little to show for it.

Finally however, despite my reasons, I take full responsibility, as the ex-Chairman of the Town Council’s WW1 Committee until Spring 2014, for its failure, and for that I apologise wholeheartedly to the community of Fishguard and Goodwick, and to the memory of those who lived and died on those atrocious battlefields throughout the world.

I would just like to add as a footnote that my resignation from the Town Council, although construed as connected to the findings of this Ombudsman’s investigation, actually had nothing to do with it. As mentioned previously, I continued where possible to attend Council meetings and it was simply due to my moving to Mathry closer to my new job on a different farm, and in doing so, I was now outside of the catchment area allowed for Councillors of the Town Council. I therefore had to tender my resignation as Councillor for Fishguard North-East Ward; a decision I did not take lightly as I had always wanted to follow in my late grandfather’s footsteps onto the Town Council and delve into a political career.

I have not made a previous reply to this story being published, as I was unaware of the verdict and closure of the investigation by the Ombudsman until after the deadlines given to me by the local press for comment. I feel that this was an immoral decision by certain members of the Town Council to release this story without my knowledge of its termination.

When I was contacted 23rd December by the Western Telegraph and County Echo, I made no reply as I was still under the impression that the matter was ongoing with the Ombudsman, and the last correspondence I had with them stated that any disclosure to the public and the press would be a violation of the Code of Conduct. It was not until the deadlines for a reply had passed that on the 27th December I received my post from my old landlord (who happens to be Cllr. Grosvenor) including the letter from the Ombudsman with their final verdict and ruling (and allowing me to speak on the investigation), which was sent out on the 19th December according to its date stamp on the envelope. Coincidence? Maybe.

I would like to finish by thanking you for reading this statement, and stating that I concur with the findings of the Ombudsman, but that I would only add that it was an unintentional misleading on my part. I hope that it gives my side of the story, and that it will help towards each reader coming to a balanced conclusion.

Christopher John

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Health

Baby loss remembrance service resumes at Withybush Hospital

Published

on

THE ANNUAL baby loss remembrance service will return on Thursday 12 October 2023 at St Luke’s Chapel in Withybush hospital in Haverfordwest at 7pm.

The ‘Forget Me Not’ service coincides with Baby Loss Awareness week (9-15 October) and is arranged by Midwifery and Bereavement teams and led by the Spiritual Care Department (Chaplaincy).

The service has long been a source of comfort for parents and families and provides an opportunity for people to reflect and to come together to pay respects and write a message in a safe space.

Euryl Howells, Senior Chaplain at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “This service of remembrance is an important moment for parents and families who have been affected by the very sad experience of babies who have passed away.

“Infant and pregnancy loss is a very lonely grief. This space is a time to gather and remember precious little ones whether the loss was recent or in the more distant past.”

In recognition of Baby Loss Awareness week, Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen and Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth will have pink and blue lights in the Chapel/Quiet Room. The week culminates in a ‘Wave of Light’ on 15 October, which is recognised across the world.

A candle (battery operated) will be lit at 7pm by the Senior Chaplain in memory of all the babies who lit up our lives for such a short time.

If you are unable to attend the service and wish to commemorate your loved one, please send a message to [email protected] by Tuesday 10 October 2023

Should you require further information please contact Euryl Howells by telephone or email 01267 227563 or [email protected]

Continue Reading

News

Councillors elected to Haverfordwest Town Council

Published

on

The declaration of results for by-elections to two Haverfordwest Town Council Wards
are available on the Pembrokeshire County Council website.

The elections to the Priory and Portfield Wards took place on September 19 th , 2023.

Cllr Peter Lewis and Cllr Tasha Jones were elected to the Priory Ward and Cllr Roy
Thomas to the Portfield Ward.

Returning Officer Will Bramble made the declaration of results at the Picton Centre,
Haverfordwest, following the closure of polls and counting.

The full declarations are available on the election results page of the Council’s
website.

Continue Reading

News

The Broad Haven Triangle and beyond on ‘Encounters’

Published

on

PEMBROKESHIRE, because of the Broad Haven UFO sightings, has earned an enigmatic title: the “Bermuda Triangle” of the UK. Despite its modest size and population of under 1,000, Broad Haven was the focal point of one of the UK’s most extensive extraterrestrial sighting events back in the 1970’s. The village bore witness to around 450 unexplainable phenomena, from the appearance of a flying saucer near a guest house, a 7ft alien-like entity emerging from a hedge, to the mysterious “cigar-shaped” UFO spotted near a school.

It was 1977, a year overshadowed by the Cold War. However, in the world of entertainment, sci-fi movies like Star Wars and Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind were captivating global audiences. Broad Haven’s peculiar happenings did not go unnoticed and soon became international news when 16 schoolchildren claimed to see a UFO in the Pembrokeshire sky. Their sketches and narratives, consistently similar despite being separated during their recounting, provided eerie credibility to their stories.

Yet, the tales from Broad Haven are just one segment of a wider tapestry. Steven Spielberg’s production company, known for iconic science fiction titles like E.T, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park, has taken a deep dive into these mysteries with their new Netflix documentary series ‘Encounters’.

Broad Haven’s tales are masterfully presented in one of the episodes. However, ‘Encounters’ spreads its net far and wide, delving into other gripping UFO and extraterrestrial events from around the world. Other episodes in the series explore accounts from a remote Scandinavian village with eerie lights, testimonies from a desert town in the U.S. plagued by abductions, and dark legends from an isolated mountain range in South America.

The Broad Haven episode is particularly close to Spielberg’s heart, given his affinity for extraordinary tales of the unexplained. According to the director of ‘Encounters’, Yon Motskin, the decision to focus on Broad Haven stemmed from the sheer volume of corroborative witness accounts. Over 450 individuals have testified to seeing something bizarre, and these recollections persist, even nearly half a century later.

The ‘Broad Haven Triangle’ remains one of Wales’s most tantalizing enigmas. With the gravitas of Spielberg’s production and the global platform provided by Netflix, the Pembrokeshire mysteries are poised to captivate and bewilder a new generation.

Encounters, offering a journey into the unexplained from Broad Haven to beyond, is available to stream on Netflix from Wednesday.

Continue Reading

News2 days ago

St Davids RNLI responds to kayaker in distress near Jack Sound

AT 3:30pm on Saturday, 23rd September, the St Davids RNLI lifeboat was dispatched in response to reports of a kayaker...

News5 days ago

Wales to the World: celebrating maps in a brand new exhibition

ON SATURDAY (Sept 23) an exciting new exhibition of maps from the National Library of Wales will open at the...

News5 days ago

fflecsi Bwcabus Service to cease as funding comes an end

THE FFLECSI Bwcabus service will end on 31st October 2023. The news comes after the Welsh Government confirmed that it...

News1 week ago

Pembrokeshire restaurant fined for employing illegal workers

A PEMBROKESHIRE-BASED restaurant, Panache Indian, located on Queen Street, Pembroke Dock, has been slapped with a hefty fine after being...

News1 week ago

Council to stop supplying grey bin bags to save money

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has confirmed it is ceasing provision of grey bags and reverting to “household provided” black bags for...

News1 week ago

Online safety bill passage marks new dawn for child safety, says NSPCC Chief

THE NATIONAL SOCIETY for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) hails the enactment of the Online Safety Bill as...

News1 week ago

Petition calling for scrapping of new 20mph speed limit at 150,000 signatures

A SENEDD petition calling for the Welsh Government to rescind and remove the 20mph law, has now passed 150,000 signatures,...

News1 week ago

Wales’ 20mph speed limit now in force amid much controversy

FROM Today (Sunday, Sept 17), the vast majority of residential roads across Wales will see a new speed limit of...

featured2 weeks ago

Wales to reduce speed limit to 20mph in built-up areas from Sunday

WALES will introduce a new default speed limit of 20mph (32km/h) for residential roads from Sunday, making it the first...

News2 weeks ago

Police investigation into theft of garden ornaments in Solva

POLICE are investigating an allegation of theft at a property in the Whitchurch area of Solva, Pembrokeshire. Two garden ornaments...

Popular This Week