Local Government

Council under fire over Long Course Weekend deal

Published

2 months ago

October 2, 2025

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council is facing mounting questions over governance after councillors claimed officers signed a five-year agreement for the Long Course Weekend without Cabinet approval — echoing a previous £1 million error involving electric vehicles.

***Concerned over contact blunder: Cllr Huw Murphy***

Tiers Cross overspend
The Governance & Audit Committee on Tuesday (Sept 30) heard figures which showed the Tiers Cross housing scheme had run significantly over budget. WRW’s original tender was for £1.9 million, but after the company went into administration the replacement contractor, Tycroes, was paid £2.9 million — a 60 per cent increase.

At Johnston, WRW’s original contract stood at £5.1 million, with £3.5 million already paid when the firm collapsed. Although the council later claimed the project finished £1.1 million “under budget,” the final £4.5 million bill was around three times the £1.5 million that had been left outstanding when WRW folded.

Long Course Weekend governance
Speaking to The Herald, Councillor Huw Murphy said his main concern was the handling of the Long Course Weekend.

“Cabinet made a clear decision in January and that was not complied with,” he said.

Cabinet recommended officers put together a one-year agreement for 2025, to be produced following consultation before LCW 2025 commenced. Instead, on the Thursday (26th June) before the 2025 LCW event Councillors were presented with a five-year agreement, which was legally sealed, effectively a fait-accompli, where no scrutiny occurred prior to its publication, which begs the question of who agreed to this course of action and who accepts responsibility for it?

It was made clear at January Cabinet that any LCW host agreement from 2026-2029 would be subject of an ICM (individual Cabinet member) decision which never occurred, why not?

Cllr Murphy explained that he requested a copy of the LCW Host Agreement on Monday June 30th from both the Leader (Jon Harvey) and Cabinet holder responsible for events (Rhys Sinnett) and was not given any response. As a result, Cllr Murphy submitted a question for July Full Council utilising the Constitution to compel a response. The consequence of this request led to Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, Cllr Rhys Sinnett, issuing a retrospective ICM decision to cover the agreement. This was called in at the end of July and upheld, prompting an extraordinary meeting of Cabinet in early August. At the Scrutiny Call-In held on August 8^th where you had the very rare event where every Councillor present supported Councillor Murphy’s decision to call-in the LCW Host Agreement retrospective agreement

This can only be viewed as a sorry state of affairs where a decision of Cabinet was seemingly not complied with and when this was identified by opposition Councillors a request for information was ignored and only through use of the Constitution was a response provided which clearly identified a serious process failure.

“In my opinion the whole process has been shambolic,” Cllr Murphy said.

Echoes of EV contract mistake
Cllr Murphy pointed to a wider pattern of governance failings. In July 2024, the council believed it was submitting an expression of interest for an electric vehicle scheme. In reality, the paperwork constituted a binding contract to buy approximately 45 electric vehicles at a cost of more than £1 million, which resulted in the Investigation & Disciplinary Committee being convened to examine how that sorry state of affairs occurred. The question that now is being asked by many Councillors and constituents 12 months on is have lessons been learnt?

That PCC EV Contract failures along with the Long Course Weekend agreement, took place under the watch of Cllr Sinnett.

Political reaction
Cllr Murphy said: “When you add the LCW agreement to the EV contract fiasco, it points to a possible wider problem of governance within PCC. Cabinet decisions are not being followed, and retrospective fixes are no substitute for doing things properly in the first place.” Councillor Murphy adds, that doing things right first time gives confidence to the public of Pembrokeshire that even when unpopular decisions are made, they have faith the correct process has occurred. Furthermore, Governance failures give rise to concern and suspicion and often result in officer time being spent investigating failures to unravel what has occurred.

There is clear disquiet over the handling of the Long Course Weekend, within the Chamber and across it. The G&A Meeting appears to have exonerated Officers in respect of producing the LCW Host Agreement, which has resulted in the Committee requesting another report to look at the “other actors” which can only mean elected Councillors role. What is clear at present is that no one has been held to account for what has been a clear process failure, and this cannot be allowed to go unchallenged as without challenge the risk of repetition will remain.

Council response
The Herald has asked Pembrokeshire County Council for comment on both the Tiers Cross figures and the concerns raised about Long Course Weekend governance.

***Unauthorised contracts: There have been several governance failings at PCC, according to some councillors***

Local Government

Call for Return of Salt Tip in North Pembrokeshire to Improve Winter Road Safety

Published

8 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A PROPOSAL for the reinstatement of a salt tip in North Pembrokeshire to improve road safety during snowy and icy conditions has been put forward by local councillor Huw Murphy.

At the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, Cllr Murphy called for a review of the council’s current weather strategy, highlighting the need for an auxiliary salt tip in the north of the county. His motion, which was supported by senior councillors, aims to address the challenges faced by motorists during severe winter weather.

Cllr Murphy’s motion emphasized the importance of having a reserve salt tip available to ensure primary routes remain clear and accessible during snow and ice conditions. This would allow emergency services to respond to calls, key workers to reach their workplaces, and essential vehicles like HGVs to access farms for activities such as milk collection.

Historically, a salt tip was located near Crymych, which proved invaluable for gritting roads, particularly the A478 between Crymych and Cardigan, and between Crymych and Clunderwen. These roads, often treacherous during snowy weather, have caused difficulties for HGVs, coaches, and school buses in the past.

The proposal stresses that a new salt tip in Pembrokeshire would allow for quicker and more regular gritting, making roads safer for all users, especially during the harshest winter conditions. Cllr Murphy also highlighted that recent heavy snowfall exposed weaknesses in the current gritting strategy, particularly in the northeast of Pembrokeshire and the Preseli Mountains, which are most prone to severe weather.

The motion also called for prompt gritting and the deployment of snow ploughs on key routes, including the A478, A487, B4332, and B4329, which are vital for the local communities in the northeast and Preseli areas.

The county council’s Cabinet will now consider Cllr Murphy’s motion for further review.

Local Government

Carmarthenshire welcomes new council leader

Published

2 days ago

December 12, 2025

Tom Sinclair

New Cabinet confirmed following Full Council meeting

COUNCILLOR Linda Evans has been appointed Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council and Chair of the Cabinet following a meeting of Full Council on Wednesday (Dec 10).

A long-serving Plaid Cymru councillor for the Llanfihangel-ar-Arth ward, Cllr Evans has served on the authority since 2008 and has been a Cabinet Member since 2015.

Her appointment was formally confirmed during the meeting, where she also announced her Cabinet team — a 10-member executive responsible for the council’s overall business. The Cabinet meets fortnightly to make key decisions and recommendations to Full Council and, in some cases, decisions can be taken individually by Cabinet Members.

All members of the previous administration have retained their roles, with one change: Cllr Emlyn Schiavone joins the Cabinet as the new Cabinet Member for Homes.

The full Cabinet is as follows:

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture and Tourism: Cllr Hazel Evans
Cabinet Member for Education: Cllr Glynog Davies
Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Communities and Welsh Language: Cllr Carys Jones
Cabinet Member for Organisation and Workforce: Cllr Philip Hughes
Cabinet Member for Resources: Cllr Alun Lenny
Cabinet Member for Homes: Cllr Emlyn Schiavone
Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services: Cllr Edward Thomas
Cabinet Member for Integrated Health and Children and Adult Social Services: Cllr Jane Tremlett
Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability: Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen
Leader of the Council: Cllr Linda Evans

Speaking after her appointment, Cllr Evans said:
“It’s an honour to be elected as Council Leader and I look forward to working with the Cabinet and all members across the chamber for the benefit of the residents of Carmarthenshire.”

Climate

Urgent calls for action on Pembroke Commons flooding

Published

2 days ago

December 11, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

TWO PEMBROKESHIRE councillors have submitted an urgent call for action following recent heavy flooding in parts of Pembroke.

Pembroke councillors Aaron Carey and Jonathan Grimes have submitted an urgent notice of motion ahead of tomorrow’s December 12 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council following heavy flooding in the town’s Commons and Castle Pond area.

The notice of motion covers six points.

“That this council notes with concern the repeated and increasingly severe flooding experienced in our coastal, estuarial and river-fringe communities over recent weeks — in particular the flooding events affecting the Commons/Castle Pond area.

“That the council further notes that, according to correspondence from the Coastal, Rivers & Drainage Team Manager, the tipping gate at the barrage remains out of operation until mid-January due to mechanical issues; meanwhile high tide, heavy rain, wind-driven tidal surges and overspill at the sluice have combined to overwhelm the drainage/outfall infrastructure.

“That we recognise the current maintenance schedule (delayed till after the summer season) and the justification given — but further that such planning failed to foresee the likelihood of severe winter storm and surge events, which climate change makes more frequent and more intense.

“That this council therefore calls on the Cabinet to commission an urgent review of:

The adequacy of the current drainage/outfall and tidal-sluice infrastructure (barrage tipping gate, sluice/sluice-valve, flap valve, outfall capacity) for current and projected climate/tide conditions.
The maintenance scheduling policy for coastal and estuarial flood-risk assets, with a view to ensuring critical maintenance is completed before winter high-tide / storm-surge season, rather than — as at present — being delayed until after summer for ‘recreational / biodiversity’ reasons.

“That, pending the outcome of the review, the council should allocate appropriate emergency capital funding to remediate the barrages / sluices / outfalls at risk of failure or blockage — to safeguard residents, properties, highways and public amenities from further flooding.

“That, further, this council resolves to publish a public flood-resilience plan for the county, identifying all coastal and river-fringe ‘hotspots,’ maintenance schedules, responsible teams, and a transparent timeline for upgrades or remedial works — so residents have clarity and confidence in flood prevention measures.”

The submission also includes a question for Cabinet Member Cllr Rhys Sinnett.

“In light of the repeated flooding events across the county – including the recent overflow at Castle Pond and the acknowledgement by your own Coastal, Rivers & Drainage Team that the barrage tipping gate remains inoperable until mid-January can you explain what assessment has been made of the adequacy of our tidal outfall infrastructure in the face of current and projected future storm surges and sea-level rise?

“If no such assessment has yet been undertaken, will you commit now to commissioning an immediate structural and risk-capacity audit, with a report to full council within three months, and with proposals for funding any remedial works required — to avoid recurring damage and disruption to residents, highways, and public amenities?”