Politics

Wales’ top lawyer backs ban on ex-politicians judging old colleagues

Published

2 weeks ago

November 17, 2025

FORMER Senedd Members should be permanently banned from judging the conduct of old colleagues, Wales’ top lawyer has suggested – contradicting plans in a new recall bill.

The recall bill includes a two-year cooling-off period before former Senedd politicians can become “lay” members of a committee which recommends sanctions for misbehaviour.

But Julie James, who is counsel general, the Welsh Government’s chief legal adviser, argued the disqualification should be for life to overcome public cynicism.

She made the comments on Monday November 17 while giving evidence on plans to introduce a system of recall, which would allow voters to remove politicians between elections.

Under the bill, for the first time, lay members would be appointed to the Senedd’s standards of conduct committee but – unlike in other parliaments – this could include former members.

Douglas Bain, the standards commissioner who investigates complaints about Senedd Members, has warned two years is too short and called for a four-year ban.

But Ms James went further, telling the legislation committee former Senedd politicians should not be able to sit as lay members in judgement of their old colleagues at all.

She told Senedd Members: “For what it’s worth, as a personal thing, not speaking as the counsel general, I think it should be a permanent disqualification.

“I think you would be permanently thought of as being in whatever camp you’d been in when you were elected – and that’s just a personal view, it’s not a government view.

“But, I can see, if you’re trying to overcome cynicism and so on, the idea that that person is now non-aligned and independent is difficult.”

Asked about the rationale for including the proposed two-year cooling-off period in the bill, the former solicitor told Senedd Members: “I mean it’s a place to start if I’m honest.”

She said the two-year prohibition aligns with the qualification requirements for the standards commissioner as well as rules on ministers taking jobs after politics.

Adam Price, the former Plaid Cymru leader, warned: “The degree of perceived conflict of interest here is possibly even greater because you’re being appointed not just to any external organisation but to the sub-committee of an institution you were a member of.”

Ms James concluded: “If you’ve been an elected member of the Senedd, you shouldn’t be allowed to be a lay member of one of its committees because, frankly, I don’t think you’d ever be regarded as ‘lay’ by anyone.”

She stressed ministers are walking a fine constitutional line – seeking to establish a legal framework without dictating internal rules to the Senedd – and she suggested the Welsh Government was open to amendments.

She said: “We felt very strongly that we shouldn’t start from the point of view of the government telling the [Senedd] commission how to conduct its business.”

Alun Davies, a Labour member of the legislation committee, raised concerns about plans to create election-related offences, including around false or misleading statements of fact.

Mr Davies warned the can was being kicked down the road, saying: “We’re being asked here to put on the statute book a duty to create an offence which itself isn’t defined.

He added: “But that feels like an extraordinarily unsatisfactory way of making law… It does not feel like we’re creating a serious piece of law here.”

Ms James told her colleague: “It’s for the next government and the parliamentary authorities to define that offence, yes.”

Mr Davies said: “You’re going to wish your successors well with this, I trust,” drawing a laugh from the counsel general.

Senedd Members heard an existing criminal offence on false statements during elections would be widened beyond a narrow focus on the character or conduct of another candidate.

But Ms James highlighted the need to “insulate” a bill “right on the edge” of devolved powers, saying: “We need to make sure we don’t push it so far that the whole thing fails.”

She warned the final vote on the bill would fall on the last government sitting day of term, with royal assent before dissolution on April 8 but after the Senedd rises at Easter.

She said the tight timetable means the bill would instantly fail if the UK Government was to refer the question of whether it is within the Senedd’s powers to the Supreme Court.

The counsel general told the committee: “We’re very keen that that doesn’t happen so we are perhaps being hyper-cautious about it.”

Business

Cwm Deri Vineyard Martletwy holiday lets plans deferred

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

CALLS to convert a former vineyard restaurant in rural Pembrokeshire which had been recommended for refusal has been given a breathing space by planners.

In an application recommended for refusal at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Barry Cadogan sought permission for a farm diversification and expansion of an existing holiday operation through the conversion of the redundant former Cwm Deri vineyard production base and restaurant to three holiday lets at Oaklea, Martletwy.

It was recommended for refusal on the grounds of the open countryside location being contrary to planning policy and there was no evidence submitted that the application would not increase foul flows and that nutrient neutrality in the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC would be achieved within this catchment.

An officer report said that, while the scheme was suggested as a form of farm diversification, no detail had been provided in the form of a business case.

Speaking at the meeting, agent Andrew Vaughan-Harries of Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, after the committee had enjoyed a seasonal break for mince pies, said of the recommendation for refusal: “I’m a bit grumpy over this one; the client has done everything right, he has talked with the authority and it’s not in retrospect but has had a negative report from your officers.”

He said the former Cwm Deri vineyard had been a very successful business, with a shop and a restaurant catering for ‘100 covers’ before it closed two three years ago when the original owner relocated to Carmarthenshire.

He said Mr Cadogan then bought the site, farming over 36 acres and running a small campsite of 20 spaces, but didn’t wish to run a café or a wine shop; arguing the “beautiful kitchen” and facilities would easily convert to holiday let use.

He said a “common sense approach” showed a septic tank that could cope with a restaurant of “100 covers” could cope with three holiday lets, describing the nitrates issue as “a red herring”.

He suggested a deferral for further information to be provided by the applicant, adding: “This is a big, missed opportunity if we just kick this out today, there’s a building sitting there not creating any jobs.”

On the ‘open countryside’ argument, he said that while many viewed Martletwy as “a little bit in the sticks” there was already permission for the campsite, and the restaurant, and the Bluestone holiday park and the Wild Lakes water park were roughly a mile or so away.

He said converting the former restaurant would “be an asset to bring it over to tourism,” adding: “We don’t all want to stay in Tenby or the Ty Hotel in Milford Haven.”

While Cllr Nick Neuman felt the nutrients issue could be overcome, Cllr Michael Williams warned the application was “clearly outside policy,” recommending it be refused.

A counter-proposal, by Cllr Tony Wilcox, called for a site visit before any decision was made, the application returning to a future committee; members voting seven to three in favour of that.

Climate

Fishguard ‘battery box’ scheme near school refused

Published

13 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANNERS have refused a Pembrokeshire ‘battery box’ electricity storage unit near a Pembrokeshire town school, which has seen local objections including fears of a potential risk to nearby school children.

In an application recommended for approval at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, AMP Clean Energy sought permission for a micro energy storage project on land at Fishguard Leisure Centre Car Park, near Ysgol Bro Gwaun.

The application had previously been recommended for approval at the November meeting, but a decision was deferred pending a site visit.

The scheme is one of a number of similar applications by AMP, either registered or approved under delegated planning powers by officers.

The battery boxes import electricity from the local electricity network when demand for electricity is low or when there are high levels of renewable energy available, exporting it back during periods of high demand to help address grid reliability issues; each giving the potential to power 200 homes for four hours.

The Fishguard scheme, which has seen objections from the town council and members of the public, was before committee at the request of the local member, Cllr Pat Davies.

Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council objected to the proposal on grounds including visual impact, and the location being near the school.

An officer report said the scheme would be well screened by a Paladin Fence, with a need to be sited close to an existing substation.

Speaking at the December meeting, Ben Wallace of AMP Clean Energy conceded the boxes were “not things of beauty” before addressing previously raised concerns of any potential fire risk, saying that “in the incredibly unlikely” event of a fire, the system would contain it for up to two hours, giving “plenty of time” for it to be extinguished, an alarm immediately sounding, with the fire service raising no concerns.

“These are fundamentally safe, the technology is not new,” he said, comparing them to such batteries in phones and laptops.

One of the three objectors at the meeting raised concerns of the proximity to homes and the school, describing it as “an unsafe, unsustainable and unnecessary location,” with Cllr Jim Morgan of Fishguard Town Council, who had previously raised concerns of the “nightmare scenario” of a fire as children were leaving the school, also voicing similar issues.

Local county councillor Pat Davies, who had spoken at the previous meeting stressing she was not against the technology, just the location and the potential risk to pupils, said the siting would be “a visual intrusion,” with the school having many concerns about the scheme, adding it had been “brought forward without any dialogue of consultation with the school”.

Cllr Davies added: “It is unacceptable that a micro-storage unit should be proposed in this area; someone somewhere has got it wrong.”

Following a lengthy debate, committee chair Cllr Mark Carter proposed going against officers in refusing the scheme; members unanimously refusing the application.

Climate

Fears Sageston wind turbine scheme could affect bats

Published

13 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

AN APPLICATION for a wind turbine nearly 250 foot high on the road to Tenby, recommended to be turned down due to a lack of information on how it could affect bats, has been put on hold.

In an application recommended for refusal at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Constantine Wind Energy Ltd sought permission for a 76-metre-high wind turbine at Summerton Farm, Sageston.

Back in 2024, an application to replace a current 60.5m high turbine on the site with one up to 90 metres, or just under 300 foot, at the site was refused on the grounds its height and scale would have a detrimental impact on the visual amenity of the locality, with the additional clause of failing to comply with supplementary guidance.

A report for committee members on the latest application says the smaller turbine than previously proposed, representing a 16-metre increase in height from a previously granted turbine “would not be sufficient for it to become an overbearing feature in the landscape,” with no objections from either the Council Landscape Officer or Natural Resources Wales.

However, concerns were raised by the council ecologist that the applicant’s Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Report was incomplete.

“The Council Ecologist questions why the response received in relation to myotis bat records were not included within the initial PEA. As such, he considers that the PEA does not present enough information on the possible presence of bats within the application site area.

“Whilst there may be negligible foraging and commuting potential, there are records of foraging on grassland within two kilometres which have positive identification of myotis bat foraging, along with greater and lesser horseshoe bat foraging. He also notes that the application site is in close proximity to a wooded area.”

It was recommended for refusal on the grounds that appraisal report, and technical note, “do not adequately address the impact of the proposed wind turbine on bat activity in the area”.

At the committee meeting, members heard the scheme had been temporarily withdrawn to deal with issues raised, the application expected to return to a future meeting.