Local Government

Dramatic start to Neyland code hearing as town clerk gives evidence

Published

3 months ago

January 15, 2026

Ombudsman-led proceedings heard at Haverfordwest County Court

A HEARING to determine whether a Neyland town councillor breached the code of conduct opened in dramatic fashion at Haverfordwest County Court on Thursday (Jan 15), with the town clerk called as the first witness.

The special proceedings, which began at 10:00am, relate to an Ombudsman investigation into complaints made about Cllr David Devauden, including complaints from Mayor Peter Hay and the clerk herself.

The courtroom was busy, with members of the public and councillors from Neyland, with the judge sitting alongside two magistrates.

Former councillor sought anonymity

At the outset, the judge dealt with preliminary matters, including an email from former councillor asking that his name not be mentioned during the proceedings.

The court heard that the councillor had resigned from the council and cited stress and mental health pressures. However, the judge said he had been a serving councillor during the relevant period and therefore a public figure in that context. The judge noted that no Article 8 application had been received and said the email did not amount to a request to keep his name out of the press. However, The Herald, has decided to do so.

Dispute over “undisputed facts” bundle

Cllr Devauden, who was representing himself, raised a preliminary point over the wording of what was described as an agreed bundle of “undisputed facts,” arguing some entries were inaccurate and potentially misleading.

He told the court that the bundle suggested he had accused the clerk of “committing illegal acts against the council,” but said his position was that he had alleged tampering with a government document, which he described as fraud.

The judge agreed to make minor amendments to the bundle in Cllr Devauden’s favour.

Clerk called to the stand

***On the stand: Town Clerk Libby Matthews***

The first witness was the clerk, who confirmed her full name as Elizabeth Anne Matthews and confirmed that she had made a complaint to the Ombudsman.

Cllr Devauden asked when they had first met. The clerk replied: “It was when you joined the council.”

“But that’s a lie isn’t it,” Cllr Devauden told the court, claiming he had met her in 2008 when she worked at the post office and that he had seen her regularly.

The clerk disputed this and said she did not start working at the post office until 2015, adding that she served a large number of customers and did not remember him from that time.

The judge asked Cllr Devauden whether he wished to challenge any disputed evidence, noting it would be his opportunity to do so.

Minutes and recordings

The hearing then moved to issues around council minutes and access to meeting recordings.

Cllr Devauden told the court he had asked the clerk for minutes but said they were not provided. The clerk replied that he had asked for “nine years of minutes,” and that this was not something that could be done immediately while she was busy.

Cllr Devauden disputed the timeframe and argued that minutes should be provided “on demand,” referring to what he said was the position under the Local Government Act.

The clerk told the court that while minutes had to be provided, it was “within a reasonable time,” rather than instantly.

The clerk was also questioned about why meeting recordings requested by Cllr Devauden had not been provided. She told the court she was concerned about protecting the council and said she believed he had been leaking information to the press.

She said press coverage of the council had “always been negative,” and claimed it was Cllr Devauden who was leaking information to newspapers.

Cllr Devauden denied leaking information and told the court that on the occasions he had spoken to the press, his name had been included and nothing had been “secret.”

Allegation of intimidation

The court heard an allegation that Cllr Devauden had shouted at the clerk when she refused to provide minutes.

Cllr Devauden denied shouting, telling the court it was “your word against mine,” and said he had walked out thinking the situation was “toxic.”

He also said the clerk had told him he could obtain minutes from the county records office, but claimed that when he attended he found nothing had been filed since 2000.

The clerk told the court she had believed they had been filed, describing it as a mistake.

The clerk also alleged that after requesting minutes, Cllr Devauden remained in the office and threatened to report her to the police, standing in the doorway and making her feel she could not leave.

Cllr Devauden denied threatening her with the police. The clerk told the court the matter was “in the emails.”

When challenged, she told the court: “What is written in my statement is true according to my absolute belief.”

Mayor called

***Neyland’s mayor gave evidence: Cllr Peter Hay***

Mayor Peter Hay was the next witness to give evidence. He confirmed he had also made a complaint regarding Cllr Devauden.

The court heard evidence relating to the Remembrance Sunday arrangements, including why Cllr Devauden was not selected as parade marshal and why he did not read the “order of wreaths.”

Cllr Devauden told the court he had carried out the role for “ten or 15 years,” while the mayor said he believed it had been done once before.

The judge questioned the relevance of the evidence as it was being explored, asking Cllr Devauden where it was leading. Cllr Devauden said he wished to show the mayor was a “pathological liar.”

Cllr Devauden referred to an allegation that the mayor had told councillors they had to choose between him or “the band” as the reason he was overlooked.

The mayor told the court he did not mean the Milford Haven Town Band and said he did not know which organisation had complained, suggesting it could have been “the Cubs, the Brownies or the Scouts.”

He said: “I do not engage in tittle-tattle. I just knew a complaint had been made.”

With no further questions considered relevant by the court at that stage, the judge directed that the mayor could step down from the witness box and take a seat. Proceedings then adjourned briefly.

Witness statement and ‘Sarah’s Law’ references raised

After the break, the hearing moved to evidence relating to requests for council documents and allegations surrounding access to information.

During the morning session, the court heard reference to a witness statement dated Friday, April 19, 2024, which included mention of ‘Sarah’s Law’. In questioning, one witness told the court she had not been well at the relevant time.

Cllr Devauden challenged parts of the evidence, including uncertainty over dates, and told the court that without a clear date he could not properly respond, asking how he could “admit or argue” evidence where timings were disputed.

There were also references in court to whether Cllr Devauden had asked for information about individuals, which he disputed, and further discussion about requests for historic minutes and access to recordings, including what could reasonably be provided and when.

The hearing also heard exchanges about whether individuals felt intimidated during interactions at the council offices, which Cllr Devauden denied.

The case continues.

Additional reporting by Seren Baker and Tom Sinclair

Local Government

Milford Haven launches search for Citizens’ Awards 2026 nominees

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Residents invited to honour people who make the town proud

MILFORD HAVEN TOWN COUNCIL is calling on residents to nominate local people for its Citizens’ Awards 2026.

The annual awards recognise individuals who make a positive difference in the community and help make Milford Haven a place people feel proud to call home.

In a public appeal, the council asked: “Who makes you feel proud of Milford Haven? Please let us know. It’s time to celebrate those who really need to be celebrated.”

Residents are being encouraged to put forward the names of people they believe deserve recognition for their contribution to the town.

The council has also made clear that previous award recipients cannot be considered for further awards.

A full list of past winners can be found on Milford Haven Town Council’s website.

Community

Call for Cawdor space radar halt over ‘unreliable’ Trump

Published

3 days ago

April 17, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

WELSH First Minister Eluned Morgan has called on the UK Government to halt the controversial deep space radar project at Pembrokeshire’s Cawdor Barracks, describing the USA under Donald Trump as an unreliable ally.

In a pre-application consultation, ahead of a formal planning application, The Ministry of Defence wants to install 27 radar antenna and a long list of associated works at Cawdor Barracks, Brawdy for a worldwide network of sensors called the Deep Space Advanced Radar Concept (DARC) to track active satellites and other objects would utilise three sites worldwide, part of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership, in the USA, the UK and Australia “enabling 360-degree coverage of the sky at all times of day and under any weather conditions”.

In late 2023, Cawdor Barracks was identified as the preferred UK site by the-then UK Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps.

A supporting statement accompanying the pre-application consultation, through Montagu Evans LLP says: “The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability proposal will enhance the UK’s ability to detect, identify, and track objects in Earth orbit, including satellites, space debris, and potential threats.

“This capability is vital for ensuring the resilience of UK space systems, enabling the UK to secure attribution, maintain stability and provide information for managing emerging challenges. Fundamentally, the project forms a key site that will support wider international space traffic management and enhance collective international security.

“As part of the ongoing investment into this domain, the UK has been working with its allies to identify a location for a new deep space monitoring facility to protect and defend both military and civilian infrastructure that supports our way of life.”

St Davids City Council members recently unanimously opposed the proposals, and public objectors have raised concerns with protests recently taking place outside Brawdy Barracks and County Hall, Haverfordwest.

Labour Senedd candidate Eluned Morgan for the new Ceredigion Penfro constituency, who hopes to be re-elected as Senedd Member and First Minister in the May 7 elections, said: “I’m calling for the DARC defence project in Pembrokeshire to be halted.

“The United States under Donald Trump is not the partner it once was. Talk of targeting civilians, undermining our allies, and diminishing the sacrifice of our armed forces is not the conduct of a reliable ally.

“I believe in international alliances. I believe in collective security. But there is a clear difference between standing with our partners and giving a free pass to a US President who has threatened war crimes and shown contempt for our country.

“I’m urging the UK Government to halt our involvement in the AUKUS radar project until we can be confident those partnerships reflect our values and our security interests.”

She added: “Trump’s hostility towards the UK and verbal attacks on our nation in the light of the Prime Minister’s refusal to give the US President support in the attack on Iran should lead us to pause our involvement in this proposal.

“His threats to annihilate the Iranian civilisation reached a new low recently and we should not be associating ourselves with such an unreliable partner who threatened war crimes on civilians, and have insulted UK armed forces in terms of their commitment to fight in Afghanistan.”

The pre-application consultation has recently ended, with a formal application to Pembrokeshire County Council expected at a later date.

However, Labour MP for Pembrokeshire Henry Tufnell took a very different view: “I’m concerned that the First Minster appears to not want the local jobs and economic growth on a project that is unlikely to be operational until after the Trump administration.

“Our community here in Pembrokeshire has always played a pivotal role in the UK’s defence and the DARC project represents the next chapter in our proud heritage.”

Local Government

Appeal to turn former village pub into home dismissed

Published

3 days ago

April 16, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

AN APPEAL against a refusal of a call to convert an ‘unviable’ former village pub to a house has been dismissed.

In a partly retrospective application refused by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in July 2025, Ms G Key, through agent Evans Banks Planning Limited, sought permission for the conversion of the former Taberna Inn and associated flat, Herbrandston Village, Milford Haven, to one residential dwelling.

A supporting statement through the agent said the property was only operated as a pub for a short time after purchase before closing.

It said the loss of the pub to the village will not be felt as strongly as elsewhere as Herbrandston has an alternative venue, Herbrandston Hub, which opened in February 2020.

Local community council Hebrandston objected to the proposal on the grounds the village has already lost amenities in recent years, with the community hub only open part-time.

The application was refused on grounds including it would “result in the unacceptable loss of an existing community facility,” and “the applicant has failed to demonstrate the potential for continued use of the facility as unviable”.

Since that refusal an appeal was lodged with Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) by the applicant.

The inspector, in dismissing the appeal, said planning policy recognising “that public houses can play a vital economic and social role and their loss can be damaging to a local community,” adding the Taberna “constitutes a community facility”.

The inspector’s report said the purchase of the Taberna Inn in March 2020 in a “closed and condemned condition” just before the global pandemic “meant that the property was never operated as a public house, and although the appellant could have reopened the pub following the pandemic, she has chosen not to”.

It added: “As a result, the appellant has been unable to provide any financial information in the form of audited accounts which show the historic trading to help gauge the past performance of the premises or to demonstrate that the public house is not commercially viable.”

It went on to say the appellant’s view the pub is not a valued community asset, was contrasted by residents and the community council opposing the change of use; the Herbrandston Hub opening on a limited time basis, saying “the ability of the Hub to be classed as a viable and direct replacement to the Taberna Inn is questionable”.

It concluded: “Overall, the evidence before me is insufficiently thorough and wide ranging to constitute a solid case for the proposed development in the balance of harm to the community. As a result of this, I am not persuaded that it has been clearly demonstrated that the pub cannot become a viable business in the future.

“I also consider that it has not been demonstrated that there has been a commitment by the appellant, since purchasing the property in March 2020, to ensuring the long-term viability of the Taberna Inn as a going concern over an appropriate period.”