News

Badger and the appliance of science

Published

10 years ago

February 26, 2015

ECONOMICS, readers, was described by Thomas Carlyle as “the dismal science”. Of course, the fact he coined the phrase in the context of a pamphlet supporting the reintroduction of slavery in the Caribbean demonstrates that one has to have an eye on the context in which they were originally offered up to posterity when considering the wisdom of aphorisms. “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” is often handed down as though it was an immortal truth: one carved in stone; one to be heeded at all times and in all circumstances. Its appeal to authority is often followed by a nod to its origin in Shakespeare. Polonius, the character who offers the advice in Hamlet, is generally regarded as being as thick as mince and his counsel of as little use as a chocolate fireguard. So, readers, bear in mind t h a t wh e n e v e r you hear someone q u o t e t h a t line; their advice should be given as much weight as Hamlet ends up giving to Polonius’. By the way, and while Badger does not want to spoil the surprise, Hamlet stabs poor old Polonius by way of a farcical mistake resulting from Polonius own idiocy.

But it is of economics that Badger wants to write this week readers. In a way, it is inevitable that Carlyle, who subscribed to the dictum above. He believed in the “great man” theory of history which persisted for a surprisingly long time in scholarship. Economics, and more particularly economic history, is less about the individual poised at the moment of decision than about demography and long term trends. Badger is prepared to concede a great deal to those who think that the answer to the questions of the past can be divined from financial history and the study of markets and the masses. Much can be learned about the way in which some countries rise to positions of pre-eminence less because of the individual genius of its inhabitants than by their ability to exploit and more efficiently organize resources.

But when it comes down to it, readers, there are far fewer artworks devoted to the heroism of Keynes, Friedman and Galbraith t h a n there are to Napoleon, Frederick the Great or Churchill. Badger prefers to consider that there is a form of synthesis between the approaches of the different schools of thought. Otherwise how can one go about explaining the economic illiteracy, foolishness and pig-headed ignorance of Pembrokeshire’s county councillors – and more particularly the IPPG – when it came to Bryn Parry-Jones. Badger had hoped that the Brynmeister had made his last appearance in his column, but the eagerness of the national media to suddenly discover details of Bryn’s work car revealed in this paper over six months ago, thrust him and Pembrokeshire County Council’s profligate pay policy for senior officers into pin sharp focus.

That, combined with the news that the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales wants to cut his successor’s pay by a third to a measly £130K all in, behoves Badger to once more return to the longest running punchline to the longest running joke in Welsh local government. £195K readers. Toy with that fi gure. Roll it around in your head. £195,000 of our council tax paying pounds is what was bunged to Bryn by way of an annual remuneration package. How did anyone, let alone people charged with custody of public money, come to believe that one man was worth so much? Badger has a theory. It is only a notion borne out of Badger’s observations of the way you lot behave up there on the surface, but he offers it for your consideration. Hard as it might be to believe, readers, Bryn was regarded as a bit of whizz kid in his past.

He had been the youngest chief executive of a council in Wales (Llanelli) before the great local government shake-up that returned unitary authority status to our county eliminated Llanelli Borough Council and merged it with Carmarthenshire. So it was to Pembrokeshire – pretty much the last resort – to which Bryn turned. One fl ashy presentation later and Bryn jumped on the gravy train and rode it right up until it ran into the buffers. Thereafter, all Bryn had to do was to consolidate his grip on power and then play up to councillors’ vanity and insecurity to ensure that his pay escalated from the merely very comfortable to the stratospherically lunatic. Councillors, it has been written elsewhere by this newspaper’s deputy editor, were encouraged to believe that they were clever because they had appointed Bryn, who appeared clever.

Councillors, particularly those from the so-called Independent Group, liked feeling clever – or at least possessed of the secret knowledge of their own cleverness. But their misplaced self-confi dence was accompanied by insecurity. If Bryn left, their cleverness would evaporate; worse, their brilliance would be revealed to be as illusory as the emperor’s new clothes. So it was, readers, that slowly but surely Bryn was put into a position where he could apply the screws and chisel more money out of his employers. The vanity and insecurity of a few councillors, over time allowed Bryn to grab more and more. But it is worse than that, readers. The corollary of paying the Grand Panjandrum a large sum of money, means that all his subordinate mandarins’ pay becomes inflated simply to stay in step.

They are all worth more, because the Grand Panjandrum is worth more. The senior offi cers – heads of service – become less likely to proactively act on problems. There are two pressures at play here. There is the risk of killing the goose that has laid golden eggs. And, of course, if the Chief is clever they must also be clever. That is the species of thought that allows heads of service to re-write care home fees without reference to rational external criteria and allow the use of punishment cells in our county’s schools. They cannot be wrong, because they are clever. They can show how clever they are by reference to their pay cheques. Readers, what we have there is a perfect storm of wilful ignorance and self-interest fuelling grotesque pay infl ation. Every chief officer and senior officer in Wales wanted Pembrokeshire’s gravy train to keep on running to maintain the South Sea Bubble of senior staff’s pay.

But no more: the Remuneration Panel has decreed that Pembrokeshire’s size and staff complement cannot support a wage more outrageous than the £130,000 a year it proposes. Such is the infl ated pay that the Council pays to its individual heads of service, a new chief executive could end up being paid less than those notionally their underlings. So, Jamie Adams has a problem, readers. Whether he settles for what the Panel proposes or insists that £145,000 is the minimum to attract someone who will make his friends on the “Independent” benches feel clever again, he will be acknowledging that it was under the “Independent” group’s stewardship that this council (our council, readers!!) not only threw away hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money on overpaying its chief offi cer and his lackeys, but continues to do so. The economic science the “Independent” group understands, readers, is the economics of the madhouse. It’s dismal, indeed.

Business

£21.2m investment in Port Talbot regeneration to create hundreds of jobs

Published

2 hours ago

May 22, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Three major projects announced as part of Tata Steel transition support

A NEW £21.2 million package of regeneration funding will support more than 270 jobs in Port Talbot, with additional employment generated through construction and local business growth.

The investment—pending endorsement by the Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board today (22 May)—will fund three regeneration projects expected to generate £119 million in Gross Value Added (GVA) for the local economy.

This announcement brings total investment from the Transition Board to over £70 million in just nine months, as part of efforts to support the area during Tata Steel’s transition to electric arc furnace steelmaking.

Projects supported by the funding:

Advanced Manufacturing Production Facility and Net Zero Skills Centre – Harbourside, Port Talbot

Investment: £12.5 million

Total project value: £35 million (with additional funding from the Swansea Bay City Deal)

Impact: Supports 170 jobs, engages 150 businesses, and generates £89.1 million in GVA

The centre will deliver low-carbon and net zero skills training and manufacture specialist equipment, helping to anchor an Innovation District in the Harbourside alongside the SWITCH project and Innovation Park.

Metal Box redevelopment, Briton Ferry

Investment: £6.9 million

Conversion and expansion of the former Metal Box site into modern business units.

Sandfields Business Centre upgrade, Port Talbot

Investment: £1.8 million

Expansion and modernisation of premises to support growing and start-up businesses.

Together, the Metal Box and Sandfields projects will support 101 jobs and deliver £29.9 million in GVA by 2035.

Cross-party and local support

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens, who chairs the Transition Board, said: “We promised to stand by the steelworkers, their families and the businesses of Port Talbot. This £21.2 million investment is a further step in delivering on that promise. The town’s future—through the Celtic Freeport, offshore wind and green steel—is full of potential.”

Rebecca Evans MS, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, added:
“This investment complements the Swansea Bay City Deal and opens up high-value jobs, especially in renewable energy and manufacturing.”

Neath Port Talbot Council Leader, Cllr Steve Hunt, welcomed the funding:
“It is vital we help local people and businesses seize the opportunities decarbonisation brings. These projects support that goal while driving growth and future skills.”

Further funding and support expected
This is the sixth major announcement from the Transition Board, funded through £80 million from the UK Government. Additional funding is expected in the coming months.

Previous allocations include:

£30 million for supply chain support and worker retraining

£13 million business start-up and resilience fund

£8.2 million for a growth project generating £87 million in economic benefit

£3.27 million for mental health support in Neath Port Talbot

The UK Government has also committed £500 million towards Tata Steel’s new electric arc furnace in Port Talbot, alongside a broader £2.5 billion pledge to rebuild the UK steel industry.

More than 50 major employers, including Fintech Wales, The Royal Mint, and RWE Energy, have also pledged to support displaced Tata workers with guaranteed interviews, training, and coaching.

For full details or to apply for funding, visit the Tata Steel Transition Information Hub.

News

Two-vehicle crash closes A4076 for over two hours

Published

8 hours ago

May 21, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Vehicles recovered after collision between Haverfordwest and Johnston

THE A4076 was closed for more than two hours following a crash between Haverfordwest and Johnston on Tuesday afternoon (May 20).

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 1:35pm following reports of a two-vehicle collision.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that the road was shut to allow for vehicle recovery, with the closure lasting until approximately 3:45pm.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Dyfed-Powys Police attended a report of a two-vehicle road traffic collision on the A4076 between Haverfordwest and Johnston at around 1:35pm on Tuesday, 20 May. The road was closed for vehicle recovery and was reopened at around 3:45pm. No injuries were reported.”

Traffic returned to normal following the reopening of the road.

News

Winter fuel rethink ‘not enough’ as charities and Welsh Tories slam lack of clarity

Published

12 hours ago

May 21, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Starmer’s partial U-turn on support payments met with calls for full reinstatement amid fears older people could face another cold winter

PRIME MINISTER Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed a partial U-turn on the government’s controversial changes to Winter Fuel Payments—but the announcement has been criticised by campaigners and the Welsh Conservatives as insufficient and lacking in detail.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (May 21), Sir Keir hinted at a policy reversal, saying more pensioners could once again become eligible for the benefit this winter. His comments follow months of criticism after last year’s decision to restrict access to the Winter Fuel Payment, which removed automatic eligibility for millions of older people.

The benefit, long intended to help pensioners cover the cost of heating during the coldest months, is seen as vital in rural and colder areas of Wales, where fuel poverty is a growing concern. But campaigners and politicians say the Prime Minister’s remarks leave too many questions unanswered.

Age Cymru Chief Executive Victoria Lloyd welcomed the indication of a policy shift but warned that clarity and urgency are essential.

“We welcome the Prime Minister’s comments and commitment to change,” she said. “However, the detail is needed so we can be confident that any policy change is going to support those older people that we know are struggling without this vital payment.”

Ms Lloyd said Age Cymru had seen the real-world consequences of last year’s changes: pensioners too afraid to heat their homes, resulting in misery and serious health risks.

“Means-testing Winter Fuel Payments in the way the UK Government announced last summer resulted in many pensioners on low incomes missing out on money they simply couldn’t afford to lose,” she added.

The charity is particularly concerned about older people who are not claiming Pension Credit despite being eligible, those whose incomes place them just above the threshold, and individuals with health conditions that make cold homes especially dangerous.

“We will judge the success of any new policy proposals by the extent to which they help vulnerable older people and those on low and modest incomes to heat their homes adequately next winter,” Ms Lloyd said. “Winter is only six months away—there is no time to waste.”

The announcement has also drawn criticism from the Welsh Conservatives, who described the Prime Minister’s statement as “too little, too late.”

Samuel Kurtz MS, Senedd Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire (Pictured), said: “Supporting our pensioners through the coldest months of the year should never have been in question. While today’s words from the PM are a step in the right direction, it simply doesn’t go far enough—we need a full U-turn to restore confidence and ensure no pensioner is left behind.”

Mr Kurtz reiterated the Welsh Conservatives’ pledge to introduce a dedicated Welsh Winter Fuel Payment if elected to government in Cardiff Bay. He said a devolved approach could deliver more targeted support for communities in Wales, where rural areas often face higher heating costs due to poor insulation and off-grid fuel reliance.

“Despite today’s announcement, the job is not done. We’ll keep up the pressure until a fair and comprehensive system is in place,” he added.

The Herald understands that further clarification on the scope and delivery of the Prime Minister’s revised Winter Fuel Payment policy is expected in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Age Cymru has called for the introduction of a social energy tariff as a longer-term solution—but warned that immediate financial support is needed to prevent another crisis for older people this winter.