News
Row over council’s schools newsletter
A COUNCIL newsletter is a ‘sign of it’s desperation’, school pupils have said.
The newsletter, which relates to the council’s ongoing consultation on secondary education in mid and north Pembrokeshire, publishes an equal number of positive and less positive comments about the council’s plans to overhaul 11-19 education.
The publication was sent out to town and community council clerks for circulation to members and also to all county councillors.
After being contacted by a prominent county councillor who queried the newsletter’s balance, The Herald contacted County Hall and asked whether the distribution of comments within the newsletter reflected the actual balance of comments, for and against the council’s proposal, it had received regarding the consultation.
A council spokesperson confirmed that the comments were NOT representative of responses received by the Council, and told The Herald: “The point that we are making in the newsletter is that we are presenting a range of views and certainly not all are against the council’s proposal. We have not indicated anywhere in the newsletter that this position is equal. We have merely provided examples of the views being received. At its meeting in July, council will be provided with all responses received as part of statutory consultation. At that time Elected Members will be able to gauge for themselves the respective levels of support or opposition to the proposal.”
We spoke to a member of Save our Sixth Forms, the pressure group formed to preserve sixth form education within secondary education in Haverfordwest. They told us: “It is shocking but not surprising that the quotes supporting PCC have been specifically selected and given at least equal weight to those opposed, despite the fact that they are almost certainly heavily out-numbered. This document is a demonstration of how desperate they are becoming. When all of the responses are published as they were last time it will become apparent that the vast majority of responses are against the PCC proposal.”
The continued to point out that the document originated in the department which is responsible for the parlous state of Pembrokeshire’s schools: “We should not forget that this document has been written by an Education Department that has presided over Pembrokeshire’s poor performance on secondary education over many years.”
Questioning whether officers and councillors who had presided over decades of relative failure were in a position to make the best decisions, they said: “The recent fall In standards must question PCC’s ability to select the correct choice for the future and should have alarm bells ringing in councillors’ ears when they come to make a decision that will affect not just their grandchildren but their great grandchildren.”
The spokesperson concluded: “PCC are in grave danger of at best gambling with our children’s future and at worst destroying this county on the altar of a leap in to the transformational unknown. Let us hope that the combined fury of the people of Pembrokeshire combined with the noise of the bells is enough to persuade our elected representatives to put the county’s future before that of Jamie Adams’.”
News
Grieving family’s aim to protect young drivers in memory of daughter
PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL’S Road Safety Team have worked in partnership with the family of a young woman killed in a road traffic collision to launch an intervention for young drivers in our County and beyond.
Ella Bee’s Story aims to prevent further deaths on the road, particularly among the 17 to 25-year-old age group, and concentrates on the Fatal 5, peer pressure, driver behaviour and how to reduce the risks both as a driver and passenger.
Twenty-one year-old Ella Smith was killed in a road traffic collision on the Broad Haven road in 2021 and her family are bravely telling their story of the night it happened and the aftermath of losing Ella.
Two drivers involved in the collision were jailed for ten years each having been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The intervention was launched recently and will be available to all schools and young peoples’ groups in the County, along with Pembrokeshire College.
The Road Safety Team worked closely with the family to put together the intervention which includes the production of two videos that can help educate all young drivers, and any adults with young drivers in the family.
Following the launch Ella’s mother Maria said: “We as a family and Ella’s best friends have worked tirelessly with Pembrokeshire County Council to produce a presentation on road safety to be delivered to schools, colleges and youth groups to educate young drivers on the devastating impact that losing Ella has had on us all.
“Ella your legacy will live on and you will forever be remembered for helping others even now.”
Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett added: “The launch of Ella Bee’s Story was incredible moving. Ella’s family has been incredibly brave in their determination to ensure her tragic death is not in vain and this project will help other young drivers stay safe on our roads.”
For further information about how your school or youth group can access Ella Bee’s Story please email [email protected]
News
Storage container fire in Newcastle Emlyn
AT11:48am on Friday (Jan 24), Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service crews from Llandysul and Carmarthen fire stations were called to a fire in Capel Iwan, Newcastle Emlyn.
The fire involved a 40-foot by 8-foot storage container and was confined to a generator inside. Firefighters used a hose reel jet, two breathing apparatus sets, a thermal imaging camera, and a positive pressure ventilation fan to extinguish the blaze.
Crews remained on site to dampen down the area before departing at 12:57pm.
Crime
Pembrokeshire man accused of assault and perverting justice remanded in custody
A PEMBROKESHIRE man accused of assaulting a woman has been remanded in custody after allegedly offering her money to drop the charges.
Lohan Chapman, 19, of Primrose Close, Neyland, is accused of intentionally strangling a female during an alleged incident in Milford Haven on August 1, 2024, and of assaulting her by beating. He denies both charges.
This week, Haverfordwest Magistrates Court heard that Chapman was remanded in custody on January 18 after being accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice by offering his alleged victim an undisclosed sum of money to withdraw the charges.
District Judge Mark Layton declined jurisdiction in all three matters.
Chapman, who appeared via video link from Swansea Prison, will now face trial at Swansea Crown Court on February 17.
He was remanded in custody pending his appearance.
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