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Council’s war with auditors

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top qcCounty Hall deploys top QC in legal battle over Bryn’s ‘tax-dodge’

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council has instructed top barrister Tim Kerr QC of 11 King’s Bench Walk, London to fight its corner against the WAO investigation into the decision to allow controversial CEO Bryn Parry Jones to avoid tax on his personal pension.

Mr Kerr is described on his chambers website as being “frequently engaged by central and local government entities as well as private
sector clients”. The Herald understands that Mr Kerr is also overseeing a probe at Lancashire County Council into alleged breaches of the local government tendering process.

The engagement of an expensive leading barrister by the Council to support a tax break for highly paid staff at a time when it is contemplating raising leisure charges and closing facilities around the County is sure to generate more controversy. Council Leader, Jamie Adams, claimed that the decision to give Bryn Parry Jones a tax break would not cost Pembrokeshire an extra penny.

The leader of neighbouring Carmarthenshire Council, Kevin Madge, has already accepted that the fall-out of the same policy has been
to damage that Council’s reputation. Carmarthenshire County Council has jointly instructed lawyers with Pembrokeshire to resist the WAO.

The Pembrokeshire Herald can reveal that the WAO has already sent its ‘consideration documents’ to Pembrokeshire County Council. It is understood that those who were asked to comment on the documents were CEO Bryn Parry Jones, Head of Finance Mark Lewis and the members of the committee who passed the tax dodge policy in 2011, including current Council leader Jamie Adams and former Council leader John Davies, who Cllr Adams has claimed gave the committee members advice on the complex issue.

Herald readers will recall that the Council only took independent legal advice AFTER the Wales Audit Office raised concerns about the decision to give senior staff a large tax break on their pensions.

The Auditor General for Wales said recently:

“There are those who would argue that asking and answering the difficult questions can safely be left to officials. I commend the professionalism of our public servants in Wales, but, I would warn, “Beware the summary produced by your own staff”. I want to stress that scrutiny must not be undertaken through a tick-box approach. Strict adherence merely to the letter of the standing order is not the objective, nor will citizens accept mere compliance as an excuse for profligate behaviours.”

Those who received the documents were given the opportunity to reply to them and have now done so.

The Pembrokeshire Herald can reveal that Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board met in secret session on Wednesday, December 4, to consider its next steps. Despite a meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet taking place on Monday, December 2, no mention was made at the meeting of the WAO investigation.

The Wales Audit Office told The Pembrokeshire Herald:

““We can confirm that both Councils have provided their detailed responses to the Auditor’s consideration documents. He is now considering them and whether they will affect a decision to issue a report in the public interest. While there is no time scale on his decision, he hopes to conclude matters before Christmas.”

The Pembrokeshire Herald contacted Pembrokeshire County Council and asked the following questions in relation to the ‘consideration documents’ to which officers and members were due to respond:

• Please confirm whether responses have been made; if made, by whom they have been made and when they were made.
• Please confirm whether external Counsel or solicitors advised any of those responding either collectively or individually.
• Please provide us with a statement for publication regarding the dispute with the WAO regarding senior staff remuneration and when the matter is to be discussed by Council members.
• Please confirm what contribution – if any – is being made by the Council toward the fees of Mr Tim Kerr QC of 11 King’s Bench Walk Chambers.

Replying, a County Council spokesperson told The Herald:

“We can confirm that responses to the Wales Audit Office (WAO) ‘consideration document’ have been sent to the WAO.

“However, there are questions from Elected Members on this matter which are due to be asked at next week’s meeting of full Council. Responses will be given at that time.”

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Jonny Skyboss

    December 17, 2013 at 10:14 am

    The sooner the masses gather at the council offices and demand resignations, the better off this county will be! Whilst the average person is struggling to make ends meet, the council finds yet another way to spend hard-earned cash on protecting its own. Bah! Come on people! Stand up and be heard!

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Community

£5.25m Welsh Government funding to benefit unpaid carers

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UNPAID carers in Wales will continue to receive additional support to take well-earned breaks from their caring role, Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden has said.

The Minister has also confirmed funding is being made available to continue support for carers on low incomes to buy essential items.

The Short Breaks Scheme and Carers Support Fund will receive £3.5m and £1.75m respectively for 2025/26 from the Welsh Government.

These schemes are in addition to the duties that local authorities are under to provide appropriate support for carers.

The Short Breaks Scheme is on track to deliver, or exceed, the target of 30,000 additional short break opportunities by March 2025. Its extension will continue to help unpaid carers in Wales take breaks from their responsibilities to support their wellbeing.

The funding can be used, for example, for short holidays, activity days and cinema trips. It can also support carers in pursuing a hobby or sport.

Recent findings suggest only 14% of the adult carers who have benefitted from the scheme had also accessed a break from elsewhere in the last 12 months, demonstrating the crucial role it is playing. 80% of those benefitting from the scheme are providing more than 50 hours of care a week.

The Carers Support Fund provides emergency financial support for unpaid carers of all ages on low incomes to pay for essential items. This could be food, a household item or a utility bill. In addition, the fund also provides information to help people manage finances and ensure they are claiming all benefits and entitlements.

Almost half of unpaid carers accessing the schemes in the past three years were not previously known to services and so the schemes show the significant added value as a gateway to other forms of support.

Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden said: “Unpaid carers play a crucial role in providing care for their family members and friends.

“I am delighted we are providing funding for the coming year to help more unpaid carers take short breaks as there is good evidence they can have a big impact on wellbeing.

“We also know many unpaid carers experience financial pressures because of their caring role and the Carers Support Fund will continue to provide crucial additional assistance for carers on low incomes.”

Carers Trust Director for Wales, Kate Cubbage, said: “We’ve heard from thousands of unpaid carers that the Short Breaks Scheme has given them their first access to a break from caring and that grants through the Carers Support Fund have been essential to keep food on the table and heat in their homes.

“These programmes are needed now more than ever, as costs rise and our partners in health and social care face increasing pressures. Our colleagues in statutory services tell us that modest investments in these transformative programmes make a difference to sustaining carers in their vital caring role and prevent the need for further intervention from acute services.

“As the National Coordinating Body for the Short Breaks Scheme and the organisation leading delivery of the Carers Support Fund, Carers Trust welcomes Welsh Government’s commitment to safeguarding these vital programmes with an assurance of funding for another year.

“This funding will enable local carer organisations and delivery partners to reach thousands more unpaid carers with a much-needed break from caring and with protection from the sharpest end of poverty into 2026.”

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Simon Hart’s memoir reveals inside story of Westminster chaos

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SIMON HART, the former MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, is set to lift the lid on the political turmoil of recent years with his new book, Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip, due for release on February 27, 2025.

The memoir promises a rare, behind-the-scenes account of life inside the Conservative government during one of its most chaotic periods. Hart, who served as Chief Whip under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, provides an unfiltered look at the party’s internal struggles, resignations, and public controversies that rocked Westminster between 2019 and 2024.

From power to crisis

Having first been elected in 2010, Hart represented South Pembrokeshire and parts of Carmarthenshire for over a decade before boundary changes saw him lose his seat in 2024. His political career saw him rise to the role of Secretary of State for Wales under Boris Johnson before taking on the crucial but often misunderstood position of Chief Whip in Sunak’s government.

In Ungovernable, Hart describes how he witnessed the Conservative Party unravel from a position of strength to electoral vulnerability. He provides firsthand insight into the party’s inner workings, dealing with rebellious MPs, scandal-ridden colleagues, and the battle to maintain discipline within the government.

Westminster’s scandals and secrets

Among the most revealing aspects of the book are Hart’s accounts of the defection of Conservative MPs to Labour, the fallout from Liz Truss’s 49-day premiership, and the struggles to manage a party fractured by Brexit, infighting, and scandal. He details the dramatic moments that saw fifteen Tory MPs leave their seats under his tenure, including high-profile figures such as Nadine Dorries, whose controversial resignation caused months of political tension, and Matt Hancock, suspended after his infamous appearance on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.

Hart also delves into Lee Anderson’s suspension over inflammatory remarks about the London Mayor, and the internal battles over government policies, leadership, and media spin.

Praise for an insider’s account

The book has already attracted attention from senior political figures. Rory Stewart, former MP and political commentator, described it as “a remarkable insight into a critical moment”, while Michael Dobbs, author of House of Cards, praised Hart’s blunt honesty, calling it a “balls-up-to-break-down account of how the Tories managed to fall flat on their faces”.

For Pembrokeshire readers, Ungovernable provides a unique perspective from a local politician who operated at the very heart of Westminster’s power struggles. Whether a supporter or critic of his time in office, Simon Hart’s memoir promises to be a fascinating and controversial account of one of the most dramatic chapters in modern British politics.

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Community

Port issue warning over damage to Milford Beach access route

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THE PORT of Milford Haven has issued a warning regarding a wall collapse on the hot water slip access to Milford Beach.

Residents and visitors are urged to stay clear of the affected area and avoid using this access route while investigations and repairs are carried out.

Please share this message to help ensure public safety.

Thank you.

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