News
Culture and Leisure: Council to go back to the drawing board
PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL will have to think again about how it delivers its cultural and leisure services after a report from a task and finish group deemed that the setting up of a trust would not be viable.
After dedicated campaigning by UNISON won over local politicians, all services are to remain under council control. In what is being described as a victory for local democracy, the trade union has said the move will safeguard over 400 jobs and protect community life in Pembrokeshire.
The council’s overview and scrutiny committee met last week and unanimously agreed to recommend to its cabinet that outsourcing not be pursued. The committee thanked UNISON for its presentation and the issues it had raised.
The council has been looking at ways to cut costs within the service and a report from Winckworth Sherwood, which cost the council £20,000, stated that the setting up of a trust would be the best option.
The move drew intense criticism from UNISON which said Winckworth did not have the interests of the local community at heart and transferring services out of democratic control would forever deny local people a say in how services are run.
UNISON used expert advice from the Association for Public Service Excellence to effectively demolish the council’s case, revealing no evidence the proposal was cheaper or more effective. The union also said the consultant would further gain financially from any decision to outsource.
UNISON led a very public campaign against outsourcing, even touring the Pembrokeshire County Show to obtain signatures to its petition.
UNISON branch secretary Janet Wyer said: “Every step of the way, we said to the council, we know the pressures you are under because of severe UK Conservative cuts but outsourcing would deliver only short term savings and it would be calamitous for all those local services we all hold dear. If local services are under pressure, councils should work with staff and trades unions to find a solution.
“There is no place for private consultants advising councils to cut or outsource services. We know they deliberately paint a desperate picture of the council’s future in order to secure further work. Outsourcing would have failed the people of Pembrokeshire and local services are always best delivered by staff directly employed by the council.”
Problems with the proposed new trust were also previously highlighted in the January 20 edition of the Pembrokeshire Herald.
The council’s Cultural and Leisure services will now be retained in-house but the council has charged directors with coming up with a new model to deliver them.
Paul Ashley Jones, Head of Procurement, said: “There were grant funding issues, existing trusts, some elements were designated community facilities and also the implications of the 2008 schools premises regulations. What was key to this was that we identified a number of facilities that would have transferred to the trust were actually based on school premises and this did cause a number of issues that would need to be resolved.
“A number of premises have had grant funding, particularly for things like 3G pitches, and where grant funding was involved we would need to get consent of the funder in order to transfer the facilities.
“There were also issues over the likes of Scolton Manor, which has received grant funding.
“There are at least two existing trusts which were relevant, one in particular with Tasker Milward School which has some sports facilities on it. Essentially, those trusts would need to give approval and some compensation would need to be considered.
“There was also an issue around school designated community facilities, facilities designated for the community such as the playing fields and the library at Crymych and these made it difficult to transfer across to a trust.
“It was clear that each school governing body would have to enter into a transfer control agreement if their facilities were to transfer to a trust.
“We looked in depth at the procurement and the feasibility of awarding the long term contract to a newly created trust. A simple direct award to a trust wasn’t feasible and if we were to move forward we would have to undertake a tender exercise. This is something that people were very much against in the consultation.
“Looking at the financial issues, we looked at a number of facilities being on school sites and it meant that the rate savings on those facilities that had been envisaged wouldn’t be able to be achieved.
“There was the issue over increased employers pension contributions for staff that TUPE to a new organisation so it wasn’t possible to quantify both of those areas.
“Finally, on the HR and TUPE issues, we identified that there would be additional costs to the council due to additional employment. There was also the issue that became clear that we would need a client officer internally, the creation of a new post, to manage contracts.
“Given the information we now had on those issues, we found that it isn’t viable to set up an independent trust to deliver our cultural and leisure services.”
Cabinet Member Keith Lewis said he would be exploring whether the council could demand compensation from consultants Winckworth Sherwood.
Community
Officials announced for 2026 Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire
THE NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD returns to Pembrokeshire in 2026, and organisers have named the officials who will steer this major cultural event over the next year and a half.
With the artistic and local committees already established, meetings to finalise competitions and adjudicators are underway to ensure the List of Competitions is ready by spring. Committee members have also been voting over the past weeks to elect key officials for the Executive Committee.
John Davies, former leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, has been appointed Chair of the Executive Committee. Known for his deep connection to Pembrokeshire and extensive experience with national organisations, Davies aims to make the Eisteddfod a true community event, welcoming involvement from all corners of the region.
Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, takes on the role of Deputy Chair (Strategy). With a strong passion for Welsh culture and language, Jones brings a wealth of experience working with local communities, visitors, and volunteers across three counties.
Deputy Chair (Culture) is Carys Ifan, Director of Canolfan Egin and a seasoned cultural organiser. Based in Llangrannog and originally from Llandudoch, Ifan has led numerous artistic and community projects across the region.
Cris Tomos, a community development veteran with over 30 years of experience, will lead the 2026 Eisteddfod Local Fund. Working with PLANED, a community development charity, Tomos has supported countless community enterprises and co-operatives in Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Carmarthenshire.
Non Davies, recently elected as Executive Committee Secretary, brings extensive cultural management expertise as Ceredigion County Council’s Corporate Manager for Culture. Having chaired the Cardigan Local Fund Committee for the 2022 Ceredigion Eisteddfod, Davies is well-versed in managing cultural projects.
National Eisteddfod Chief Executive, Betsan Moses, said: “We’re looking forward to working with John and the team over the next few months as we prepare for the 2026 Eisteddfod.
“There’s almost a quarter of a century since the Eisteddfod was last held in Pembrokeshire, and we’re very much looking forward to returning to the area. 2026 is an important year for us as we celebrate 850 years since the first Eisteddfod was held in Cardigan Castle in 1176.
“We’re looking forward to working in a new way within a catchment area which includes parts of another two counties, which is, of course, a chance to work with local people in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire again.”
Further announcements are expected in the coming weeks, including the sale of competition prizes and opportunities to donate the Crown and the Chair.
The National Eisteddfod will be held in Llantood from August 1–8, 2026.
News
Campaigners urge Welsh Government to adopt proportional representation for Local Elections
CAMPAIGNERS are calling on the Welsh Government to introduce the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system for local elections, following moves by two councils to shift away from the First Past the Post (FPTP) system being blocked on technical grounds.
Yesterday (Nov 14), Ceredigion Council voted narrowly, with an 18 to 17 majority, in favor of adopting STV. This follows Gwynedd Council’s decision last month, where 65% of councillors backed the move. However, both councils have been prevented from implementing STV due to a requirement for a two-thirds majority under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.
In recent consultations, public support for STV has been overwhelming, with over 70% in Gwynedd and 67% in Ceredigion favoring the change. Only Powys Council rejected the proposal, despite 60.5% of its respondents supporting STV. Campaigners argue that the current system deprives voters of representation, citing that over 100,000 people were denied a vote in the 2022 elections due to uncontested seats.
The Electoral Reform Society Cymru (ERS Cymru) highlights the contrast with Scotland, where the introduction of STV for local elections in 2007 has significantly reduced uncontested seats. According to ERS Cymru, Scotland has had fewer uncontested seats in the last four elections combined than Gwynedd Council recorded alone in 2022.
Jess Blair, Director of ERS Cymru, said:
“Decisions made in council chambers affect everyone in those areas, so every vote should count. It’s absurd that councils choosing STV are blocked by a technicality, leaving them stuck with an outdated system that denies representation to thousands. The Welsh Government must act to avoid repeating the undemocratic outcomes of the last elections.”
Campaigners are now calling on the Welsh Government to introduce STV across all councils in Wales, ensuring representation that reflects the electorate’s wishes.
Business
Upgrades completed at Port of Milford Haven’s simulator suite
UPGRADES have been completed to state-of-the-art equipment within the Port of Milford Haven’s navigation simulator suite at Milford Waterfront enabling marine professionals to receive bespoke specialist training. The virtual reality simulation system can safely replicate a range of scenarios that seafarers may experience in real world situations such as extreme weather conditions, emergency situations and escort tug work.
The upgrades provided by Netherlands-based company MARIN contain the latest hardware in terms of processing power and graphics, as well as upgrades to MARIN’s ‘Dolphin’ software, increasing the capability to create scenarios. These are complemented with new 4k visuals on 75” screens which increase the depth and field of vision, adding to the realism.
Recently, a training day was led by Training Pilot Captain Mark Johnson, assisted by ex-Pilot Andy Hillier, involving members of the Svitzer team as well as Pilots Matt Roberts and Ian Coombes. As part of the scenario, they were faced with a loss of engine power and steering along with worsening weather and sea conditions. The Pilots had to communicate with Svitzer in order to successfully instruct them on how to tow and direct a drifting tanker. While scenarios like these are uncommon within port operations, it is important to rehearse procedures that would be implemented if they are required and enhances participants’ skill sets.
Marine Pilot and Simulator Instructor, Captain Ewan McNicoll, said “This simulator suite has future proofed our training capabilities, both internally for Pilots and marine staff, but also externally for clients wishing to use the facility, be it for training purposes or research and development. We can create any type of scenario with any type of ship, ranging from practicing ship handling manoeuvres to emergency situations, it really is game changing! Working with our partners at MARIN has been a complete success and I am very proud of our new facility.”
For more information about training at the navigation simulation suite please contact the Port of Milford Haven at [email protected] or 01646 696100.
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