News

Huge 12.5% council tax hike backed by cabinet

Published

7 years ago

February 12, 2018

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL’S Cabinet has recommended that Council Tax should go up by 12.5% at its meeting on Monday (Feb 12).

At the meeting, councillors unanimously supported the rise which would see the council achieve a balanced budget.

A 12.5% rise would equate to an extra £2.11 per week or £110 per annum.

The Council has been holding a number of consultation exercises including two Facebook Live sessions to gauge the views of the public.

It was also pointed out that they had received over 1300 responses to its consultation, whereas it only received just over 100 to its previous exercise.

Cllr Bob Kilmister reminded members that the funding gap for 2018/19 was £16.4m and that of that they had identified cost reductions of £10m.

The 60 members of Council will meet on Thursday 8th March to make the final decision on whether to approve the Cabinet’s recommendation of 12.5%, or alternative increases of 5.1% or 8.1%.

The meeting of Council on 8th March will also consider the proposed 2018-19 budget, and the ongoing public consultation to consider the proposed 5%, 8% or 12.5% Council Tax increases. The consultation closes on February 16th.

The financial pressures on the Authority were detailed in a report to today’s Cabinet meeting by the Director of Finance, Jon Haswell.

His report read: “Due to Pembrokeshire having the lowest Band D Council Tax in Wales since 1996, it was £15m worse off in 2017-18 than it would have been if its Council Tax was at the average level for Wales.

“Pembrokeshire has the largest shortfall between its actual
spending and what Welsh Government predicts it needs to spend to deliver services, its Standard Spending Assessment (SSA).”

The report continued: “The Welsh average Band D Council Tax for 2017-18 was £1,162 – £279 more than Pembrokeshire at £883.”

Cabinet members heard that a 12.5% increase for Band D properties (equating to a rise of £110.39) would still mean that Pembrokeshire would have the lowest Council Tax in Wales – even if all the other Authorities had no rise in their Council Tax.

Cllr Kilmister said: “If we go with a council tax increase of 12.5% there would be a £5.7m contribution from council tax and that would give us a balanced budget.

“There is £1.3m that has come out of the cost reduction figures in terms of the schools budget.

“People will see that there is a change and that’s because there is a constantly moving scene in terms of the budget, it almost moves by the day and we’ve had decisions by Cabinet on the IT strategy, alterations to the council tax reduction scheme and we’ve made alterations to the schools budget which is why the original figure of £11.2m in cost reductions has now gone down to £10m.

“In terms of where we are, the budget has been debated at all the Overview and Scrutiny Committees and the majority view from those was that 12.5% or option 3 was the correct choice. There was one committee were two members voted for 8% and for some reason nobody else took part so it wasn’t a unanimous decision.

“We’ve also conducted four finance seminars to members across the year and I honestly believe there has been more scrutiny and more information has been provided to members than ever has been before.

“We’ve conducted two Facebook live sessions since the last Cabinet meeting which were extremely useful and the numbers viewing those has been quite exceptional and I think we learnt an awful lot from doing them and very valuable.

“We’ve still got a public consultation which is carrying on that doesn’t end until February 16, and that’s going to be much more meaningful than we’ve ever had in the past.

“As of Friday night (Feb 9), we’d had over 1320 responses to that consultation, the last consultation produced 135 so I’m looking forward to seeing what that consultation says.

“I’m determined that we should do the right thing and not dodge the issue. We have to make a step change on our council tax levels.”

Cllr Kilmister stated that they either needed to do something or services would be reduced to a level that most people would see as unacceptable.

He moved the recommendations and added that option 3 (12.5% rise) should be put to the next meeting of full council.

Cllr Phil Baker said it was ‘not going to be easy’ to sell the 12.5% rise but added that in his ward people would prefer to see the rise rather than cuts to services.

Cllr Neil Prior added there was a ‘grudging acknowledgement’ that this was what they needed to do while Cllr Paul Miller said he could not see ‘any other option’ for them to take.

The Cabinet unanimously supported the recommendation from Cllr Kilmister that a 12.5% council tax increase be suggested to full council.

Crime

Man jailed for Pembroke Dock cannabis farm involvement

Published

2 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Madeline Knox

AN ALBANIAN man, Armando Beti, 37, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (Nov 15) for his role in producing class B drugs.

Beti, who has prior convictions in 2022 and 2023, was arrested on October 3, 2024, at 10:00am after police found him hiding in a neighbouring building’s attic. The arrest followed a raid on the former Woolworths building on Dimond Street, Pembroke Dock, where officers discovered three rooms containing 594 cannabis plants. The crop was described as part of a wholesale operation, with an estimated street value of between £64,000 and £196,000, depending on yield.

Using an aerial drone, police tracked Beti as he attempted to escape by crossing two rooftops. He pleaded guilty immediately after his capture, claiming the cannabis farm was already operational when he arrived 10 days earlier. Beti described himself as merely the gardener, tasked with watering the plants, and alleged he was coerced into the role by individuals he met at an immigration detention centre to repay a debt.

Beti’s defence counsel stated: “He is under no illusion regarding the seriousness of his offending. He is eager to start his prison sentence so he can ultimately reunite with his wife in Albania.”

However, Judge Geraint Walters rejected Beti’s claims, citing a pattern of similar excuses in previous cases. The judge noted that Beti had been convicted in Cardiff in 2022 for cultivating over 600 cannabis plants, during which he also claimed to be a coerced gardener with little knowledge of the operation.

In delivering the sentence, Judge Walters said: “People like you need to understand that judges are not completely naive. We know what is going on. We are well aware of the activities of criminal Albanian gangs in this country, as are you.”

Police believe the operation uncovered in Pembroke Dock is linked to a wider network of organised crime targeting rural locations for cannabis cultivation.

Community

Pembs Agricultural Society’s Christmas Fair expands to an all-weekend event

Published

5 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY’S Christmas Fair will be an all-weekend event next month. The Christmas shopping extravaganza is all set to take place on Saturday, 14 December as well as Sunday, 15 December.

The Parkhouse building on the Haverfordwest Showground will be transformed into a Christmas paradise. There will be even more stalls this year with a wide variety of quality local businesses exhibiting as well as festive music, Santa in his Grotto and an outdoor food court.

Judith Roach and Emma Thomas, the event organisers, said, “We are excited to be able to announce that our Christmas Fair will be on for two days rather than just one this year. We continue to build on the success of last year’s event with twice the opportunities to attend and even more stallholders. It will be the perfect start to the festive season as the Parkhouse Building will be transformed into a one-stop-shop for those preparing for Christmas.”

The Fair will be open from 10am until 4pm and admission is free. Visitors will find unique gifts, handmade decorations, art and beautiful homeware. Some of the county’s very best food and drink producers will also have stalls to give visitors the opportunity to stock up on all their festive treats. From decadent chocolate brownies, fudge, festive spirits to Welsh cheeses, there’s something to tantalise everyone’s tastebuds. There will also be a range of outlets for ‘on the go’ eating and drinking.

One special guest at the event will be everyone’s favourite bearded gentleman in red – Santa will be taking time out from his busy schedule to attend the event. There will be a charge of £3 per child to visit Santa and all proceeds will go directly to Sandy Bear charity to support their work. Each child will receive a small gift from Santa as part of their visit. Parents can book in advance via the website: www.sandybear.co.uk/santa

Adam Thorne, Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society’s President is looking forward to the festive event. He said, “The Society would like to thank Judith and Emma for all the hours they have put in, voluntarily, to organise the two-day Christmas event. We’re delighted to be able to offer visitors the opportunity to do all their Christmas shopping whilst enjoying the festive atmosphere.”

Follow Pembrokeshire County Show’s Christmas Fair event page on Facebook for a full list of stallholders in the run up to the event.

Community

Officials announced for 2026 Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire

Published

16 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

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.