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Council EU Funding ‘suspended’

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county hallTHE SCANDAL surrounding the Council’s administration of European grant aid in Pembroke and Pembroke Dock has deepened.

The Pembrokeshire Herald can exclusively reveal that the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) has suspended payments due to be made to Pembrokeshire County Council under the Commercial Properties Grant Scheme until an investigation into the scheme is completed.

A spokesperson from the Welsh Government told The Herald:

“As a precautionary measure, WEFO has temporarily suspended EU funds payments to Pembrokeshire Council in respect of its Commercial Property Grant Scheme while the Council’s review of eligibility of expenditure is underway.”

A Council spokesperson responded by telling us:

“This matter is due to be discussed by Cabinet on Monday. There is no further comment.”

The suspension of payments to Pembrokeshire County Council is a further blow to the credibility of the IPPG Cabinet and beleaguered member David Pugh, who has had responsibility for overseeing the scheme stripped away from him. In December, the IPPG repeatedly attacked Councillors seeking to look at documents relating to the scheme, claiming there were no problems with it and claiming that officers had assured them there were no issues with its administration. Those reassurances were repeated to the Council’s own Audit Committee in January, when the scale of any potential issues was downplayed by officers.

Shortly after documents were made available for inspection by all Councillors, an issue was identified in relation to a separate scheme, the Town Heritage Initiative, where it appeared that one contractor was asked to tender on far more preferable terms than others competing for the same contract. Labour leader Paul Miller told The Herald:

“Having seen the statement obtained by the Pembrokeshire Herald I’m extremely disappointed that serious money, allocated to re-generate towns in Pembroekshire, is now in jeopardy and being withheld. Unfortunately though, I’m not surprised.

“Pembrokeshire Council has failed spectacularly to manage the Commercial Property Grant Scheme in Pembroke Dock. When concerns were raised they steadfastly refused to accept even the possibility there could be a problem and attacked those councillors demanding answers.

Leadership in our county council is non existent. It’s beggars belief that Cllr David Pugh continues in his position despite receiving only 22 votes (of 60) supporting him at the last full council.

“Unfortunately for Pembrokeshire, Pugh’s bungling just came home to roost and it can’t be far short of £1m of inward investment that Cllr Pugh’s failings have just put at risk.”

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Teifion

    April 5, 2014 at 9:25 am

    We all think we know what’s going on don’t we?

    Where are the Police in all this?

  2. mary astles

    April 7, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    this council are not capable of leading a dog, let alone a council to serve the people of pembrokeshire.

  3. TToommy

    April 9, 2014 at 8:20 am

    Jamie couldn’t run a tap let alone a council without the yay or nay from the public servant Bryn, Bryn would want a new tap as this is the only way to ensure that he is retained as the “best Chief Exec” in Wales – said with a straight face!

  4. Robin Howells, Chair, Preseli Pembrokeshire Labour Party

    April 11, 2014 at 9:37 pm

    Another fine mess they have got this county into and the sort of investment that’s needed. Fraud, jobs for the boys and the girls, wasting public money on Paul Kerr QC to justify a grave error of judgement with Bryn Parry-Jones and his pension, election fraud – where will all this end apart from making Pembrokeshire County Council look a complete laughing stock and the county with it. Time for a higher authority to step in and clean up County Hall.

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Crime

Pembroke Dock woman in court for failing to remove rubbish from property

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A PEMBROKE DOCK resident is due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court later today (Nov 25) for multiple alleged breaches of a community protection notice.

Sheena Deacon, of 13 Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock, faces charges under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which carries a maximum penalty of a Level 4 fine.

The charges stem from allegations that Deacon failed to remove accumulated household waste from her property on several occasions. According to court documents, the breaches occurred on September 19, September 26, October 2, October 9, and October 17 this year.

The charges indicate that Deacon, despite being issued with a community protection notice, did not comply with the requirements to clear and appropriately dispose of refuse and household waste from her address.

The Herald will bring updates on the case as it progresses.

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News

Welsh Conservatives urge Labour to scrap ‘family farm tax’

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THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have announced plans to bring forward a Senedd debate next week (Nov 27) calling on the UK Labour Government to abandon its proposed “family farm tax.”

The tax, introduced by the UK Labour Government, is being criticised as a move that will harm Welsh farming, threaten food security, and increase food prices. Alongside the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme and perceived “anti-farming agenda,” critics argue this new tax amounts to a coordinated effort to undermine the future of agriculture in Wales.

Shadow Minister warns of consequences
Ahead of the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, James Evans MS, condemned the proposal, stating:
“Labour’s family farm tax will put family farms out of business, threaten our food security, and lead to food prices rising. Only the Welsh Conservatives will stand up for our farmers, and that’s why we’re bringing forward a Senedd motion calling on Labour to reverse this decision. No farmers, no food.”

NFU Cymru expresses alarm
NFU Cymru President, Aled Jones, echoed these concerns, highlighting the widespread opposition from the farming community. Speaking about the impact of the tax on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, Jones said:
“Earlier this week, hundreds of farmers from across Wales journeyed to London to meet with their MPs and register their deeply held concerns about these misguided and ill-thought-out reforms.

“The proposals unveiled by the Treasury last month to introduce a tax on the passing on of our family farms to the next generation are a massive added burden. They will leave many farmers without the means, confidence, or incentive to invest in the future of their business.

“NFU Cymru reiterates its call for the UK Government to halt these changes.”

The motion to be debated
The motion, set to be debated in the Senedd, reads:
“To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the UK Labour Government to reverse its decision to impose a family farm tax on agricultural businesses.”

This debate is expected to attract significant attention, with Welsh farmers and rural communities keenly watching for the outcome.

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Community

Internet outage for two villages after exchange box destroyed

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RESIDENTS of Clunderwen and Llandissilio have been left without internet access following the destruction of an Openreach exchange box just outside Llandissilio village.

The incident occurred yesterday (Nov 23) when the box was reportedly demolished by a vehicle. The damage has resulted in a complete loss of internet services for the two villages, with repairs expected to take at least a couple of days.

Local residents have expressed frustration over the disruption, as the outage affects home businesses, remote workers, and households relying on internet connectivity for day-to-day tasks.

Openreach engineers have cordoned off the site, and work is ongoing to assess the extent of the damage. A spokesperson for Openreach has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.

The vehicle involved in the incident has not yet been identified. Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact the local police.

With repair timelines unclear, affected residents have called for increased communication from service providers to manage expectations during the outage.

“Bringing the community back online is a priority,” a local resident said. “We’re hoping Openreach can resolve the issue quickly and ensure it doesn’t happen again in future.”

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