News

Grants scandal probe delayed again

Published

5 years ago

February 3, 2020

More delay: Jacob Williams says officers' advice swayed Audit Chair

THIS WEEK’s Badger deals with delay in the Pembroke Dock grants scandal probe by the Council’s Audit Committee.
As we went to press, and by coincidence, Cllr Jacob Williams published a blog post at jacobwilliams.com dealing with the causes of the further delay. The difference between our columnist’s and Cllr Williams’ take on events is clear. However, they both highlight a worryingly familiar pattern of behaviour to those who have tried to scrutinise the Commercial Property Grants Scandal over the years.
His inside take on what is going on shows that – on the advice of the Monitoring Officer, Claire Jones, and the Council’s Head of Legal, Claire Incledon – Audit Committee Chair Cllr Tony Baron pulled the scheduled hearing without discussing it with his councillor-colleagues.
With his permission, we reproduce Cllr Williams’ blogpost here.
Cllr Jacob Williams writes:

GRANTS PROBE POSTPONED

SEVERAL people have been asking me what’s happening with Pembrokeshire County Council’s audit committee’s grants probe.
This is the one that’s supposed to be looking into internal antics and deficiencies relating to the well-publicised and long-running fraud allegations in PCC-administered property restoration grant schemes, commonly known as the ‘Pembroke Dock grants saga.’
At our last meeting, on 21st November, audit committee members agreed on some terms for this internal review.
We also set about the formal legal process of ‘requiring’ the attendance of certain relevant council officials for questioning, and ‘inviting’ those who have already retired or otherwise ceased to be employed by the authority.
Dates were proposed for our hearings – and confirmed for: 20th and 29th January, and 4th February.
But in an abrupt development just before Christmas, it was all put on hold, without prior consultation of members, by the audit committee’s chairman, Conservative councillor Tony Baron.
In his December 23rd email informing us of his decision, Cllr. Baron said he had been advised by Claires Incledon (legal chief) and Jones (monitoring officer) – known in County Hall as ‘the two Claires’ – that:
“…if the outcome of the Council appointed Working Group was that a prosecution was possible, it would be unwise to conduct interviews of involved individuals at the Audit Committee meeting planned for 20 January 2020 as it could jeopardise any future proceedings undertaken by PCC.”
The ‘working group’ is a reference to an entirely separate committee, effectively – of which I’m also a member – set up by council for a specific purpose.
It’s investigating the possibility of the council taking out its own prosecution about the grant fraud allegations which the Crown Prosecution Service famously dropped last summer they say due to, among other things, ‘insufficient evidence.’
Without revealing any specifics about this working group’s activity or progress to date, I can say that its remit is ongoing, and an external barrister is being consulted.
Cllr. Baron’s email says: “…I believe that we need to await the full and final opinion of Counsel before commencing the Audit Committee’s review. I have therefore decided that the Audit Committee meeting scheduled to start the review on 20 January should be postponed. I am keen that the review is undertaken as soon as possible as I suspect that lessons from this case have not been fully learnt. However, the advice is clear that no action should be taken that could affect the outcome of any possible proceedings.”
The audit committee’s ordinary meeting of February 4 is still going ahead. Its agenda has been published, where the only relative item – for which we only have the title, no written report – is: “11. Working Group on Grant Scheme Update and Next Steps.”
The working group’s formation and activity are wholly unconnected to the audit committee. It is a creature of full council, so the way it seems to have found its way as a titled agenda item before the audit committee is interesting.
Whilst I might agree that the audit committee should avoid jeopardising a council prosecution – if that’s a process councillors resolve to undertake – it’s worth noting that no decision on taking a prosecution is even close to being made.
And, that was exactly the state of play in November when the audit committee, during a meeting personally attended by the monitoring officer, set its now-cancelled set of internal review hearing dates.
In other words, the chairman’s unilateral decision to postpone the audit committee’s investigation – on the advice of senior council officers – is somewhat confusing, especially against a materially unchanged backdrop.
I say this as an audit committee member who has to accept the chair’s decision – I can only imagine how it looks to those outside!

Community

Officials announced for 2026 Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire

Published

2 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.

News

Campaigners urge Welsh Government to adopt proportional representation for Local Elections

Published

3 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

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

Published

4 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

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.