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!

Charity

Over 1,100 festive bathers enjoy Tenby’s famous Boxing Day Swim

Published

14 mins ago

December 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A RECORD-BREAKING number of 1,150 festive bathers have had a splashing time in the Tenby Boxing Day Swim this morning.

The fancy dress theme of Superheroes – in tribute to the RNLI in its 200th anniversary year – saw Batman, The Incredibles, Wonderwoman and a whole crew of emergency services dashing into the chilly water of Tenby’s North Beach.

RNLI mascot Stormy Stan was there amongst the huge crowds to cheer the brave bathers on their way.
The swim will be one to remember forever for one duo of dippers as they got engaged following a surprise proposal on the sand.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach Philip Frith, 34, made one of his best-ever moves when he popped the question to his girlfriend, former professional dancer Victoria Tansey, 34, who is originally from Hakin.

Said swim chairman Sam Skyrme-Blackhall: “”Well, we said ‘come to the Tenby Boxing Day Swim and take the plunge’ but we weren’t expecting that! Congratulations to the happy couple”.
The swim has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charities and good causes in its 52-year history, and this yeae’s event will see Tenby RNLI as the main beneficiary.

Town mayor Dai Morgan said: ”It’s great to see so many people from here, and for such a good cause. I just love it down on the beach on Boxing Day. The swim is such a fantastic tradition.”
The mayor’s daughter, 18-year-old Erin Morgan, who is Tenby’s town crier, gave a special ‘cry’ to welcome the swim.

Swim chairman Sam supervised 10-year-old Sam Fecci as he fired the swim’s starting pistol – a duty usually carried out by his dad, Stuart, who was not well enough to attend.

Festive tunes and a lively commentary from DJ Steve Briers ramped up the atmosphere on the beach and swimmers emerged from the sea to be presented with commemorative medals and warm up with hot soup donated by the Giltar Hotel and served up by Tenby and District Lions.

‘Taking the plunge’ at a festive swim in Wales this morning meant more than just a dip in the sea for one happy couple.

As hundreds of Boxing Day bathers at the legendary event in Tenby dashed for the water, a magical moment was happening between Victoria Tansey and Philip Frith.
Philip, 34, went down on one knee on the sand and asked Victoria, 37, to marry him.

Fortunately, she said an ecstatic ‘yes’ to the carefully-planned proposal, which saw the couple’s special song Ocean Eyes y Billie Eilish sound out over the beach as the newly-engaged couple celebrated with a splash in the sea.

As a former Royal Marine Philip – who is now a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach – has faced some scary situations in his life but the Boxing Day proposal was up there with the most nail-biting.
“I’ve been so nervous/special moment.

Victoria, originally from Hakin, Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, worked as a professional dancer – appearing on the X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and Pineapple Dance Studio: Survival of the Fittest -and before setting up her own entertainment agency.

Although now living in Guildford with Philip, she has always loved returning to her Pembrokeshire roots

“When we first met, Victoria couldn’t wait to show me all around Pembrokeshire and we have made the trip as often as work would allow us, to visit her family, go beach hopping and take in the breathtaking scenery,” said Philip.

“I absolutely love sea swimming, I believe that it is so worthwhile for your body and mind, however Victoria has never been one to enjoy the cold!

“So, on our first Christmas together as a couple, Victoria surprised me by taking me to Tenby for the Boxing Day Swim – it’s honestly one of my most fond memories from the start of our relationship!

“I wanted to return her the favour of surprising her by proposing to her at this year’s swim.”

Victoria’s mum and her childhood best friend , Sean Griffiths – who she set up Milford Haven’s Unison Dance Group with in 2004 –were on the beach to watch the proposal, with Sean bringing along the engagement ring in his pocket to fellow swimmers crowded round to congratulate Victoria and Philip, and swim chairman Sam Skyrme-Blackhall laughed: “Well, we said ‘come to the Tenby Boxing Day Swim and take the plunge’ but we weren’t expecting that! Congratulations to the happy couple”.

Charity

Letterston dog show raises over £750 for local charities

Published

19 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

ON SUNDAY (Dec 22), Letterston Ring Craft successfully raised £755.55 for two Pembrokeshire-based charities during a fun dog show event. The funds were equally split between South Pembrokeshire Cat Rescue and Letterston Memorial Hall.

The event featured a variety of well-attended classes, including child handling and fancy dress, drawing participation from dog enthusiasts of all levels.

This fundraiser marked the first charitable event supporting South Pembrokeshire Cat Rescue. Founded and managed by Lizzy Austwick, the rescue organisation aids unwanted, feral, and sick cats across Pembrokeshire and responds to urgent cases in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. The rescue provides neutering support for stray and feral cats, directs owners to available resources, and specialises in helping stray cats with severe injuries, raising essential funds for their care.

For assistance, Lizzy can be contacted via the rescue’s Facebook page or at 07575 131443.

Letterston Ring Craft welcomes new members interested in training and showing their dogs, from local companion shows to prestigious events like Crufts. The club meets every other Sunday in Letterston, and further details can be found on their Facebook page.

Looking ahead, the next fun dog show is scheduled for early next year and will support Belle’s Story Charity. For more information or to get involved, contact Gentle Lowe at 07956 653401.

Charity

£3,800 donated to services across Withybush Hospital

Published

21 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE CAMROSE VINTAGE WORKING DAY team has donated £3,800 to services across Withybush Hospital.

Their 37^th annual event raised a record breaking £25,000, which has now been distributed among 26 local charities.

They donated the funds to the Stroke Ward, Specialist Respiratory Team, Chemo Day Unit and Heads Up! Hair Loss Initiative at Withybush Hospital. Each service received £950.

The Heads Up! initiative provides a person-centred, holistic hair loss service for cancer patients. It brings together healthcare and haircare professionals from local communities to give patients the knowledge and products needed to manage their hair loss with dignity and choice.

Katie Hancock, Fundraising Officer, said: “Thank you to Andrew, the team and the supporters of the Camrose Vintage Working Day for your generosity once again. Your donation to each service is amazing and will make a big difference. We are hugely grateful for your wonderful support.

“The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”

Pictured above: Andrew James, Chairman of Camrose Vintage Working Day with Withybush Hospital staff from the Stroke Ward, Specialist Respiratory Team, Chemo Day Unit, Heads Up! Hair Loss initiative.