News
Cabinet recommends 5% Council Tax rise
AT ITS meeting on Monday this week, the Council’s Cabinet decided to recommend a Council Tax rise of 5% for the next financial year.
If the Full Council meeting agrees with its suggestion at its meeting on February 27, the rise will add £1.04per week to the average Band D household Council Tax bill.
Band D is the marker used by Councils across Wales to represent the average home.
Opening budget discussion, Cabinet Member for Finance Cllr Bob Kilmister, praised the level of scrutiny by Council committees and public engagement. The Facebook Live webcasts were particularly successful, the second reaching a record audience for such an exercise. Cllr Kilmister reported one engagement event at Llanteg produced high-quality questions, which demonstrated how the public had engaged with the process and the issues behind the Council’s budget. Cllr Kilmister also expressed satisfaction about engagement with the trades unions, whose written budget submissions are included in the consultation report for the first time.
Discussing the proposed Council Tax rise, Cllr Kilmister said where scrutiny committees expressed a preference, it was for a 5% rise. That figure also received the most support from the public who engaged in the consultation process. The unions wanted a 10% rise to preserve frontline services and avoid staff cuts.
He outlined amendments to aspects of the budgets had been made following committee scrutiny. However, he also reported a potential £1m item of additional expenditure due to the closure of Asian markets to recycling from overseas. The pressure, Cllr Kilmister reported, was UK-wide and resulted from a global reduction in recycling capacity.
Bob Kilmister said he accepted one particular request for amendment, which came from the Council’s Policy Overview Committee and related to funding climate change initiatives, but difficulties existed about the funding commitment without specific projects to which it could be allocated.
Accordingly, the Cabinet approved an amendment to the budget statement resolving to provide sufficient funding necessary to enable progress to be made and will make full use of any external funding opportunities. Sufficient resourcing will include the consideration of suitable Capital Bids and feasibility funding in line with the Capital Programme managed by the Capital Board and if necessary, revenue resource in the coming financial year, if it is necessary to support the work of becoming a Net Zero Carbon County by 2030.
Bob Kilmister underlined the Council’s commitment and his commitment but said a considered approach was needed. He was adamant he would not agree to the diversion of resources from core services, such as education and adult social care. He said projects needed a clear business plan and had to show how benefits would accrue from capital investment and revenue use. Cllr Kilmister said he suspected extra money would come forward once the UK Government set the budget in March, possibly – although not certainly – through grants from the Welsh Government. He cautioned against depending on those grants.
The cost of adult social care and the budget for it was the subject of an impassioned intervention from Cllr Tessa Hodgson. Cllr Kilmister responded that ‘we are at a crisis point in adult social care’. Proposals for funding had to come from central government and come quickly. The current funding model for social care, he said, was not working; central government knew it didn’t work; had known it didn’t work for some time; had done nothing about it.
Making a political point at the end of the discussion, Cllr Paul Miller noted last year, when Pembrokeshire had a poor budget settlement, Conservatives had rushed to condemn the Welsh Government. He cynically observed this year, when Pembrokeshire had one of the best budget settlements, there hadn’t been a positive response to the announcement.
Council Leader David Simpson wound up the debate with some strong words about those of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees which refused to give the Cabinet a steer on its budget for the coming year. He reflected upon the lack of consultation before budgets under the previous administration where councillors were given information the day before cuts were due to place.
David Simpson said he was frustrated that Council committees and their members, presented with information, sat on their hands when offered the chance to input into the process of budget-setting positively. He made it clear that a steer given at the consultation stage was not a commitment to support the budget in the chamber but a response to the information given to the committee during its questioning of Cabinet members and officers about the coming year’s budget.
The Council Leader took time to single out Cllr Brian Hall for congratulations on seizing the chance as Chair of the Corporate Overview of Scrutiny Committee to give Cabinet a steer by asking members of his Committee to vote on a recommendation to give to Cabinet based on the information they had before them on the day they met. That was the sort of response the Cabinet wanted to help it set priorities for the budget.
Cllr Simpson said democracy was in a chamber of sixty people and not just to be doled out by Cabinet. The budget, he said, ‘is not a Cabinet decision’ and found councillors’ reluctance to participate when invited to do so ‘strange’.
‘That’s life!’ Cllr Simpson observed bitterly to close the discussion.
Crime
Detective Chief Inspector describes child’s death as ‘heartbreaking’
POLICE have described the death of seven-year-old Louis Linse at the hands of his mother as a “heartbreaking incident” that has deeply impacted officers and the local community.
Papaipit Linse, 43, from Haverfordwest, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility at Swansea Crown Court earlier this week. Louis was found unresponsive in his bed on January 10 after Linse called emergency services to report his death.
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Williams, who led the investigation, reflected on the tragic events and the challenges faced by his team.
“This was a truly heartbreaking incident, involving the death of a young child at the hands of his mother,” DCI Williams said. “Officers who attended the scene were met with an incredibly difficult and emotive situation, yet they acted with professionalism and care, ensuring that a thorough investigation was conducted.”
The case has not only shocked the local community in Haverfordwest but has also brought to light the deep personal struggles and trauma faced by Linse in the years leading up to the tragedy.
A troubled family history
Linse, originally from Chiang Mai, Thailand, is the estranged wife of 51-year-old Edward Linse, a former businessman now detained in a psychiatric facility. Their marriage was marked by years of domestic violence, financial hardship, and failed business ventures.
In 2017, Edward assaulted his wife at their £1.2m Cheshire home during an argument about visa issues. The attack, carried out with a children’s book as a weapon, highlighted the volatile nature of their relationship. His lawyer, Peter Malone, told the court that Edward struggled to control his emotions, which he traced back to difficulties experienced during his boarding school years.
The violence escalated over the years, with Edward eventually convicted of a brutal assault on his own parents. Following his incarceration in a psychiatric facility, Linse was left to care for their two children alone.
The breakdown of their marriage was compounded by financial woes. After the failure of a café venture in Chiang Mai, the couple relocated to the UK. In 2022, their landscaping business, Alderley Landscapes, ceased trading, leaving Linse to move to Haverfordwest with her children in search of a fresh start.
Life in Haverfordwest
Neighbours in Upper Market Street described Linse as a quiet, reserved figure who homeschooled her two children. Despite her struggles, those close to the family said Louis appeared well-cared-for, with one neighbour, Dr Sean Phelan, expressing disbelief at the tragedy.
“I never thought something like this could happen,” Dr Phelan said. “The children were polite and seemed happy. It’s shocking to think of what must have been going on behind closed doors.”
Forensic teams have been working at the scene since the incident, piecing together the circumstances surrounding Louis’ death. Floral tributes have been placed outside the property as the community mourns the young boy’s loss.
Police dedication
DCI Williams praised the dedication of the officers involved in the investigation, acknowledging the emotional toll such cases can have on emergency responders.
“Our team has worked tirelessly since January to uncover the circumstances of Louis’ death and to ensure justice was brought for him,” he said. “While no result in court can undo this loss, we hope it offers some measure of closure to those who knew and loved Louis. Our thoughts remain with them during this devastating time.”
The case also serves as a reminder of the importance of early intervention and support for families facing domestic violence and mental health issues. Police urged anyone in similar situations to seek help from local services.
Awaiting sentencing
Linse has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on December 13. The court is expected to consider the impact of her mental health struggles and the years of abuse she endured when determining her sentence.
As the investigation concludes, the police and community alike continue to grapple with the profound loss of a young life under such tragic circumstances.
Papaipit Linse: Admits killing her son, but denies murder
Business
Deposit Return Scheme diversion ‘illogical’ says Pembrokeshire brewery
TENBY HARBOUR BREWERY and local Senedd Member Samuel Kurtz have urged the Welsh Government to reconsider its decision to withdraw from a UK-wide Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) due to its insistence on including glass.
Earlier this week, Climate Change Secretary Huw Irranca-Davies announced that the Welsh Government would no longer participate in the development of a UK-wide DRS, citing issues arising from the UK Internal Market Act 2020. This decision is believed to be influenced by the Welsh Government’s plan to include glass in its scheme—a factor that contributed to the collapse of Scotland’s DRS in 2023.
The move has been met with frustration and anger from numerous organisations, who argue that this divergence will increase costs for Welsh producers and consumers.
Commenting on the matter, Samuel Kurtz said: “This decision is deeply frustrating, and to diverge from a UK-wide scheme shows that it is not one made with the best interests of Welsh consumers and producers at its core.
“The UK market is so interlinked that any decision which places Welsh businesses at a competitive disadvantage should not proceed. These calls from a range of industry and business representatives have been ignored by the Welsh Government.
“For the sake of our businesses and consumers, I urge the Welsh Government to reconsider its decision, align itself with the UK-wide scheme, and provide proper support to Welsh businesses.”
Industries, especially the micro-brewery sector, would be especially hit hard in Wales by the Welsh Governments choice.
Speaking following this announcement, Richard Johnson, Head Brewer at Tenby Harbour Brewery said:
“The brewing industry has had to tread a path through covid lockdowns, energy price increases, a cost of living crisis and rising wage and national insurance bills, making it increasingly difficult for brewers get good returns and re-invest in their businesses.
“Wales is a recycling nation, so a blunt ‘one size fits all’ approach creates additional logistical and financial burdens on the smallest producers, when the very largest producers are generating the majority of the recycling demand.
“It also seems illogical to diverge away from a UK wide scheme which will put Welsh brewers and drinks producers at a disadvantage.
“The UK and Wales has a proud brewing heritage, but adding in measures such as DRS to small brewers means that their time and money are directed to these activities, instead of using their time for innovation and R&D, of which the UK brewing scene is known and revered for.”
Business
Bluestone crowned ‘Best Small Company for UK Parks and Lodge Holidays’
BLUESTONE is celebrating a major win after being named the Best Small Company for UK Parks and Lodges Holidays at the prestigious British Travel Awards 2024.
The announcement was made at the prestigious awards ceremony this week, marking yet another significant achievement for the popular West Wales destination.
This award recognises Bluestone’s commitment to providing exceptional family holiday experiences at its 500-acre resort in the stunning Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive this award,” said Bethan Rees, Head of Marketing at Bluestone. “It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team, who create magical and memorable experiences for families all year round. We are incredibly grateful to every single one of our guests who voted for us and who choose to visit us year on year.
“When you look at the array of other finalists, the award demonstrates why we’re so proud of winning it. This is due to our continued investment, team, and commitment to environmentally sustainable tourism.”
This award builds on Bluestone’s impressive track record. It has consistently received high praise for its family-friendly facilities, commitment to sustainability, and dedication to providing outstanding customer service. Earlier this year, Bluestone was again recognised by Which? as one of the UK’s top holiday destinations and the best rated in Wales.
The British Travel Awards are the largest consumer-voted awards programme in the UK. Winning this award highlights Bluestone’s position as a leader in the family holiday market and reinforces its reputation as a top choice for unforgettable family getaways.
Bluestone, which employs over 800 people and is one of the largest employers in West Wales, is also committed to investing in its people and local community. It provides extensive training and development through its People Services team and the Bluestone Academy. In addition, it supports a wide range of local projects and initiatives through the Bluestone Foundation.
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