News

Golden goodbye report likely to be critical

Published

5 years ago

April 15, 2021

A REPORT by Audit Wales into the departure of former CEO Ian Westley is very likely to contain criticism of senior council officers.

In November 2020, Mr Westley left Pembrokeshire County Council with a £95,000 pay-out, something which has been criticised by a number of councillors.

In a document before the Audit and Governance Committee on Tuesday (April 13), it says that termination payments to Chief Officers are routinely examined by Audit Wales but in the case of Mr Westley, the audit team was unable to locate a recorded decision to enter into the settlement agreement which led to a termination payment being made to the Chief Executive.

An Audit Office spokesperson said: “This appeared unusual and therefore the audit team decided to undertake an early examination of the process that resulted in the payment being made.”

No complaints were raised, by councillors or any other body, with Audit Wales but the number of concerns and questions being raised at following council meetings prompted them to commence an audit.

Audit Wales state: “Our audit fieldwork is substantially complete. However due to the complex nature of some of the issues involved we considered it necessary to take some external legal
advice. We are currently considering that advice.

“In the near future we will draft a document setting out our provisional findings and conclusions.

“Once this document is ready we will commence a clearance process to confirm factual accuracy.

“If the document contains criticism of identifiable individuals, in the first instance we will provide those individuals with any extracts of the document that pertain to them. Once
we have confirmed the factual accuracy with individuals, we will send the full draft document to the Council’s Chief Executive to identify any remaining factual inaccuracies.

“We will only issue the finalised document once the clearance process has been completed. #

“We are unable to provide a definitive timetable for reporting because it will depend on the responses we receive within the clearance process.”

Only a handful of senior officers were involved in the procedure surrounding Ian Westley’s departure.

The inference which can be safely drawn from Audit Wales’ report to the Audit Committee is that some of its content will be critical either of councillors, senior officers, or both.

The process of asking those named to respond is known as Maxwellisation, a legal practice that allows persons who are to be criticised in an official report to respond prior to publication.

The report highlights the exceptional nature of the case at Pembrokeshire County Council and demonstrates the sensitivity of the issues raised.

If senior officers are sharply criticised or found to have failed in their duty to their employer, they will almost certainly have to go.

The council’s interim Chief Executive will read the document after maxwellisation.

It is also likely that the council’s newly appointed Chief Executive, Will Bramble, will have a chance to see it.

The Audit Wales spokesperson added: “We are unable to provide a definitive timetable for reporting because it will depend on the responses we receive within the clearance process. We are unable to respond to queries about our emerging findings whilst the audit is progressing, and until we have finalised our conclusions.”

In January, Cllr Jamie Adams had called for the council to commence an internal investigation into Mr Westley’s departure but that was deferred to allow for the Audit Wales review to be completed.

Cllr Adams said that the decision of payment should have been a ‘democratic decision’ and has asked why that wasn’t the case.

Entertainment

Dinosaurs set to take over Milford Waterfront

Published

7 minutes ago

May 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PREHISTORIC FUN COMES TO MILFORD HAVEN

DINOSAURS will be roaming Milford Waterfront later this month as Dinomania brings a day of prehistoric entertainment to the town.

The popular dinosaur attraction will take over the waterfront on Wednesday, May 27, with three interactive shows taking place throughout the afternoon.

Each show will last around 50 minutes and promises plenty of audience participation, prehistoric facts, and family-friendly fun.

Before the ticketed shows begin, visitors are being encouraged to keep an eye out around Milford Waterfront, where Dinomania’s dinosaurs will be out and about during a free walkabout performance between 10:30am and 11:30am.

The walkabout will give families the chance to see the dinosaurs up close and enjoy some entertainment around the waterfront before the main shows get underway.

Milford Waterfront said: “Dinomania will be taking over Milford Waterfront on Wednesday, May 27, with three exciting shows taking place throughout the afternoon.

“Each show lasts approximately 50 minutes and is packed with interactive moments and prehistoric fun.”

Tickets can be booked through the Milford Waterfront website.

Local Government

Call for councillor to fill standards committee vacancy

Published

11 minutes ago

May 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A TOWN or Community Councillor in Pembrokeshire is being sought to fill a vacancy on the committee responsible for promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct across the county.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Standards Committee currently has an opening for a representative from a Town or Community Council.

The committee plays a key role within the authority, including reviewing reports from the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales relating to alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct.

To be eligible, applicants must be a serving member of a Town or Community Council within the Pembrokeshire County Council area.

Anyone interested in applying is asked to contact Kate Matthews from the council’s Democratic Services team via email at [email protected]. An application form will then be provided.

Completed applications must be returned by Friday (June 12). Interviews are expected to take place later that month.

The time commitment for the role can vary, although the Standards Committee typically holds four scheduled meetings each year, along with additional meetings if required.

The successful applicant will serve for the remainder of the current council term, until the local elections in May 2027, with the possibility of a further five-year extension.

An appointment panel will conduct interviews and make recommendations to the full council based on set criteria.

Community

Fire service sets out new flood response plan for Mid and West Wales

Published

1 hour ago

May 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

AROUND 31,000 properties across Mid and West Wales are at risk of flooding, according to figures released as part of a new fire service response strategy.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has completed a major engagement process to shape how it deals with future flooding incidents.

The work brought together operational crews, partner agencies and community representatives through a series of “Flooding Balanced Room” workshops.

The service said the aim was to make sure all voices were heard equally while developing practical options for prevention, response and recovery.

Nearly 24,000 properties in the service area are at risk from river flooding, while more than 7,000 are at risk from tidal flooding.

The service attends around 300 water rescue and weather-related flooding incidents each year.

Officials say flooding is becoming more frequent and more serious because of climate change, including heavier rainfall and prolonged weather events.

Recent data also shows a clear seasonal pattern, with the highest number of flooding incidents taking place between October and February.

The third quarter of 2025/26 was the busiest for flooding incidents since 2017/18, while February 2020 and November 2025 recorded the highest monthly levels of flooding activity.

The workshops produced four key priorities: prevention first, collaboration and partnership, enhanced specialist capability, and learning and continuous improvement.

Eleven initial options were narrowed down to five main areas.

These include better public education, community flood groups, improved flood messaging with partner agencies, more staff training, improved welfare and PPE for firefighters, better vehicles and technology, and stronger post-incident support for communities.

Proposals include using flood awareness in home fire safety checks, improving training scenarios, increasing the number of qualified water incident managers, expanding drone use, and using climate data to plan future fleet and equipment needs.

The options have now been assessed, with recommendations presented to the service’s Executive Leadership Team.

The plans will feed into the service’s future flooding strategy and its Community Risk Management Plan 2040.

Iwan Cray, Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The Flooding Balanced Room process has highlighted the importance of collaboration.

“By listening to our staff, partners, and communities, we’ve created practical, forward-thinking solutions that will strengthen our ability to prevent and manage flooding in Mid and West Wales.

“Together, we can build a safer, more resilient Wales.”