News
Golden goodbye report likely to be critical
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.
News
Man remanded in custody following alleged assault in town centre
A PEMBROKE man has been remanded in custody following an alleged assault against a woman in Pembroke town centre last Thursday.
Morgan Ralph, 38, is accused of assaulting a female, occasioning her actual bodily harm during the alleged altercation on March 14.
Ralph, who appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday morning via a video link from Swansea Prison, pleaded not guilty to the offence.
His solicitor Tom Lloyd, informed magistrates that Ralph was acting in self defence during the alleged incident.
The matter was adjourned to May 23 when Ralph, of St Oswalds, Main Street, Pembroke, will be tried before Haverfordwest magistrates.
He was remanded in custody.
News
Retaining wall collapse in Haverfordwest crushes van
A RETAINING wall at Spring Gardens Lane, behind the site of the former Pembroke House Hotel in Haverfordwest, has collapsed following a period of heavy rainfall, causing damage to vehicles parked in the vicinity.
The incident has left two vans damaged, one severely.
The collapse of the wall sent debris sprawling across the car park, illustrating the force of the collapse and the substantial volume of water contributing to the structural failure.
Witnesses described hearing a loud rumbling noise before discovering the aftermath of the collapse.
Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.
The collapse serves as a stark reminder of the challenges posed by heavy rainfall and the importance of maintaining and monitoring ageing infrastructure.
Business
People in Wales are worried about running out of money in retirement
FEAR of running out of money in retirement is rising among those in Wales with more than half (55%) concerned their savings will not last them through retirement, new research from Investec Wealth & Investment (UK) shows (please see the attached press release).
In general, women are more worried about running out of money compared to men. More than half (54%) of women surveyed are concerned about how long their money will last in retirement, compared to only 44% of men. Around 46% of men who are not worried about running out of money in retirement say it is because they have a final salary pension scheme – compared to just 38% of women who have this.
The study by Investec Wealth & Investment (UK), part of Rathbones Group, among people with stock market investments including pensions, paints a bleak picture – around 55% of those living in Wales are concerned they do not have enough money for retirement. This is similar to the UK average of 56%.
Women are more worried than men that they do not have enough money for retirement. Almost two thirds (61%) of women surveyed are concerned, with 18% of these very concerned they do not have enough money for retirement. This compares to just over half (53%) of men surveyed, with 14% of these very concerned they do not have enough money for retirement.
The Investec Wealth & Investment (UK) study shows that those living in Wales who have yet to retire are realistic about what will happen to their incomes in retirement – 64% expect their monthly incomes to drop on retirement and 36% did not know.
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