News

Secret session discusses unlawful Bryn payments

Published

10 years ago

August 1, 2014

IF you were one of the people trying to find out how controversial Council fat cat Bryn Parry Jones had responded to a Council request to pay back the unlawful payments he received, tough luck! Despite the fact the contents of the letter responding to the Council’s request were already in the public domain, the discussion of how public money had been spent on a public servant was held in private. Conservative group leader David Howlett told the Herald: “With David Bryan, I voted for a public debate which was lost and so we went into private session. We supported a Plaid amendment that it would be foolish to pursue court action due to costs but expressed regret that the money was not being returned. “Some IPPG members supported this and had Labour members also supported it, we would have won. Because Labour did not support the Plaid amendment, we had another vote to take no further action, from which I abstained. “Labour’s stance meant the end result was no further action would be taken. I have to ask whether (Labour leader) Paul Miller sees this as a result, because that is what he and his group made sure happened.” Labour leader Paul Miller told us: “On principle, the Labour group decided not to accept anything less than the Chief Executive being forced to pay back the money unlawfully paid to him. “The vote today is not the end of the matter. “I still firmly believe that the Council must take action to get the money back.” Accepting a request from Bryn Parry Jones’ union Councillors chose to discuss Bryn’s letter, which told his employer to get lost, behind closed doors and with the cameras turned off. That union’s request was backed by the Council’s Head of Legal Services, who said: “Members have strong feelings about this issue, it is the case, in my opinion, that all employees of the Council do have a legitimate and reasonable expectation, both in employment terms and in accordance with their human rights, that their relationship with their employer should be conducted in appropriate confidence. “ The letter’s content was reported online and reveals: • Bryn gave the unlawful payments he received to his wife for her to invest; • Bryn claims his employer acted unlawfully by ceasing to make unlawful payments to him; • Bryn alleges that he has suffered a detriment by not receiving the unlawful payments. In addition to the above, Mr Parry Jones relies upon advice given to the Council that it was doubtful whether he could be compelled to disgorge the unlawful payments back to his employer. That element of his response is likely to cause particular controversy, as the Council’s CEO did not contribute to the cost of the legal advice he now relies upon to buttress his refusal to repay the money he received from the Council. Mr Parry Jones, whose Porsche sports saloon is paid for and insured by Council Tax payers, claims that he was entitled to rely upon the unlawful payments continuing to help plan his retirement and alleges a breach of contract by the Council in failing to make contributions to his pension. However, if the Council had continued to make unlawful payments to its CEO then it would itself have been acting unlawfully. Mr Parry Jones’ suggestion that he should have continued to receive the unlawful payments not only flies in the face of reason, but also suggests that he would have preferred the Authority to spend more Council Tax payers’ money defending his RIGHT to receive unlawful payments in the High Court. Again, at NO cost to himself. In addition, the whole scheme was hatched in order to help the CEO avoid tax on his massive publicly funded pension. The Council did not force Mr Parry Jones to accept the unlawful payments. Instead, he voluntarily entered the scheme in order to avoid future tax payments on his seven-figure pension pot. That scheme was hatched after Westminster government changed the Local Government Pension Scheme rules when it became clear that the system of tax relief was being abused by a minority of senior officers across the UK. The Pembrokeshire Herald asked the County Council to comment both on the letter’s content and the fact that it had been leaked. A Council spokesperson told us: “The letter to which you refer is marked private and confidential. It is not appropriate for us to comment on its contents.”

News

Pembrokeshire loses out as Labour ‘rewards its heartlands’

Published

11 hours ago

December 11, 2024

Jon Coles

THE HEADLINE figure is an average rise in Welsh local authority budgets by 4.3%. Every Welsh rural council got less than that.

From Monmouthshire in the east to Anglesey in the north to Pembrokeshire in the west, the funding bonanza trumpeted by the Welsh Government as part of the best financial settlement since devolution turned into a damp, wet fart. No rural authority got the average settlement; only Carmarthenshire came close with a 4.1 increase. Meanwhile, Labour councils in the Valleys and metropolitan areas all experienced above-average rises in Welsh Government funding.

**Not impressed: Pembrokeshire’s Sam Kurtz MS has blasted the Welsh Government**

Local MS Sam Kurtz said, “It’s clear that the Welsh Labour Government is looking after their heartlands first and foremost as we run up to the Senedd election and is ignoring the needs of others.

“Delivering services in rural areas costs more; it’s the rural premium, but for the Welsh Labour Government to ignore this shows them at their worst.

“Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire county councils are asked to do more and more. It’s only right that they are supported correctly to deliver those services. Sadly, this provisional settlement falls well short of what is required.”

WG “TAKING PEMBROKESHIRE PUBLIC FOR FOOLS”

***County Councillor Aled Thomas JP says Labour is taking the Pembrokeshire public for fools***

Pembrokeshire Conservative county councillor Aled Thomas said: “Labour is taking the Pembrokeshire public for fools, claiming that today’s announcement is good for Pembrokeshire when the reality is that our rural communities are being left behind once again.

“Labour is giving with one hand and taking away with the other, with a significant proportion of this additional money already spent on increased national insurance contributions.

“Pembrokeshire’s Labour cabinet member for finance must now commit that this money will be spent on core services and not wasted on vanity projects as we have seen time and again in the county.”

Whether Josh Beynon, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, rises to that challenge remains to be seen. Our request for a response to the Welsh Government’s funding settlement for Pembrokeshire was refused.

SETTLEMENT SHOWS WHERE LOYALTIES LIE

The Independent Group was not as shy.

“The Welsh Government settlement lays bare where their true loyalties lie and the battleground for Senedd 2026 where Labour will concentrate their resources on protecting their established strongholds at all costs. “They may deny it, but that’s the appearance with healthier WG settlements of above 5% for Cardiff, Newport and Merthyr compared to 3.6% for Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Anglesey and even less for Gwynedd at 3.2%. Inflation is currently at 2.3%, meaning the real increase for Pembrokeshire is around 1.3%, and higher inflation over the next few months will erode the value of this settlement further.

“Furthermore, all local authorities are currently having to accept the consequence of the Chancellor’s rise of National Insurance, with Mark Drakeford revealing that there will be no decision from the UK government on NI compensation for public sector employers until May 2025, meaning much of the additional AEF will have already been swallowed up, a decision that needs to be taken sooner rather than later many would suggest.”

CONSULTATION UNDERWAY

The Independent Group spokesperson continued: “Today launches six weeks of formal consultation on the settlement for 2024-25, ending on Friday, January 24, 2025.

“We hope that the current administration will use this process to articulate the concerns of many, that the settlement is not sufficient to cover the financial pressure faced by Pembrokeshire and argue for additional support, even if targeted towards areas of significant concern such as Social Care.

“The reality for us in Pembrokeshire is that providing the services our residents expect and rightly deserve has just become a lot more difficult with this settlement, which can only be described as disappointing.

“As a direct result of this AEF settlement, we will inevitably face a higher than wished-for Council Tax rise in April 2025, and much of the responsibility will sit with Cardiff.

“Pembrokeshire has the joint highest second home council tax in Wales, and we will almost certainly increase the level of tax on empty homes. Many of us in County Hall cannot be accused of shirking tough decisions that best serve our residents.

“We have significant Social Care pressures, which is a common theme across all Welsh local authorities. We have many schools falling into deficit, with Ysgol y Preseli, Milford Haven & Greenhill in dire need of a total overhaul to provide the facilities our young deserve. We hope that the Welsh Government will see fit to allocate Pembrokeshire a generous element of the £1.04bn for the capital grant they have provisionally allocated in this settlement for all of Wales. The continuation of the 40% business relief for tourism, hospitality and leisure businesses is welcomed for an industry that employs 23% of our working population.

COUNCIL TAX AFFORDABILITY CRUCIAL

“The Independent Group will focus on the need to protect essential services whilst addressing the ability of hard-pressed households to afford further Council Tax rises next April.

“In a week when the local authority, partner agencies, and many volunteers have stood up to Storm Darragh’s challenges, the least our residents deserved was more bad news with today’s Welsh Government settlement for Pembrokeshire.

“Storm Darragh’s impact highlighted the need for careful management of Council reserves. Using up reserves cannot continue year on year. Therefore, any proposal for their future use must be carefully considered before we can support it. Once used, these reserves are not available for future eventualities.

“Without additional support, this settlement will result in even higher Council tax bills in four months.”

The spokesperson concluded: “As the largest opposition group within County Hall, we will hold this administration to account in the forthcoming weeks and months prior to setting the Council Tax for 2025/26. We will be critical friends in this task and will not shirk from asking difficult questions.”

Crime

Dozens of alleged litter offenders to face court in Haverfordwest

Published

18 hours ago

December 11, 2024

Tom Sinclair

HAVERFORDWEST MAGISTRATES’ COURT will hear a series of littering cases tomorrow, with individuals from across Pembrokeshire and beyond accused of offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The cases primarily involve cigarette butts being dropped and left in public spaces, with locations spanning Pembroke Dock, Haverfordwest, Tenby, Milford Haven, and other towns.

The following individuals are set to appear:

Nathan Abbott, 30, of Hakin, Milford Haven
Alex Austin, 49, of Malvern, Worcestershire
Tim Benfan, 36, of Rugby, Warwickshire
Anthony Bevan, 39, of Pembroke
Melissa Bevan, 43, of Pembroke
Arron Bridges, 23, of Crundale, Haverfordwest
Daniel Brooks, 38, of Tenby
Dale Brown, 38, of Milford Haven
Stephen Charkes, 62, of Llanelli
John Cotton, 60, of Ledbury, Herefordshire
Chaves De Oliveria, 24, of London
James William Gwyn Dewhurst, 38, of Haverfordwest
Kevin Filer, 66, of Milford Haven
Barry Frost, 64, of Bradford, West Yorkshire
Andrew Griffiths, 41, of Aberdare
Robert Jeffrey Hamblin, 42, of Pembroke
Victoria Hodgson, 34, of Pembroke
Gerald Maddocks, 40, of Haverfordwest
Deana Sophia Mead, 31, of Milford Haven
Jacqueline Niblett, 63, of Hengoed
Micheal Raymond, 55, of Cowbridge
Shaun Tuxker, 38, of Haverfordwest
Liam Unsworth, 27, of Narberth
Shaun Manche, 41, of Milford Haven
Chelsea McLaren, 29, of Narberth
Marian Radoi, 40, of Haverfordwest
Leah Reynolds, 31, of Haverfordwest
James Stewart, 44, of Pembroke Dock
Andrew Stokes, 53, of Stourport-on-Severn
Nicola Wilkins, 48, of Swansea
Rhys R Williams, 24, of Tonyrefail
Ryan Williams, 45, of Swansea
John Wright, 41, of Pembroke Dock

Each case involves allegations of littering, primarily cigarette butts, in public places such as streets, car parks, and parks across Pembrokeshire. Offenders face maximum penalties of up to £2,500 under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Authorities hope these proceedings will serve as a reminder to the public about the importance of maintaining clean and litter-free communities.

Pictured: Litter enforcement officer in Haverfordwest (Image: File)

News

A475 closed as fire crews respond to west Wales house blaze

Published

19 hours ago

December 11, 2024

Tom Sinclair

EMERGENCY SERVICES are tackling a property fire in Ceredigion, prompting the closure of the A475 Drefach-Rhydowen road.

Dyfed-Powys Police have shut the road between the B4338 (Llanybydder turn-off) and the B4459 (Capel Dewi turn-off) to safeguard the public. Motorists are being urged to avoid the area and use alternative routes.

A police statement shared on Facebook said: “The road is currently closed due to an incident. Please avoid the area and find alternative routes for your journey.”

The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the Wales Ambulance Service are on the scene, responding to the incident. Authorities were alerted to the blaze shortly after 2:00pm.