News

Former Pembroke Dock councillor Paul Dowson calls disciplinary panel ‘a joke’

Published

2 years ago

August 24, 2022

FORMER County Councillor Paul Dowson received a three-year ban from public office at an Adjudication Panel for Wales hearing on Monday, August 22.
The Tribunal decided on the ban after finding against Mr Dowson on four allegations regarding breaches of the Code of Conduct for councillors.

BLM SPAT LED TO FALSE ALLEGATION

The first allegation followed an online spat between Paul Dowson and a then-fellow County Councillor, Joshua Beynon.

After a series of increasingly bitter exchanges between supporters of Cllr Beynon and Paul Dowson regarding Black Lives Matter and the protests by outside neo-Nazi groups at Penally Camp, Paul Dowson alleged that in 2015 Cllr Beynon, while still a student at Pembroke School, circulated a sexually explicit video of a girl aged under 17.

That allegation was false; the girl concerned was 18. Mr Dowson subsequently accepted he was wrong “by a year”.

He’d believed a rumour of child exploitation was true and repeated it without checking.
Aged 17, Joshua Beynon obtained images and messages from an 18-years-old fellow student’s Facebook profile and created a Facebook group to circulate them.
He deleted the group before being spoken to by police officers in April 2015 and received a two-day exclusion from school.

The Tribunal ruled that in 2020, the Respondent falsely and publicly accused Cllr Beynon of sharing a pornographic video of a girl under 17, “something which is factually untrue”.

The Tribunal decided that he brought his office and the Council into disrepute when he did so.

His subsequent repetition of the allegations amounted, the Panel ruled, to the bullying of Cllr Beynon.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY LED TO HARASSMENT

In the second instance, Paul Dowson falsely accused an individual, Marc Davies, of having a criminal record. He had confused him with another person of the same name.
Despite being informed by Mr Davies in September 2020 that he was referring to a different person, Paul Dowson repeated the falsehood through his social media channels.
In February 2021, he apologised to Marc Davies and accepted his allegations were untrue.
The Tribunal found Mr Dowson’s conduct between September 2020 and February 2021 broke the Code of Conduct and amounted to harassment of Mr Davies.

“ON THE REGISTER” ALLEGATION WAS FALSE

In the third case involving an individual, the Case Tribunal found Paul Dowson took part in a conversation on Facebook with Timothy Brentnall, who was using the name “Timothy St John” at the time.
At one point in the conversation, Paul Dowson said: “…I heard you are on the register but it’s not been proven so I’m not spreading it around. Better man than you”.
The suggestion Mr Brentnall was “on the register” was a lie.
The Tribunal found Paul Dowson used the words to try and discredit Mr Brentnall “in a wilful and harmful way”.
Accordingly, it found Paul Dowson brought his office and the Council into disrepute under the Code of Conduct’s terms.
The above are instances where formal findings of fact and Paul Dowson’s admissions were enough for the Tribunal to find him guilty of Code of Conduct breaches, any of which could lead to a ban from public office.

COUNCILLOR SPREAD MISINFORMATION

The most contentious issue surrounded Cllr Dowson’s comments regarding the Welsh Government’s Relationships and Sex Education Programme.
When interviewed by the Ombudsman’s caseworker, he conceded that he had not considered the text of the RSE programme, which was not then published.
Instead, he relied on reports about the programme from other sources.
Despite not reading the Code, Paul Dowson claimed the Code aims to teach 3-year-old children about masturbation; and 13-year-old boys and girls about anal sex.
The Panel found that Mr Dowson had no basis for his assertions, which he repeated in an email to another Council member, in which he claimed lesson plans for 11-year-olds and upwards contained references to bondage, anal sex, facial ejaculation and more.
As a finding of fact, and in the absence of Mr Dowson’s presentation of evidence to contradict its findings, the Tribunal found Paul Dowson guilty of spreading misinformation and that his statements were untrue.

FABRICATED EVIDENCE

Finally, the Tribunal found Paul Dowson produced a fabricated exhibit to the Public Services Ombudsman’s investigation.
It found he did so in “a deliberate attempt to mislead that investigation”.
The Tribunal concluded this, too, was a breach of the Code of Conduct.
The Tribunal banned Paul Dowson from public office for three years.
After the hearing, Mr Dowson was unrepentant.
Describing the proceedings as “a joke” and “a kangaroo court”, he said: “I didn’t participate as it was obvious that hearing was prejudicial.”
He stood by his comments regarding Cllr Beynon, claiming the Tribunal had “irrefutable proof” he was correct, despite admitting he’d got the female student’s age wrong.
He further insisted that the Tribunal “stuck its neck out” when it found he shared misinformation regarding the Welsh Government’s RSE Code, saying: “I provided evidence that my allegations regarding RSE were true.”
Readers can decide whether the allegations are true by reading the Code for themselves and looking for the specific issues Paul Dowson says it deals with; the full Code is here: https://bit.ly/3TdrbqX

Dowson confirmed elected as a Councillor in 2018 by the narrowest of margins (Pic Herald)

Business

Stena announces redundancy plan amid uncertainty for Pembrokeshire

Published

58 mins ago

November 5, 2024

Tom Sinclair

FREIGHT carrier and ferry operator Stena Line, which runs services between Fishguard and Pembroke Dock, has announced plans to cut up to 80 staff members following an internal review.

Uncertainty looms over whether any of these redundancies will impact staff operating our local ferry services.

Stena CEO Paul Grant shared the news in an email to employees on Monday, citing a need to “future proof the company.” He explained that an internal assessment revealed the company’s current organisational structure as “too big and expensive” compared to its revenue.

The decision comes amid rising costs and increased competition in the freight and travel sectors.

According to Mr. Grant, “Cost pressure due to higher inflation has led to our customers having less money to spend, and with the introduction of the European Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), increasing our prices, we see a decline in volumes for both travel and freight.” Additionally, disappointing sales during the summer season and unmet market growth expectations for 2024 contributed to the restructuring.

The program, designed to strengthen Stena’s long-term business viability, includes a reduction of costs, prioritization of investments, and staff cuts that will primarily impact support functions and consultants. The workforce will be reduced by 80 positions by early 2025, along with 30 consultants also set to leave the company. Discussions with unions and work councils are expected to last several months, with all affected staff to be informed of their status by January 31, 2025.

In response to this announcement, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) has demanded a meeting with Stena Line to clarify the impact of these cuts, particularly on their members.

TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust expressed disappointment over the handling of the announcement, stating: “Our members are shocked by this news and outraged that Stena has chosen to sidestep established industrial relations processes. Stena must meet with us urgently to clarify who is at risk and address the potential impacts on our members.”

The layoffs are part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at securing Stena Line’s future amid sustainability challenges. CEO Niclas Mårtensson acknowledged the difficult decision, stating, “Stena Line has been a successful company over the past few years; however, we need to ensure a lower cost base to be able to future proof the company. With 40 vessels in Europe and the Mediterranean, we have significant sustainability challenges ahead of us, and this program will enable us to make necessary investments for the future.”

The TSSA’s letter to Stena reiterates the union’s commitment to supporting affected employees and calls for an immediate discussion to clarify the situation, especially for staff at Fishguard who may be impacted.

News

UK government to appoint first Wales Crown Estate Commissioner

Published

1 hour ago

November 5, 2024

Tom Sinclair

FOR the first time, the UK government will appoint a Crown Estate Commissioner dedicated to advising on matters in Wales, further integrating Welsh interests in board-level decisions. This move supports existing efforts to ensure that Wales benefits from the push for clean energy, following an agreement facilitated by the Welsh Secretary.

An amendment to the Crown Estate Bill, with cross-party backing from Labour, Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrats, and crossbenchers, will be accepted at today’s Lords Report Stage (Nov 5). This change mandates the appointment of a Wales-specific Commissioner through the Public Appointments process, with input from the Welsh Government. The appointee will bear “an additional responsibility” to represent Welsh conditions and interests, amplifying Wales’s voice within the Crown Estate.

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens has collaborated with the Treasury, The Crown Estate, House of Lords members, and the Welsh Government to secure this legislative advancement. The Crown Estate, instrumental in drawing international investment to Wales, supports projects like Floating Offshore Wind in the Celtic Sea, which promises cleaner energy and job creation.

The introduction of a Wales-specific Commissioner strengthens The Crown Estate’s mission to serve the entire UK while averting potential market fragmentation and protecting international investor confidence critical to the net-zero transition.

In a related effort, Great British Energy, the government’s new public energy firm, recently partnered with The Crown Estate to expedite renewable energy advancements. This initiative could attract up to £60bn in private investment, boosting the UK’s journey toward energy independence.

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens stated: “This is a landmark step toward ensuring that Welsh prosperity is at the heart of the government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower. Our nation stands to benefit hugely from investment in floating offshore wind, and we now have the representation we need to help seize that moment. This demonstrates how Wales benefits directly from its two governments working together, and I’m grateful to Lord Livermore, The Crown Estate, and others for helping to make this happen.”

Sir Robin Budenberg CBE, Chair of The Crown Estate, said: “In seeking to increase the number of Commissioners from eight to twelve, The Crown Estate welcomes the opportunity now presented by this amendment to bring even more direct knowledge and understanding of the areas in which we operate and further strengthen our ability to deliver benefit to the whole of the UK.”

Crime

Arrests made after large-scale cannabis operation raided in Pembroke Dock

Published

2 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Tom Sinclair

POLICE in Pembroke Dock have uncovered yet another large-scale cannabis operation, as part of an ongoing clampdown on illegal farms in the area. On Monday (Nov 4), Dyfed-Powys Police executed a search warrant at a property on Dimond Street, where officers found over 500 cannabis plants in a sophisticated cultivation setup.

Two men, aged 26 and 34, have been arrested in connection with the investigation and are currently in police custody. The raid follows a series of similar operations in Pembrokeshire, targeting properties used for illegal drug cultivation.