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

Largest Welsh port appoints communications and marketing director

Published

9 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE Port of Milford Haven has announced that Anna Malloy has been appointed as its first Communications and Marketing Director.

Anna is appointed to the Senior Management Team and this new role will be pivotal to the delivery of the Port’s long-term growth and diversification agenda and in ensuring that its obligations to coastal communities, future generations and to nature are honoured.

Tom Sawyer, CEO of the Port of Milford Haven, congratulated Anna and said: “Anna has a key role to play in our future and it’s doubly lovely to see ‘port-grown-talent’ flourish and for colleagues to progress up through our organisation.”

Anna will lead across the public affairs, marketing, sustainability, media relations, and community relations activities. She will therefore play a central role in the development of new and existing partnerships, including the Celtic Freeport, the Milford Haven Energy Cluster and the Celtic Collection; sitting alongside the delivery of major projects like Milford Waterfront and the Pembroke Dock Renewables Terminal.

“This is such an exciting opportunity. I am proud to be joining the Senior Management Team and look forward to delivering our ambitious strategy,” commented Anna Malloy, Communications and Marketing Director.

She added: “The Port of Milford Haven is playing a key role in the transition of South-West Wales’ economy to a decarbonised future. A beautiful place, with great people, that I am privileged to call my home.”

Community

First deadlines met following enforcement action at landfill site

Published

11 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE first set of deadlines for the completion of actions to tackle the ongoing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire have been met, one week on following the issuing of further enforcement action by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

NRW issued site operator Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice on Thursday 18 April.

This outlined a series of actions to be completed by specified deadlines to address the ongoing odour and landfill gas emission issues at the site.

During the latest site inspection which took place yesterday (Thursday 25 April), NRW was able to confirm that three actions have been completed – two ahead of the imposed deadlines.

The operator has installed 24 pin wells, which have been driven into the waste in the lower section of the cell identified as causing the odour issues (Cell 8). These have also been connected to the landfill gas extraction system.

Capping material has been placed over the same area of the cell and welded to the basal liner to encapsulate gas in this area, allowing for extraction by the pin wells and four horizontal gas wells, which were previously installed.

While progress is being made, NRW officers detected strong landfill gas odours during an offsite assessment on Wednesday (24 April) in Poyston Cross and Crundale. Weather conditions this week appear to have led to a wider spread of landfill gas to surrounding areas, not solely linked to wind direction.

NRW odour assessments follow a set route around the landfill, with designated survey spots, identified to enable consistency of assessment and reporting. This is essential to ensure the regulatory and enforcement responses where there is offsite odour attributed to the landfill is robust.

The remaining Regulation 36 Notice actions will require significant effort by RML to ensure they are completed on time and NRW continues to closely monitor progress.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW, met with representatives from NRW’s South West Industry Regulation Team and Pembrokeshire County Council during a visit to Pembrokeshire on Thursday 25 April.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive, Natural Resources Wales, said: “While visiting the area surrounding Withyhedge Landfill with our regulatory team and partners from Pembrokeshire County Council this week, I was able to see and hear for myself just what people living and working in these communities have had to endure as a result of the odour issues from the site.

“What they have been experiencing is unacceptable and our officers have been working tirelessly alongside colleagues at Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator gets this under control as quickly as possible. While it was clear that a lot of work has been done on site, there is still more to do to ensure they address all the actions set out in the enforcement notice.

“We want to make sure that happens, and are exploring every option together with Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator works quickly to resolve the issues which are clearly affecting the quality of life of people in these communities.”

Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations, said: “While we are reassured that action is being carried out by the operators at Withyhedge Landfill with a sense of urgency, we are continuing our regulatory presence on site to ensure the operator’s focus remains on tackling the issues that will address the continuing odour issues being experienced by surrounding communities.

“We will be closely monitoring progress over the coming days and weeks to ensure the operator complies with all the actions set out in Notice by 14 May. If they are not met, we will pursue additional enforcement action where appropriate.”

NRW requests that instances of odour from the landfill continue to be reported via this dedicated form: https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge or by calling 0300 065 3000.

Please report odours at the time of them being experienced, rather than historically. Reporting odours in a timely manner will help guide the work of partners more effectively, particularly in the further development of air quality monitoring.

These photos taken on 16 April and 25 April show the progress of capping works on cell 8. Pin wells are visible in both images. These have been connected to the landfill gas extraction system and are extracting gas from the waste mass.

Community

Milford Haven’s war memorial is 100 years old today

Published

11 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE Milford Haven War Memorial, a significant landmark commemorating the fallen heroes of World Wars and subsequent conflicts, marks its 100th anniversary today.

The memorial, which was inaugurated on April 26, 1924 by the Venerable the Archdeacon of St Davids, remains a poignant symbol of sacrifice and hope for peace.

Constructed from 1923 to 1924, the memorial consists of a striking assembly of pink granite and white marble statues that were sculpted in Italy.

Representing the Army, Navy, and Air Force, these life-size statues stand on an unpolished three-step plinth below a main pedestal. A soldier faces west and a sailor east, with an airman atop the central column, surveying the skies.

The names and inscriptions of the fallen are carved into the polished granite shaft, meticulously supervised by surveyor J.P. Morgan with contractor E. Jones of Llanybydder.

Located on Hamolton Terrace with views over the Milford Haven waterway, the memorial is a freestanding structure in an external, roadside setting. It features a serviceman/woman sculpture in marble and Portland stone, set on a concrete base surrounded by railings. Inscribed plaques honour those who served in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and the conflict in Iraq from 2003 to 2009.

The memorial lists the names of 239 men who perished in the First World War on its polished grey granite faces. The Second World War claimed 157 lives from this community, whose names are recorded on bronze plaques around the base. Notably, the memorial also honours one serviceman who fell during the Korean War and another who was killed in Iraq in 2007.

The Milford Haven War Memorial stands not only as a historical monument but also as an enduring reminder of the costs of war and the community’s ongoing commitment to peace.

As the town reflects on a century of remembrance, the hope remains that future generations will continue to cherish and learn from the lessons of the past.