News

Mismanagement of public accounts ‘has cost the people of Wales millions’

Published

3 years ago

March 27, 2023

SIGNIFICANT funds for essential public services have been lost due to shortcomings in the Welsh Government’s accounting, according to a Senedd Committee.

A report published today by the Senedd’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee (PAPAC) has raised a number of issues with the accounts for 2020/2021.

£155.5 million was lost to Wales due to poor account management
Serious concerns about record keeping relating to £80,000 payment made to the former Permanent Secretary
The current Permanent Secretary’s salary exceeds the advertised amount
Concerns about the level of fraud and error in the COVID-19 business grants scheme

Welsh Government £155.5 million underspend

Today’s report notes the Committee’s disappointment that significant funding was lost to Wales as a result of the Welsh Government’s underspend in 2020-21.

A total of £155.5 million could have been utilised to fund essential public services in Wales – at a time when there are serious pressures on public funding.

This figure is the result of the difference between the balance of the Wales Reserve on 1 April 2021 – £505.5 million – and the Wales Reserve’s limit of £350 million. The Welsh Government said the Chief Secretary to the Treasury had rejected its request to carry forward funds in excess of the Wales Reserve limit.

It is equivalent to around two-thirds of the revenue raised from putting 1p on each of the Welsh rates of income tax.

The Committee found it difficult to understand why the Welsh Government waited so long to be told it could not do as it wished with the underspend, and why such a request was made retrospectively. The Welsh Government appears to have assumed, based on previous HM Treasury decisions, that it would be granted flexibility to use the funding.

It raises questions as to whether making a request sooner may have enabled the funds to be used. The Committee said lessons must be learnt to ensure such vital funding is not lost from Wales again.

Chair of the PAPAC, Mark Isherwood MS, said: “Our report highlights a number of serious issues within the Welsh Government’s Consolidated Accounts 2020-21, which was not only significantly delayed and signed nine months later than the timetable originally agreed, but qualified by the Auditor General on three separate issues.

“We are very concerned that significant funding was lost to Wales as a result of the underspend in 2020-21. This money could have been used to fund essential services and it is especially frustrating now when there are such pressures on public funding.

“It is one of many examples where poor record keeping and mismanagement of public accounts has cost the people of Wales.”

Arrangements surrounding current and former Permanent Secretaries

A payment made to the former Permanent Secretary, and arrangements around the current Permanent Secretary’s salary, raise a number of issues regarding the documentation of decision making and record keeping by the Welsh Government.

A payment of £80,519 was made to the former Permanent Secretary on her departure. This included £31,843 as payment in lieu of notice, £9,553 in unused annual leave and an extra-contractual payment of £39,123.

The Committee is concerned that deficient record-keeping about how important decisions were taken resulted in a lack of clarity and insufficient opportunity for this Committee to scrutinise this payment, and that Welsh Government did not provide the Auditor General with sufficient contemporaneous evidence to establish the change in the former Permanent Secretary’s working arrangements and to justify the payment made on her departure.

The report also details concerns about the process of appointing the current Permanent Secretary. In September 2021, the Welsh Government announced the appointment of Dr Andrew Goodall, who had since 2014 been seconded to the Welsh Government from the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB).

The post had been advertised with a salary between £162,500 and £180,000, but Dr Goodall confirmed after his appointment that he remained on the NHS chief executive pay framework – meaning his current salary exceeds the advertised salary.

This raises the question of whether the Welsh Government may have attracted different candidates had the post been advertised at a higher pay scale.

The report recommends that the Welsh Government review its reporting and record-keeping practices to ensure that internal decisions around the Permanent Secretary role, along with any other roles at Director General level or above, are clearly documented.

The 17 recommendations made in the report aims to tackle the poor recording keeping which came to light during the Committee’s inquiry.

Climate

Blue sea creatures wash up on Welsh beaches including Tenby

Published

8 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

VISITORS to Welsh beaches have been warned not to touch unusual blue sea creatures which have washed ashore along parts of the coastline.

Hundreds of velella velella, commonly known as by-the-wind sailors, have been reported on beaches in Anglesey, Gwynedd and Tenby.

The small, bright blue marine creatures are free-floating hydrozoans and are related to Portuguese man o’ war, sea anemones and corals.

They get their name from a small sail-like structure on their body, which catches the wind and carries them across the surface of the sea.

One was spotted on Tenby South Beach on Tuesday (Jun 16), where beachgoer Maxine Allinson described it as “fantastic” and “like a crystal”.

Marine experts say the creatures are often seen after changes in currents or stormy weather, which can push large numbers ashore at the same time.

Although they are much smaller and less dangerous than Portuguese man o’ war, they do have stinging cells.

Their sting is usually mild, but people are being advised not to pick them up, especially as contact with the face, lips or sensitive skin could cause pain or tingling.

Experts also warn that the stinging cells can remain active even after the creatures appear to be dead on the beach.

The advice is to admire them from a safe distance and leave them where they are.

Caption: Maxine Allinson spotted a velella velella on Tenby South beach Tuesday

Local Government

Mayor to hold drop-in session for Haverfordwest residents

Published

8 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

HAVERFORDWEST residents will have the chance to raise ideas, concerns and local issues directly with the town’s mayor this week.

Cllr Randell Izaiah Thomas-Turner will hold a Talk to Your Mayor session on Thursday, from 12:00pm until 2:00pm.

The initiative is aimed at giving residents an opportunity to speak directly with the mayor about matters affecting the town and wider community.

Cllr Thomas-Turner said communication and engagement were “vital”, adding that the session was about listening to local people, working together, and ensuring every voice had the opportunity to be heard.

Anyone wishing to book an appointment is asked to contact the Haverfordwest Town Council town clerk.

The mayor said: “Together, we can continue building a stronger and more connected community. Together we can make Haverfordwest the best in the west.”

News

Senedd rejects Reform call to end Welsh Government international spending

Published

9 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE SENEDD has rejected a Reform UK motion calling for an end to all Welsh Government international spending, after a heated debate which saw several Members walk out of the chamber.

The motion, tabled by Reform MS Llŷr Powell, was defeated by 48 votes to 37 on Wednesday (Jun 17).

An amended motion, backing Wales’ reputation as an “internationalist, tolerant and outward-looking nation”, was then passed by the same margin.

The debate followed warnings from Hub Cymru Africa and other campaigners that ending international spending would damage Wales’ global reputation and undermine projects linking Welsh communities with partners overseas.

Reform argued that Welsh Government money should be focused on domestic pressures, including the NHS, schools, transport and the cost of living.

Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar backed the Reform motion, saying foreign relations and international development were matters for the UK Government rather than Cardiff Bay.

But Plaid Cymru and Welsh Government speakers rejected that argument, saying Wales’ international work supported trade, public services, education, health partnerships and the country’s reputation abroad.

The debate became heated after comments by Reform MS Joe Martin, who criticised overseas schemes including beekeeping and tree-planting projects in Uganda.

Several MSs left the Siambr during his contribution, with the Llywydd later urging Members to reflect on the tone of the debate.

Hub Cymru Africa had said before the vote that Wales’ international solidarity budget represented a tiny fraction of overall spending and helped deliver work in public health, climate action, women’s empowerment and sustainable development.

The organisation said the vote was an opportunity for the Senedd to reaffirm Wales’ place in the world.