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Politics

Wales’ First Minister: What happens next?

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THIS WEEK will see Mark Drakeford formally step down, with his successor as Wales’ new first minister set to be appointed and a cabinet reshuffle on the horizon.

Following Vaughan Gething’s victory in the Welsh Labour leadership contest, here’s what you can expect as the formal resignation and nomination process gets under way.

Mark Drakeford announced he would be stepping down on 13 December, exactly five years to the day since he was appointed Wales’ first minister in 2018.

He will take his final first minister’s questions on Tuesday, 19 March from 1.30pm.

The outgoing First Minister will be quizzed about his record in office, with questions tabled on the 20mph limit, disused mines and Wales’ place in the world.

Mr Drakeford will then formally tender his resignation to King Charles III.

He is scheduled to give a 30-minute resignation statement in the Senedd at about 3.45pm, with party leaders and MSs expected to take this opportunity to pay tribute.

On Wednesday March 20, the Welsh Government will inform Elin Jones, the Senedd’s speaker or Llywydd, as soon as the Palace confirms the resignation has been accepted.

Ms Jones will then make a written statement to notify the Senedd that this has been received, which marks the point at which Mark Drakeford has formally resigned.

Nominations for the next First Minister will then take place in the Senedd’s chamber or Siambr during the afternoon’s plenary session.

Exact timings are to be confirmed on Wednesday morning but it will either be the first item on the agenda at 1.30pm or after climate change and health questions at nearer 3pm.

If only Vaughan Gething is nominated, he will be declared the First Minister-elect.

But if more than one nomination is made, every Senedd member – except Ms Jones and her deputy, David Rees – will vote by roll call with the nominee requiring a simple majority.

The Llywydd will recommend the Welsh Parliament’s nominee to the King and the First Minister-elect will address the Senedd.

The First Minister will be appointed by Royal Warrant, a legal document authorised by the King, before being sworn in at the Welsh Government’s Cathays Park headquarters.

Mr Drakeford was the only nominee after the 2021 election but when he was first appointed in 2018, Plaid Cymru and the Tories put forward their leaders as a symbolic gesture.

However, after the 2016 election, the vote for First Minister between Carwyn Jones and Leanne Wood was tied until the deadlock was broken a week later.

The current parliamentary arithmetic means a tied vote is a possibility but it remains unlikely as it would require agreement between the Tories, Plaid Cymru and Lib Dems.

Vaughan Gething is expected to reshuffle the cabinet in the first week of the Senedd’s Easter recess, which begins on Monday, March 25.

Ministers remain in post in the interim but the counsel general, the Welsh Government’s chief legal adviser, will cease to hold office when the First Minister is appointed.

While Mr Gething will want to put his own stamp on the government, most of the Labour group backed his opponent, Jeremy Miles, so he will need to build some bridges.

Mr Miles, who is education minister, is likely to be offered a ministerial post as a result.

However, a handful of MSs could leave the frontbenches, with Lee Waters already having confirmed he is set to leave his post as deputy minister for transport.

Eluned Morgan and Rebecca Evans, Wales’ health and finance ministers respectively, both backed Mr Gething for leader and will likely stay in the cabinet.

Lynne Neagle and Dawn Bowden, deputy ministers for mental health and culture respectively, also supported his leadership bid and could be promoted.

Jayne Bryant and Ken Skates, who ran Mr Gething’s campaign, could be set for new roles.

Mr Skates stood down as economy minister in 2021 after eight years in government to spend more time in his Clwyd South constituency.

Alyn and Deeside MS Jack Sargeant, and Cynon Valley MS Vikki Howells, could be among the fresh faces in the running – as could Caerphilly MS Hefin David.

The new First Minister can appoint a temporary counsel general with Mick Antoniw, the incumbent, seen as the frontrunner. 

Uniquely, this role can be filled by a non-Senedd member but Theodore Huckle, a barrister, was the first, and so far only, independent professional counsel general from 2011 to 2016.

In the days following the Welsh Government reshuffle, the Conservatives are expected to rearrange their own frontbench team in the Senedd.

Wales’ new First Minister will take their first FMQs following the Easter recess on April 16.

That week is likely to see changes to Senedd committee memberships and a motion to formally recommend a new counsel general to the King.

News

Flats plans for former Wesleyan Chapel school, Haverfordwest

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PLANS to convert the Sunday School building of Haverfordwest’s former Wesleyan Chapel, once the site of a regular place for preaching by John Wesley himself, to six flats have been lodged with Pembrokeshire County Council.

An application to council planners, which has no clear details about the applicant, listing Vitaly + Partners ltd as either the applicant or the agent, seeks the conversion of the Chapel Lane building.

Accompanying documents say Haverfordwest was a regular place of preaching for John Wesley, the founding father of Methodism, first visiting in 1763, with the first chapel built in 1772. By 1781 there were 60 members in the town, the largest congregation in the Pembrokeshire Circuit.

The chapel was rebuilt in 1818 and enlarged in 1835; the adjoining schoolroom built in 1874, with further chapel works in 1880-1.

The chapel closed in 1985 and the interior was stripped for use as an antiques showroom.

A heritage statement accompanying the application says: “The works on internal alternations of former school building started in 2014 after planning permission was approved. Then other records show that works has re-started in 2020. There are previous building inspector assessment notes available for more details. Since there has been numerous of owners and works started again in 2024.”

It adds: “The main factor to support proposed development is in fact it was approved few times in the past. The works already began, and the original layout and external elements are already altered.

“The building was abandoned and not maintained in any way. It did not look pretty and had a negative impact on the residents of the town.  The building has had its original use adopted numerous of times to suit the needs of the particular time period and serve the town accordingly.

“The maintenance work to the building has already shown how much cleaner and more beautiful the building appearance became and it has had good impact on the residents who shared their views on social media talking positively about the renovation works on the building.”

The application will be considered by county planners at a later date.

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News

Hundreds oppose plans for traveller site near Saundersfoot

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A PETITION against a proposed traveller site on the edge of Saundersfoot has gathered nearly 300 signatures, with strong opposition also voiced by the village’s community council.

The application, set to be reviewed by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park planners, seeks to establish a site at Froghall Yard, Moreton Lane. It includes provisions for one static caravan, one touring caravan, a utility room, and ecological enhancements. The plans, submitted by applicant Dai Evans from Pontypool via Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, are partly retrospective.

At a recent council meeting, around 50 residents attended as members unanimously voted to reject the proposal. The council argues the land has remained agricultural for over 30 years and should not be repurposed.

Concerns have also been raised about the site’s visibility from Incline Way, making it difficult to screen from view. Additionally, councillors expressed frustration over extensive clearance work already carried out, including the removal of mature trees and potential disturbance to a badger habitat.

“This area plays a vital role in the village’s landscape, and allowing development here could set a dangerous precedent across the National Park,” the council warned.

The proposal follows two previous unsuccessful applications for development on the same site.

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News

Free speech upheld as Ombudsman dismisses complaint against councillor

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A COMPLAINT lodged by Pembrokeshire councillor Alan Dennison against a fellow councillor has been firmly dismissed by the Ombudsman, reaffirming the right to free political speech.

Cllr Alan Dennison: Said Cllr Stoddart brought office of a councillor into distribute

Cllr Dennison, a member of the Independent Political Group (IPG), had accused another councillor—Cllr Mike Stoddart—of bringing the office of councillor into disrepute and holding a prejudicial interest during a recent Planning Delegation Panel (PDP) meeting. However, the Ombudsman ruled that the complaint had no substance, confirming that the comments in question were protected under freedom of expression laws.

The dispute stems from recent exchanges on the Pembrokeshire Council Watch (PCW) Facebook page, where criticism was levelled at the IPG’s role in pushing through a 9% council tax increase on March 6. Cllr Dennison was reportedly unhappy with Cllr Stoddart’s scrutiny of the deal between the IPG and the council cabinet, which resulted in the tax hike.

Matters escalated when Cllr Dennison challenged Cllr Stoddart over his own stance on the budget. The councillor had supported a 7.5% increase proposed by the Conservatives but did not put forward an alternative budget himself—something Dennison took issue with. However, Cllr Stoddart pointed out that the IPG had similarly voted down a 12.5% increase in 2024 without proposing their own budget, branding the criticism as hypocrisy.

PLANNING PANEL DISPUTE

The rift deepened following a PDP meeting where Cllr Dennison sought to move a planning application for Imperial Hall Ltd on Hamilton Terrace from delegated powers to full committee scrutiny. The request was unusual as it would typically be made by the local councillor, Cllr Terry Davies, who had a declared prejudicial interest in the matter.

Cllr Stoddart, who also sat on the PDP, raised concerns over Cllr Dennison’s role, noting that he was listed as an employee of Imperial Hall Ltd on his councillor register of interests. Planning officers responded that his employment had ended some time ago but had not been updated on the register.

Shortly after the Facebook exchanges, Cllr Stoddart says he received an email from the Ombudsman’s office informing him of a formal complaint filed by Cllr Dennison regarding his conduct at the PDP meeting. The complaint had two parts: first, that Cllr Stoddart had a prejudicial interest due to a past electoral contest against Imperial Hall’s director Lee Bridges, and second, that his comments about the PDP process were inappropriate.

The Ombudsman dismissed both elements of the complaint, ruling that participating in the same election nearly three years ago did not establish a prejudicial interest. The decision also reaffirmed that political speech is protected under the Human Rights Act 1998, shielding councillors from attempts to silence debate.

HISTORIC FREE SPEECH CASE

This latest case draws parallels with a landmark legal battle fought by former councillor Malcolm Calver, who was reprimanded in 2015 for criticising Manorbier Community Council’s handling of a grant-related survey. Despite his statements being factually accurate, he was found to have brought the office into disrepute.

Refusing to accept the decision, Calver took the matter to the High Court, where Justice Beatson ruled that his comments, while ‘mocking and sarcastic,’ fell under the legal protection of political speech. The ruling reinforced that elected representatives and senior council officers should expect robust scrutiny.

The case, now known as Calver v Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, has since been cited in legal studies on freedom of expression.

The tradition of defending free speech in Pembrokeshire dates back even further. The Tenby Observer played a crucial role in securing press access to council meetings, following a legal challenge against Tenby Corporation in the early 1900s. Though the challenge was unsuccessful, it led to the passing of the Local Authorities (Admission to Meetings) Act 1908, ensuring greater transparency in local government.

A WIN FOR DEMOCRATIC DEBATE

Following the Ombudsman’s ruling, Cllr Stoddart, who has written a column about the matter, has framed the failed complaint as an attempt to stifle legitimate scrutiny of the council’s decisions. He stated: “Nice try, but no cigar.”

The decision serves as a reminder that councillors must be prepared to face public accountability without resorting to complaints aimed at silencing debate.

Cover image:

Cllr Mike Stoddart: Cleared of any wrong doing by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales

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