Councillor demands mayor’s resignation after ‘diatribe of hatred’ in chapel

NEYLAND TOWN COUNCIL has been thrown into fresh controversy following a furious email from Councillor David K. Devauden, who has accused the town’s mayor of delivering a “sick diatribe of hatred” during a civic ceremony held in a local church.

The incident occurred on Sunday (July 6) during a service attended by members of the council, dignitaries, and members of the public, including the Reverend Alan Chadwick and representatives of local organisations.

Cllr Devauden, in a strongly worded email sent to the full council and copied to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, said he was left “in total shock” at the mayor’s remarks, which he claims caused “stress and distress” to himself, two former councillors, and the community.

The Herald understands that some attendees were so offended by the tone of the mayor’s comments that after they left the service, they refused to attend the refreshments afterwards. One source described the atmosphere as “toxic”.

Cllr Devauden has now called on the mayor to publicly apologise on the council’s official website, not only to the residents of Neyland but also to Rev Chadwick, who he said was left embarrassed by what occurred during his service.

He also demanded the mayor resign immediately from both his ceremonial post and his elected role, claiming he is “not fit to hold your trousers up let alone the office of representing the people of Neyland.”

In his email, Cllr Devauden alleged a longstanding campaign of personal attacks, including “mendacious complaints to the Ombudsman” and false claims made in open council. He cited one instance in which the mayor allegedly said the Milford Town Band objected to Cllr Devauden’s participation in a Remembrance Day parade – something the band later denied when contacted.

“This email is like that light chilly buff of wind that is a sure sign a storm is on its way,” he wrote. “So go before you are blown away.”

The Herald understands that internal divisions have dogged Neyland Town Council for some time, with previous rows drawing the attention of the Ombudsman and the wider public.

The mayor has yet to make a public statement in response to the allegations.

MANY childcare providers across Wales will be forced to close due to the unsustainable funding model imposed by the Welsh Government, the sector warned.

Lisa Owen, who has run the Chuckles nursery in Newport for more than 25 years, called for fair funding for providers and parents as she penned a 2,000-name Senedd petition.

Under the Welsh Government’s offer, working parents or those in eligible education or training can receive help towards the cost of childcare for three- and four-year-olds.

But providers receive a £6.40-an-hour rate which Ms Owen warned does not cover the true cost of delivering childcare, with many businesses being forced to run at a loss.

“Childcare providers should not have to fight to survive,” she wrote. “Families should not have to struggle to find care for their children – if we don’t act now, the future of childcare and early years education in Wales is at serious risk.”

In response to the petition, Dawn Bowden, minister for children and social care, said the Welsh Government will invest more than £150m in childcare in 2025/26.

Pledging to review the amount providers receive each year, Ms Bowden pointed to April’s £1.40 uplift in the rate which had been frozen at £5 for three years as inflation spiralled.

She also raised a 20% uplift in allowable food costs and 100% small business rates relief.

But Ms Owen was extremely disappointed by the minister’s response, saying she has to subsidise the childcare offer at the risk of losing her business.

She asked: “Why are childcare providers having to fund the difference between the rate the Welsh Government has decided and the rate the setting needs to charge to be sustainable?”

The petitioner said: “We are not asking for an increased rate but for the Welsh Government to give us back our businesses by allowing us to charge shortfalls if required, so we can protect the longevity of the business and the future jobs of our teams.”

Ms Owen warned the flat rate and inability to charge for the shortfall meant she lost income of about £75,000, including £50,000 earmarked for a disabled toilet extension.

She said: “It is getting increasingly annoying that the minister keeps writing that the rate was increased by 28% but missing out that in April 2022 the rate was frozen for three years.”

The business owner pointed out that wages increased by 37% in the same period and the UK Government raised employer national insurance contributions (NICs) from April.

She told the Senedd’s petitions committee her award-winning nursery paused investment and will no longer be able to take on apprentices nor pay the real living wage.

In a follow-up letter, the campaigner said: “These all stopped because the Welsh Government will not allow me to charge what I need to be sustainable.”

Ms Owen wrote: “Everyone I have spoken to outside the Welsh Government completely understands our position and how simply this can be rectified. I hope you can see how unreasonable it is to expect a business to support your scheme then be destroyed by it.”

Her nursery was one of a handful in Wales to score “excellent” in all six areas of a joint Care Inspectorate Wales and Estyn inspection in 2023.

“I am not rich,” she said. “Nurseries are no longer ‘honey pots’ due to the huge amount of regulations we have to adhere to and the training we have to fund.

“Everyone is quick enough to say we are expensive but they are expensive to operate: you can’t cut staff, turn the heating down, buy cheaper materials.

“It’s a passion and we do what we do to survive.”

The National Day Nurseries Association Cymru welcomed the £1.40 increase but warned the £6.40 rate was still expected to leave most private nurseries with a shortfall.

The effective rate for childcare providers ranged from £7 to £10 an hour, according to an Early Years Wales report which warned of pressures from wage growth, inflation and NICs.

One provider told the umbrella organisation: “Rhetoric alone won’t change outcomes for children. Investment, collaboration and a long-term commitment to early years support will.

“Ministers must now translate their words into tangible actions that ensure every child in Wales has the strongest possible start in life.”

At its meeting on July 14, the Senedd’s petitions committee decided to write to the minister, seeking a response to Ms Owen’s concerns while keeping the petition open in the interim.

TRADE unions called for an independent system to address bullying and harassment of staff by Senedd Members, warning a “staggeringly low” number of complaints are upheld.

Osian Evans, vice-chair of the Plaid Cymru Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union branch, expressed concerns about a lack of confidence, anonymity and independence.

He urged the Senedd’s standards committee to follow Westminster’s lead by introducing an independent-adjudicated process specifically looking at workplace bullying and harassment.

PCS warned complainants have not had their anonymity respected, leading to them being targeted and creating a significant barrier to making complaints.

In written evidence, PCS pointed to one example of a former member of Senedd support staff being targeted with abuse to the point that the police had to be contacted.

The trade union said: “The need for a name to be stated and for that name to be disclosed to the member who is the subject of the complaint was a strong theme here. Frankly, this is not a conducive environment to encourage people to call out bad behaviour.”

The union also warned people lack confidence in the process to yield a just outcome and criticised an “unrealistic” six-month window for complaints to be made.

Mr Evans told the committee: “The amount of upheld complaints is actually staggeringly low.”

He warned the current system, which covers everything from using the wrong envelopes to sexually harassing a member of staff, is too complex for complainants.

Laura Murton similarly called for an overhaul, with 36 more Senedd Members from May 2026 and, arguably, less individual accountability due to the way they will be elected.

Giving evidence on July 15, the Unite union representative said: “Staff still aren’t clear about the process of how they would make a complaint and don’t feel comfortable doing so.”

She warned of a conflict of interest in the informal grievance process through the Senedd’s internal “members’ business support” team. “It’s not ‘members of support staff business support’,” she pointed out. “So, you’ve already got that in-baked… maybe prejudice.”

Ms Murton added that political parties’ complaints processes are potentially even less transparent than the current Senedd process.

Complaints can be escalated to the Senedd’s standards commissioner, Douglas Bain, who investigates complaints for the standards committee which is made up of politicians.

Ms Murton said: “Once you get to that point, if you are a member of support staff and you’re making a complaint against a Senedd Member… it’s kind of like endgame essentially, you’re going to end up losing your job – one way or another.”

Ed Stubbs, also a Unite rep, added: “Laura talked about pressing the nuclear button, it’s a really difficult thing to do because you are taking personal risk, so – most importantly – wherever we can, [we need to] take the politics out of it.”

In written evidence, Unite described the current process as not fit for purpose due to a lack of transparency and trust. Both unions warned complaints can “drag on” for years.

Ms Murton said: “The reasons or excuses… for not having an independent process … is we’re too small, there’s not the expertise, there’s not enough complaints. I just don’t think any of those are valid reasons to deny victims of bullying and sexual harassment justice.”

Unite raised concerns about the current system “exacerbating” a power imbalance in the workplace – “one which is magnified in such a political environment”.

“Significant concern has also been flagged regarding the role Senedd Members have in the complaints/standards process,” the union warned. “This does not give people in more vulnerable positions confidence in coming forward.”