Politics
Drakeford ‘optimistic’ ahead of Welsh budget
WALES’ new finance secretary Mark Drakeford expressed optimism about the Welsh Government’s draft budget but warned public spending will not suddenly start flowing.
Prof Drakeford said he is planning for 1% growth in day-to-day revenue spending and a flat settlement for longer-term capital expenditure.
Appearing before the finance commission for scrutiny, the former First Minister said: “I have some optimism that things will be a little bit better.”
He cautioned: “I don’t think it’s going to be a sudden turning on of public expenditure but I think that things won’t be quite as tight.”
Pressed by Labour’s Rhianon Passmore about areas that could be deprioritised in Wales, he said it is too early to say ahead of the UK Government’s budget on October 30.
And pressed to reassure people that the in-year budget is secure, in light of £500m cuts in Scotland, he said: “It looks to me more like what I would have thought of as a ‘normal year’.”
Prof Drakeford stressed that stresses and strains persist but the previous budget was extraordinarily more difficult, leading to “very, very painful” cuts this time last year.
He said the First Minister’s statement on her government’s priorities will shape the Welsh Government’s draft 2025/26 spending plans that will be published on December 10.
The former First Minister compared his overriding responsibility as finance secretary with landing a jumbo jet of a budget on a postage stamp.
He stressed the importance of getting maximum value from expenditure and not overspending which “takes you into very difficult territory”.
Prof Drakeford suggested negotiating relationships with the UK Government on matters such as freeports and investment zones will be near the top of his agenda.
He said his focus will also be on legacy issues like the shared prosperity fund, replacement EU funding – “one of the sorrier examples of spending by the previous UK Government”.
He said: “I will wish to have conversations with my UK colleagues about the longer-term transfer of post-EU funding back to where it belongs: here in the hands of the Senedd.”
Prof Drakeford suggested the Welsh Government will seek powers that have already been devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
He said talks would focus on “freeing up the micromanagement of our affairs” by the UK Treasury, giving more scope to deploy money in an efficient and effective way.
“At the moment, our hands are tied and we don’t get the best value,” he warned.
Prof Drakeford told the committee the Welsh Government has identified £65m to make coaltips in Wales safe as he urged the Labour UK Government to contribute.
The finance secretary said talks with UK ministers about rail funding are also ongoing.
He said if Wales receives additional capital expenditure next year – “and it’s a big ‘if’” – improving NHS efficiency through new equipment and buildings will be a priority.
Prof Drakeford agreed the current “fiscal framework” – which determines how Welsh public services are funded – while he was finance secretary between 2016 and 2018.
He said: “The problem from our point of view has been … that the numbers that were struck – the amount you can borrow, the amount you can put in the Welsh reserve, the amount you can draw down … are still the figures that we agreed as the right figures for 2016.”
Prof Drakeford told the committee meeting on September 25 that he expects the cabinet to debate Welsh rates of income tax but he would need “quite a lot of persuasion”.
“The only way you can raise significant amounts of money from income tax in Wales is by increasing the basic rate,” he cautioned.
The finance secretary said hiking additional and higher rates, which raises untested issues around tax migration, would not bring in a substantial sum.
Community
Pembrokeshire town 4G phone mast plans withdrawn
PLANS for a replacement 20-metre-high 4G phone mast tower in north Pembrokeshire, which the local town council says would have “an unacceptable adverse impact” on the national park’s beauty have been withdrawn.
In an application before Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Cellnex, through agent Telent, sought permission to replace an existing 10m high mast with a new 20m 4G tower with three Vodafone antennae and nine mast head amplifiers, and associated works, on land at Dwr-y-Felin Farm, Fford Bedd Morris, Newport.
The application for a 4G mobile base station for the mobile network operator(s) (MNOs) Vodafone Ltd in conjunction with Cornerstone. The application site is owned / operated by Cellnex UK, a radio site infrastructure provider.
A supporting statement accompanying the application said: “The proposed antenna height of 20m is essential to provide new 4G coverage and replacement 2G and 3G service provision to the surrounding area. 4G radio signals are more sensitive to physical obstructions than older technologies.
“This is because the higher the frequency band the greater the reduction in signal strength, increasing the likelihood of dropped calls and reduced data rates for internet browsing,” adding: “Generally, the higher the signal frequency the more it will be impacted by clutter. It is for this reason that there is the height of 20m is required.”
It went on to say it “should be noted that a radio base station within this location has already been considered acceptable and has become an established feature within the area and the proposed upgrade albeit different in design to support the latest equipment will not be of substantial or detrimental harm to the national park, conservation area or heritage assets”.
Newport Town Council had objected to the application, saying: “The proposed development (if approved in its current form) will have an unacceptable adverse impact on the qualities and special landscape and seascape character of the National Park and also on the special qualities of natural beauty and tranquillity.”
The application has now been withdrawn.
Charity
Flats for veterans to be built at VC Gallery, Pembroke Dock
A CALL to build flats for armed forces veterans on a former Pembrokeshire school yard/playing field next to veterans’ charity the VC Gallery has been approved by county planners.
In an application before Pembrokeshire County Council, veterans’ charity The VC Gallery sought permission for eight flats in two blocks of two-storey buildings, including wheelchair accessible flats, for Armed Forces veterans on land to the east of the former St Marys Catholic School site, Britannia Road, Pembroke Dock.
The former school, which closed in 2019, is currently used as the VC Gallery, itself an expansion of veterans’ charity the VC Gallery’s home in Haverfordwest, set up by Barry John MBE.
Documentation, through agent Pembroke Design Limited included a supporting statement by Barry John MBE, which it says “explains the issues that veterans face after leaving the services, the need for dedicated housing provision, the support that VC Gallery’s staff and volunteers provide and the gaps in current provision which the proposed development will help address”.
It added: “Although the development will provide and encourage independent living for its tenants, essential physical and mental support will be provided by the staff and volunteers in the VC Gallery as required, in accordance with individual veterans’ needs. Many will need a high level of support and the close proximity of the flats to the facilities and people on hand in the adjacent VC Gallery is therefore critical to the proposal’s purpose.”
Mr John’s statement said: “We want to create a unique offer to Armed Forces veterans in Pembrokeshire by offering up not just quality accommodation in a gated and safe environment but to also have a bespoke peer mentoring service.”
He added: “Working alongside our stakeholders The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and the OVA (Office of Veterans Affairs) we have secured a grant to draw up plans and to look at how the secured land at the VC Gallery Pembroke Dock can be turned into a bespoke housing solution for Armed Forces Veterans.
“We have Service level agreements with the local authority for specifically supporting tenancy in veterans which will also extend to giving vital counselling services. Our work with the health board and provision for peer mentorship also gives us great grounding for effective help on a practical level for the veterans’ village but we will need a more designated package around the housing we provide to include both mental health and also maintenance (something we don’t have at present).”
His statement finished: “We think the need is great, we have the land, we have the skills for care and the ambition to help. It would be a project above all social housing enterprises, and we want to make a go of it.”
Politics
Call to stop councillors being employed by MPs and MSs
A CALL to stop senior Pembrokeshire county councillors being employed by MPs or Senedd members is to come under greater scrutiny at a special council committee.
In a Notice of Motion submitted to the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, Independent Group leader Cllr Huw Murphy said: “While it is acceptable for Cabinet members to hold other employments, no serving county councillor should hold a Cabinet position within Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) while simultaneously being employed by a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of the Senedd (MS).
“Cabinet members hold executive responsibilities, and such dual roles risk potential conflicts of interest, particularly if Cabinet decisions conflict with the policies of their employer, often a political party. This concern is heightened in a council where most members are Independents.”
Cllr Murphy’s notice of motion was heard at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council where it was agreed the matter be referred to a future constitutional review committee.
In the registration of interests for the eight members of Leader Cllr Jon Harvey’s Cabinet, only Cllr Joshua Beynon, deputy leader of the Labour Group and Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance and Efficiencies, lists a politician as an employer, in his case newly-elected Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell.
Responding to the notice of motion, Cllr Beynon has previously said: “This motion, which appears to target my unique position as a Cabinet Member for Finance and part-time parliamentary employee, raises serious questions about its fairness, legality, and intent.
“At its core, this is a politically motivated motion that seeks to undermine the principles of fairness and freedom. It attempts to dictate lawful employment choices of councillors, disregarding the importance of balancing public service with individual rights. Such an approach risks creating a chilling effect, discouraging capable individuals from serving in public office in the future.”
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