Politics

Academics give evidence on plan to ban lying politicians

Published

3 hours ago

November 4, 2024

SENEDD members took evidence about proposals to ban lying politicians, with academic experts warning that misleading the public can have catastrophic consequences.

The standards committee heard from academics following a Welsh Government promise to bring forward a law by 2026 to disqualify politicians found guilty of deliberate deception.

Andrew Blick, director of the Constitution Society, an educational charity, said misleading the public is as old as politics but the nature of the problem has morphed due to technology.

He raised the example of misinformation proliferating online fuelling riots in the UK over the summer, saying it showed how misleading the public can have catastrophic consequences.

Prof Blick said: “I think we are seeing a movement towards harder regulation.”

Giving evidence on November 4, the politics professor at King’s College London described the proposals as “path breaking” in the UK and potentially internationally.

“We welcome the fact that this subject’s being taken seriously,” he said. “The misleading of the public is clearly a problem constitutionally and democratically.”

Labour’s Hannah Blythyn, who chairs the committee, questioned whether deception would be best dealt with by creating an offence or strengthening existing arrangements.

Dexter Govan, director of research at the Constitution Society, suggested a criminal offence could act as a deterrent but he cautioned against overly severe penalties.

Dr Govan told the committee his primary concern would be around timeframes, saying: “If it takes two years to action such an offence, there are real issues there.”

Prof Blick added: “We don’t have a specific position but I think making it a criminal offence … it does signify … that this is a serious matter.”

He contrasted this with a “rap on the knuckles from a committee”, with people in the outside world seeing it as politicians sitting in judgement of themselves.

Prof Blick pointed to evidence that trust in politicians is at an all-time low in the “veracity index” poll which has been published since 1983.

“This could be part of a package of measures that might help…,” he said.

“It could raise the stakes in terms of the possible negative consequences for not telling the truth … so it could contribute to a cultural change.”

Pressed about a need to distinguish between politicians’ public and private lives, Prof Blick said a court would be capable of addressing the issue case by case.

The Conservatives’ James Evans raised concerns about politicisation of the courts.

Prof Blick pointed out the courts are not excluded from political matters, raising the example of the successful 2019 case against Boris Johnson’s decision to “prorogue” Parliament.

He told the committee it is regrettable if the courts have to get involved but he suggested this backstop is often preferable to self-regulation.

Labour’s Mick Antoniw raised concerns about the potential impact on the principle of privilege, which provides certain legal protections for what’s said in parliament.

He pointed to Labour’s plans to extend parliamentary privilege across the UK, with Dr Govan replying: “I do think there’s a world in which the two things can co-exist.”

Mr Antoniw, who was formerly counsel general, the Welsh Government’s chief legal adviser, said: “The creation of a criminal offence effectively removes parliamentary privilege… it means anything you say can potentially be reported as a criminal offence.”

Prof Blick called for an overhaul of parliamentary privilege which dates to the 17th century.

He pointed out Boris Johnson could have been removed from office if he did not stand down, with the former Prime Minister describing standards processes as a “kangaroo court”.

Prof Blick told the committee: “We are actually moving – potentially, if we go down the path we’re talking about today – to a full judicial proceeding, so in that sense it could be helpful.”

Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price has spearheaded calls for a ban on deliberate deception, striking a last-minute deal with the Welsh Government in July to bring forward legislation.

Mr Price, a former MP who was once ejected from the House of Commons for accusing Tony Blair of lying, warned: “In a self-regulating parliament, politics will always win.”

Prof Blick agreed the central question must be: “Is self-regulation enough in this area?”

Asked whether the courts intervening could be used as a “badge of honour” by those on the far left and right, Prof Blick hoped to see a longer-term cultural shift.

He told committee members: “I can see an even bigger problem with saying, ‘It’s all hopeless, so why are we trying?’.”

Politics

Pembrokeshire Council to spend over £2m on Microsoft contract

Published

3 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A £2M-PLUS Microsoft computer software licensing contract to allow Pembrokeshire County Council to continue to function as an organisation has been backed by senior councillors.

At the November 4 meeting of the council’s Cabinet, members were recommended to give delegated authority to the Director of Resources to secure a three-year contract, with a one-year extension, for the licensing of Microsoft 365 (M365) Productivity Suite software which includes Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams video and collaboration, Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Sharepoint, all universally used across the council.

The licensing will cost some £2,100,000 – £2,200,000 based on benchmarked pricing from Crown Commercial Services; the current arrangement is due to expire on December 13.

A report for members said it was a requirement to conduct the Council’s day-to-day business, in addition to safeguarding ICT activities.

“With decreasing budgets and resource, the task of procuring and ensuring best value is proving more challenging. CCS offers a free aggregation service to help public sector organisations make savings through the power of collective buying, which would not be possible through individual buying. One such exercise being run by CCS is the aggregation for a Microsoft licence solutions partner covering all Microsoft licensing products.”

Presenting the recommendation to fellow Cabinet members, Cabinet Member for Communities, Corporate Improvement and the Well-being of Future Generations Cllr Neil Prior said: “We wouldn’t be able to run this organisation without Microsoft software,” adding the cost of changing to a different system would be “enormous”.

Council Leader Cllr Jon Harvey questioned the large sum of money, and was told it boiled down to £18.83 per month per service user.

Members agreed to delegate the decision to award a contract to a Microsoft licence solutions partner following the CCS aggregated tender exercise.

Business

Big change expected to be backed for Pembroke Power Station facility

Published

11 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for a green hydrogen production facility by Pembroke Power Station, which the applicants say “can establish Pembroke at the forefront of south Wales’ low carbon future,” and create new jobs are expected to be backed next week.

An application by Pembroke RWE Generation UK plc for the construction of a green hydrogen production facility with electrolysers, hydrogen gas storage, HV transformer and electrolyser control building, and hydrogen gas pipeline offtake; together with associated infrastructure, including water supply pipeline to the Pembroke Power Station and electrical supply connection to the National Grid Substation on land adjacent to Pembroke Power Station is recommended for conditional approval at the November 5 meeting of the county council’s planning committee.

The electrolyser site was previously occupied by the power station’s sports and social club.

A report for planners states: “A green hydrogen facility is proposed that would comprise the main electrolyser area, a hydrogen gas pipeline corridor, an electrical connection to a high voltage transformer and an area for connections into the Pembroke Power Station and a cable corridor for connection into the National Grid Substation.

“The electrolyser is planned to be powered with ‘low carbon electricity supplied primarily via grid connected renewables’ and will create ‘green hydrogen’ for use in industrial processes. Water for the electrolyser will come from existing power station supplies.

“The pipeline corridor would supply hydrogen gas to the Valero Refinery. The pipeline corridor would follow the route of an existing natural gas pipeline. Most of the pipeline corridor would be underground, passing across farmland and a wooded area. It will emerge above ground within the Valero Refinery. The working width of the construction area for the pipeline is expected to be approximately 30m.

“The applicant states that some of the final design aspects and features of the proposed development within the electrolyser site ‘cannot be confirmed at this design stage as these depend on the appointment of an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor. This may include the heights of buildings, structures and plant and the arrangement of features defined by zones’, nevertheless the maximum height of the flare stack would be 25m and the electrolyser building and compressor building would be up to 17m in height. All other equipment would be of lower height than the electrolyser building.”

The report also quotes from the applicant: “The proposed development forms part of the Pembroke Net Zero Centre (PNZC) initiative which will see RWE diversify its energy generation portfolio to demonstrate a pathway towards decarbonisation.

“RWE’s vision for the PNZC has a critical role to play in Wales’ and the UK’s pathway to Net Zero. By decarbonising its current operations at the power station, while investing in new innovative technologies at the development site, RWE can establish Pembroke at the forefront of South Wales’ low carbon future. The proposals for RWE Pembroke Green Hydrogen form part of this ambition.

“By bringing together technologies such as hydrogen production, carbon capture and storage, battery storage and floating offshore wind to the Pembroke area, RWE can help to decarbonise the energy sector in Wales for generations to come. RWE’s ambitions will build on Pembrokeshire’s local energy heritage, safeguarding existing jobs at the development site, while delivering a significant local economic investment and creating new jobs throughout construction and operation.”

The facility is expected to take 24 months to build, subject to approval, an earlier consultation on the scheme said, and could be built by early 2027.

Community

First Minister attends community transport operator workshop

Published

3 days ago

November 2, 2024

Richard Lewis

PEMBROKESHIRE Association of Community Transport Organisations (PACTO) held a successful community transport operator workshop event at Letterston Memorial Hall on Friday 25 October, which was attended by the First Minister for Wales, Eluned Morgan.

The event, titled ‘Building Tomorrow: Our Pembrokeshire Community Transport Model’, enabled PACTO to update their partners and key stakeholders on the progress the sector has made since October 2023, when they launched their three-year Pembrokeshire community transport transformation project- which has been funded by the Motability Foundation and UK Government.

The day got underway with a welcome address by the First Minister to representatives from PRTA Green Dragon, Narberth Bloomfield NDCSA, Pembrokeshire Voluntary Transport, Royal Voluntary Service, and PIVOT. Eluned outlined the importance of community transport – particularly in a rural county like Pembrokeshire – before thanking the army of dedicated volunteers and employees who work tirelessly to provide a vital service to so many people right across the county, as well as focusing on the challenges and opportunities which lie ahead.

The fantastic work that the PACTO community transport connector team do was a key focus of the event. Having completed over 215 referrals in 2024, the connector service is vital to ensuring that those in need of transport are pointed in the right direction.

John Evans, the county director for Pembrokeshire for Hywel Dda University Health Board, gave a speech which highlighted the crucial role that the PACTO transport connector team plays in ensuring that people are able to attend hospital appointments, as he shared the story of how they were instrumental in helping a member of the public who had previously been unable to find a transport solution.

Transport was provided through the Pembrokeshire Integrated Voluntary Organisation Team (PIVOT) CT service, allowing them to receive treatment for a very complex medical matter which was potentially at risk of life-threatening complication. This resolution enabled them to attend their appointment. Evans also revealed that there have been over 6,200 hospital and non-hospital trips carried out since September 2023, an average of 27 trips per operational day (Monday-Friday).

Also in attendance was Jayne Kendall, the Wales project manager for the Cranfield Trust, which provides free management support for charities. Jayne gave a presentation that outlined how PACTO and the Cranfield Trust have been working together this year and the many ways in which the organisation helps charities across the UK.

Facilitated by Sachá Petrie, the sustainable transport community development officer for Awel Aman Tawe, the workshop provided the county’s community transport operators with the opportunity to come together for further engagement, discussion and collaboration on key issues, building on the overwhelming response PACTO received from their recent face-to-face consultations and online survey, which had more than 700 responses.

The event also gave PACTO and the operators a chance to work together towards an agreed Pembrokeshire CT delivery model, which will focus on passengers’ needs as one sector which is united, robust and future-proof.

PACTO are now embarking on Year Two of the project, which will primarily consist of data analysis and volunteer recruitment to ensure the operators are able to continue offering a lifeline to those who need transport.

Speaking about the event, Wyndham Williams, PACTO’s community transport transformation project manager, said: “It was great to see everyone coming together to reflect on all of our achievements during the project’s first year.

“We have seen a 13% increase in the number of trips using community transport services in the last 12 months, with 50,855 completed since September 2023.

“It was interesting to see the figures for all the different journey purposes, from hospital to non-hospital, shopping, social, leisure, education, employment, and personal business.

“This was also the perfect opportunity to officially thank our community transport operators for the lifeline they continue to provide for people in Pembrokeshire, particularly passengers with mobility needs.

“There was brilliant attendance from our community transport operators, as we came together for the first time to discuss how we can work together effectively to continue providing a lifeline service to the people of Pembrokeshire, and we’re extremely thankful for the opportunity that the Motability Foundation’s funding has given us.”

If you would be interested in becoming a community driver, please contact Damian Golden, PACTO’s accessible vehicle coordinator, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 07767 539740.