News

Neyland Town Council faces backlash over secretive co-option

Published

1 year ago

February 21, 2025

NEYLAND TOWN COUNCIL is facing mounting criticism after a controversial closed-door meeting on Thursday (Feb 20) led to the co-option of the Town Clerk’s mother onto the council. The decision has sparked accusations of corruption, conflicts of interest, and a lack of transparency in the democratic process.

Press and public barred from meeting

In an unprecedented move, the press and public were excluded from the meeting at Neyland Community Hub, forcing frustrated residents to wait outside in the Hub bar. The exclusion has led to growing anger in the community, with some describing the council’s actions as a “disgrace”.

A resident told The Herald: “If they had nothing to hide, we’d have been allowed in. The secrecy makes it clear—they know what they’re doing is wrong.”

Clerk’s mother appointed amid controversy

One of the most contentious points of the meeting was the co-option of the Clerk’s mother, Donna Matthews, onto the council. This follows weeks of allegations that Neyland Town Council manipulated the selection process to favour particular candidates.

Leaked emails suggest that at least one valid candidate, Mr. Dickson, was ignored despite submitting an application. Documents indicate that Clerk Libby Matthews did not acknowledge or respond to his candidacy, while her mother’s application proceeded without challenge.

Councillor blocked from voting remotely

Further controversy arose when Councillor Brian Rothero was prevented from attending remotely, despite giving prior notice. In a leaked email, Rothero accused the council of deliberately obstructing certain members from participating:

“You and your group have done everything in your power to make this as difficult as possible… You are breaking protocol by not allowing me to attend and cast my vote remotely.”

He added: “This entire process is corrupt. The Clerk is at the centre of it, organising everything.”

Leaked emails expose refusal to answer questions

Leaked correspondence reveals that Councillor Steve Thomas repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the selection process but was met with silence or outright refusal to engage.

In one email, Thomas wrote: “The vacancy needs to be readvertised, perhaps with a Clerk from another Council managing the process whilst all of this is going on.”

The response from Clerk Libby Matthews was blunt:

“No.”

When pressed on why she ignored Mr. Dickson’s application, her reply was:

“No is a full answer, and it’s the one you’re getting.”

These responses have heightened suspicions that the council was determined to install a pre-selected candidate regardless of fairness or due process.

Conflict of interest allegations

Adding to the scandal, leaked documents suggest that Councillor Mike Harry, a key figure in the co-option process, has direct financial ties to one of the candidates. As a paid director and employer of an applicant, his involvement should have disqualified him from participating in the selection.

Councillor Rothero warned in an email: “As a now paid Director and employer of one of the candidates [via his directorship of Neyland CIC], I hope he removes himself. If not, the press will have a field day with this.”

The Herald contacted Cllr Mike Harry who confirmed he was a director, but said he wasn’t paid. Mike Harry also confirmed he voted in the meeting for the co-option of the clerk’s mother.

Calls for resignations and fresh elections

Former Neyland Mayor Andrew Lye has called for Councillor David Devauden to resign, citing allegations that he sent a threatening and malicious email to the Town Clerk.

Lye has also reported the council’s actions to the police, stating:

“This entire situation has spiralled out of control. If the full extent of these councillors’ emails were published, people would be shocked.”

Public frustration is growing, with many calling for the council to be dissolved and fresh elections to be held.

One resident summed up the mood: “This council is rotten from the inside out. It’s time to clean house.”

What happens next?

Complaints have now been submitted to the Ombudsman, the Election Committee, and the police, placing Neyland Town Council at the centre of a deepening scandal.

Pressure is mounting for an independent investigation into the co-option process, alongside renewed demands for resignations and a complete overhaul of council leadership.

For now, residents are left wondering: Will those responsible be held accountable, or will secrecy and controversy continue to plague Neyland Town Council?

The Pembrokeshire Herald will continue to investigate and report on this developing story.

News

Parties make final push as Wales prepares to vote in historic Senedd election

Published

9 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Campaign leaders criss-cross country in last-minute battle for crucial votes

WALES heads to the polls tomorrow (Thursday, May 7) after a frenetic final day of campaigning that saw party leaders, candidates and activists make one last push to win over undecided voters in what is being described as the most unpredictable Senedd election in modern Welsh history.

With polling stations due to open at 7:00am, parties spent Wednesday targeting key battleground constituencies across the country, including the new Ceredigion Penfro seat, amid growing expectations of a fragmented Senedd and a dramatic shake-up in Welsh politics.

The election is the first to be held under Wales’ new expanded Senedd system, with 96 Members of the Senedd being elected across 16 large constituencies using a proportional closed-list voting system.

Reform UK appeared to finish the campaign with significant momentum following a major rally on Tuesday attended by party leader Nigel Farage. The event drew large crowds and considerable online attention as Reform attempted to convert strong polling figures into seats in Cardiff Bay for the first time.

Farage used the rally to attack both Labour and Plaid Cymru, while positioning Reform as the party of “change” for disillusioned voters. Reform campaigners have focused heavily on immigration, cost of living pressures and opposition to what they describe as “wasteful government spending.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth spent the final day presenting his party as the main alternative to both Labour and Reform UK, insisting Plaid could “build a fairer Wales” while warning against what he described as “divisive politics.”

Labour figures, including First Minister Eluned Morgan and deputy leader Huw Irranca-Davies, urged voters not to “take risks” with public services, arguing only Welsh Labour could protect the NHS and local councils during a period of economic uncertainty.

Labour activists were heavily focused on turnout operations in traditional strongholds, amid polling suggesting the party could lose ground after decades as the dominant force in Welsh politics.

The Conservatives attempted to rally core voters with warnings about both Labour and Reform, while also focusing on farming, the rural economy and healthcare waiting lists.

In west Wales, Conservative candidates Paul Davies and Sam Kurtz spent the day meeting voters and carrying out final campaign visits across Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, arguing their experience and local knowledge would be important under the new electoral system.

The Liberal Democrats and Green Party also maintained visible campaigns in several areas, hoping tactical voting and the proportional voting system could help them secure representation.

Across Wales, campaign teams handed out leaflets outside transport hubs, supermarkets and town centres, while social media campaigning intensified throughout the day.

Political analysts believe turnout could prove decisive, particularly because the new voting system means relatively small shifts in support could determine the allocation of the fifth and sixth seats in many constituencies.

The campaign has been dominated by debates over the NHS, farming, the economy, transport, tourism and the rising cost of living, alongside concerns about the future direction of Welsh devolution.

Polling stations open across Wales from 7:00am until 10:00pm on Thursday, with counting due to begin on Friday morning.

The Herald will provide live election coverage online throughout polling day and count day, including updates from count centres, candidate interviews and reaction as results emerge from across west Wales and the rest of the country.

News

Plaid Cymru projected to lead Senedd as Labour faces historic collapse

Published

9 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Final poll suggests Welsh politics could be on the brink of a major realignment

PLAID CYMRU is on course to become the largest party in the Senedd, according to the final YouGov MRP projection for ITV Cymru Wales before polling day.

The model suggests Labour’s century-long dominance of Welsh elections could be coming to an end, with Plaid projected to win 43 seats in the newly expanded 96-member Senedd.

Reform UK is forecast to finish second on 34 seats, while Labour is projected to fall to just 12.

The poll, based on responses from more than 4,600 adults between April 25 and May 4, puts Plaid Cymru on 33% of the vote, ahead of Reform UK on 29%. Labour is on 12%, the Conservatives on 9%, the Greens on 8% and the Liberal Democrats on 6%.

Labour facing major losses

The projection points to a dramatic collapse in Labour support across Wales.

YouGov’s central estimate would represent a notional loss of 32 seats for Labour compared with the 2021 result under the new electoral system.

It would also be Labour’s worst result at any major Welsh election since 1906.

The model suggests Labour may fail to top the poll in any of the 16 new Senedd constituencies, and could return no members at all in four of them.

In west Wales, Labour’s support is projected to have fallen into single figures in some areas.

First Minister Eluned Morgan, who leads Labour’s list in Ceredigion Penfro, could also be at risk if the projection proves accurate.

Reform surge

Reform UK is projected to make major gains, rising from just 1% of the vote in 2021 to 29% in the final pre-election model.

The party’s support appears to be spread widely across Wales, though it is weaker in Cardiff and strongest in parts of the south Wales valleys.

One of the most striking projections is in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, which includes the Merthyr Tydfil area where Keir Hardie was elected as Wales’s first Labour MP in 1900.

There, YouGov’s central estimate puts Reform UK narrowly ahead on 34%, Plaid Cymru on 33%, and Labour on 14%.

Smaller parties

The Conservatives are projected to win just four seats, which would be their weakest devolved election result.

That would leave them one short of the five members needed to form an official political group in the Senedd.

The Greens are forecast to enter the Senedd for the first time, winning two seats in Cardiff.

The Liberal Democrats are projected to win one seat in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, keeping Jane Dodds in the Senedd.

No majority expected

No party is projected to win the 49 seats needed for an outright majority.

YouGov’s modelling suggests Plaid Cymru would be best placed to lead the next Welsh Government, but would probably need support from another party.

Plaid and Labour together reach a majority in most of the model’s simulations, while a Plaid-Green arrangement does so far less often.

A Reform-Conservative majority appears unlikely in the projection.

Under the new D’Hondt voting system, small movements in vote share could still make a significant difference, particularly for the final seats in each constituency.

Polling stations open tomorrow, Thursday, May 7.