TENSIONS ran high at Neyland Town Council’s latest meeting on Monday (Mar 3) as members of the public clashed with councillors over calls for resignations, concerns about procedural irregularities, and accusations of the council being run “roughshod.”

Co-option controversy

The meeting began with the announcement of the co-option of new councillor Donna Matthews, the mother of Town Clerk Libby Matthews.

Mayor Peter Hay welcomed her to the council, but Cllr Steve Thomas immediately challenged the decision, arguing that it should not have been decided behind closed doors.

“This is not something that could be decided privately—the whole council should have voted on it,” said Cllr Thomas.

Mayor Hay dismissed the objection, stating: “That’s not how co-option has been done in the past.”

Cllr Thomas warned that “proper procedures should be followed” or the appointment “may not be lawful” and could “invalidate the entire meeting.”

The controversy was further heightened by the absence of Town Clerk Libby Matthews. It later emerged that she had taken sick leave due to the ongoing tensions within the council. In an emotional email sent on the morning of the meeting, she accused certain councillors of relentless bullying and harassment, stating that she could no longer endure the pressure and had to prioritise her mental health. She described feeling “forced under a horrible, nasty, abusive spotlight” and said she was taking at least a month’s leave, with the possibility of extending it if the council’s situation did not improve.

Background: Co-option process under scrutiny

The co-option of Donna Matthews follows a contentious decision made at a closed-door meeting on February 19, when the council appointed her without public scrutiny. The move led to accusations of corruption, conflicts of interest, and a lack of transparency. Leaked emails suggested that at least one other valid candidate, Mr. Dickson, had been ignored despite applying, while Clerk Libby Matthews failed to acknowledge his candidacy. The decision triggered community outrage, with many questioning the ethical standards of the council’s leadership.

Petition to remove councillor ignored

The meeting became heated when members of the public were invited to speak.

One attendee directly asked Cllr Mike Harry if anything had been done about a petition demanding his resignation. Several councillors questioned why the petition had not been included on the agenda. Mayor Hay admitted he had not looked into it, saying: “I am very sorry, I have been very busy dealing with the Burial Board.”

The response did not satisfy the public, with one frustrated attendee shouting: “This council has been run roughshod, and it’s the people of Neyland that are the most important!”

Another resident confronted Cllr Harry over comments he allegedly made about local residents.

“Is Cllr Harry going to apologise for his actions? We know what he said—‘The degenerates of the Forrester’s Bar and their cronies.’”

Appearing flustered, Cllr Harry denied the accusation, saying: “I was referring to only three people and not six… The email I sent was read in a certain way and was not factual. Now, let’s move on.”

Cllr Steve Thomas pushed back: “Do not be so aggressive to members of the public—he wants to move on… why?”

Cllr Harry, growing visibly frustrated, responded: “We want to do things as a council for the people of Neyland and not keep talking about this nonsense!”

Mayor under fire for rejecting extraordinary meetings

The Mayor also faced intense criticism over his handling of requests for two extraordinary meetings.

Cllr David Devauden accused him of disregarding the legitimacy of these meetings, shouting: “You are lying!”

Cllr Brian Rothero also raised concerns: “We have had no documentation!”

Mayor Hay defended his stance, stating: “Look, the meeting was not legitimate. I will look into this again when I get a chance.”

His next remark, however, drew further outrage.

“I don’t look at my emails if they are from certain councillors,” he admitted.

This prompted anger from the public, with attendees calling for his resignation.

“You’re not working for the good of the town,” one person shouted.

Another resident declared: “As a taxpayer in this town, you lot should all hand your resignations in, and we should get a new council voted in.”

Their comment was met with applause.

Mayor: “I am popular in the town”

Despite the calls for his resignation, Mayor Hay insisted that he had local support.

“I have had many people come out to support me,” he said. “We are doing the best we can.”

Tensions continued to rise as Cllr Devauden pointed at the Mayor and angrily shouted: “RESIGN!”

A member of the public joined in, addressing Cllr Devauden in particular, saying: “That counts for you all!”

As councillors attempted to restore order, Cllr Steve Thomas defended the right of the public to express their frustrations, saying: “I think the public have important things to say and should be heard.”

Cllr. Ellen Phelan, who was taking notes in the clerk’s absence dismissed this, stating: “That’s not how we do things.”

At that point some members of the public stood up and walked out, seemingly fed up with their local representatives.

Key council decisions

Despite the heated exchanges, councillors proceeded with the agenda:

• Councillors will now be allowed to record meetings, provided they inform others in advance.
• The council will consider publishing all meeting recordings on its website, following a request from Cllr Harry.
• A planned visit from 50 French schoolchildren was discussed.
• The ongoing issues with council telephone lines, which have reportedly persisted since 2023, were raised again.
• The council agreed to invite the Police and Crime Commissioner to attend a future meeting to discuss local crime concerns raised by Cllr Harry.
• The council resolved not to re-add Cllr Steve Thomas to the bank mandate.
• Councillors debated the future of the monthly telephone agreement, following a proposal by Cllr Steve Thomas.
• The disbandment of the Christmas Working Group was discussed.
• The council heard about plans for the Sanguinet Committee, VE-Day, and Easter celebrations, led by Cllr P Hay.
• The fireworks display, which last year made a loss of £500, was discussed.
• The council discussed adopting the defibrillator in the changing rooms of the Athletic Clubs.

What’s next?

The controversy surrounding Neyland Town Council is far from over. With tensions running high, calls for resignations growing louder, and disputes over procedural issues continuing, it remains to be seen how the council will respond to the mounting criticism.

Following concerns raised by Neyland Town Clerk Libby Matthews, who did not attend the meeting, The Herald has reviewed certain claims regarding the co-option process and the council’s telephone contract. Ms. Matthews states that all councillors were invited to attend the co-option and that the telephone line has been operational for months. However, concerns from some councillors about transparency remain.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will continue to follow developments.

The Hub, Neyland