News
Pembroke Dock: Town Council in rent payment controversy
PEMBROKE DOCK TOWN COUNCIL is in a dispute with the Pater Hall Trust over its rent payments.
The Town Council has a 25-year lease with the Pater Hall Trust for use of the Pater Hall and other facilities.
However, the Council have been relocated to the Bridge Innovation Centre on a temporary basis and say they will relocate back to the Pater Hall once the ground floor offices are up to a standard which will allow for normal working regulations.
Cllr Phil Gwyther submitted a notice of motion which called for the Council not to break its lease with the Trust by entering into negotiations over a new lease when the new offices are completed.
At the November meeting of the Council, Cllr Gwyther revealed that he had been in contact with the Town Council’s solicitor who had said that it would be a breach of contract if the council stopped paying the rent.
There were also doubts as to whether or not the lease had been signed but again the solicitor said that because the agreement had been in place 10 years the lease was legal regardless of it being signed or not.
At Thursday’s (Jan 14) meeting of the Town Council, Cllr Gwyther’s notice of motion was discussed at length but no agreement was reached and the motion was deferred until the next meeting.
Cllr Gwyther, who is also a member of the Pater Hall Trust, said: “We must not be the legal equivalent of squatters and the council must be legal and proper. If we do maintain the rent the current lease we’ve got is still valid.
“I do feel that the trustees have been put in a very difficult situation and it is very awkward for us.
“As trustees we have to do our duty to the trust and ensure that it is financially viable.
“I know some councillors are keen to stop paying the rent but we haven’t voted as a body to do that. There will need to be a written agreement between the council and trust about the rent because the rental figure was never mentioned in these documents and we have been paying the rent based on a council decision made in 2005.
“When the Trust was set up the Council gave a written guarantee to the charity commissioners that the rental payment was the part that the council would give the trust in order for it to be financially viable.
“I don’t feel we should be breaking our promise with the charity that we made in writing. We should hope that the Trust will keep going.”
Cllr Sue Perkins said: “I am quite concerned that the five trustees have already taken a vote on this and made their decisions because the decisions of what we do should be done in this council and its very obvious that five trustees have already voted on the notice of motion. They should have taken their views to the council first.
“I haven’t seen any legal advice to say that we can’t withdraw funding. If it’s there I am more than happy to see it and then I will make a decision.”
Councillor Tony Wilcox said: “We are here now because the Trust has neglected the Town Council offices when they knew full well that they weren’t occupied.
“The rooms upstairs are unfit for purpose and that’s why we moved out.”
Cllr Gwyther then read part of a letter to the Charities’ commission from the Council in June 2005 but members were unhappy that a copy had not been circulated to them.
Cllr Perkins added that there was ‘no way’ she would vote on the notice of motion and asked for it to be held in abeyance.
Cllr Andrew McNaughton suggested that the council should pay the rent for the coming month before discussing the matter again.
Cllr Gwyther said his notice of motion was about principles and not about the money but that was challenged by Cllr Perkins who said that the Trust relied on the Town Council.
It was also revealed that the council paid £1820 for the office and a further £1560 for the chamber which they had not been using.
The Town Council had agreed to pay £7000 in rent for the first three years but that was not reviewed.
After a lengthy debate it was agreed that the matter would be deferred until the next meeting of the council.
Crime
Police investigating attempted burglary at Haverfordwest shop
POLICE in Pembrokeshire are investigating an attempted burglary at No.37 Food and Wine shop on High Street, Haverfordwest, at about 3am on Wednesday, April 3.
A window was smashed and the door handle broken.
Police said: “If you have any information that could help enquiries, please get in touch with PC 195 Tayler, either by: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 101.
“Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.”
News
Don’t forget to vote on Thursday, May 2
THURSDAY, May 2 is your chance to vote for the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner.
Don’t forget to use your vote and head to your local polling station between 7am and 10pm.
They are elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and the police force to account on their behalf.
A Police and Crime Commissioner’s job is to set the police budget and make sure it is spent effectively, appoint the local police forces Chief Constables, set police and crime plans in collaboration with residents and work closely with the local council and other organisations on these plans.
This is the first election in Wales where you will need photographic ID to vote.
Accepted forms of ID include a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport or drivers’ licence; and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card. Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.
Or you may have applied for a Voter Authority Certificate which is also accepted.
If you plan on taking your Postal Vote to a polling station or County Hall main reception remember to fill in a vote return form. Without the completed form those postal vote(s) will be rejected.
You can only hand in your own postal vote, and postal votes for up to five other people.
You can find out more about the Police and Crime Commissioner Elections online (opens in new window).
Crime
Banned for sleeping in car whilst over the drink drive limit
A MOTORIST caught sleeping in a BMW in MIiford Haven town centre has appeared before magistrates for being in charge of a motor vehicle when he was over the legal alcohol limit.
Police officers discovered John Steele, 30, soon after 5.30pm on March 9 when he was asleep in his red BMW which was parked in a car park at Hamilton Terrace.
“The engine was running and the lights were on,” Crown Prosecutor Abigail Jackson told District Judge Mark Layton who was sitting at Haverfordwest magistrates court this week.
“Officers smelt alcohol, he was intoxicated and he was slurring his words.”
Officers were unable to carry out a roadside breath test as a result of them not being in possession of a breathalyser at the scene of the incident. Steele was conveyed to a police custody suite where two samples of breath were subsequently taken, the lowest giving a reading of 44 mcg.
Steele, who is employed as a machine technician in Selby, pleaded guilty to the charge of being in charge of a motor vehicle while he was above the alcohol limit.
He was fined £400 and ordered to pay a £160 court surcharge and £85 costs. His licence was endorsed with ten penalty points.
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