News

New Welsh medium school approved

Published

8 years ago

May 6, 2016

IN AN Extraordinary Council meeting on Thursday, (Apr 21). Pembrokeshire County Council agreed on a site for the proposed 3-16 Welsh school in Haverfordwest.

The new school is planned to be located at Withybush opposite the Lost Coins pub on the main roundabout connecting Fishguard and the north of the county with Haverfordwest via the A40 and neighbouring the roundabout which connects Haverfordwest with the north and east of the county on the B4329.

Concerns were expressed by councillors that the location of the proposed school had been announced after the consultation period had ended and that parents of potential parents at the new school were unable to make the assessment.

Cllr Tom Tudor read a letter from a parent on St Thomas Green who would like her son to attend a Welsh Medium School but due to their own disability would be unable to walk their child to school, while school transport would not be a viable option for a five year old.

Cllr Jamie Adams confirmed that nine sites had been considered and repeated his untrue assertion that the Tasker-Milward site was unavailable because charity trustees would not support the location of a purely Welsh Medium school on the site.

That misstatement was picked up upon by Cllr Bob Kilmister who told councillors that the truth was that the Council had made a complete mess of the schools consultations as a result of incorrect advice given to them at the outset by Council officers.

Cllr Mike Evans expressed his concern that the new provision was not being located where most of the drive for separate welsh language provision was coming, in the south of Pembrokeshire.

He poured scorn on Jamie Adams’s attempts to misquote his own words back to him by way of response and expressed his continued concern that the Cabinet member for Education appeared to be unable to answer straight questions without assistance from the officer sitting next to her.

Cllr Evans eventually extracted a satisfactory answer from Cllr Perkins after repeatedly enquiring whether sixth form Welsh Medium Education would be offered in the future at the school.

Cllr Perkins eventually and after much prompting, managed to explain that it was an option but that the Council could not be bound to the location of such provision at this point, although there was sufficient land available for the Council’s money to provide such a facility.

Cllr David Bryant quoted a rumoured price of £1m for the purchase of the land and asked for confirmation that was the sum involved.

Cllr Jamie Adams replied that he would not disclose the purchase price for reasons of commercial sensitivity. It was forcefully pointed out by David Bryant that councillors were being asked to sign a blank cheque for the purchase of the land.

Council then had to move into private session to be told the price of purchasing land to be owned by the public with public money for the building of a school to be financed by the public.

After a short interval, the webcast resumed and the public debate continued.

However, the cat was effectively let out of the bag by an intervention from chair Wynne Evans, who warned Cllr Jacob Williams at a later stage in the debate when he quoted a £1m purchase price for the land.

Councillors were repeatedly reassured by Cllr Adams and – occasionally by Cllr Perkins – that everything was legal and above board and there were no legal issues regarding the consultation and that all schools potentially affected had been contacted and consulted, although Cllr Perkins appeared unable to substantiate a claim that parents had been consulted on the school’s location.

While councillors overwhelmingly voted in favour of the plan going to further consultation – there will now be a formal objection period for further observations and responses – a considerable number of councillors expressed misgivings about costs and the transport issue, to suggest that the next stage will be anything but smooth.

After the meeting, Bethan Williams, Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s area officer for Dyfed said: “Now that a site has been designated for a 3-16 Welsh school in Haverfordwest, the plan is a step closer, and the need for Welsh provision needs to be addressed elsewhere in the county.

“The report before councillors today recognises the fact that many areas have been added to the catchment area of the proposed new school, as a strategy for Welsh education is lacking in those areas.

“What the Council needs to do is move all schools in the county along the linguistic continuum gradually, with the aim that all schools are Welshmedium over time. That way, no one would be deprived of an education in Welsh.”

Crime

Unanimous verdict in Ceredigion sexual assault case

Published

3 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A CEREDIGION man has been convicted to three years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in her own bed after the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict.

27-year-old Suroj Bk, from Llangrannog, was sentenced this week following a week-long trial at Swansea Crown Court (May 1).

On 7 October 2023, Dyfed-Powys Police received a report that Bk entered the victim’s home and sexually assaulted her while she lay in her bed.

When the victim realised what was happening, she kicked Bk out of her bed and called the police.

Upon receiving the report, officers quickly attended the victim’s home and conducted a thorough search of the surrounding area using police dogs and scenes of crime officers.

Evidence gathered from scene, together with extensive local enquiries, led officers to arrest Suroj Bk the next day (8 October).

While Bk was in custody, detectives, crime scene investigators, and digital forensic officers worked tirelessly to uncover the evidence that ultimately placed Suroj Bk at the scene.

After hearing the evidence, the jury took less than two hours to agree a unanimous guilty verdict.

The detective in charge of the case has praised the victim for her ‘tremendous courage’ in reporting the assault to police.

“Incidents of this nature are thankfully very rare within Ceredigion, and I’d like to reassure the community that this was an isolated incident, and that the identification and arrest of suspect was done quickly and efficiently,” said Detective Inspector Sam Gregory.

“The victim in this case demonstrated tremendous courage in reporting to police, and while this investigation was not straightforward in its nature, it was through the expertise and tenacity of forensic officers, working together with the investigation team, and the victim, that led to this successful prosecution.

“I hope the sentence given to Suroj Bk sends a clear and strong message that Dyfed-Powys Police takes reports of sexual offences seriously.

“We will listen to you, and we will work tirelessly to get justice.”

On Wednesday, 1 May 2024, Saroj Bk was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and a five-year restraining order, and he will be on the sex offenders register for life.

If you have been a victim of a crime such as this, report it to Dyfed-Powys Police either through a direct message on social media, online at: https://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/v1/rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 101.

In an emergency, always call 999.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.

News

Body recovered confirmed to be Luke Stephenson, say police

Published

3 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Tom Sinclair

DYFED-POWYS police have said today that the body found on Wednesday, May 1, has been confirmed to be Luke Stephenson, who was reported missing from the Pembroke Dock area on April 14.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We will continue to support the family and will assist with issuing a tribute publicly if the family wish to do so.”

In a statement, his family said: “Luke was a joyful and funny young man and always wanted to help others. He was a loving son, brother, grandson and uncle, and will be forever missed.
“We have lost a huge part of our family, and our loss is shared by his many friends who also loved him dearly.
“We would like to thank the local community for the overwhelming support we have received.”

Business

Port of Milford Haven now official ‘a great place to work’

Published

5 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE PORT of Milford Haven has been officially accredited as a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organisation. As the first Port Authority in Britain to secure this Certification™, it is a significant achievement.

“We are very proud to be Great Place to Work-Certified™,” said Vidette Swales, HR Director at the Port of Milford Haven. “It means so much that our employees have reported a consistently positive experience with their colleagues, their leaders and their jobs. Offering a positive employee experience is not only beneficial for the people who work with us but is also key for our continued business success.”

Tom Sawyer, CEO at the Port of Milford Haven added: “Our team is operating the UK’s leading energy port, and it is of the utmost importance that we do that safely, responsibly and effectively. We’re striving for excellence and aim to provide a world class service to our customers as well as supporting sustainable coastal communities for the prosperity of future generations. Our employees are clearly at the centre of this which is why I’m delighted that they feel supported in their role. I’m especially proud that this Certification™ demonstrates our core values of Safety, Excellence, Collaboration and Sustainability so perfectly.”

“We congratulate the Port of Milford Haven on achieving their Certification™,” said Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place to Work® UK. “Organisations which put the employee experience at the heart of their business gain their employees’ trust and, in turn, are truly able to build a great workplace culture that delivers outstanding business results.”

Find out more about careers at the Port of Milford Haven here: www.mhpa.co.uk/about/careers-at-the-port/.