News

‘Investigation’ into grants begins

Published

12 years ago

January 31, 2014

ON MONDAY, January 20, what was scheduled as a review of controversial grants awarded to property developers in Pembroke Dock under the Town Heritage Initiative and Commercial Property Grants Scheme turned into a full-blown investigation into the activities of builders and property developers who have benefited under them.

Although the word “review” appeared on the meeting’s agenda, the word “investigation” featured prominently in addresses to the Council made by Council officers, Mark Lewis, Director of Finance and Leisure; Dr Steven Jones, Director of Development; Gwyn Evans, the authority’s European Manager; and Jonathan Haswell, the Council’s Head of Internal Audit.

The meeting began with a striking reversal of position; Monitoring Officer Lawrence Harding confirmed that ALL Councillors WOULD have confidential access to documents and financial information concerning claims submitted for works and payments made under the schemes.

WE CAN’T ACCOUNT FOR EVERY PENNY

IN A REMARKABLE address to the County Council’s Audit Committee on Monday, Director of Development Dr Steven Jones confirmed that the audit procedures used by the authority meant that he could not guarantee that every penny claimed under the Town Heritage and Commercial Property Grant Schemes in Pembroke Dock had been spent by the developers concerned.

Dr Jones prefaced his remarks by claiming that although the chain of command left him ultimately responsible for the schemes, he was not involved in their day-to-day management and was not involved in their detailed scrutiny. Dr Jones went on to announce that in circumstances where money had been claimed for works not done then the Council would seek to recover those monies from property developers.

KEY PROPERTIES NOT INSPECTED

COUNCIL OFFICERS adopted a bullish and confident tone in their presentations to the Audit Committee, each pointing out that they had complied with procedures applicable to their respective roles. Mr Gwyn Evans told Committee members that even if there were problems with the Commercial Property Grant Scheme “which there are not” the Council had sufficient powers to reclaim money incorrectly paid out.

Under questioning from East Williamston Cllr Jacob Williams and Independent Committee Chair John Evans it was confirmed that DESPITE the assurance to the contrary given to December’s Full Council by IPPG Cllrs Pugh, Adams, Hall and Allen-Mirehouse properties in Dimond Street had NOT been checked and inspected: at the time of a major inspection in May 2012 the projects had not begun. Council officers had no idea which properties were inspected in a further audit visit in October 2012. Cllr Guy Woodham followed up by establishing that the Old Coronation School in Meyrick Street, Pembroke Dock, had not been checked by external auditors, as it was a residential development funded by the Town Heritage Initiative.

Under further questioning from Cllr Woodham officers confirmed that the process used by the Council to provide information to external bodies depended upon the provision by Council officers of small samples of data relating to individual projects, instead of a detailed examination of the bills of quantities for all of them.

Officers also confirmed that the Town Heritage Initiative did not have a procedural manual available for inspection as none was in place.

COUNCIL’S “MARGIN” REVEALED

ONE PIECE of information provided to Audit Committee members was the revelation that for each £ paid out under the Commercial Property Grants Scheme, the County Council obtained 9p. The recovery of this 9% was explained by the Council’s European Manager, Gwyn Evans, as covering its administration costs for the grants scheme and funding other enhancement works.

Mr Evans went on to claim that enhancement works and Council street improvements, such as the Tudor Rose paving project in Pembroke, would have been impossible without the Council recovering money out of the grants scheme.

COUNCILLORS QUERY WORKS

AUDIT COMMITTEE members and officers travelled to Pembroke Dock to see the buildings for themselves.

Stopping first at the Old Coronation School, where questions were raised about the refurbishment of the roof and windows, they moved on to Commercial Row before moving on to Dimond Street.

Accompanied by Cllr Mike Stoddart and Labour Leader Paul Miller, the Committee and officers visited 29 Dimond Street to gauge the works done for which £21,000 had been claimed. Councillors expressed some astonishment at the condition of the shop’s interior in light of the claims made for its refurbishment and were told by a Council surveyor, Steve Owen how grant money had been spent:

“There has been a new kitchen, WC, staff room, new wiring and fire alarm system – that’s the kind of thing they had to do.”

Cllr David Simpson asked: “You mean don’t know what work has actually been done?”

A local passer-by who knows the shop well, told Herald Assistant Editor Jon Coles, taking photographs of the visit, that he was amazed at the claims, saying that little or no work had been done in respect of the shop’s retail space. He said that the old fire alarms were still there, the partition and ceiling had not been removed and that apart from “perhaps a lick of paint” little had been done to change the shop’s interior.

On examination of the shop, Councillors noted that contrary to the expectations raised by the summary of works provided by the Council’s surveyor, a large hole in the toilet roof enabled them to see the underside of the floor above it and establish that the ceiling had not been insulated as stated or at all.

MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

MIKE STODDART told the Herald that the visit raised more questions than answers about how the Council justified the grant given to the developer:

“It seems that part of the answer lies in some creative thinking by the officers involved in calculating these grants. What emerged during the site visit to 29 Dimond Street was that the cost of the Celotex insulation in the roof had been charged to retail space on the grounds that it would contribute to countering heat loss from the shop.

“You might think it would contribute a lot more to keeping warm the five bedsits on the upper two floors.

“These 40% retail refurbishment grants – financed by the Welsh Government – are designed to regenerate the shopping centres of places like Pembroke Dock. “Quite how this is achieved by turning former retail space into bedsits is not immediately obvious.”

INVESTIGATION TO TAKE TIME

ON RETURNING to County Hall, Committee Chair John Evans told members that there was a consensus that the site visit was a positive and worthwhile exercise Members of the Committee and all members of the Council now have the opportunity to look at the information about the scheme and satisfy themselves as to the claims submitted and payments made. It is anticipated that this process will take over several weeks in a room set aside for members to scrutinise the paper trail.

Mike Stoddart told The Pembrokeshire Herald:

“This is a big improvement on what I was trying to achieve at Full Council, where my Notice of Motion to allow members to inspect these documents with the all financial information redacted was defeated by the IPPG block vote. I have now withdrawn my call for an Extraordinary Meeting to enable the investigation to proceed.”

Crime

Man, 37, found dead following major police response in Pembroke Dock

Published

1 hour ago

July 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Death not being treated as suspicious as police make statutory referral to IOPC following active investigation

A 37-YEAR-OLD man has been found dead at Warrior Way in Pembroke Dock.

Dyfed-Powys Police said officers attended the area at around 7pm on Sunday, July 19, after concerns were raised for the welfare of an individual.

There was a significant police presence in the area, with several units positioned at the scene on Sunday and further police activity continuing into Monday.

The scale of the response prompted speculation among members of the public about the nature of the incident.

Police have now confirmed that the man was found deceased and that his death is not being treated as suspicious.

His next of kin have been informed.

HM Coroner has been advised, and officers will continue to assist with the coroner’s investigation.

The matter has also been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct because the man had been involved in an active police investigation.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the referral was made in line with the IOPC’s statutory referral criteria.

Such referrals are required in certain circumstances and do not, in themselves, indicate that police officers or staff are suspected of wrongdoing.

Charity

Salvation Army offers free meals and school uniforms to families across Wales

Published

1 hour ago

July 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Children in Mold can receive free meals throughout the summer holidays, while thousands of school uniform items are being distributed through centres in Swansea and Cardiff

THE SALVATION ARMY is helping families across Wales cope with the additional cost of the school summer holidays by providing free meals for children and free school uniforms ahead of the new academic year.

Its church and community centre in Mold is opening from 9.30am until 3pm, Tuesday to Saturday, throughout the Welsh school holidays.

Free meals are available to all children aged under 16, with no requirement for accompanying adults to purchase anything.

Major Michelle Hayter said the scheme had made a significant difference to families in the area over recent years.

She said: “If your children usually receive free school meals, suddenly having to provide lunch, snacks and activities every day can be costly.

“By offering free meals, we are helping families free up money so they can enjoy the fun things their children want to do.

“When we remind parents that the meals are free, you can see the smile on their faces.”

The Mold centre is also holding recycling-themed craft sessions on selected days, including activities such as making mosaic coasters, decorating jars and creating bird feeders.

The charity is also supporting parents who may already be concerned about the cost of buying school uniforms for September.

Salvation Army charity shops and donation centres across Wales are offering free school uniform items, subject to availability.

Donation centres in Gorseinon, Swansea, and Cardiff have already distributed more than 3,000 items donated by Bridgend-based school uniform supplier Euroschools Direct.

Craig Mawer, manager at Euroschools Direct, said the company wanted its unused stock to benefit families rather than go to waste.

He said: “We are really pleased the uniforms have been able to support The Salvation Army’s work.

“When we realised we had unused stock, we wanted it to make a genuine difference rather than end up as waste.

“The Salvation Army felt like the right choice because of its strong community presence and the support it offers to parents facing financial pressure.”

Families seeking help are advised to contact their nearest Salvation Army church, community centre, charity shop or donation centre to find out what support is available locally.

Business

Dedicated 5G network introduced at Royal Welsh Show to keep livestreams running

Published

2 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

BT says protected mobile connection will help Welsh traders process card payments and allow organisers to share live content during periods of heavy network demand

DEDICATED 5G connectivity is being used at this year’s Royal Welsh Show to prevent card payments, livestreams and other essential digital services from being disrupted when the showground becomes crowded.

BT and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society are demonstrating new 5G+ “network slicing” technology at the event, which is expected to attract as many as 250,000 visitors during its four-day run.

The technology creates a dedicated and protected section of the EE mobile network for specific services or organisations.

This means businesses using the connection should continue to receive reliable mobile coverage even when thousands of visitors are simultaneously using their phones, potentially placing the wider public network under significant pressure.

At the showground, the dedicated connection is supporting payment systems operated by Welsh food and drink businesses Radnor Hills and Fire and Flank.

BT says the system will help traders process card payments quickly during peak periods, reducing the risk of lengthy queues or lost sales caused by network congestion.

Chris Butler, marketing manager at Radnor Hills, said dependable connectivity was essential because thousands of visitors use the company’s stands during the show.

He said: “The Royal Welsh Show is one of the most important events in our calendar, both as a proud Welsh business and a long-standing supporter of the show itself.

“With thousands of visitors stopping by our stands every day, dependable connectivity for our payment systems is essential to keeping queues moving and making sure customers can quickly grab a drink and get back to enjoying their day.

“Having a dedicated 5G+ network slice gives us greater confidence that we can continue serving people smoothly, even during the busiest periods.”

Fire and Flank is exhibiting at the Royal Welsh Show for the first time.

Founder and director David Evans said: “When demand is high, the last thing any business wants is connectivity issues slowing down card payments or creating long queues.

“Reliable connectivity for our electronic point-of-sale systems helps us serve customers quickly, deliver a great experience and focus on what matters most, sharing our food with visitors.”

The technology is also being used by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s communications team and 2026 show ambassador Teleri-Haf Thomas.

It will allow them to livestream, upload videos and share content from the showground, even when tens of thousands of visitors are using the public network.

Aled Jones, chief executive of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, said mobile connectivity had become increasingly important to the running of the event.

He said: “The Royal Welsh Show is about bringing together hundreds of thousands of people from across Wales and beyond, and connectivity has become an increasingly important part of that experience.

“From supporting exhibitors and traders to helping our team deliver the event safely and efficiently, reliable mobile connectivity plays a vital role.

“Working with BT to showcase 5G+ network slicing demonstrates how next-generation mobile technology can support critical operations while helping us share the best of Welsh agriculture, food and rural life with audiences both on the showground and online.”

The Royal Welsh Show trial is described as one of the first large-scale public demonstrations in the UK of network slicing being used to support both business-critical services and visitor experiences at a major event.

BT is preparing to launch its first network slicing services to customers later this summer.

Adam Price, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, said: “It is important that visitors and businesses alike experience high-quality digital connectivity at nationally significant events like the Royal Welsh Show.

“BT and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society have committed to ensuring the event benefits from world-class technology, and I am pleased Welsh Government collaboration has helped to make this possible.”

Greg McCall, BT’s chief security and networks officer, said the technology could provide businesses and organisations with more predictable connectivity during major events.

He said: “Whether it is buying food and drink from local traders, sharing moments from the show on social media or following the action online, people increasingly expect seamless connectivity wherever they are.

“By providing dedicated, high-performance connectivity for specific applications, we are helping businesses keep payments flowing, enabling reliable livestreaming and content uploads, and showing how next-generation mobile technology can support better experiences for organisations and consumers alike.”

BT has upgraded equipment at the Royal Welsh Showground and a neighbouring mobile mast in Builth Wells as part of the project.

The company says it has invested more than £500 million in fixed and mobile connectivity across Wales since 2020.