Connect with us
Advertisement
Advertisement

Politics

Conservatives claim email ‘cover up’

Published

on

Couldn't get a yes or no answer: Andrew RT Davies

A ROW over whether the First Minister permitted an inquiry into his conduct access to his personal emails during a leak inquiry has intensified.

An inquiry recently concluded into whether or not details of the Cabinet reshuffle which led to the dismissal and subsequent death of former Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary Carl Sargeant.

That inquiry found that there was ‘unauthorised’ leak of the reshuffle details, leading to the obvious question as to whether any leaks were ‘authorised’, as it appears beyond question that news of Mr Sargeant’s dismissal was provided to at least two Labour MPs and one journalist.

In addition, the First Minister has refused to confirm that the Permanent Secretary was granted access to his personal emails during the recent leak inquiry.

Last week, in a response to a written question from Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies, Mr Jones said that he did occasionally use a private email address to deal with diary issues and clearing urgent press lines.

On Tuesday, Mr Davies asked the First Minister whether the private email address was used at all to instruct or to brief staff as to press lines in relation to the reshuffle.

After responding ‘No’, Carwyn Jones said that ‘all relevant evidence was made available to the inquiry’.

Mr Davies pressed the point, asking whether access was given to the personal e-mail addresses that Mr Jones uses for Government business
Mr Jones avoided a direct answer, saying: “I can’t comment on what the evidence looked like. All I can say is that all relevant evidence was submitted to the inquiry.”

Responding that ‘it’s not unreasonable to assume that, if there’s an inquiry into leaks from Government, then all correspondence would’ve been made available to the person carrying out the inquiry’, Andrew RT Davies asked for a straight yes or no answer.

Mr Jones declined to give on, instead repeating ‘all relevant information was provided to the inquiry’.

The Conservative leader has now suggested that the inference to be drawn from the First Minister’s answers is that the decision as to which evidence was either relevant or irrelevant was down to the First Minister himself.

The Welsh Conservatives are now demanding that the Permanent Secretary re-opens the inquiry, with the Permanent Secretary given “unfettered access” to Carwyn Jones’ personal email address.

In a press statement after First Minister’s Questions, Mr Davies said: “This reeks of a cover up.

“Just last week the First Minister admitted that he uses his personal email account on ministerial business, and now we learn that it is left to him to decide which emails are in the public interest.

“It calls to mind the recent Presidential elections, where public confidence was seriously undermined after allegations relating to the use of personal emails.

“How on earth can we have confidence in the system if the First Minister is the only judge of his own conduct?

“The inquiry must be re-opened, with unfettered access granted to the two email accounts that we know he has used for ministerial business.”

Mr Davies also called for a transparent process to log the use of personal email accounts by Welsh ministers and their advisers.

At present, such correspondence is only picked up by Welsh Government logs where an official email account is ‘copied in to an exchange’ – or where a conversation starts or finishes with an official email account.

He added: “There is nothing to stop the First Minister from emailing advisers directly using private email addresses, and I have no doubt that we would learn a great deal about the way Welsh Government business is conducted if his emails were to be opened up to closer scrutiny.

“We need rigorous checks in place to stop ministers from conducting government business entirely through back channels.

“This kind of practice should be entirely outlawed, except in approved accounts where security is heightened and exchanges are open to scrutiny.”

News

Withyhedge site monitoring cost the council £170,000

Published

on

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council’s monitoring of the controversial Withyhedge landfill site and unsuccessful legal challenge cost it nearly £170,000, councillors heard.

Last October, Pembrokeshire County Council went to court to seek an interim injunction against operators RML after asking it to give a legally binding undertaking to stop the odour coming from Withyhedge Landfill, near Haverfordwest.

The legal action came after months of residents complaining of foul odours and potentially harmful gasses coming from the landfill site.

A circuit judge found that the tip was causing nuisance, but believed that the council had gone about its application in the wrong way, refusing to grant an interim injunction.

The authority’s legal counsel had recommended the council appeal that decision, but this was not done due to costs involved and the situation at the tip had improved.

A report, presented by Cabinet member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett at Pembrokeshire County Council’s March 6 meeting, said: “Although our legal counsel did not believe this decision was correct and recommended an appeal, the Authority was in a difficult position when considering the costs of appealing and the costs outlay already incurred for taking the court action, as well as the provision of independent air quality monitoring and officer time dealing with this issue.

“This was due to the potential financial exposure considered against the fact that a marked improvement in the situation has been noted. We would like to stress that it is firmly believed that the legal pressure the council had placed on the operator in the period from April to October 2024 had a significant impact on the efforts and pace of the remedial works undertaken by the operator.

“Legal costs were ordered to be paid by the Authority in the sum of £169,110.87, although the actual sum was reduced by agreement to £100,000.”

The report also detailed other financial implications for the council: “Costs for air quality monitoring, legal and ancillary costs for translation of reports and some staff overtime in out of hours monitoring total £166,544 [to date].  This figure includes the additional static monitoring until 31 March 2025.”

Members heard that complaint numbers to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and PCC have been low since early January 2025 when waste tipping started again, other than a peak in mid-January from a Ricardo static monitor located at Spittal School, but were “not considered to be emanating from the landfill site,” with site inspections “indicating that the operator is following revised waste acceptance procedures which have previously been reviewed and accepted by NRW”.

Funding from Pembrokeshire County Council and Natural Resources Wales has been secured to allow the air quality monitoring via the static monitor at Spittal School to continue until March 31, but would cost £57,215 for an extra year, members heard.

Members agreed to note the report and to continue the air quality monitoring at Spittal school, reviewed on a quarterly basis, dependent on air quality results and the level of community odour complaints received.

Continue Reading

Health

Planned west Wales ‘super hospital’ on hold for a decade

Published

on

A CALL for an urgent meeting between Pembrokeshire’s leader and the local health board has been made after the board recently identified nine ‘fragile’ areas of service.

Late last year, Hywel Dda University Health Board stated a planned new west Wales hospital, based at either Whitland or St Clears, would not be up-and-running for at least a decade.

That scheme would see both Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest and Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen being ‘repurposed’, with community hubs developed.

In the meantime, the board heard services across the UK have consolidated and standards increased and Hywel Dda risks falling significantly behind other areas with consequences for patient care and staff recruitment, with work to support nine ‘fragile’ services in the interim of a new hospital already begun.

The board’s executive director of strategy and planning, Lee Davies said at the time: “In the absence of a new hospital in the south of our area to address challenges, we need to consider other options to bring together some of our services.

“We anticipate the emerging model, informed by work on the Clinical Services Plan, will seek to build on the strengths of each of the hospital sites in a way that builds complementary areas of expertise.”

At the March 6 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, a submitted question by Cllr Alistair Cameron asked: “On November 28, 2024, Hywel Dda UHB announced that, since financial support is not secured, delivery of a new hospital (to be located in either St Clears or Whitland) is likely to be at least 10 years from now.

“In the same statement the health board stated that it risks falling significantly behind other areas [of the UK] with consequences for patient care and staff recruitment and that it has identified nine fragile services: Critical Care, Emergency General Surgery, Stroke, Endoscopy, Radiology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics and Urology.

“Could the Leader of Council seek an urgent meeting between the council and the chief executive of Hywel Dda UHB so that he can explain his strategy for safeguarding these nine fragile services which are vital to Pembrokeshire residents and what action has been taken so far?”

Responding, Leader Cllr Jon Harvey said: “I share your concern about health service provision; contact has been made with the health board with regard to a meeting, a response is awaited,” adding that a seminar for councillors on the issue was also due to be held.

Continue Reading

News

Pembrokeshire becomes latest council to consider devolution of Crown Estate

Published

on

SENIOR councillors will consider a bid for Pembrokeshire to become the latest council to support the devolution of Crown Estate assets to Wales.

15 local authorities are currently backing calls for this economic asset to be placed in Welsh hands.

The latest to join the campaign are Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil (both on March 5), and Isle of Anglesey (March 6), bringing the total across Wales to 15.

The Crown Estate owns 65 per cent of Wales’ riverbeds and beaches, as well as more than 50,000 acres of land – valued at over £603m.

Proceeds from these go to the Crown Estate, funding the Royal Family and contributing to the UK Treasury.

Responsibility for the Crown Estate is already devolved to the Scottish Government, which has previously been reported as generating £103.6 million into the public coffers in Scotland in 2023.

A notice of motion submitted to the March 6 meeting by Plaid Cymru councillor Michael Williams said: “We ask PCC to support the proposal for the Crown Estate assets to be devolved to the people of Wales, so that profits can be used to invest in the economy and communities of Wales.

“A poll in 2023 showed that 75 per cent of the population were in favour of taking control of the assets of the Crown estate rather than the profits going to the Treasury and the Crown.

“Local Authorities are under huge financial pressure and placing the Crown Estate in the hands of Wales would be a significant step to address the lack of investment in our local government.

“We call upon the Welsh Government to ask Westminster to devolve the assets and revenue of the Crown Estates as a matter of urgency, as was done in Scotland in 2017.

“We demand that Wales is treated fairly and accepts management of the Crown Estate land for the benefit of the people of Wales.”

Members agreed the matter be referred to the council’s Cabinet for further consideration.

Earlier in that meeting, a submitted question by Independent Group leader Cllr Huw Murphy on the subject was heard.

He asked: “Can PCC provide the annual income the Crown Estates derive from Pembrokeshire as the Crown Estates map indicate that the majority of the Pembrokeshire Coastline to include much of the Milford Haven waterway is owned by the Crown Estates?”

Responding to that question, Cabinet member for finance Cllr Joshua Beynon said the total amounted to £59,005, including £26,600 for foreshore lease agreements, £8,520 for the land around Haverfordwest’s Riverside Market, and £12,800 for a sailing centre and care park at Cosheston Pill near Pembroke Dock.

Late last year councillors in neighbouring Ceredigion backed a call for the Crown Estate assets to be devolved to the people of Wales, following a notice of motion by Cllr Catrin M S Davies, seconded by Cllr Alun Williams.

Continue Reading

News15 hours ago

Man faces charges over tragic death of baby in Tenby car park

A MAN accused of involvement in the death of a six-month-old baby in a multi-storey car park in Tenby has...

News16 hours ago

Oil tanker and cargo ship ablaze after collision in North Sea

MILFORD HAVEN LINKS TO LARGE SCALE MARITIME RESCUE OPERATION A MAJOR maritime disaster unfolded in the North Sea on Monday...

Crime16 hours ago

Milford Haven man jailed for six years after hiding cocaine in police car

A MILFORD HAVEN man has been jailed for six years after attempting to hide nearly 50 grams of cocaine under...

News1 day ago

Pembrokeshire becomes latest council to consider devolution of Crown Estate

SENIOR councillors will consider a bid for Pembrokeshire to become the latest council to support the devolution of Crown Estate...

Community3 days ago

Festival of the Sea makes a splash at Milford Waterfront this weekend

MILFORD HAVEN is buzzing with excitement as the Festival of the Sea kicks off this weekend, bringing a wave of...

Charity3 days ago

Cardigan RNLI’s first all-female lifeboat exercise

FROM launch to recovery: for the first time in the history of Cardigan RNLI, the station’s D class inshore lifeboat...

Crime3 days ago

Fishy business: Illegal fishers caught hook, line and sinker

FIVE Belgian fishing companies and their vessel masters have been prosecuted for serious breaches of fisheries legislation in Welsh waters,...

Crime3 days ago

Police seize £860k worth of cannabis in week-long regional crackdown

DYFED-POWYS POLICE say they have seized cannabis plants worth more than £860,000 in a week-long operation targeting large-scale production by...

Community4 days ago

School children and staff parade through in St David’s Day celebration

HAVERFORDWEST was a hive of activity as hundreds of children from 14 schools sang and waved as they paraded through...

News5 days ago

Pembrokeshire Council Tax rise for residents at 9.35% agreed

PEMBROKEHIRE taxpayers are to see their bills increase by 9.35 percent after “political tribalism was set aside,” but an alternative...

Popular This Week