News

Plaid criticise government on skills

Published

10 years ago

August 1, 2014

PLAID CYMRU have criticised the Welsh Government’s record on skills development. From a discussion held in the Senedd, Plaid have highlighted three key areas they believe are of concern- The massive cuts in the post-19 skills budget by the Welsh Government; Questions about how rural, small and medium sized businesses are included in the future and the role of the Welsh language. “Plaid Cymru have already outlined their vision on skills that they say will ensure that everyone in Wales remains in skills training until they are 19 years old. Shadow Education and Skills Minister Simon Thomas said: “Plaid Cymru welcomes, finally, the Welsh Government trying to get to grips with the skills gap that exists between Wales and other nations in the UK, Europe and beyond as well as high unemployment. We need to remember, however, that those who are in post- 19 education have been through fifteen years of education under the Labour Welsh Government and in today’s announcement the Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology must concede his Government’s shortcoming. The Welsh Government has delivered massive cuts to the post- 19 skills budget, and is now looking to businesses to make up the funding shortfall. He continued by adding: “The Party of Wales’ has previously called on the Government to work more closely with the private sector as it identifies the skills it needs, and I’m glad to see the Welsh Government attempt to do this. However, the Minister needs to tell us how he will ensure that this is rolled out consistently across Wales and how he will ensure that rural businesses and SMEs are not excluded. The Welsh Government has itself acknowledged the crucial role of Welsh language skills to the economy, so it’s disappointing that there is no provision made for it in today’s announcement, particularly after the Welsh Government slashed the funding for teaching Welsh to adults. Plaid Cymru has outlined our vision to ensure that everyone in Wales remains in skills training of some form until they are 19 years old. We want everyone in Wales to be able to develop the skills they need to excel in the workplace, and to help our businesses excel in the global market. Responding to these criticisms, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Ken Skates, said: “These comments are poorly-informed, hastily put together and show a fundamental lack of understanding of the skills system in Wales. Let’s be clear, t h e new Plan has nothing to do with budget cuts, but it has everything to do with ensuring we continue to raise standards at every stage of learning from early years to post-19. In developing the new Plan, we have worked extensively with bodies such as the FSB and have listened to the views of employers of all sizes. We need a sustainable and responsible funding system for skills and our new 10 year plan sets out how we will achieve this. Evidence shows that many employers across Wales are already making a substantial investment in skills and the Plan is all about ensuring that we encourage more of our employers to do the same. We are already working with regional partnerships across Wales to look at specific skills needs. This includes reviewing support for developing Welsh language skills for use in the workplace, building on the best practice already in place across Wales.

News

Welsh Lib Dems urge First Minister to return dodgy donation

Published

1 hour ago

May 2, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THIS week in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have urged the First Minister to return the £200,000 donation he received from a company linked to environmental crimes.

Speaking to the Senedd on Wednesday, party leader Jane Dodds MS urged FM Vaughan Gething to return money donated to his campaign by Dauson Environmental, a refuse and recycling business owned by David John Neal.

Mr Neal received a 3-month suspended prison sentence in 2013 for illegally dumping waste at a conservation site on the Gwent levels.

His companies Atlantic Recycling and Neal Soil Suppliers were also prosecuted and given fines and costs of £202,000.

Then in 2017, Mr Neal was given another suspended sentence of 18 weeks, with fines and costs of £230,000 after failing to remove the waste.

The Welsh Lib Dems have called on the FM to return the donation, as part of wider calls for a shift away from the influence of “big money” in Welsh politics.

Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

“This entire episode has casted a dark shadow upon Welsh democracy and has rightfully led to many questioning the integrity of Vaughan Gething’s leadership campaign and the way our democracy works here in Wales.

Unfortunately for many of us this is hardly surprising, as our political system has been broken for quite some time now.

A system that empowers the elite donor class whilst simultaneously shutting out the voice of the voter is a perversion of democracy itself.

This is why our wider goal must be to remove the influence of ‘big money’ from Welsh politics once and for all.

We cannot have another government that prioritises the interests of its financial benefactors over those of the Welsh people.

We need to take a firm stance in rooting out the influence of cash in Welsh politics, for the sake of our communities we must start prioritising their interests and needs instead of having more self-serving politicians.”

News

Council seeking legal advice to address Withyhedge enforcement

Published

2 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council says it has sought legal advice and is contemplating legal proceedings against Withyhedge Landfill operators RML, in regards to the ongoing odour issues at the site.

The Council intends to ask the Court for an injunction requiring RML to abate the public nuisance odour arising from the landfill. Failure to comply with the injunction would be contempt of court, which carries a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment and unlimited fine.

Following significant work undertaken by RML the Authority is disappointed that the problem has not been resolved and residents continue to be impacted by the odour.

Working in collaboration with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Public Health Wales (PHW), we fully appreciate that the communities affected cannot tolerate this any longer.

NRW announced that the first set of deadlines for the completion of actions to tackle the ongoing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill have been met, one week on following the issuing of further enforcement action on 18th April.

This will be closely monitored by NRW to ensure the operator complies with all the actions set out in Notice by 14 May.

It was deemed appropriate to wait until the operator had carried out mitigation to comply with the enforcement requirements by NRW prior to considering this additional action.

To that end, on 26th April 2024, the Council served RML with a letter of claim and invited them to give legally binding undertakings to abate the odour nuisance or face legal proceedings. The Council also asked for disclosure of documents relevant to the proceedings, including records of waste brought in or removed from the landfill.

The Council has given RML until 14th May 2024 to respond to its letter of claim. This aligns with the current deadline set by NRW under its enforcement notice.

Pembrokeshire County Council Chief Executive Will Bramble welcomed the move. He said: “We are extremely disappointed that RML has not delivered the necessary action to stop the completely unacceptable smells from the site.

“We fully support the additional enforcement action being taken by NRW and continue to work closely with them to do all in our power to correct the situation.

“Our intention to ask the Court for an injunction requiring RML to stop the odour nuisance arising from the landfill, is another part of our collaborative approach. The smell from Withyhedge is having a major impact on residents and visitors. This situation has gone on too long and it is unacceptable.”

News

Beautiful, funny and lovely: Family pay tribute to Sian Batchelor

Published

4 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE family of a woman has paid tribute to a “beautiful, funny, lovely person.”

Sian Batchelor, aged 32, was found on a beach near Pennar, Pembroke Dock on Tuesday evening, April 30^th, 2024.

Her family has issued a statement to say: ‘We are devastated by our loss. Sian was a beautiful, funny, loving person. We will treasure the good times we had with her.

“We would now like time to grieve and would ask to be given privacy in which to do so.”

The circumstances surrounding Sian’s death are being investigated and police would like to hear from anyone with information, sightings of Sian or contact from Sian, between Thursday April 25 to Tuesday April 30.

Police can be contacted either online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 101. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908.

Quote reference: DP-20240430-284