News

Secret session discusses unlawful Bryn payments

Published

11 years ago

August 1, 2014

IF you were one of the people trying to find out how controversial Council fat cat Bryn Parry Jones had responded to a Council request to pay back the unlawful payments he received, tough luck! Despite the fact the contents of the letter responding to the Council’s request were already in the public domain, the discussion of how public money had been spent on a public servant was held in private. Conservative group leader David Howlett told the Herald: “With David Bryan, I voted for a public debate which was lost and so we went into private session. We supported a Plaid amendment that it would be foolish to pursue court action due to costs but expressed regret that the money was not being returned. “Some IPPG members supported this and had Labour members also supported it, we would have won. Because Labour did not support the Plaid amendment, we had another vote to take no further action, from which I abstained. “Labour’s stance meant the end result was no further action would be taken. I have to ask whether (Labour leader) Paul Miller sees this as a result, because that is what he and his group made sure happened.” Labour leader Paul Miller told us: “On principle, the Labour group decided not to accept anything less than the Chief Executive being forced to pay back the money unlawfully paid to him. “The vote today is not the end of the matter. “I still firmly believe that the Council must take action to get the money back.” Accepting a request from Bryn Parry Jones’ union Councillors chose to discuss Bryn’s letter, which told his employer to get lost, behind closed doors and with the cameras turned off. That union’s request was backed by the Council’s Head of Legal Services, who said: “Members have strong feelings about this issue, it is the case, in my opinion, that all employees of the Council do have a legitimate and reasonable expectation, both in employment terms and in accordance with their human rights, that their relationship with their employer should be conducted in appropriate confidence. “ The letter’s content was reported online and reveals: • Bryn gave the unlawful payments he received to his wife for her to invest; • Bryn claims his employer acted unlawfully by ceasing to make unlawful payments to him; • Bryn alleges that he has suffered a detriment by not receiving the unlawful payments. In addition to the above, Mr Parry Jones relies upon advice given to the Council that it was doubtful whether he could be compelled to disgorge the unlawful payments back to his employer. That element of his response is likely to cause particular controversy, as the Council’s CEO did not contribute to the cost of the legal advice he now relies upon to buttress his refusal to repay the money he received from the Council. Mr Parry Jones, whose Porsche sports saloon is paid for and insured by Council Tax payers, claims that he was entitled to rely upon the unlawful payments continuing to help plan his retirement and alleges a breach of contract by the Council in failing to make contributions to his pension. However, if the Council had continued to make unlawful payments to its CEO then it would itself have been acting unlawfully. Mr Parry Jones’ suggestion that he should have continued to receive the unlawful payments not only flies in the face of reason, but also suggests that he would have preferred the Authority to spend more Council Tax payers’ money defending his RIGHT to receive unlawful payments in the High Court. Again, at NO cost to himself. In addition, the whole scheme was hatched in order to help the CEO avoid tax on his massive publicly funded pension. The Council did not force Mr Parry Jones to accept the unlawful payments. Instead, he voluntarily entered the scheme in order to avoid future tax payments on his seven-figure pension pot. That scheme was hatched after Westminster government changed the Local Government Pension Scheme rules when it became clear that the system of tax relief was being abused by a minority of senior officers across the UK. The Pembrokeshire Herald asked the County Council to comment both on the letter’s content and the fact that it had been leaked. A Council spokesperson told us: “The letter to which you refer is marked private and confidential. It is not appropriate for us to comment on its contents.”

News

Plaid-Labour budget deal criticised at FMQs

Published

13 seconds ago

December 16, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Welsh Conservatives say agreement means higher taxes, while Labour defends spending priorities

THE LEADER of the Welsh Conservatives has used First Minister’s Questions to criticise the latest budget agreement between Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, arguing it underlines what he described as an ongoing political alignment between the two parties.

At the Senedd on Tuesday, Darren Millar MS challenged the First Minister to explain why successive budgets supported by Plaid Cymru have, in his view, resulted in higher taxes and what he characterised as wasteful public spending.

Mr Millar said Plaid Cymru’s decision to back Labour’s budget proposals served as a warning to voters ahead of the Senedd elections expected next May.

He told the chamber that the Welsh Conservatives would instead pursue tax cuts, funded by reducing spending on what he described as non-essential projects. These included overseas offices, international environmental schemes and what he called a “bloated” Welsh Civil Service.

Commenting after FMQs, the Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar MS said: “The Welsh Labour Government’s budget, backed again by Plaid, will mean higher taxes to pay for more wasteful projects.

“Plaid and Labour’s stitch-up serves as a reminder that a vote for Plaid is just a vote for Labour and more of the same failures.

“In May, Wales will face a choice: more of the same with Plaid and Labour or real change, a strong team and a credible Welsh Conservative plan to fix Wales.”

Labour ministers have previously defended cooperation agreements with Plaid Cymru, saying they provide stability and allow the Welsh Government to pass budgets that fund public services such as health, education and local government. Plaid Cymru has also argued that its support has secured additional investment in areas including social care, housing and the Welsh language.

The Welsh Government has maintained that spending decisions reflect long-term priorities for Wales and that budget pressures are exacerbated by inflation and wider UK economic conditions.

Crime

HGV driver dragged woman off sofa, court hears

Published

4 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

Sarah Jane Absalom

Assault left victim with bruising to her elbows

A PEMBROKESHIRE HGV driver has been sentenced after dragging a woman off a sofa by her ankles, causing bruising to her elbows.

Paul Frank returned to his home in Haverfordwest on June 13 to find the woman sitting on his settee.

“He was verbally aggressive, grabbed her by her legs and pulled her off the couch,” Crown Prosecutor Ryan Colamazza told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“He grabbed her by her ankles, which resulted in bruising to her elbows.”

When interviewed by police, Frank, 56, of St Margarets Close, Haverfordwest, made a full admission to the assault.

Representing himself in court, he told magistrates he had previously asked the woman not to attend his property.

“She’d previously accused me of taking her mobile phone, so I didn’t want her in the house,” he said in mitigation. “But when I came home from work and saw her there, for some reason I just lost it and pulled her off the sofa.”

Frank pleaded guilty to assault by beating and was sentenced to a 12-month Community Order. He must complete 50 hours of unpaid work and pay £85 in court costs along with a £114 surcharge.

Crime

Motorist over drink-drive limit after ‘two glasses of wine’

Published

6 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

Second conviction leads to lengthy ban and community order

A MOTORIST who drove home from the pub believing she had consumed just two glasses of wine was later found to be more than three times the legal drink-driving limit.

Rhiannon Butler, 40, was stopped by police as she drove her Volkswagen Golf along Pembroke Street, Pembroke Dock, on Saturday (Nov 30).

“There was a strong smell of alcohol inside the vehicle and when she was asked about this, she said she was a recovering alcoholic who worked in a pub, which was why she smelt of alcohol,” Crown Prosecutor Ryan Colamazza told Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

Butler initially refused to provide a roadside breath sample. When she eventually agreed, the reading showed 125 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35. Further breathalyser tests carried out at the police station later recorded a reading of 109.

Butler, of River View, Stranraer Road, Pennar, pleaded guilty to the drink-driving offence. The court was told this was her second conviction for drink-driving, following a previous court appearance in 2020.

Due to the high reading, magistrates requested a pre-sentence report from the probation service before passing sentence.

“She’d been working that day and had drunk some alcohol when she finished,” the probation officer told the court. “She thought she’d had two glasses of wine, but people were filling up her glass, so she was unsure how much she’d drunk.”

Butler was disqualified from driving for a total of 40 months and given a 12-month community order. She was ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. She must also pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 in costs.