Racism on the rise in Wales’ schools MSs told

Published

2 years ago

November 21, 2023

CHILDREN as young as three-years-old are involved in racism, with prejudice on the rise in Wales’ schools, a Senedd committee has been told.

The Senedd’s equality committee took evidence from Race Council Cymru and Cardiff University as part of an inquiry on the Welsh Government’s anti-racist Wales action plan.

Uzo Iwobi, founder and chief executive of Race Council Cymru, told MSs that children are increasingly facing racism-fuelled physical and verbal attacks while at school.

She said: “In one week, we had 15 phone calls from schools across Wales narrating different incidences of racism involving children as young as three, which is horrific.”

Prof Iwobi stressed that racism is learned behaviour as she highlighted the need to educate parents as well as pupils.

She added: “One of the little girls refused to come to school because she had been told she should live on a tree because her family looked like monkeys or some words to that effect.”

Prof Iwobi warned that official rates of reporting of hate crime have dropped while contacts with charities, such as Race Council Cymru, have significantly increased.

The barrister and law lecturer told MSs that communities do not have confidence in the police, saying people have reported incidents in the past but nothing has changed.

She recalled a vicious attack on a 14-year-old boy outside school by two white children which parents did not want to report to authorities.

“Many people are beginning to feel like this is everyday racism,” she said. “This happens to us time and time and time again.”

She added that Race Council Cymru was advised to cancel black history celebrations in Llanelli this year due to the negative reception of asylum seekers.

Prof Iwobi raised concerns about a significant increase in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia due to the Israel-Gaza war.

She told the committee that women wearing Hijabs in particular are increasingly facing hate, citing the example of a Muslim who was egged on the streets of Cardiff last week.

She said community leaders report that Wales is almost no longer a safe place to be Jewish.

Prof Iwobi said: “Sadly, with the protests ongoing – it has resulted in more targeting against others who are not protesting.

“It is a very frightening experience to be out there involved in community work at this time.”

The committee heard that ethnic minorities are overrepresented in almost every aspect of the criminal justice system.

Prof Iwobi described the prison system as clearly institutionally racist and biased against black men in particular.

She called for an overhaul of the justice system and a roll-out of anti-racism training.

Robert Jones, a lecturer at Cardiff University, highlighted sentencing disparities and a lack of trust in the legal profession during the meeting on Monday November 20.

Raising concerns about the lack of a disaggregated picture for Wales, Dr Jones described the Ministry of Justice as “almost geographically illiterate”.

By contrast, MSs heard that Home Office data – which is broken down by police force – shows disproportionate use of stop and search on black and mixed ethnic groups in Wales.

Dr Jones warned that evidence is lacking: “Before we even begin to think about tackling the problem, our understanding of the problem still has some way to go.”

He called for investment in research to provide more of an in-depth understanding, saying the Wales Governance Centre is working on a Welsh criminal justice observatory.

In written evidence, Dr Jones described racial disproportionality within criminal justice in Wales as systematic and consistent.

He pointed out that many of the necessary levers to tackle racism are not devolved, raising concerns about the “jagged edge” of the Welsh justice system.

“Wales is unique, it’s an anomalous system,” said Dr Jones.

“It has a legislature and an executive that doesn’t have the justice function – the only common law country in the world to have that anomaly.”

Call for councillor to fill standards committee vacancy

Published

38 seconds ago

May 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A TOWN or Community Councillor in Pembrokeshire is being sought to fill a vacancy on the committee responsible for promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct across the county.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Standards Committee currently has an opening for a representative from a Town or Community Council.

The committee plays a key role within the authority, including reviewing reports from the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales relating to alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct.

To be eligible, applicants must be a serving member of a Town or Community Council within the Pembrokeshire County Council area.

Anyone interested in applying is asked to contact Kate Matthews from the council’s Democratic Services team via email at [email protected]. An application form will then be provided.

Completed applications must be returned by Friday (June 12). Interviews are expected to take place later that month.

The time commitment for the role can vary, although the Standards Committee typically holds four scheduled meetings each year, along with additional meetings if required.

The successful applicant will serve for the remainder of the current council term, until the local elections in May 2027, with the possibility of a further five-year extension.

An appointment panel will conduct interviews and make recommendations to the full council based on set criteria.

Fire service sets out new flood response plan for Mid and West Wales

Published

1 hour ago

May 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

AROUND 31,000 properties across Mid and West Wales are at risk of flooding, according to figures released as part of a new fire service response strategy.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has completed a major engagement process to shape how it deals with future flooding incidents.

The work brought together operational crews, partner agencies and community representatives through a series of “Flooding Balanced Room” workshops.

The service said the aim was to make sure all voices were heard equally while developing practical options for prevention, response and recovery.

Nearly 24,000 properties in the service area are at risk from river flooding, while more than 7,000 are at risk from tidal flooding.

The service attends around 300 water rescue and weather-related flooding incidents each year.

Officials say flooding is becoming more frequent and more serious because of climate change, including heavier rainfall and prolonged weather events.

Recent data also shows a clear seasonal pattern, with the highest number of flooding incidents taking place between October and February.

The third quarter of 2025/26 was the busiest for flooding incidents since 2017/18, while February 2020 and November 2025 recorded the highest monthly levels of flooding activity.

The workshops produced four key priorities: prevention first, collaboration and partnership, enhanced specialist capability, and learning and continuous improvement.

Eleven initial options were narrowed down to five main areas.

These include better public education, community flood groups, improved flood messaging with partner agencies, more staff training, improved welfare and PPE for firefighters, better vehicles and technology, and stronger post-incident support for communities.

Proposals include using flood awareness in home fire safety checks, improving training scenarios, increasing the number of qualified water incident managers, expanding drone use, and using climate data to plan future fleet and equipment needs.

The options have now been assessed, with recommendations presented to the service’s Executive Leadership Team.

The plans will feed into the service’s future flooding strategy and its Community Risk Management Plan 2040.

Iwan Cray, Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The Flooding Balanced Room process has highlighted the importance of collaboration.

“By listening to our staff, partners, and communities, we’ve created practical, forward-thinking solutions that will strengthen our ability to prevent and manage flooding in Mid and West Wales.

“Together, we can build a safer, more resilient Wales.”

Crime

Trial of men accused of murdering Ian Watkins delayed

Published

2 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE TRIAL of two prison inmates accused of murdering former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has been delayed by a day.

Watkins, who was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences, died following an alleged attack at HMP Wakefield last October.

Rashid Gedel, 25, who has been referred to in court as Rico Gedel, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, were due to stand trial at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday (May 5).

The case is now expected to begin on Wednesday (May 6).

Watkins was jailed in December 2013 for 29 years, with a further six years on licence, after admitting a series of child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

He was arrested after police executed a drugs warrant at his home in Pontypridd on September 21, 2012. Officers seized computers, mobile phones and storage devices, which later revealed evidence of his offending.

Watkins had previously been taken to hospital after being attacked in prison in 2023.

In 2019, he was jailed for an additional ten months after being found guilty of possessing a mobile phone while in prison.