News
Concern that ‘loophole’ would allow second home owners to stand for election in Wales
CONCERNS have been raised about a “loophole” that would allow second home owners to stand for election to the Senedd.
Under the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) bill, anyone on the electoral register in Wales would qualify to be a candidate.
James Evans, for the Conservatives, questioned electoral administrators about the potential for candidates to game the system.
The Brecon and Radnorshire MS said: “Somebody could have a second home in Wales – be very lucky to afford one – and put that down as the address they register to vote at.
“They could live all their time in London or another part of the UK but, theoretically, they’d be on the electoral roll in Wales so they’d actually be eligible to stand in the Senedd election.
“I’m interested in your thoughts on that and how you think that could be mitigated in a way because it is a way of somebody finding a loophole around the system.”
During the previous Senedd term, Neil Hamilton, a former UKIP MS, represented Mid and West Wales despite living in Wiltshire.
PUBLIC TRUST
Colin Everett, chair of the Wales Electoral Coordination Board, told the Senedd’s reform committee: “Providing that the registration of the second home as well as the first was within the law for registration then legally that would not be improper.”
He added: “On the face of the bill, if somebody is registered at that address, it’s within Wales, it’s current and legal then they qualify.
“I would suggest that’s more for how parties think about how they advise their candidates about public confidence in them.”
Mr Evans, standing in for Conservative colleague Darren Millar, added: “Half way through a Senedd term, someone could say ‘I’m going to go and move to somewhere in England … but actually I’ll register my mother’s or friend’s address and I’ll say I’m staying there’.”
Mr Everett said in a previous police and crime commissioner election in Wales, somebody used a family member’s address and it led to public challenge.
“We had to consider legally whether it was valid and it was, and there wasn’t an election petition,” he told committee members. ”That echoed really the way public sentiment can feel – even if somebody has qualified legitimately under the law.”
CLOSED LIST
David Rees, who chairs the reform committee, raised concerns about how this would work under the bill’s proposed “closed-list” system.
The Labour MS for Aberavon explained: “Those local issues of that particular candidate may be lost as the candidate may be number two or three on the list.
“People may not realise what they’re voting for because you’re voting for a party, not necessarily an individual.
“It’s possible in the current system … that voters may not be aware of that.”
Mr Everett pointed out that candidates will need to provide their address as part of their nomination paperwork, saying: “If that’s not disclosed, the public might not be aware.
“But local knowledge is local knowledge, isn’t it?”
Crime
Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in
A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.
Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.
The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.
Police find victim with four wounds
Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.
He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.
The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.
He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.
Defendant has long history of violence
Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.
Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.
Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.
News
BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story
THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.
The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”
Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”
A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.
Business
First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead
THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port last week, marking the start of physical deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.
The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock on Wednesday 26th November, bringing tower sections and other heavy components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the existing gas terminal at Waterston.
A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, has arrived in Pembroke Port today (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.
The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.
Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the latest movements in emails to the Herald.
“The Peak Bergen arrived last week with the first components,” she said. “We are expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”
The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
The Weather conditions were favourable for the arrival of the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.
The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are expected to begin early next year, subject to final police and highway approvals.
A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.
Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery programme continues.
Photo: Martin Cavaney
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