News

The ‘rubber stamp’ appointment

Published

9 years ago

November 4, 2014

John Evans MBE – resigned as Audit Committee chairman

OPPOSITION members on Pembrokeshire County Council’s Urgency Committee have criticised the method used to appoint Swansea solicitor Mr Peter Jones as lay (noncouncillor) member to the council’s audit committee.

Mr Jones has been drafted in to replace Mr John Evans who resigned in controversial circumstances earlier this year. In his resignation letter, Mr Evans claimed that his attempt to have his committee examine certain issues regarding the grants scheme in Pembroke Dock had been blocked by council officers and that he had come to realise that the authority’s “appetite for change” did not match his own vision when he took up the post. In order to at least give the impression that they are independent of the ruling group, audit committees are required by statute to have at least one lay member, so, following Mr Evans resignation the committee has been in limbo.

Next Monday, the committee is due to discuss a critical report by the council’s internal audit service which catalogues the flaws, first identified by Hakin councillor Mike Stoddart over a year ago, in the way these grants have been administered. It was therefore imperative that a lay member be appointed ahead of that meeting – hence the use of the sevenmember urgency committee to endorse the audit committee appointment panel’s choice of Mr Jones. The members of three-person appointments panel, which, is not politically balanced; meets in secret; and produces no minutes, are Cllrs Tom Richards (IPPG), Stan Hudson (Tory) and a lay chairman Lynette George. Speaking at last Tuesday’s urgency committee, Cllr Tessa Hodgson (unaffiliated) said members were being asked to “rubber stamp” the appointment with next to no information on the qualifications of either the recommended candidate, or the other applicants. Cllr Tom Richards assured urgency committee members that there had been a lengthy interview process and that the panel had come to a unanimous decision that Mr Jones was the best person for the job. But that didn’t satisfy Cllr Hodgson who retorted that the committee had no information about the calibre of any of the candidates, or the job specification.

“How can we ratify a decision if we have no information?” she asked. Cllr Tom Richards assured members that, during the interviews, Mr Jones “stood out above the rest”. Monitoring Officer Laurence Harding explained that council had delegated the appointment process to the panel, which is required to make a recommendation back to council (in this case the urgency committee acting as full council). Cllr Paul Miller (Lab) said he was concerned that the authority “seemed to delegate anything it likes to panels” and that he was unsure that the panel had any legal status. But Mr Harding said this was the process used throughout Wales, though head of legal services Huw Miller agreed that just because other authorities used this system didn’t make it right. Cllr Hodgson complained “This is a public role on a public body – why shouldn’t people know about it” But Leader Jamie Adams told her: “Your position is totally unreasonable” to which Cllr Hodgson retorted that this was another example of “the council’s closed door mentality”.

“We are in the dark, we are the decision making body, but we have no information. I find it bizarre” she added, And Cllr Paul Miller agreed: “That is the crux of the matter,” he said ,“just sticking your hand up in favour of recommendations without knowing all the facts is dangerous. The process needs to be more open and transparent – people need to know how it works”. Head of legal services Huw Miller said he accepted the view that more information needed to be provided. But after Cllr Tom Richards said he was “entirely satisfied with the recommendation” the four IPPG members on the committee voted to endorse Mr Jones. Cllr Hodgson asked that it be recorded that she had voted against the decision and Cllr Miller abstained. A Council Spokesperson told The Herald: “The new lay member of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Audit Committee is Peter Jones. “ Mr Jones is a former senior partner with law firm Morgan Cole, Mr Jones is a former chair of the Board of Swansea College.

He was formerly vice chairman of Swansea Building Society. While at Morgan Cole, Mr Jones acted on behalf of a wide range of clients, including Swansea University, BP, a number of colleges in the further education sector, a number of housing associations in Wales, Milford Haven Port Authority and Wales and West Utilities. A Council spokesperson also said: “The deadline for applications was extended by a week as it was felt an insufficient number of people had applied for the post.”

Business

Largest Welsh port appoints communications and marketing director

Published

16 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE Port of Milford Haven has announced that Anna Malloy has been appointed as its first Communications and Marketing Director.

Anna is appointed to the Senior Management Team and this new role will be pivotal to the delivery of the Port’s long-term growth and diversification agenda and in ensuring that its obligations to coastal communities, future generations and to nature are honoured.

Tom Sawyer, CEO of the Port of Milford Haven, congratulated Anna and said: “Anna has a key role to play in our future and it’s doubly lovely to see ‘port-grown-talent’ flourish and for colleagues to progress up through our organisation.”

Anna will lead across the public affairs, marketing, sustainability, media relations, and community relations activities. She will therefore play a central role in the development of new and existing partnerships, including the Celtic Freeport, the Milford Haven Energy Cluster and the Celtic Collection; sitting alongside the delivery of major projects like Milford Waterfront and the Pembroke Dock Renewables Terminal.

“This is such an exciting opportunity. I am proud to be joining the Senior Management Team and look forward to delivering our ambitious strategy,” commented Anna Malloy, Communications and Marketing Director.

She added: “The Port of Milford Haven is playing a key role in the transition of South-West Wales’ economy to a decarbonised future. A beautiful place, with great people, that I am privileged to call my home.”

Community

First deadlines met following enforcement action at landfill site

Published

17 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE first set of deadlines for the completion of actions to tackle the ongoing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire have been met, one week on following the issuing of further enforcement action by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

NRW issued site operator Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice on Thursday 18 April.

This outlined a series of actions to be completed by specified deadlines to address the ongoing odour and landfill gas emission issues at the site.

During the latest site inspection which took place yesterday (Thursday 25 April), NRW was able to confirm that three actions have been completed – two ahead of the imposed deadlines.

The operator has installed 24 pin wells, which have been driven into the waste in the lower section of the cell identified as causing the odour issues (Cell 8). These have also been connected to the landfill gas extraction system.

Capping material has been placed over the same area of the cell and welded to the basal liner to encapsulate gas in this area, allowing for extraction by the pin wells and four horizontal gas wells, which were previously installed.

While progress is being made, NRW officers detected strong landfill gas odours during an offsite assessment on Wednesday (24 April) in Poyston Cross and Crundale. Weather conditions this week appear to have led to a wider spread of landfill gas to surrounding areas, not solely linked to wind direction.

NRW odour assessments follow a set route around the landfill, with designated survey spots, identified to enable consistency of assessment and reporting. This is essential to ensure the regulatory and enforcement responses where there is offsite odour attributed to the landfill is robust.

The remaining Regulation 36 Notice actions will require significant effort by RML to ensure they are completed on time and NRW continues to closely monitor progress.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW, met with representatives from NRW’s South West Industry Regulation Team and Pembrokeshire County Council during a visit to Pembrokeshire on Thursday 25 April.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive, Natural Resources Wales, said: “While visiting the area surrounding Withyhedge Landfill with our regulatory team and partners from Pembrokeshire County Council this week, I was able to see and hear for myself just what people living and working in these communities have had to endure as a result of the odour issues from the site.

“What they have been experiencing is unacceptable and our officers have been working tirelessly alongside colleagues at Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator gets this under control as quickly as possible. While it was clear that a lot of work has been done on site, there is still more to do to ensure they address all the actions set out in the enforcement notice.

“We want to make sure that happens, and are exploring every option together with Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator works quickly to resolve the issues which are clearly affecting the quality of life of people in these communities.”

Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations, said: “While we are reassured that action is being carried out by the operators at Withyhedge Landfill with a sense of urgency, we are continuing our regulatory presence on site to ensure the operator’s focus remains on tackling the issues that will address the continuing odour issues being experienced by surrounding communities.

“We will be closely monitoring progress over the coming days and weeks to ensure the operator complies with all the actions set out in Notice by 14 May. If they are not met, we will pursue additional enforcement action where appropriate.”

NRW requests that instances of odour from the landfill continue to be reported via this dedicated form: https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge or by calling 0300 065 3000.

Please report odours at the time of them being experienced, rather than historically. Reporting odours in a timely manner will help guide the work of partners more effectively, particularly in the further development of air quality monitoring.

These photos taken on 16 April and 25 April show the progress of capping works on cell 8. Pin wells are visible in both images. These have been connected to the landfill gas extraction system and are extracting gas from the waste mass.

Community

Milford Haven’s war memorial is 100 years old today

Published

18 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE Milford Haven War Memorial, a significant landmark commemorating the fallen heroes of World Wars and subsequent conflicts, marks its 100th anniversary today.

The memorial, which was inaugurated on April 26, 1924 by the Venerable the Archdeacon of St Davids, remains a poignant symbol of sacrifice and hope for peace.

Constructed from 1923 to 1924, the memorial consists of a striking assembly of pink granite and white marble statues that were sculpted in Italy.

Representing the Army, Navy, and Air Force, these life-size statues stand on an unpolished three-step plinth below a main pedestal. A soldier faces west and a sailor east, with an airman atop the central column, surveying the skies.

The names and inscriptions of the fallen are carved into the polished granite shaft, meticulously supervised by surveyor J.P. Morgan with contractor E. Jones of Llanybydder.

Located on Hamolton Terrace with views over the Milford Haven waterway, the memorial is a freestanding structure in an external, roadside setting. It features a serviceman/woman sculpture in marble and Portland stone, set on a concrete base surrounded by railings. Inscribed plaques honour those who served in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and the conflict in Iraq from 2003 to 2009.

The memorial lists the names of 239 men who perished in the First World War on its polished grey granite faces. The Second World War claimed 157 lives from this community, whose names are recorded on bronze plaques around the base. Notably, the memorial also honours one serviceman who fell during the Korean War and another who was killed in Iraq in 2007.

The Milford Haven War Memorial stands not only as a historical monument but also as an enduring reminder of the costs of war and the community’s ongoing commitment to peace.

As the town reflects on a century of remembrance, the hope remains that future generations will continue to cherish and learn from the lessons of the past.