News

Care company criticises Council

Published

11 years ago

November 13, 2014

Tom Sinclair

Care provision: Prestige Care is asking “Is it an even playing field?”

A PEMBROKE DOCK business has expressed concerns regarding how Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) operates its tender process for Care provision companies. Martyn Shipton of Prestige Care, told The Herald that he is struggling to compete with another local company who are offering higher pay rates and a £200 signing on bonus for staff that join them, something he says he is unable to afford to do. Prestige Care was set up in 2012 and employs 22 care staff that provide domiciliary care in the community.

He explained that over 90% of his clients come through the Council, rather than from private sources. He went on to say that his company are paid £13.84 an hour from the county and therefore are forced to offer staff between £7 and and £7.70 an hour. In contrast, his competitor are offering a minimum of £7.75 an hour, along with the £200 joining bonus. Mr Shipton went on to express his frustration, saying: “I’d like to ask the Council, if they are offering more money (to other providers), why? We went in at £14 an hour and were told it was too much, so we had to go down.

Why are we (care companies) not all getting paid the same? We do exactly the same things, have to follow the same standards and we have had excellent recent inspections. I want to pay my staff more, but I just can’t. With staff leaving, it means my existing staff are overworked.” The Herald asked PCC why care companies, that are all supposed to provide a uniform service, are being paid at different rates. A spokesperson for Pembrokeshire County Council told The Herald: “In line with most other public sector organisations, Pembrokeshire County Council undertakes its tender process on a Most Economically Advantageous Tender basis.

This involves allocating both quality (compliance with Care Standards – CSSIW requirements) and price scores to a tenderer’s bid with the aim of appointing providers who are able to meet the service requirements by providing the highest quality at the most competitive price. The recent tender was for a Framework Agreement and 20 providers were successful in gaining a place on the Framework. Each provider submitted their required rate and quality offering, with all tender submissions being evaluated to determine the order of ranking.Tenderers will score higher points for better quality, and equally, higher points for a competitive rate.

Hourly rates charged by each provider are commercial and in confidence and as such are not disclosed. Care Standards (CSSIW) is the organisation which determines the standards of care that agencies should work to and who provide registration accordingly, without which providers would be unable to operate. The Council thereafter monitors provider compliance with the contract.” In response to the Council’s comments, Prestige care said: “Our inspection reports from CSSIW are very good, and our feedback on the homecare.co.uk website is also very good. We are number 15 on the tender list, and a lot of the companies that have been awarded higher than us are more expensive. The council are saying that our quality of care is poorer than others, if so how? We are not asking for a higher rate, we just want fairness, but how can it be fair when another care company advertise for staff and state that they are the only care company in Wales to pay a living wage and other care companies should follow suit, we would like nothing more than to be able to do this, and if we were paid the same as this company we would be able to, if not bring their rate down so everybody is on the same playing field.”

Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

Published

19 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
A second count of assault
Criminal damage
An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

Published

25 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
Intentional non-fatal strangulation
Common assault on a woman
Criminal damage in a domestic context
Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.

Crime

Rogue roofer conned homeowner out of thousands

Published

41 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Caerphilly investigation leads to court conviction

A ROGUE trader from Pembroke has been ordered to pay more than £6,000 after duping a homeowner into handing over thousands for unnecessary roofing work.

Douggie Whitbread, aged twenty-five and living at Coldwell Terrace, Pembroke, persuaded his victim that he “probably needed a new roof” before charging £4,350 for work that was either unnecessary or not carried out properly.

Whitbread admitted two counts of fraud relating to a property on Griffiths Street, Ystrad Mynach, with the offences taking place between August 12 and October 16, 2023.

He appeared before Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court, where he was ordered to pay a total of £6,130. That includes £4,350 in compensation, £1,500 in prosecution costs, a £200 fine, and an £80 victim surcharge.

The case was brought following an investigation by Caerphilly Trading Standards, who urged residents to be cautious of unsolicited offers of home maintenance work.