News

Residents to face court as controversy surrounds councillor pension investments

Published

1 year ago

August 28, 2024

CARMARTHENSHIRE residents are facing legal action as energy company GreenGEN Cymru, a subsidiary of Bute Energy, demands access to land for pylon surveys. The move has reignited concerns over potential conflicts of interest within Carmarthenshire County Council, as many of its members hold investments in Bute Energy through the Dyfed Pension Fund.

GreenGEN Cymru has recently begun exercising newly granted legal powers to gain entry to private land for the purpose of conducting surveys related to proposed pylon projects. Under the threat of prosecution, landowners in Carmarthenshire are being forced to grant access to their properties, despite widespread opposition to the projects.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed that 49 of the 75 elected members of Carmarthenshire County Council are members of the Dyfed Pension Fund, which includes investments in Bute Energy. This includes 12 of the 18 members of the Council’s Planning Committee, raising concerns among residents about the impartiality of the planning process.

The controversy has deepened following the disclosure that one of the councillors with investments in Bute Energy is Ann Davies MP, who previously served as the Lead Member for Planning on the Council. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) had to intervene before the Council released the names of councillors with ties to the pension fund.

Residents have voiced their frustrations, accusing the Council of failing to address the potential conflict of interest. Havard Hughes, spokesperson for the Carmarthenshire Residents’ Action Group, criticised the Council’s lack of transparency and urged for the immediate withdrawal of the Dyfed Pension Fund’s investments in Bute Energy.

“Residents deserve to be supported by their elected representatives at this time,” said Mr Hughes. “However, every time concerns are raised about the proximity between Bute Energy and our local politicians, we are met with silence, obstruction, and denial.”

Llandeilo resident and conservationist Tara-Jane Sutcliffe echoed these concerns, particularly highlighting the implications for the Towy-Usk pylon project. “With a majority of two-thirds of the Council having their future security invested in Bute Energy via the Dyfed Pension scheme, residents will feel that there is no way that the Towy-Usk project can receive an unprejudiced hearing,” she said.

The Towy-Usk pylon project, along with the Towy-Teifi scheme, has faced significant opposition from local communities. While some elements of these projects fall under the jurisdiction of Welsh Ministers, others, such as the proposed 32-acre substation in Llandyfaelog, will be decided by the local authority. Despite the scale of the project, Carmarthenshire County Council has decided against completing an Environmental Impact Assessment for the substation, a decision that has further fuelled public concern.

The controversy surrounding the Council’s pension investments comes in stark contrast to Powys County Council, which opted not to invest its pension fund in Bute Energy. This decision has prompted calls for Carmarthenshire to follow suit.

Carmarthenshire Residents’ Action Group has launched a petition calling for the Council to disinvest from Bute Energy, accusing it of prioritising financial gain over the interests of the community. The petition, titled “Stop Backing Bute,” has garnered significant support as residents seek to protect their local landscape from what they describe as “brutal industrialisation.”

As the situation unfolds, the pressure on Carmarthenshire County Council continues to mount. Residents and campaigners alike are demanding transparency and action, urging the Council to sever its financial ties with Bute Energy to restore public trust in the planning process.

For more information and to support the petition, visit CRAiG Sir Gâr’s website at www.craigsirgar.org.

News

BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

Published

13 minutes ago

December 4, 2025

Staff Writer

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

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines
docked at Pembroke Port yesterday afternoon 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
shortly after 4pm 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 is
due to arrive in the early hours of this morning (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 yesterday 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.

Port of Milford Haven shipping movements showed the Peak Bergen approaching the Haven
throughout Wednesday morning before finally tying up at the cargo berth in Pembroke Dock.

Cranes began unloading operations yesterday evening.

The Weather conditions are currently were favourable for this morning’s 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 training opportunities and energy-
bill support 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

Crime

Banned for 40 months after driving with cocaine breakdown product in blood

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been handed a lengthy driving ban after admitting driving with a controlled drug in her system more than ten times over the legal limit.

SENTENCED AT HAVERFORDWEST

Sally Allen, 43, of Wentworth Close, Hubberston, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Dec 4) for sentencing, having pleaded guilty on November 25 to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the prescribed limit.

The court heard that Allen was stopped on August 25 on the Old Hakin Road at Tiers Cross while driving an Audi A3. Blood analysis showed 509µg/l of Benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine. The legal limit is 50µg/l.

COMMUNITY ORDER AND REHABILITATION

Magistrates imposed a 40-month driving ban, backdated to her interim disqualification which began on November 25.

Allen was also handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as directed by the Probation Service.

She was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge. Her financial penalties will be paid in £25 monthly instalments from January 1, 2026.

The bench—Mrs H Roberts, Mr M Shankland and Mrs J Morris—said her guilty plea had been taken into account when passing sentence.