Complaint at Monmouthshire meetings 'behind closed doors'
While regular meetings of the council, and its various committees, must be held in public, with only limited powers to go into confidential session, the briefings referred to as 'member seminars' are closed to the public including members of the press.
Councillor Armand Watts, who chairs Monmouthshire council's public services scrutiny committee, questioned the number of seminars being arranged, with his committee having been attempting for a number of months to arrange a meeting with Ms Mudd.
That committee meeting, which will be open for members of the public to attend to view in person or follow on the council's YouTube channel, has now been pencilled in for the end of October, with the member seminar on September 1.
Labour's Cllr Watts told his committee: 'My natural democratic instinct is to have these meetings with all the members there. I think it would have been a great meeting.'
The Chepstow Bulwark and Thornwell councillor said the seminars are held 'behind closed doors' and questioned the number being held: 'They keep doing this. Committees have identified issues and they grab hold of it and have a seminar.'
READ MORE: Questions over Severn Bridge monitoring group
Magor West councillor councillor Frances Taylor said she would like the public services committee to have a meeting with the Cardiff Capital Region, which is made up of 10 local authorities including Monmouthshire. It recently had to fund a £5.25 million settlement following a High Court case brought over a contract to demolish a former power station, at Aberthaw, near Barry, it bought in 2022.
Cllr Taylor, who leads the council's independent group, said: 'That email about the 'fine' was the first communication I've had from the Cardiff Capital Region in quite some time. I'd be really interested to know about the cost, and the benefits, as we are quite financially strapped.'
Cllr Watts said he would consult the council's legal and democratic services officials over inviting the Cardiff Capital Region, which is also the combined joint committee, as he sits on the city region joint committee and the committee clerk said there is also the Corporate Joint Committee on which all 10 local authorities are represented.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
All the flashpoints of Trump's meeting with Starmer: From awkwardly slating the PM's 'pal' Sadiq Khan, and blasting UK's 'ugly' wind farms to claiming he 'never had the privilege' of visiting Jeffrey Epstein's infamous island
Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer 's sitdown in front of the world's media came in the ballroom of the President's Turnberry golf course - arranged to resemble the White House 's Oval Office. Mr Trump, unsurprisingly, did most of the talking as he freewheeled from subject to subject. Here we take a look at what he said. Sadiq Khan Mr Trump did not hold back in his criticism of Labour's mayor of London. When asked if he would head to the capital during his planned state visit in September, he said: 'I'm not a fan of your mayor. I think he's done a terrible job, the Mayor of London... a nasty person.' Sir Keir intervened to say: 'He's a friend of mine, actually.' But an undeterred Mr Trump went on to say: 'I think he's done a terrible job. But I would certainly visit London.' Wind turbines Mr Trump branded wind turbines 'ugly monsters' as he backed North Sea oil and gas during the press conference. He has long been outspoken about his dislike of wind power and strongly opposed an offshore development which is visible from his Aberdeenshire golf course. He said: 'Wind is the most expensive form of energy and it destroys the beauty of your fields, your plains and your waterways. Wind needs massive subsidy, and you are paying in Scotland and in the UK, and all over the place, massive subsidies to have these ugly monsters all over the place.' He urged the UK to exploit North Sea oil and gas. The Royals The President heaped praise on the Royal Family as 'really great people'. Mr Trump, who is known to admire the monarchy, said the UK is 'very lucky' to have the royals, before adding: 'You could have people that weren't great people.' Despite Mr Trump's 'drill, baby, drill' slogan aimed at ramping up fossil fuel extraction, he applauded the King's environmentalism. 'King Charles is an environmentalist, I will tell you. I say that in a positive way, not a negative way. Every time I've met with him he talked about the environment and how important it is and I'm all for it - I think that's great.' Starmer's wife Before the ballroom engagement, Sir Keir and Mr Trump embraced on the Turnberry steps as the Prime Minister arrived with his wife, Lady Starmer. In slightly farcical scenes, an off-the-cuff to-and-fro with the gathered media was partly drowned out by the bagpiper. But the President did make himself heard when he said he wanted to make the PM 'happy', and then, referring to Lady Starmer, said: 'She's a respected person all over the United States. I don't know what he's (Sir Keir) doing but she's very respected, as respected as him. 'I don't want to say more, I'll get myself in trouble. But she's very, she's a great woman and is very highly respected.' Farms The President appeared to criticise Labour's inheritance tax on farmers. While he did not directly mention Sir Keir's reforms to agricultural property relief, he said farmers in the US had been driven to suicide by taxes and noted that he had acted to remove levies on farmland estates, adding: 'I love our farmers.' 'They don't make a lot of money but it's a way of life and they love that dirt,' he said. Defending the policy, Sir Keir said he was trying to increase farmers' income. Epstein and Maxwell Donald Trump said he'd 'never had the privilege' of going to Jeffrey Epstein's infamous island, where sordid underage sex parties took place, attended by the rich and powerful. Epstein, he said, was 'always a very controversial guy' but he hit back at claims he had sent a suggestive birthday note to the paedophile financier, featuring the outline of a naked woman. 'I never went to the island [Little St James in the US Virgin Islands],' Mr Trump said. 'And Bill Clinton went there, supposedly, 28 times. I never went to the island... I never had the privilege. I did turn it down.' Mr Clinton has said he 'knows nothing' about Epstein's crimes, while his aides have denied he ever went to Little St James. Asked about the clamour to release the Epstein files in the possession of the FBI and in which he is said to be named, the President said: 'It's a hoax that's been built up way beyond proportion.' Of the reported birthday note, he said: 'I'm not a drawing person. I don't do drawings of women, that I can tell you.' Mr Trump also said he had not been asked to pardon Epstein madam Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite currently serving 20 years in a US prison over child sex trafficking offences. Trade with the UK Mr Trump suggested that the UK will know 'pretty soon' what tariffs will be placed on steel. He said the US wants to 'make our own steel' but did not say whether levies on UK exports will remain at the current 25 per cent, be cut or even increased. He also hinted that he may not impose heavy tariffs on British pharmaceuticals because he said he could do a deal with the UK. He said he felt a 'lot better' working with Britain than other countries. He added: 'With the relationship we have, you would not use that as a cudgel. You wouldn't be using it as a block.' Free speech Sir Keir defended the Online Safety Act following questions about whether it censored online content. The Prime Minister said that the laws were there to protect children rather than curbing freedom of speech. Last week, the law changed to require websites to check users are over 18 before allowing them to access 'harmful' material such as pornography or suicide material, with heavy fines for those that do not comply. Told that Sir Keir now has the power to censor the President's Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: 'If you censor me, you're making a mistake.' Sir Keir replied: 'We're not censoring anyone. We've got some measures which are there to protect children, in particular, from sites like suicide sites.' He added: 'I don't see that as a free speech issue - I see that as child protection.' Love of Scotland Mr Trump spoke of his 'great love' for Scotland, as he vowed to return to the country 'once a year' for a visit. Mr Trump's mother, Mary Anne, was born in the Outer Hebrides on the Isle of Lewis. He said: 'It gives me a feeling, you know it's different, you go to another country, you have no relationship to it... but it's different when your mother was born here.' Mr Trump was asked about Scottish trade with the US, and whether there could be a different deal for products such as whisky. He replied: 'I was very particular, this is a part of the world I want to see thrive.'
South Wales Argus
44 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Catherine Fookes MP on Monmouthshire and Westminster
From day one, I've aimed to be present across Monmouthshire and as accessible as possible – listening to residents at public events, surgeries, and on the doorstep. Over the past 12 months, I've attended more than 140 visits and meetings across the constituency, hosted at least 20 surgeries, and responded to more than 9,000 resident queries. My brilliant casework team and I have supported people through housing issues, benefit issues, and more - resolving more than 1,000 individual cases! But being your MP isn't just about being visible locally – it's also about standing up for Monmouthshire in Westminster. One of the biggest concerns raised with me is river pollution. I've made this a top priority – securing £1 million to clean up the River Wye, organising the first ever cross-border meeting on the issue, and lobbying both the Prime Minister and key ministers. I also helped develop and pass a new law banning bonuses for water polluters – a major step forward in protecting our rivers. I've also worked with Monmouthshire County Council to help secure £1 million to fix Inglis Bridge in Monmouth – raising it in Parliament and meeting directly with the defence minister to push for funding. And I continue to campaign for Magor Walkway Station, working alongside the Magor Rail Group and local Labour councillors to ensure that some of the £445 million in new South Wales rail investment comes to Monmouthshire. In Parliament, I've spoken up more than 100 times on issues raised by constituents – including crime, violence against women, transport, broadband, the UK-EU relationship, Gaza, and protecting creative industries from AI. I'm working hard to make sure Monmouthshire's voice is heard. Nationally, I'm proud to see the largest financial settlement for Wales since devolution – £22.4 billion – thanks to Labour Governments in both Westminster and Cardiff. We're already seeing the impact through new rail funding, reduced NHS waiting lists, and a pay rise for 150,000 workers across Wales. I know there's still so much more to do, but I'm just getting started. So what's next? After a year of listening and learning, I want to share just some of the key priorities I'll be focused on as your MP. Local economy and transport Growing Monmouthshire's economy is a top priority, and improving public transport is key. I'll continue campaigning to make Magor Walkway Station a reality – helping ease congestion on the M4, offering greener travel, and supporting local jobs. I'll also continue working to improve mobile signal and create more high-quality jobs – especially in our rural communities. Cleaning up our rivers Across Monmouthshire, one of the biggest issues people care about is river pollution – something I've heard through emails, doorstep conversations, and my recent constituency-wide survey. We all want our rivers back, and we're not asking for much – just clean, swimmable water and thriving wildlife, not sewage spills and excuses. I welcome the UK Government's announcement of the biggest reforms in a generation to the water sector – including over £100 billion of investment and the scrapping of Ofwat, to be replaced with a new single powerful regulator intended to deliver tougher enforcement and greater accountability, as well as a new Water Ombudsman. However, I know there's still so much more to do. I'll keep pressing both UK and Welsh Government for serious action to clean up our rivers for good. Tackling violence and crime As a member of the Women and Equalities Committee, I remain focused on tackling violence against women and girls – particularly financial abuse through the Child Maintenance Service. I'll keep pushing the Government to meet its target of halving violence against women, and for more police officers on streets all over Monmouthshire to help tackle anti-social behaviour and keep residents safe. Being visible and accessible And of course, one of my top priorities is to be as accessible as possible – out in the community, working on the issues that matter to you, not tied up in Westminster. I want to help as many of you as possible, to listen to your issues, understand how I can help, and do everything I can to improve your lives. I became an MP to help people in my community – and that's exactly what I aim to do. I'll always be here to listen, take action, and keep fighting for Monmouthshire every single day. If you need my help, please get in touch via or call 01291 200 139.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Veterans hail temporary reprieve on Northern Ireland 'lawfare' as Labour legislation bid stalls
The campaign to protect SAS veterans from historical legal actions was boosted on Monday night by an apparent delay to Labour 's bid to axe the Legacy Act. Aided by this newspaper's Stop The SAS Betrayal campaign, nearly 200,000 members of the public have so far backed a bid to ensure soldiers are not exposed to a witch-hunt in the form of misconduct claims from the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Tory defence spokesman Mark Francois said the Government had been 'rocked' by the backlash and had postponed a Commons bid to scrap the Legacy Act, which provides protections to UK troops. He had expected Labour to present plans for alternative legislation before summer recess. But after a surge of public support for the Mail's campaign and a parliamentary debate, they were seemingly put on ice. The move may also be linked to a reported threat by Labour veterans minister Al Carns to resign over the issue. Just under 180,000 people have signed the parliamentary petition, boosted by former SAS reservist Sir David Davis, to support veterans. The battle to preserve their legal protections – deemed unlawful by a court in Northern Ireland – is expected to resume this autumn. Meanwhile, SAS veterans have stepped up plans to reenact an incident involving Special Forces soldiers and the IRA in 1992 which is the centre of a legal battle (pictured: the scene of the shoot out) On Monday night, Mr Francois said: 'While we have won this initial battle, with the help of the Mail and its readers, we haven't won the war. 'We still need to keep up the pressure on Labour MPs not to apply "two-tier justice".' Labour's intention to remove protections for UK troops included in the Legacy Act, which was introduced by the previous government's veterans minister Johnny Mercer, was included in its election manifesto. It made the vow after a successful legal challenge to the Act in Northern Ireland. A judge found the legislation was 'unlawful' as it undermined the UK's commitment to ensure a path to justice for those wronged by the state. Meanwhile, SAS veterans have stepped up plans to reenact an incident involving Special Forces soldiers and the IRA in 1992 which is the centre of a legal battle. As many as 12 SAS troops face possible murder charges following the deaths of four IRA men in County Tyrone in 1992. Former UK military commander in Northern Ireland Colonel Richard Kemp said: 'The British people don't want to see their soldiers thrown to the wolves over incidents they can scarcely recall several decades later. 'So no wonder so many people are backing the Mail's campaign.' A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence told the Mail on Monday night: 'The failed Legacy Act has been rejected by our domestic courts, exposing our brave veterans to no settled process or safeguards. 'Any incoming government would have had to fix the mess that was left, not least because it promised giving immunity to terrorists. 'This Government's commitment to our Operation Banner veterans is unshakeable. 'We will fix it by putting in place a fair and transparent system that gives survivors and families – including bereaved Armed Forces families – the ability to find answers and threats.'
