05/07/2011 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's top stories:

John Morrison needs round the clock care from his parents, now respite

care that gives families a break is being cut. It is the light at the

end of the tunnel and it is like Our other headlines tonight: John

Dickson will not be returning to his Lib Dem party.

The social worker accused of placing a teenager with a foster-

family whose two children he then abused.

A 14-year-old boy dies in the Towy River near Carmarthen.

The cattle have grazed the hills since pre-Christian times but there

is trouble at the top of the Welsh black society.

And cyclist Geraint Thomas retains the white jersey in the latest

stage of the Tour de France. Good evening. For many families it

is a lifeline that keeps them going but BBC Wales has discovered that

councils across the country have made cuts to respite support for

people with serious care needs and disabilities. Figures obtained

under the Freedom of Information Act show at least nine Welsh

councils have cut their respite budgets this year. The councils say

they are facing huge financial challenges.

Caring for John is a full time job. Cerebral palsy means he needs help

with simple, everyday tasks. It is help his family are happy to

provide but they depend on short respite breaks to give them time to

recover. They would like more than the six weeks a year they have been

allocated but the local authority in Swansea is one of nine in Wales

cutting their respite budget. will have immediate impact on

families. You will battle on until you get to the point where you have

to put them into residential care and that really worries me because

John wants to be as home as much as possible. -- at home. Swansea is

changing the way it provides respite, cutting a budget for

internal provision by over 80 % in the last two years, and using

residential homes for short breaks instead. They admit they are

operating in a tough financial climate. We are faced with a

credible challenge is as local a thought East and we need to look at

her we use our resources. -- authorities. While it is true that

we are using this money we are also improving the existing services.

is clear councils are under pressure to make cuts. Figures we

have obtained under the Freedom Act show nine councils in Wales,

including Swansea, are spending less on respite this year than last.

A few others are spending less this year than in 2009. All this despite

the demand for respite growing. A recent independent analysis

estimated there are around 75,000 carers in Wales but only up to

15,000 receive respite and these cuts mean access to help might be

eve harder to find in the future. For most families the problem is

that they cannot get access to anything. The qualification for

getting help from a local a bawdy goes up and up so they get nothing.

-- authority. The Welsh Government say they recognise the importance

of respite care but it is up to local authorities to provide

placements. For John's family it already feels like a struggle to

get the support they want. For others the battle may become even

harder. Beverlea Frowen is the Welsh Local

Government Association's director for social services and health

improvement. Our figures show respite budgets are being cut. What

are councils going to do to help care for people who need it?

think the figures do not undermine what is really happening across

Wales but it does say that there is tremendous pressure on the budgets.

Tel tills recognise that respite care is a crucial part of social

care. -- councils. They are using their money in different ways. If

you book at find its budget you will probably come up to that

conclusion. We are using money in different ways. Local authority

budgets are under extreme pressure and we want to move money around

and that is not easy. You cannot do that overnight and move from what

is quite an outdated mode of giving people a break from the tremendous

caring role quickly overnight. You have to move things around. Is it

really acceptable to put people who are used to being looked after in

the conduct of their own homes into residential care homes when they

need respite care? That cannot be acceptable. Despite here is a room

for a lot of things. -- respite care. Fillies but young children

with difficulties would like a short break. -- families. Lots of

people need breaks in different ways. It is not acceptable, the

level that is in Wales, but the fatback is that there is not enough

money to do everything. -- but the sad truth is. Thank you.

The elections watchdog has apologised after a new assembly

member fell victim to out of date guidance for candidates published

in Welsh and was disqualified. An independent investigation has now

found that Liberal Democrat, Aled Roberts, did everything reasonably

expected to check the rules. But a motion to reinstate a second

Liberal Democrat member, John Dixon, has been withdrawn after he was

found to have made too little effort to check the rules. Our

political editor is at the Senedd. So it is bad news for John Dixon?

Yes. This report has looked at both cases. The Standards Commissioner

Gerard Elias looked at the cases of both Aled Roberts, seen here on the

right, and John Dixon on the left, and he does not hedge its bets.

What this does is confirm Mr Roberts' explanation why he had not

resigned from the Valuations Tribunal before standing in the

election given it is on a list of public bodies AMs cannot be members

of. It accepts that AR, a first language Welsh speaker, had checked

the guidance given in Welsh by the Electoral Commission, and that

guidance, the EC admit, was out of date and therefore wrong. Had he

checked the English language guidance, he would have seen that

being a member of the VT was a problem. GE says Mr Roberts was

entitled to assume that the Welsh version was correct and therefore

finds he did everything he could have reasonably been expected to do

to check he was eligible to stand. There is no such defence for John

Dixon who Elias says was perhaps lulled into a false sense of

security because he had stood in past elections, because back then

the rules had been different. But Mr Dixon accepted it was his

responsibility to check the rules and he hadn't. What happens next?

There will be a vote tomorrow. One vote. The Liberal Democrats have

accepted that there is no way back for John Dixon and with regret, as

Sir Alan Sugar puts it, have withdrawn the motion to reinstate

him. His seat will be taken by Eluned Parrott who was the next Lib

Dem on the South Wales Central list. Will she even be there in time to

vote for Aled Roberts? In his case Kirsty Williams says she hopes

Assembly Members will now be able to focus on the case of Aled

Roberts and ensure that justice is done. They say no deal has been

done but must be much more hopeful now of getting one of the Lib Dem

two back in the chamber. A 14-year old boy who died after

being swept away by strong currents in the River Towy has been named as

Kieran Bennett-Leefe. He was from Trevaughan on the outskirts of

Carmarthen. He was found in a deep pool near Capel Dewi, after a

extensive search by emergency services.

It is in this stretch of the river that the boy got into trouble.

There were fire engines and police cars racing to the scene. It

started out as a fun evening with friends but quickly turned to

tragedy. It is not known how he came to be in the river last night

but he was swept under water and died as a result. He was brought to

have been walking with friends when the accident happened at about 5

o'clock. An alarm was raised and a search involving fire service and

Coastguard was launched. Rescue crew combed the river last night.

It was around 630 in the evening they found the boys submerged in a

deep rock pool. The paramedics were waiting at the river bank. He was

then flown to a hospital in Swansea where his family gathered as medics

tried in vain to save him. He died in the early hours of this morning.

His family returned this morning and they have been a company by a

police family liaison. They had issued a statement saying that they

are devastated and would like the media to respect their privacy at

this time. I have spoken to be deputy head of the school where the

boy went to school and he told me that he was a well-liked boy and a

poem was read out in tribute to him today. I was told that all of the

pupils have been offered bereavement puzzling should they

need it to help them cope with what has happened. -- bereavement

counselling. A social worker missed four

opportunities to consider reports that may have prevented a teenager

sexually abusing two young children, a hearing has been told. The 19-

year-old was placed by social services in the Vale of Glamorgan

with a foster family who were not told about his previous

inappropriate sexual behaviour. Julian Swan denies allegations of

misconduct of the Care Council for Wales. Our correspondent was at the

hearing. Remind us what happened in the case.

This relates to a teenager who was leaving the care system in 2008. As

part of that process, the 19-year- old was placed by Social Services

with a family who had two younger children. The teenager, referred to

as B, sexually abused those children. He was later sent to

prison for an indeterminate period. There was an investigation which

highlighted a series of failures. The Vale of Glamorgan council

apologised unreservedly to the family and took disciplinary action

against a number of staff. At today's hearing before the

regulator the Care Council for Wales, former Vale of Glamorgan

social worker Julian Swan, who placed the teenager with the family,

faced four charges of misconduct, which he denies. He also denied

allegations that he had not adequately read the case files and

not undertaken an appropriate risk assessment. What was the hearing

told? The children's mother gave evidence by videolink. She told the

hearing that the family had been told that B posed no risk

whatsoever and that she had trusted Julian Swan's judgement. She said

if she had known B's true case history they wouldn't have let him

into the family. The hearing also heard from Gareth Jenkins, the Vale

of Glamorgans Head of Children and Young people's services. He joined

the Council after the incident and carried out an investigation into

what happened. He said Julian Swan did not know about B's previous

history of inappropriate sexual behaviour because he had not read

all the files. He claimed Julian Swan relied on the electronic

version of the case files which were incomplete. What did Julian's

representative say? He said that at the time there was systemic failure

in the department which was on the verge of special measures. He said

that Julian Swan had no specific training in risk assessment and

that Julian Swan had no supervision of his case work for ten years. The

The 20-year-old man will appear before a court accused with the

murder of Lewis Clarke. The 19- year-old died in hospital issues

Prix on Saturday evening. The police found Mr Clarke when they

were called to this flat in Llanidloes following a report of an

assault earlier that day. Mr Clarke was then taken hospital. Dyfed

Powys Police made a fresh appeal today for more information. It is a

difficult time for the family. I would like to appeal for witnesses

to come forward who may have been in the area around 11:30am on

Saturday. Or anybody else who may have information regarding the

incident. Dyfed Powys Police have released to bids from the family.

Lewis Clarke smother says, we as a family are devastated by the loss

of Lewis Clarke. He was a well- loved by. He was looking forward to

joining the Navy in November. His determination and life was amazing.

His father says, we are struggling to come in the terms with his death.

He was much loved by many people and we're all very proud of him.

The 20-year-old man, charged with his murder, will appear before

magistrates in Llandrindod Wells tomorrow morning.

Much more to come before 7:00pm: Cyclist Geraint Thomas retains the

white jersey after the fourth stage of the Tour de France.

65-years-old and still going strong. Musicians from all over the world

flock to Llangollen International Eisteddfod. We're live backstage.

They're the cattle that produce some of our finest beef, but

there's trouble at the top of the society which promotes Welsh Black

cattle. Members of the society are embroiled in arguments over

potential money problems. The society has dismissed its chief

executive. Our rural affairs correspondent, Iolo ap Dafydd,

reports. Welsh Black cattle are one of

Britain's indigenous breeds, thought to be here since pre Roman

times. Considered hardy enough to be kept on the hills as well as

lowland farms, they are valued as beef cattle. In 2004, the Welsh

Black Cattle Society celebrated its centenary and the society is about

to unveil the new look pavilion at the showground in Llanelwedd. But

threatening to overshadow those celebrations is an internal row

about the redundancy of chief executive, Andrew James. But the

society denies any wrongdoing. person was brought 10 to give us

forward planning. -- brought in. Salaries were overwhelming and it

was difficult to comprehend any other outcome. The Welsh Black

Cattle Society's council is now writing to members informing them

of how it narrowly voted in favour of changing the administration.

They say the responsibility of promoting the breed now lies with

farmers and individual members. would say it is impossible to carry

on without a chief executive. It is nullifying the whole purpose of

having a society. There is nowhere near enough for us blacks in the

country for the demand. It is very seasonable. They eating quality on

them is superb. When there well- finished, you get the quality meat.

When Welsh Black farmers meet at this year's agriculture show in

Llanelwedd to show their cattle and celebrate their refurbished

headquarters, it's likely there will be questions on the new

direction and just how bad the finances are for the chief

executive's post to disappear. MPs have been told the Welsh

Government's scheme to boost broadband access is not publicised

enough. Giving evidence to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, the

farming union, NFU Cymru, said the lack of broadband is causing real

difficulties to their members, and the Country Land and Business

Association said, it's the chief barrier for businesses setting up

in rural Wales. At the Tour de France, Wales'

Geraint Thomas has retained the white jersey for best young rider

after today's fourth stage in Brittany. Thomas, who's from

Cardiff, wasn't able to challenge for the leader's yellow jersey in a

gruelling final climb. But he's still well placed, ending the day

in seventh position overall. The hot sunshine of yesterday made

way for rain on today's fourth stage as the world's most famous

bike race made its way through the streets and country lanes of

Brittany. Today probably represented Geraint Thomas's last

chance to grab the yellow jersey, starting the day just four seconds

behind the leader. But it was clear that he was under team orders,

protecting the interests of team leader Bradley Wiggins, near the

front of the peleton. Their destination was the Mur de Bretagne,

which means the Wall of Brittany, a steep, energy sapping two kilometre

climb at the end of the 172 kilometre stage. Thomas was well

positioned as the finish line approached, finishing 29th to help

Team Sky to win the team stage. It leaves him seventh overall, a mere

12 seconds behind the race leader. Team Sky, managed by Welsh

principle Dave Brailsford, now have three riders in the top 10. They're

well placed to continue their challenge. And Geraint Thomas has

now equalled his achievement of last year. He'll wear the white

jersey for best young rider for the fourth successive stage.

Rugby, and the Cardiff Blues have put assistant coaches Gareth Baber

and Justin Burnell in charge of the team for the start of the new

season. They take over from their former boss Dai Young, who resigned

to become director of rugby at London Wasps. The Blues say they

will consider the appointment of a permanent replacement after the

World Cup this autumn. Former Glamorgan cricket coach

Matthew Maynard has accepted a job to coach South African side Nashua

Titans. Maynard resigned as Glamorgan's director of cricket in

November. He'll be in charge of several South African

internationals when he starts his new post next month.

It's been a memorable day for a teenager from Builth Wells, chosen

to speak at the closing ceremony of the Special Olympics in Athens.

Shain Lewis was picked from more than 7,000 athletes. Tomos Dafydd

reports. My name is Shain Lewis. I play

tennis 14 Great Britain. If it is a day he will never forget. People of

Greece, on behalf of all World Games athletes, I want to say thank

you. Despite addressing 60,000 people in the stadium and hundreds

of thousands more watching live on television, he felt at home on

stage. He has already won two bronze and a medal haul of 22 from

Welsh athletes could have been greater. This competitor from

Milford Haven was destined for gold but was unable to compete in all

the runs after becoming ill with a stomach bug. But it is not all

about winning. Special Libyans over -- are often overlooked for

recognition. A photocall with the Prime Minister last month was a

breakthrough. Special Olympians have received no lottery funding

because their sport is not considered elite. The British

Paralympic team Flat-race with physical disabilities receive

barely �15 million and the last round of funding. But Athens 2011

has been well worth it. I am proud to be a Special Olympics athlete.

Thank you Athens. It's celebrating its 65th birthday

and thousands of musicians from around the world, from as far

afield as Taiwan and Algeria, have headed to Llangollen for the

International Eisteddfod. Matthew Richards is there.

I am backstage and all the elements you would expect in the into

National Eisteddfod are in place. Colourful costumes and parades in

the centre of Llangollen. Big names are taking to the stage behind me.

But it takes an army of almost 1,000 volunteers to make sure every

year things run smoothly. For six and a half decades, the

Llangollen Eisteddfod has specialised in giving visitors the

world in a week. You have to be prepared. This volunteer has

volunteered at every step but since his debut in 1947 from the age of

14-79. Today, he is running one of the ticket offices but he's had a

few jobs over the years. We started as gophers. We worked very often

until 2 o'clock in the morning. Nobody wanted to go home. It was

amazing. It is so unique. It is a wonderful festival. When you

experience it, it is like a bud. You want to keep coming back.

the infrastructure in place, the stage is set for the crucial

element, the competitors. The squire from Finland is making its

first trip to Llangollen despite applying more than a decade ago.

sent a tape but the Tate never arrived. It had dropped behind a

cupboard or something. But this time, I received any male

immediately. It has been a long time coming then. A long time

coming. By Glenn also sees the stars come out this year. Russell

Watson will take the stage tonight. There are so many great stories

lend to the festival. The great Pavarotti sang her with his father.

It is steep with history and I am incredibly excited. Although the

elements combined, the unit celebrations about cultural

differences and similarities is still going strong.

You saw Russell often they're talking to us exclusively after his

soundcheck. He is on stage in just under an hour's time. He said he's

going to have a fair Welsh songs in his repertoire. That will get the

local crowd going. The show goes on all week with many different

performers taking to the stage and it will finish with a grand finale

concert on Sunday. But there is something for everybody.

Just time for a quick look ahead to tomorrow's programme. Here's Nick

Servini. After the financial crisis, many

people called for manufacturing to drive the economic recovery.

Tomorrow, the business secretary, Vince Cable, launches a campaign

celebrating managing excellence across the UK. We will do the same

with a series in which the focus on three locations across the country.

Including here at the chemical plant in Barry. Back to tonight,

and the weather forecast with Sue and the weather forecast with Sue

Charles. It was all change today. After

yesterday's warmth, cooler and breezier with some rain, and

there's another day of sunshine and showers in store tomorrow. The high

pressure has moved towards Scandanavia along with the settled

weather. This low has pushed in from the Atlantic, bringing

changeable conditions over the next few days. This evening, some clear

spells but scattered heavy showers move northeastwards through the

night. The cloud holding up the temperatures, which will stay in

double figures, so a relatively mild night. Tomorrow will be breezy

with the best of any brightness early on. The showers will be hit

and miss but some heavy with a risk of hail and thunder. Cloud will

thicken from the southwest later. Then more rain follows, pushed in

by some brisk southwesterly winds. Feeling relatively cool with highs

between 15C in Ceredigion and 19C in Wrexham. That's down several

degrees on recent days. This heavy rain pushes northeastwards late

Wednesday into Thursday, then Thursday itself is another day of

sunshine and showers, gusty winds and temperatures in the mid to high

teens again. So a cooler, breezy mix of bright spells and showers

over the next few days. Really rather unsettled. But early signs

of something more summery again into next week. Changeable

conditions then for Penygroes Rugby Club who are celebrating their

120th Anniversary on Friday and Saturday with a host of special

events and charity matches. Finally, today's picture is from Glyn

Roberts from Deganwy. The sunset over the Conwy estuary.

It's coming up to 7:00pm. The main news again: Police investigating

the News of the World phone hacking scandal have contacted the parents

of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the two schoolgirls killed in Soham

in 2002. MPs will discuss the developments in an emergency debate

tomorrow. BBC Wales has discovered that

councils across the country have made cuts to respite support for

people with serious care needs and disabilities. At least nine Welsh

councils have cut their respite budgets this year. The councils say

they're facing huge financial challenges.