14/07/2011 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's headlines:

How safe are our seas? Swansea coastguard station is to shut. The

Welsh Government says UK ministers would have to account for any

consequences. But there's relief at Milford Haven and Holyhead - the

two stations will remain open. Here in Mumbles there's

disappointment. We'll have full Also tonight:

Welsh conservatives elect their new leader - we'll be talking live to

Andrew RT Davies. And the foundation stone of the

National Library laid by King George V 100 years ago - as the

library celebrates it's centenary, what's next as it battles big cuts?

My goodness me, he's crashed! And he'll be falling down the

mountain - Geraint Thomas takes a Good evening. They'd taken to the

streets in their hundreds and handed in a 20,000 signature

petition to No.10 Downing Street. Today those who'd campaigned to

save coastguard stations at Milford Haven and Holyhead got their reward.

The two centres were given a reprieve, but the one at Mumbles

near Swansea, which had been thought to be safe, will close

instead. Our reporter Ross Harries is there for us this evening. Ross.

It has been a day of mixed emotions. I have spent a feud debt -- a few

hours with Milford Haven campaigners today. They are

understandably delighted at the decision to retain their coastguard

station. Here in Mumbles, it is the opposite end of the scale. They are

losing their station. A number of Labour MPs are claiming Milford

Haven received preferential treatment because both

Pembrokeshire constituencies have Conservative MPs. Whichever filter

you look at this through, it has been an intriguing day.

We have decided to retain the coastguard centre at Milford

Haven... The moment of victory. These

campaigners fought long and hard against the decision to shut the

Milford Haven coastguard station, calling it reckless. They met at

their local to hear the transport minister announce a U-turn.

In light of a further review of the potential costs of the they Keating

the existing sites in Swansea and mint -- and Milford Haven, which

has shown there are no financial or operational reasons to favour

either location, and in view of my department's substantial levels of

unemployment in Swansea, we have decided to retain the coastguard

centre in Swansea -- in world what haven rather than Swansea.

Their campaign was well organised and unrelenting. It included

rallies in Milford, a journey to Downing Street to deliver a 20,000

strong petition, and an angry confrontation with the head of UK

Coastguard Service. He said he'd listen to their concerns. It

appears he has done. Absolute elation. Absolute elation.

So many emotions running through our minds right now, after that

announcement this morning, that Milford Haven's disturbs station

has been saved. It is the right decision. -- coastguard station.

But if the mood was one of elation in Milford, it was one of despair

in Mumbles. Their station will now shut, leading to the loss of nearly

30 jobs. That means rescue operations like this one on the

Gower will have to be coordinated from much further away.

The Secretary of State has failed to justify his decision to close

Swansea and keep Milford Haven open. It makes no sense in maritime

safety terms, it may make sense in terms of narrow party-political

advantage. Swansea is better placed strategically, Swansea deals with

twice as many incidents as Milford Haven does, Swansea had a history

of liaising with different police services across South Wales and the

south-west of England. Milford Haven has only ever dealt with

Dyfed-Powys. Celebrations at Tom Maynard. -- at

Holyhead. A decision was made to shut the station in Liverpool

instead. It is a reflection of the hard work

that has gone into the campaign to keep the station opened. Local

support from the public and shipping companies, and other water

users, has been absolutely phenomenal. It is a reward for

these people as much as anything. Hundreds of people get into trouble

in waters like these around the Welsh coastline every year. The

case Guard Service has always maintained the modernisation

programme would lead to a more efficient and safe the system.

Campaigners disagreed and today their voices have been heard, but

their victory has been bittersweet. Elation at Milford and for Holly

Aird, a reprieve. Despair in Mumbles. It is a suede which covers

the coast from Swansea down to Cardiff and across the Channel to

Bristol and north Somerset. It is a busy waterway with pleasure votes

and servers. A lot of commercial shipping as well. There is

potentially a chance for a reprieve. There is a consultation period on

these new proposals until October. Swansea can still potentially

change their minds. Thank you.

Lets talk to Stephen Crabb the MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire, who

fought to save the Milford Haven station. We know you're pleased

about the Milford decision but can you assure people that two stations

will keep waters safe? The Welsh government says UK ministers will

have to account for consequences. Absolutely. The decision to save

Milford Haven and Holly ed stations were based on the back of a long

consultation. There have been 2000 responses to that, dozens of

alternatives ideas. This being very much evidence led and risk assessed

and I believe the right decision has been made for south-west Wales.

Is this political? Labour MPs in Swansea claimed Milford Haven was

saved because there are two Conservative MPs in Pembrokeshire.

There are too conservative colleagues of mine in Cornwall and

they are not so pleased because their local station is earmarked

for closure. Absolutely not political. It was based on evidence

and the saved Milford Haven action group have come up with fantastic

evidence about the importance of maintaining the station.

It was thought that Swansea station would stay open. It is claimed it

is twice as busy as Milford Haven. What strings did duple?

I didn't pull any strings. We have been active campaign group in

Pembrokeshire through. That is what a good Member of Parliament does.

This has been a real consultation and the government has looked at

the proposals. Normally, governments get criticised for not

listening during consultations and ram-raiding proposals through. Here

they have lessons. We have heard from our reporter

that there is chance for a reprieve. Will you be fighting for that?

I will be, if the people of Swansea want to get in touch with me, if

local coastguards want to communicate with me, I am happy to

look at the evidence they have put together. There is a 12 week

consultation period but my duty is to look after the coast of station

in Milford Haven. Fifteen-year-old Rebecca Aylward's

body was found near Aberkenfig last October. A 16-year-old defendant

denies murder. Matt Murray was in court.

A bright and popular girl. 15-year- old Rebecca L-word was battered to

death with a rock. The 16-year-old cannot be named for legal reasons.

Today he gave evidence in his defence. A former boyfriend, he

told the jury he did not kill her but Hare's best friend did in this

would land. He said he had handed to the words to chat with his

former girlfriend and have some peace.

The defendants at his best friend had never liked Rebekah. When he

arrived in the words, the pair had started arguing. He said he grabbed

her and pushed her to the court. -- to the floor. He said it was at

this point that his friend grabbed a watch -- wrapped in rock and

smashed it against her head. He said it all seemed to happen in a

matter of seconds. Her body was found the next day after her mother

reported her missing. Today in court it was claimed that the two

friends had joked about killing her and her best friend -- his best and

had even offered to buy the defendant breakfast it he went

through with it. Today he said it was not meant to be taken seriously.

The defendant watched helplessly in a state of shock. He then headed

back to his best friend's house. A friend suggested having a

celebratory drinks but he said it didn't feel right and he wanted to

leave. He headed back to his grandmother's house, who lived near

by. He said he was trying to convince himself that his friend

had not done it. His barrister asked him, did you know how to deal

with this situation? He said, no. The trial continues.

The bodies of a couple have been found in a flat in the peninsula.

They were discovered by police in Chwilog. 53-year-old Steven Paul

Finch and his patent -- and his partner, Kaitlyn Willow, were found

on the same day. Officers are not treating the matter as suspicious.

A sub-postmaster in when if -- in Penryn day drive has been charged

after financial irregularities in the town.

The Education Minister has announced that comprehensive

schools in Wales were -- will be placed into the form of dance from

this autumn. Leighton Andrews insists the move is part of

measures to improve standards and not about naming and shaming

schools. The model for primary schools is still under development.

The Conservatives have a new leader at the National Assembly. Andrew RT

Davies beat rival Nick Ramsay with 53.1% of the votes cast by party

members. Tonight David Cameron said he's looking forward to working

with him. The contest had been called after former leader Nick

Bourne lost his seat in May's assembly election. Our Welsh

Affairs Editor Vaughan Roderick is at the Senedd. Vaughan.

Well Lucy it took six hours for the Conservatives to count the 3,000 or

so votes cast at the SWALEC Stadium. Maybe it was the tightness of the

margin responsible, a couple of hundred votes between the winner

and the defeated Nick Ramsay. Taking the applause. Andrew RT

Davies received 53 % of the vote. He became the leader of the

Conservative group in the Assembly. It is, as I said as I have gone

around Wales, in honour to stand for the leadership of the

Conservative group. I believe passionately in the ideals of what

the Conservative Party is about. It is about freedom, the individual

being able to get on in life and protecting the most vulnerable.

Andrew RT Davies also paid tribute to his opponent, he feels the party

has benefited from a race. I think it is good we had a contest.

We have a democratic leader for the group. We haven't had a contest for

a long time and it is for the team to unite behind Andrew.

What do we know about the Assembly's newest party member?

Andrew RT Davies was born in Cowbridge in 1968 and has been an

Cowbridge in 1968 and has been an Assembly member since 2007. Before

entering politics, he ran the family farm in the Vale of

Glamorgan. He is married with four children and says he enjoys

swimming and spending time with his swimming and spending time with his

family. Any spare time will be at a premium now he is Assembly group

leader. He has already had the prime minister on the phone,

congratulating him, as has the Welsh Secretary.

I think he will bring a fresh style to the group. I think he has strong

unionist credentials. He has the credentials which appeal across

Wales, as a farmer and businessman. Some of his constituents in the

South Wales Central Region have also welcomed him in his new role.

I think it will be good news for the agricultural community with his

farming background, and hopefully, good news for the Vale, having a

local man represent us in the Assembly.

It is neither here nor there. Somebody had to do the task.

Somebody has to do it. Andrew RT Davies is the new leader

of the Conservative Assembly group. A group of 14 members, the biggest

group ever. He told party members his priority is to challenge Carwyn

Jones and his Labour government. He has a few months before he is

backing the Assembly with an opportunity to do that.

The new leader of the Conservatives in the Assembly, Andrew RT Davies,

is with me now. Congratulations. It was a squeaky when.

It was a good election campaign. We had good engagement from the

membership. We had hustings across Wales and it shows that the

Conservative Party want to engage with the Assembly and the Assembly

group. I am obviously pleased with the outcome but pleased with the

way the party membership has raised to the challenge.

People will say Nick Ramsay deserves to be your deputy but you

have closed out that opportunity? I haven't taken any assumptions on

board because after met the I did nothing for granted and we had the

election today. We will be discussing over the next couple of

days the way I see things going forward but also working with

colleagues to see how it fits in with portfolios.

Can he be your deputy? I have an idea I want to construct.

I will talk to colleagues over the next couple of days. It is

unfortunate we are going to recess. What I am excited about is the

opportunity this will present in the second decade of the 21st

century, to promote a positive Welsh Conservative message about

the positive aspects we have. What does that message? The message

the it David Cameron gave to the Assembly about breaking up the

public's services in Wales and bringing in the private sector,

breaking up the monopoly of public services?

We need to empower people in Wales to take control of their lives so

we improve the economy, schools and hospitals.

Break up the health service? It is ironic you have used the

health service as an example. If an error in Berlin can see what we are

doing in Cardiff by taking a billion pounds out of the health

service, he will be turning in his grave. The Welsh Conservatives are

championing the NHS. I will be taking that positive message for

what. It is about empowering clinicians and teachers and

business people to make their decisions which make Wales a richer

and more prosperous place. People will look to Wales as an example of

what they want to see in their own lives.

Why should the people of Wales vote Tory?

I believe the people of Wales what a centre right message. We have

made steady gains and I look forward to looking people across

the Conservative band -- brand to bring that message to the people of

Wales. We will be hearing more from this

man in the coming years and months. Coming up in Wales Today: Welsh

cyclist Geraint Thomas takes a tumble in the first high mountain

stage of the Tour de France. Should the way we elect Assembly

Members change? Peter Hain, the shadow Welsh Secretary, thinks so.

He says AMs should be chosen wholly by first past the post. Currently,

one third of them are elected by proportional representation. But

Labour's opponents think it's a plan to keep them out of power.

Here's our parliamentary correspondent, David Cornock.

Voting was easy back in the Swinging 60s. The winner was the

candidate with their most books. These days with devolution things

are more complicated. At the moment, when Assembly Members floated from

each of the 40 constituencies through first past the post. But

with the number of Westminster MPs being cut to 30, Labour say the

Assembly system has to change as well. They give each voter two

votes in the 30 constituencies which would each sent to Assembly

Members Cardiff Bay, elected by first-past-the-post. There is no

evidence that Labour would benefit from the change I am suggesting. We

have to make a change to avoid the chaos and Scotland of Welsh

Assembly members having different boundaries from March

parliamentarians, causing chaos for parties and confusion for voters.

Labour have tended to win most first-past-the-post seats in the

Assembly. For the former coalition partners, it is a deal breaker.

This is not for the good of Wales and we will not support a

government that advance this as the future for us democracy. It is a

travesty of the gains we have made in having a more proportional and

representative Assembly over the years. It would create an Assembly

which was biased towards the south- east of Wales in particular. It

would be stacked with Labour Party members and this is political

manipulation. The UK Government is looking at the idea of having more

members elected proportionately with just 30 elected by first-past-

the-post. It is natural that officials will look at all sorts of

options. There needs to be wide consultation. Two months ago, Peter

Hain was talking about a proportional system and they want

to change it in the interest of the Labour Party not in the interest of

Wales. A Although we are talking about Assembly elections, the rules

are decided by Parliament. So Labour's Peter Hain is going to

have to convince a Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition

government and that might be easier said than done.

Plenty more political discussion to come on Dragon's Eye tonight when

they'll be looking at the hacking scandal. They'll be talking to the

mother of Richard Hunt from Abergavenny, the 200th British

soldier killed in Afghanistan. She says she's sickened that the phones

of families of dead soldiers may have been hacked into.

And you can hear more on that story tonight in Dragon's Eye. That's on

BBC 1 Wales at 10:35pm tonight. The National Library of Wales in

Aberystwyth is celebrating a very special birthday this week. It's

100 years tomorrow since King George the Fifth visited the town

to lay the foundation stone. But with cuts to public funding taking

their toll, what does the future hold for our National Library?

Cemlyn Davies reports. It's one of our most iconic

buildings, offering a spectacular vantage point over Cardigan Bay and

a unique glimpse at some of our most treasured possessions. 100

years ago, King George V and Queen Mary came to Aberystwyth to lay the

building's foundation stone. It opened five years later. Since then,

the library's faced many challenges, including the birth of the digital

age and the world wide web. The library's now in the process of

scanning two million pages from old newspapers. The articles will then

be made available to read on the library's website. But perhaps the

greatest challenge of all will come as the library tries to cope with

cuts to its budget. This place is expected to lose �1 million over

the next three years. That could have an impact on the library's

ability to buy new collections and jobs could also be under threat.

The library has been used to restrictions. It is a challenge but

we will overcome these challenges and an hour timescale -- in our

timescale, it is nothing compared to a long timescale. Should we be

worried about the future? I think we should be very confident. Local

libraries could also be facing difficulties as councils feel the

pinch. Aberystwyth town library is older than its more illustrious

neighbour. Its doors are about to close because the council has

decided to move the library to a newer building. We can be proud of

the investment we have invested in the libraries. We are investing in

moving a library provision from Corporation Street and Aberystwyth

to the old town hall behind me. That is an investment of over �1

million. Back on the hill, preparations are underway for

tomorrow's celebrations. People are being urged to come and form a

human chain around the building. The National Library may already be

feeling the squeeze but tomorrow there'll be a special birthday

cwtch for a much loved institution as it enjoys its day in the sun.

Planet Ice, who run the existing temporary arena, were given the go

ahead to build the rink at Cardiff's International Sports

Village last August, but this afternoon councillors decided to

re-tender the contract. We are looking to get the new ice-rink

delivered by 2013 and we are in discussions with the operator of

the current temporary facility to make sure that facility can

continue in the interim period. It's been a difficult first day for

the Welsh golfers at the Open in Kent. Mark Laskey is the leading

Welshman on 73, three over par. Rhys Davies from Bridgend carded a

disappointing 75 and Simon Edwards finished 12 over.

Welsh sides face tough games tonight in the Europa League second

qualifying round. Llanelli entertain Georgian side Dinamo

Tbilisi and the The New Saints face Denmark's FC Mitgyland. Bangor

City's first appearance in the Champions League looks like being

short lived. They lost the first leg of their second round

qualifying tie at home to Finnish side HJK Helsinki last night. The

final score was 3-0. Glamorgan have lost their County

Championship match at Derbyshire. The Welsh side were set an unlikely

target of 353 to win but they were well short, managing only 167 runs.

Geraint Thomas was back on the podium at the Tour de France today

after winning the prize for the day's most aggressive rider. The

Team Sky cyclist from Cardiff led today's first high mountain stage

in the Pyrenees for all but seven kilometres. But he was fortunate to

finish the race in one piece after crashing during a high speed

descent. Here's Ashleigh Crowter. We knew he was quick on the flat,

but today Geraint Thomas proved he can climb mountains too. He led the

12th stage in the Pyrenees from the start, but as he was speeding

downhill from an early climb, near disaster. Thomas was just a few

feet from falling over a precipice, although he later denied that a fan

waving a small Welsh flag had put him off. On steep descents, the

bikes can reach speeds of 60 miles per hour and it was clear Thomas

had been shaken by his fall as he skidded off again. But incredibly,

he fought back to regain the lead, defying many people's expectations

as he continued to attack.The Col de Tourmelet was the day's biggest

climb. The peak is twice the height of Snowdon and Thomas was the

second rider to reach the top before throwing himself into

another high speed descent where he reclaimed the lead. But with seven

kilometres to go, Thomas had to concede defeat as the chasing group

overtook him. But the Welshman's bravery and aggression earned him

another podium appearance as he won the prize for the day's most

attacking rider. Time for the weather forecast.

Derek is out enjoying the glorious Derek is out enjoying the glorious

sunshine. It's a beautiful evening here. Blue

skies, sunshine and a few cumulus clouds. Pleasantly warm too with a

sea breeze. Mind you, it's not going to be as nice as this over

the weekend. There is a change on the way. In fact it's going to feel

more like Autumn with rain, heavy showers and strong winds. That's to

come. This evening, fine and sunny. Dry overnight with some cloud

spreading from the west. Turning cool. Lowest temperatures, 8C in

Brecon. Milder on the coast. Tomorrow's chart shows low pressure

over the Atlantic with fronts approaching Ireland. So tomorrow,

St Swithin's Day, will bring a change. A dry start. Bright in

places. Some sunshine but it won't last. Cloud in the west will spread

across the whole country during the afternoon with a little rain and

drizzle. The south-westerly wind picking-up and cooler than today.

Top temperatures, 16C to 19C. In Gwynedd tomorrow, a dry start but

turning cloudy and damp in the afternoon. Temperatures in

Trawsfynydd around 16C. Some tide times. The time of high water in

Barry, 0744 and 2006. The next full moon tomorrow. So the weather going

downhill tomorrow and it's looking very unsettled over the weekend.

Low pressure bringing a dose of inclement weather. On Saturday, a

wet morning. Some heavy rain. Clearing to showers in the

afternoon. Feeling cool and breezy with temperatures below average.

Sunday, a few bright intervals but with blustery showers. Cool and

windy as well. Fresh to strong winds. Gales on some exposed coasts

and hills in the north and west. Lots going on this weekend. In

Conwy, the Romans are back with an invasion in Llandudno. It looks

like they will be battling against the elements on Saturday. While in

Llangeinor, the summer show is on Saturday. Heavy rain will clear to

showers. Next week is Royal Welsh Show. Weatherwise, very changeable

but not a total washout. There will be some drier, brighter interludes.

So enjoy the sunshine this evening. Not so nice tomorrow, with a taste