20/01/2014 BBC Wales Today

the windscreen first thing in the morning. That is all from

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story: The map of Wales redrawn. A

massive reorganisation of local authorities and the end of the road

for some local councils. We need councils which are properly

democratically accountable. They should have the critical mass to

deliver in education and planning and social services. We're jumping

in the Capri to go back to the 1970s. Haven't we done local

government with big councils before? This is just the start of a

difficult process that will affect thousands of people. We can expect a

rocky ride over coming months. Our other headlines: Fred Pring may

have survived had an ambulance reached him within an eight minute

target, an inquest hears. At the other end of the country, an

inquiry begins into the death of a man who had to wait for four hours

in the back of an ambulance. This man has been called a dangerous

criminal and the Home Office wants to deport him, so why was he sent to

live in Newport? Good evening. A long-awaited report

into the future of public services has recommended a dramatic reduction

in the number of councils in Wales. The Williams Commission says a

series of mergers should be carried out to cut the 22 local authorities

down to a maximum of 12, but possibly as few as ten. Tonight,

what it all means for your council and the services you use. I've also

been asking the First Minister why change is the only option. First to

our Political Editor, Nick Servini. I am in one of the grand old

debating chambers for Wales. This used to belong to mid Glamorgan

county council which disappeared in the last round of reorganisation in

the 1990s. The not going to see the return of mid Glamorgan but to some

extent we could see an element of a return to the past with the creation

of a much bigger councils across Wales. That will ring it concerns

about public democratic accountability, concerns about cost

and concerns about the quality of public services. That will bring

with it. Put all this be about to change?

After being talked about for years and analysed in detail over the past

eight and is, a vision to reorganise our local councils is being

published. It is all aimed at improving public services. The

Williams commission believes the current 22 should be reconfigured

through a series of mergers. Wrexham will join with Flintshire, Gwynedd

with Anglesey, Conway with Denbighshire, Newport will merge

with Monmouthshire, Cardiff with the Vale of Glamorgan, Lena Gwent with

Torfaen and Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Merthyr Tydfil,

Bridgend with Neath Port Talbot, Swansea and Carmarthenshire will

stay as individual councils, but Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire will

merge. That makes 12 separate local authorities. But if that is still

too many then one proposal is for Swansea the joint meet or Talbot and

Bridgend while Carmarthenshire will merge with Ceredigion and

Pembrokeshire to recreate the old county of Devon. Ceredigion is one

of the best performing authorities within Wales and it seems for us

very and fear that we're going to see our efforts to you did. It had a

mixed reaction in Haverfordwest. It rather depends on who you merge

with. We must be a bit too small to work on our own. It is economies of

scale really. There are 22 authorities and it is not still

single. The commission know some of these recommendations will be

controversial but it has talked about the urgent need to change, not

only with the 22 and sustainable. It said some may collapse now because

they are too small. There is bound to be resistance. Nobody likes

change. Everybody has been working hard and some small authorities have

done very well. But on reflection, it is pretty clear that many are

just too small to cover the breadth of their responsibilities. There was

no figure put on potential job losses but the commission believes

reorganisation will eventually lead to savings of between ?60 million

and ?80 million a year. There will be disruption because services will

be trying to carry on running at a time when the organisations which

provide the mark in a process of transition but in the longer term it

is possible. But they will be an upfront costs. Williams claims it

will be around ?100 million and much of that will be due to redundancies.

Others say it will be greater. What we want to know is that we are the

going to go down the process with cats and cutbacks and how are we

going to pay for this? There are quite a few upfront costs. Something

like ?200 million. The commission rejected proposals to hand over one

of the most expensive services that councils provide, social care, to

the NHS. But in Powys it recommends that the council should be merged

with the local health board as it does not run any major hospitals in

the county. The last reorganisation took place nearly 20 years ago. The

hope is that if it happens this time around, it will last longer.

Commissions come and go and I don't think it's going to happen because

there is political consensus for change. All the opposition parties

are pretty much saying the number needs to be reduced and one of the

first things Carwyn Jones will do is to hold discussions to get

cross-party support at the assembly.

So could the plans improve council services like our schools, and would

people be willing to pay more council tax to fund the merger of

smaller authorities? One of the biggest changes could be in the

Gwent area where three councils could become one. Paul Heaney has

been to three villages there to see if a similar model to the 1970's big

councils could return. Back in the 1970s, the Capri was the

must have car and this was the music topping the chart. In 1974 the old

Gwent County Borough Council was formed and then scrapped in the

mid-90s in favour of the smaller councils we have today. But could we

be better off in future and get better services from our local

authorities if some of them were made larger and covered the kinds of

areas the old County Borough councils used to cover? Here with

the borders of Caerphilly, Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent local authorities

meet, how do people feel about the local authority perhaps merging with

one of their neighbours? Blaenau Gwent is just one of six authorities

in special measures for education which means they are not improving

things quickly enough. I am in the south of the county borough to meet

a headteacher and he lives nearby. The experts on education are the

teachers who are teaching in the classroom so in a bigger authority

you have teachers love a wider range of experience they can share with

their colleagues. -- teachers who have a wider range. A larger

authority may mean greater expertise but could small communities struggle

to be heard? I think it would have advantages and disadvantages. At the

moment it would be a worry to us that we would lose the connections

we have already made. Over the last two years we have built up close

connections with people in Torfaen. At the moment, I would prefer this.

Down the road is Caerphilly County Borough which has lower council tax

for band D properties than some of its neighbours but that could change

with a merger. I would not mind paying more if the facilities

improved. But it did not improve when we went bigger before. I would

be glad to see the old council back. This was a trip through three local

authorities likely to join together but the real journey starts when the

Welsh Government make a decision on which route to take next.

Well, earlier I asked the First Minister what was going to happen

next. I have just had the report. The first thing is to consider that

and for the other parties to consider that. We would like to take

this forward on a cross-party basis. The report says quite clearly that

change has to happen sooner rather than later. If councils want to

merge now, what is stopping them? If that is what they wish to do, that's

fine. We need an understanding first of all of the number of councils.

Williams as suggested more or less what those councils should look like

apart from in two areas of Wales where there is still an open

question. What is important is that we have a structure that can

deliver. When we are on the journey, we need the tools to do it. We

already have the all Wales ambulance service and a number of small health

boards that look after the health service in Wales. Both plagued with

difficulties. Who says unnecessarily big is going to deliver? If you look

at social services, they are difficulties in recruiting people.

New people come in, they are thrown in at the deep end because there is

no one there to mental them. You don't have that critical mass of

people and that cannot go on in the future. We have planning department

that can deal with everyday planning applications but the struggle when

something big comes in. When it comes to education we've had local

education authorities that have struggled for some time and one

council had to be taken over. That is not a sustainable model. If this

gets strung out until after the election it will cause enormous

problems. I agree. The change that would be required would have to be

by way of a bill. There are difficulties following the normal

legislative processes of getting such a bill up and running and done

by the next assembly elections in 2016. What would have to be looked

at is whether there was a way of taking it through more quickly. It

is up for government to demand that and we need to work on that. This is

a change that needs cross-party support. But you are right to say

that my preference would be that we deal with this quickly and that we

have in place a structure by the next assembly election that can

start to deliver. That does depend on all parties here coming to the

viewers to watch process should be used.

Unacceptable delays in getting an ambulance to a seriously ill man

prevented him getting to hospital in time to receive treatment. That was

the coroner's conclusion at the end of the inquest into the death of

74-year-old Fred Pring from Mynydd Isa near Mold. His wife made four

999 calls and waited eight minutes for an ambulance. By then, her

husband was dead. Roger Pinney reports.

48 crucial minutes. 48 minutes which may have made the difference between

life and death for Fred Pring. 48 minutes during which his wife

watched him slip away. Obviously there has been a breakdown of trust.

That is how it has left me feeling. Fred Pring had been an active man

working as a gardener before chronic ill-health forced to retire. When he

developed chest pains his wife made a string of 999 calls. The first was

a moment has passed one in the morning. The operator said help was

being organised. Ten minutes later she called again. The third call was

made just under 20 minutes later. The operator told her help was on

its way. On the fourth call, she told the operator, my husband has

just died. It's too late. A few minutes later three balances

arrived. On the night Fred Pring died five blitzes were queueing

outside Wrexham's hospital waiting to drop of patients. -- five

ambulances. It is with deep regret we did not have a numberless

available for her husband in time and we are working together with the

health wards and Welsh Amblin service to ensure that our busy

departments are available to those patients who need them most

urgently. The coroner warned that without changes there was a risk

more people could die. I don't say for a moment that there are not

difficult days during the winter when there is a sudden surge in

demand and it's very difficult to turn the tap of supply on quickly.

There are some geographical hotspots we know we're further progress needs

to be made. But the big picture right across Wales are undoubtedly

is one of seven -- significant improvement in performance. This

afternoon there were four and the list is parked outside Wrexham

hospital but as far as we could see there were no delays off-loading

patients. The coroner says he wants to prevent further deaths.

At the other end of the country an urgent review has been ordered

following the death of a patient who'd had to wait for over four

hours in an ambulance outside the Princess of Wales Hospital in

Bridgend. The local health board says the review will try to find out

whether the patient's death could have been avoided. Our health

correspondent, Owain Clarke, is here. What more can you tell us? The

58-year-old man died last Thursday after being admitted to AMD. Before

being admitted he spent over four hours waiting outside the hospital

in an ambulance. The health board insists that the patient had been

assessed during a doctor and that paramedics were present. They say

there is no way of knowing at this stage whether or not the delay had

any effect on his health. So that is why an urgent review is now

underway. The coroner has been informed and the police are helping

out and assisting. But these details along with what we have heard in

North Wales, clearly cast light on some of the intense pressure faced

by the ambulance service. The Amblin service says it is looking

internally at all this but it would be wrong to put all the blame on the

service itself. -- the ambulance service.

You're watching Wales Today. Still to come before 7:00pm: In the

relegation battle. Two managers with a job on their hands to keep their

clubs in football's top flight. Newport MP Paul Flynn has written to

the Home Secretary demanding to know why a violent gang leader has been

relocated to the city. Mr Flynn says there's deep outrage that Joland

Giwa, who ran a street gang in South London, has been ordered by a court

to stay at a hostel in Newport. The Home Office says they opposed his

bail and want him deported. Nick Palit reports.

Joland Giwa's street name is Dexter. He was leader of a gang in Croydon

called DSN. This video, posted on Youtube and aired at his recent

immigration trial, shows him when he was just 16 boasting of his gangs'

violent activities. Giwa arrived in this country on a flight from

Nigeria at the age of ten saying he was from Sierra Leone. Now, branded

a dangerous criminal, the Home Office want to deport him, but he

has no identity papers and neither country recognises him as a

national. Now, a court's sent him to live in this quiet street in

Newport. The police describe Joland Giwa is a

serious threat. Before coming to Newport, the gang leader served a 27

month sentence for robberies and has been in immigration detention for

more than four years awaiting deportation. Last month a High Court

judge ruled it would be illegal to detain him any longer so he was

released on condition that he stays at this hostel where electronic tag

and that he reports twice a week to the UK border agency. But residents

of York Place are furious that he's been sent to live in their street. I

don't think it's good for the area. There are a lot of kids living on

the street. It's pretty bad. It will cause a lot of problems. The local

MP Paul Flynn has written to the Home Secretary saying there's deep

outrage that a dangerous criminal has been sent to live in Newport. A

view backed up by the local councillor for Stow Hill who's angry

that people in the area were not consulted. I think as a local

representative, I would have liked to have been consulted. The police

may have had a good reason for placing him in Newport but I would

have liked to have heard the reasons. In a statement the Home

Office say Giwa will be subject to rigorous monitoring and they'll be

continuing to fight for his removal from the UK. That's little comfort

on this street in Newport where they find themselves with a neighbour

they'd rather not have. A judge at Cardiff Crown Court has

ordered a verdict of not guilty in the case of Thomas Doran, who was

accused of slavery offences after a raid on a farm on the outskirts of

Newport last September. The prosecution offered no evidence

against Mr Doran. A man has been found guilty of the

murder of Sam Blackledge, who died after being punched outside the Pen

y Bont pub in Abergele in July last year. Anthony Smith will be

sentenced next month. His partner, Tracey Jones, who managed the pub,

was convicted of manslaughter. The First Minister has told MPs that

a target of 2017 for a referendum on tax-varying powers is "ambitious".

Giving evidence to Westminster's Welsh Affairs Select Committee,

Carwyn Jones once again called for "fairer" funding for Wales,

insisting that income tax raising powers would be of no benefit to the

people of Wales until the current funding model is changed.

The Cambrian Coast railway line may not fully reopen until mid-May

because of flood damage at Tywyn, Barmouth and Criccieth. Network Rail

says an aerial survey shows the line north from Barmouth to Pwllheli

suffered the "most devastating damage" following the tidal storms

along the coast. Tonight's sport now. Here's Claire.

Good evening. There's not much between them but both of Wales'

Premier League teams have been dragged deeper into the relegation

battle. Cardiff City boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, insists they can

stay up even though they're bottom of the table after losing at

Manchester City. Swansea City are only three points better off, after

losing 3-1 at home to Spurs. It is shaping up to be one of the

most tense finishes in Premier League history and nobody in the

bottom half is safe including Swansea City. They have not won at

home for eight matches after Spurs beat them 3-1. The table is

incredibly tight. Six separate the bottom 11 clubs and Swansea 's next

four league matches against Fulham, West Ham, Cardiff and Stoke are

against teams also fighting for their futures. It is a month that

could make a break their season. Swansea are getting desperate for a

win. No need for panic on the streets but anxiety levels are

desperately creeping up. It is about time they started winning. We need

results against the teams we are battling against. We've had a lot of

bad luck with injuries. They need to start winning some home games.

Cardiff City 's predicament is even worse. They are bottom. They lost up

much as the city but two good goals and a 4-2 defeat was better than

many clubs have managed at Manchester City. Despite losing his

first two Premier League games, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he's they will

stay up. But some observers believe he needs to bring in a top

goal-scorer. He has got a big signing to make and he needs

somebody who can get some goals. If they can get an extra striker or

somebody with Premier League experience to get than ten or 12

games before the end of the season, that could lead the difference

between survival and going down. Their next match is at Manchester

United where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a hero. For once he will be

desperate for his old club Toulouse. Welshman Elfyn Evans finished sixth

on his debut in the Monte Carlo Rally. The 24-year-old from

Dolgellau survived treacherous conditions on the final night to

bring his Ford Fiesta home safely. He said he was delighted with his

first outing in the famous event. The team travel to Sweden for the

next rally which starts on February fifth.

Rugby and the Wales squad have arrived in camp today to start their

preparations for the Six Nations, but another injury blow for Warren

Gatland tonight. Ryan Jones has withdrawn from the squad due to a

hamstring injury. Wales are bidding to win an historic third outright

title in succession but several senior players are facing a battle

to be fit in time for their opener at home to Italy on February first.

Derek's here with the weather forecast. How are things looking

this week? Changeable. It's been dry today

apart from a few showers. Some sunshine and light winds but there

is more rain on the way. And if you're travelling, watch out for

some fog and frost. Tonight, dry. Mist and fog patches forming with a

fairly widespread frost. Temperatures in Powys falling as low

as -2C. The wind picking-up in the west so staying above freezing

there. Tomorrow's chart shows low pressure over the Atlantic. A front

over Ireland. And that's heading our way. Here's the picture for 8:00am

in the morning. A cold start. Some mist and fog, especially towards the

border. Further west, breezier, especially on the coast, so fog less

of a problem. The odd spot of light rain but otherwise dry. During the

morning, fog will lift into low cloud. It may brighten-up for a time

but rain will gradually spread from the west during the afternoon.

However, places near and along the border may stay dry until after

dark. The southeasterly breeze picking-up with top temperatures

around 6C to 9C. In Pembrokeshire tomorrow, a dry start. Turning wet

in the afternoon. Windy on the coast and on the Preselis with a high of

8C in Crymych. In Radnorshire, mist and fog will lift. Dry until late

afternoon and early evening. Feeling chilly with a high of 5C in

Knighton. 6C in Rhayader. Tomorrow evening, rain for most of the

country. Wettest on the high ground in the south and west. Around 20mm

on Black Mountain. Much less rain on the north coast in Rhyl. Overnight,

the rain will clear to a few showers. Wednesday, mist and fog

patches will lift. Some dry weather and sunshine but showers as well.

Thursday will be breezy. Some rain and showers. A little snow on higher

ground, hills and mountains. Friday will start dry but there is more

rain on the way with a wet end to the day. Turning colder and windy

over the weekend. Back to our main story. A major

report into our public services has recommended merging councils,

bringing the number down from 22 to no more than 12. A final word with

our Political Editor, Nick Servini. What's the message you took away

from today? The publication of a report like this by implication is a

damning indictment of the last set of reorganisation in the 90s because

they have lasted less than 20 years and created councils that clearly

the authors of this report thought were unsustainable. After the news

conference this morning the author even floated the idea that some of

the smaller councils in Wales may be at the point of financial collapse

right now. As a result, there are problems. The authors were pretty

scathing of what's happened and Welsh councils to try and share

services. They protect -- the trade a picture of confusion and even not

knowing how many partnerships were there. The other striking element is

the time frame. That is a tight time frame and even talk of the Welsh

Government having discussions with councils right now about the

changes. We'll have an update for you here at

8:00pm and again after the BBC News at 10:00pm. That's Wales Today. From

all of us on the programme, good evening.