16/09/2014 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today, our top story:

Why the vow to continue funding Scotland from the three Westminster

party leaders might leave us poorer in Wales.

As our constitutional chemistry is poured over, we'll be asking if

the promise to continue the Barnett Formula is the wrong outcome here.

They marched through Newport to save their jobs.

How this summer's passport chaos brought

And this is what it should look like if the builders had finished but it

won't be all right on the night for the country's newest arts centre.

Wales could continue to be ?300 million a year worse off

as a result of a promise made to Scotland by the leaders of

That's the warning tonight after David Cameron, Ed Miliband

and Nick Clegg pledged to keep the method for allocating money to

the UK's devolved nations in place if Scotland rejects independence.

It may sound like something dreamt up in a of test tubes and colourful

concoctions like this high-tech ice cream parlour in Cardiff. But the

Barnett formula was almost created on the back of an envelope. So says

the man who devised it. Barnett came up with the funding system in the

light -- late 1970s to provide a short-term method to decide how much

money should be given to various parts of the UK. But 35 years on it

is still firmly in place. This is the Barnett formula, it may look

complicated but one of the reasons it has lasted so long is its

relatively easy to calculate. But it does have its critics. It says it

leaves Scotland and -- overfunded and Wales are short-changed. A few

years ago the average public expenditure per head in the UK was

nearly ?9,000. But in Scotland it was more than ?10,000. Here in

Wales, it was more than ?9,500. In Northern Ireland nearly ?11,000 was

spent on each citizen. We're better off than basic spending in England

but what the former does not take into account is the cost of

providing services in Wales will stop high levels of poverty, low

levels of population density which makes ambulance care and education

more expensive to provide. On a bases Wales is about ?200 million

per year worse off than it could have been on another formula.

Observers warn a new needs -based formula wouldn't necessarily be the

best option for Wales. It was a political fight, if you open a can

of worms now who knows what will happen. I am not persuaded Wales

will win. There are poor work areas of England. If you have English

devolution Wales might not necessarily win. In their attempt to

convince Scottish voters to reject independence, the three main UK

parties have now promised to keep the Barnett formula if Scotland

votes No on Thursday. That has frustrated people in Wales who have

long campaigned for a new, fairer funding system. Between 2010 and

2020, Wales will lose somewhere between ?5.3 billion and ?8.5

billion to our public services if the Barnett formula is fixed. Is the

First Minister suggesting today that this announcement isn't the whole

truth? If so, don't the people of Wales deserve to know today what the

future holds for their public services. First Minister, in short,

where is your piece of paper? As Ed Miliband and I have said, an

incoming Labour government would address the issue of fair funding

for Wales. We have said that for some months and that position has

not changed. Reform may be on its way but the political reality is we

in Wales will have to accept that place in the queue was the people of

Scotland decide what they want. Some breaking news for you. Lord Barnett

has called for the formula named after him to be scrapped when he is

calling it grossly unfair and will call fully debated the House of

Lords next month. Let's talk to former Secretary State

for Wales, Ron Davies, and the leader the

Welsh Conservatives, Is Wales in danger of getting

squeezed if Scotland votes no? It is not a question of being squeezed,

what we have seen today is a lack of blind political panic and this

decision has been taken on the hoof and stop if it is carried through

and the Barnett formula remains, we face the prospect of continuing

another Barnett formula and that will mean very many differing

estimates that up the most conservative estimate is about ?400

million a year short of what we need to meet our basic public services.

Bad news and it flies in the face of all the promises which we were

made. Andrew RT Davies, would you like to have been consulted by your

leader, David Cameron, before he announced this? I have discussions

all the time with the Prime minister and other leaders in Westminster.

Did he consults you on this announcement is? No, not on this

announcement. If you look at what is Wales get out of the union as a

welfare, we get ?10 billion worth of welfare payments into Wales. We only

raise ?4.5 million in income tax. The separatists, Plaid Cymru, can't

have their cake and eat it. We have to come out and say they want an

independent Wales and this is how they get going to fund it. All they

say they want to remain in the union. The union supports services

in Wales. He were to break that union up and they can't have their

cake and eat it. You are an architect of the pollution here in

Wales. If it is a yes vote, how do you see the future of Wales? If that

is a Yes vote they will have to be discussions. The prospect of some

sort of climactic break-up of the United Kingdom is not what is going

to happen. If it is a Yes votes, the rump of the British government

together with the newly elected Scottish government with the backing

of a Yes votes will sit down and work out a new set of arrangements.

Whatever happens it will sit down and work out a new set of

arrangements. Whatever happens it'll be have our safest what has been

made on offer to Scotland has to be available to Wales in terms of

enhanced powers come in terms of a proper Parliament for Wales. But

also the comments of Andrew RT Davies notwithstanding, we have to

look at funding. We can't give these powers to Wales as we have the

proper funding to do with it. The promised to keep Barnett is bad

news. It will undermine any constructive discussions there might

be in the event of party discussions taking place in the weeks and months

to come. Andrew RT Davies, a quick announcement nights by the

announcement from Lord Barnett that his own formalin should be torn up.

Lord Barnett has said this many times and everyone knew it was

supposed to be a temporary measure in the 1970s. Lord Barnett next

month celebrates his 91st birthday that up is not forget what we have

got to be doing in Wales is create wealth. Creating the opportunities

as a country to create wealth. Creating the opportunities

support services and enjoy the benefits

support services and enjoy the down Plaid Cymru's line, you want to

break that down Plaid Cymru's line, you want to

will get none of the benefits that will emanate from a

will get none of the benefits that Northern Ireland. Which ever way the

vote Northern Ireland. Which ever way the

absolutely beyond debate and Northern Ireland. Which ever way the

the absolute passion in Scotland for politics. How do you replicate that

passion for politics in Wales which you know as well as I do, it has

been absent in recent years? Alex Hammond has led his campaign with

superb skilful stop -- Alex Salmond. Hammond has led his campaign with

What he has managed to Hammond has led his campaign with

encapsulated to key arguments. The right of people for

self-determination and right of people for

will chime with people anywhere in the UK. Secondly, he has managed to

article it a vision which is quite different from

article it a vision which is quite we have seen over the last 20 years.

article it a vision which is quite have a belief and conviction in what

you stand up for by having people at large in Wales. Wales can

succeed, you have got a lead that ambition within the union of UK.

So if Wales' income changed what additional areas of our life might

Our economics correspondent Sarah Dickins looks

People living in social housing with a spare room now have to pay more or

The decision by the UK Government was controversial with tenants.

She has lived in the same house for 14 years and now has spare space

and so her housing benefit has been cut with consequences.

had to borrow money and luckily it is paid back.

But it is degrading what the government are doing to people.

This is one of 5000 properties run across Wales.

The group that represents Welsh housing associations says

of 22,000 tenants, 3% have moved, 18% have borrowed money to cope, 24%

at getting discretionary housing benefit given to them from Welsh

Government through local authorities and 11% just haven't been paying

Westminster issued the policy, the Welsh Government didn't want

Our tenants are now caught in the middle.

We would be looking to the future and maybe one

of the aspects we would see post-referendum is looking at where

devolved powers can be brought to Wales, where we make better

But Wales already has its own policies

On a farm outside Llanelli, Damien Davies is coming towards the

Called Moving Forward, the scheme helps young people get

He came here with no farming experience.

What has Steve taught you? A lot.

I didn't know my fruit from my veg but now I do.

The scheme gives him the minimum wage

I would never think about employing somebody at the age of 17 to work on

the farm, the environment you work in in regard to health and safety.

It has given people the chance to come on board with myself,

for myself to have confidence with the student and, yes, he has

Steve has told Damian that he is going to keep him on and some argue

projects like this are successful because they recognise local needs.

The potential for them being much better and much

That is because we understand the playing field a lot better.

But we also have a history of those organisations that have a track

record and deliver in the right way and for the right reasons.

Whatever happens on Thursday Scotland has been promised

it will have power over more parts of daily life.

In the past, the Welsh Government has said it didn't want extra powers

But now says that what is offered to Scotland should be offered to Wales.

Two men have gone on trial in Cardiff accused of forcing

a vulnerable man to work for them against his will and without pay.

Darell Simister from Worcestershire was found last year

in poor health at the farm on the outskirts of Newport where

he'd been living for 13 years. Caroline Evans reports.

Timid and vulnerable, that is how Darell Simester was described in

court today. The man now 44 who disappeared 13 years ago and was

found last year in such a disappeared 13 years ago and was

family said they hardly recognised him. The men accused of keeping him

on a farm against his will our father and son, Daniel Doran senior

and Daniel Doran junior. Darell Simester came into contact with the

family when he was picked up at the side of the road by Daniel Doran

junior and offered a few days work tarmac in. But it is alleged he was

taken to Cariad Farm on the outskirts of Newport where he

remained for the next 13 years working for no pay. Police arrested

the father and son in September last year after Darell Simester's family

finally traced into the farm and his brother went there and found him.

Today, the prosecution alleged that during his time on the farm he had

lived in a shed, worked for no pay, got his food once a day and washed

in an animal trough. It's said he worked from seven in the morning

until nine or ten at night, seven days week. In all those years he

left to three times. Once he was taken to a horse fair in Brecon and

wants to Cardiff on New Year's Eve. It was alleged that on one occasion

he fallen from a horse onto a concrete floor and fractured his

hip. When he was taken to hospital two days later he was told to give a

false name and a false story to the doctors. On another occasion it was

said after a shed caught fire, he ran away that is brought back. He

told police he promised eat less and tell the damage was paid for. Both

defendants deny a charge of requiring another person to perform

forced or compulsory labour. The case is expected to take up to six

weeks. Much more to come

before seven o'clock. All of tonight's sport

and a full weather forecast plus could you pin-point the location

of every Welsh castle? Now you'll find all of them in

in one place. Calls have been made

for jobs to return to Newport's Passport Office and

compensation to those who were left out of pocket after "exceptional

demand" caused delays in dealing A committee of MPs described

a complete management failure within the agency.

Jenny Rees reports. Back in June, there was a real risk

Alison and her husband would not be able to make their holiday in France

after the six-week wait she hired a car and drove to Liverpool office

for it to be dealt with. It's in which set her back ?500. Today, MPs

have urged the passport office to compensate those who were left

out-of-pocket. Two days before I was due to go, I got a phone call from

somebody in the passport office and he told me the only reason he had

phoned me is because they had a duty to because they had been to my MP.

The telephone conversation went, if you don't come up to Liverpool today

we will cancel your replication and this was two days before we went

away. The Newport West MP Paul Flynn sits on the home affairs select

committee. The report highlights and understaffed agency where people who

paid for the faster service were exploited. They have got to

acknowledge the cuts they made in the staff resulted in the crisis.

They have got employ more people, certainly in the summer, and the

cases if they are putting on new staff they should be in the places

that lost previously by the previous cots and Newport was a major loser.

It lost a major loser. It people had been in place who would not have had

a crisis. Ever emerged -- emerged of boxes of applications waiting to be

processed. There were more than half a million at its peak. That now

stands at 90,000. The government says it measures have been

introduced to reduce the backlog. Two reviews of the passport office

have also been commissioned. Police have been given more time to

question a man arrested on suspicion of the murder

of a 45-year-old woman in Mold. Paramedics were called to help

Karen Catherall Police say

a full investigation is underway and are appealing for anyone with

information to contact them. The Indonesian foreign ministry has

told the BBC the reason Matthew Davies from Blackwood was arrested

and sent to prison is because he The 25-year-old arrived in Indonesia

on a visitors visa to allow him But the authorities say that instead

of going home when that ended, His family are appealing

for help to get him out. Cardiff University has moved up 13

places in this year's ranking of It's now 123rd out of more

than 850 that were evaluated. No other Welsh University is

in the top 450. Bangor's new ?40 million arts

centre, Pontio, The first performance

at the centre is now unlikely to The decision means that

among the productions which will have to be either cancelled or

rescheduled is a sell-out opening gala concert featuring

the opera star Bryn Terfyl. As late as two o'clock this

afternoon Pontio's website was offering tickets for productions

through the autumn and up to Christmas. By four o'clock they'd

disappeared. The programme is suspended until

February. The reason they've taken the

decision would appear obvious. Pontio remains

a construction site and bear in mind the first performance was due to

have taken place tomorrow night. All the spokesperson for

the builders would say this was always a challenging

schedule. The university which will run

the centre once it's built says Earlier this year the opera star,

Bryn Terfel, visited the site. His gala concert next month was

postponed along with all the others. Ticket holders will get a refund

and a gift voucher. Couldn't this decision have

been taken earlier in the day? I think building programmes

are challenging. This is

a particularly challenging one. As we have explained there have

been, in recent weeks there has been a careful review

of the building programme that. We didn't want to pull

anything until we were absolutely sure we had to pull the whole

programme. At a cost of more than

?40 million, Pontio was to provide a prestige new focus for the arts in

North West Wales. No doubt it will

when it is finished. For now, the construction delays

will appear to be something Newport's Elena Allen has secured

her place at the 2016 Olympics in Rio after winning gold

and silver medals at the World Allen won individual silver in the

skeet but also helped Great Britain to win the team competition for the

first time after producing a perfect She says it's a reward for her

and her husband Malcolm, It has been tough. It has been quite

stressful for me particularly for him having to put up with a few

little issues during training because they get stressful. It is

the pressure, as the competition nears become -- the pressure builds

up. Could you pin point Carreg Cennen or

Bodelwyddan on a map? Well, if you need a little help then

Pembroke Castle hopes They been given money by Cadw to

help people learn more about the history of our castles

here in and even for the short-sighted,

this lesson will be hard to miss. In just two weeks the shape of Wales

has been sprayed across the ground. A map 1000 square metres in size, it

is thought to be the largest Everyone asks me how I scale is, how

would you work to scale. I do what everybody did in school, I

got a grid. I literally gridded the whole thing

down to about 25 centimetre square in various ways, mainly with string

and chalk. Castle by castle has

been added, their different colours represent

which category they fall into. It is a snapshot in history

really from about the early 11th century to the 14th century and

it is telling you about The yellow castles you can see are

the Marcher Lords castles and the red castles are the Welsh

princes, the princes of Deheubarth. The purple castles are the

Royal castles and the ones in the north are predominantly

Edward I era. We're going to have giant

chess pieces that school groups can

move around and re-enact the march of the Marcher Lords into West Wales

and the defence The crosses are for

religious landmarks. It's a new experience for the

artist who is more used to seeing It is going to have a life beyond

the actual painting. Usually I paint something, it looks

elegant and impressive and people engage with it. This is

good to be physically interacted It is definitely bright, I am sure

the children will With it being so large you get all

the scale of everything. It is big enough to

see all the writing. With hundreds of castles laid out

here it is hoped this vivid reminder will encourage some to test their

knowledge, Good weather to be exploring castles

over the next few days. September is making up for August.

Some high temperatures today. Porthmadog reached 24 Celsius. That

is about 7 degrees above average. That is more dry weather to come but

it is going to turn humid with the risk of a few heavy showers. Here is

the situation. We have low pressure close to Portugal and that means

wins for the Wii -- UK. Temperatures this week well above average, rising

into the low to mid 20s. Fine for most of this this evening but the

odd shower is possible in the north-east. Clearly in the West and

a mild night. There was temperatures up to 16 Celsius. Here is the

picture of eight o'clock in the morning. The

picture of eight o'clock in the Powys starting rate. Further west it

is a different story, much brighter with sunshine in Pembrokeshire,

Ceredigion and the West of Gwynedd. To link the day, the low cloud was

slowly lift and break so most of the country will see the sun. It will be

warm with an easterly breeze. Highs into the low 20s stop Thursday will

bring more dry into the low 20s stop Thursday will

cloud and Mr left. Some sunshine buffed and leash showers will

cloud and Mr left. Some sunshine the far south late in the afternoon.

On Friday, greater risk of downpours. The sun should break

through as well and it will feel humid. Into the weekend, a few heavy

showers on Saturday but otherwise dry with some sunshine. We have had

some lovely sunrises and sunsets. Enjoy the dry, warm September

weather while it lasts. Wales could continue to be worse off

as a result of a promise made to Scotland by the leaders of the three

main Westminster parties. They pledged to keep the method of

allocating money to the UK's devolved nations in place if

Scotland rejects independence. Lord Barnett has called for the formula

named after him to be scrapped. Tomorrow we'll be live

from Edinburgh with a special Wales As well as following the final day

of campaigning, we'll be meeting up with Welsh expats to see how they're

voting and assessing the impact of a Yes vote on Welsh businesses

at 6.30pm on BBC One Wales. I'll have an update for you at eight

o'clock and again That's Wales Today, thank

you for watching.