09/12/2015 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to the programme. Tonight's headlines:

Last weekend's home defeat the final straw.

Garry Monk is no longer manager at Swansea City.

The coach will pick up the reins for their next match.

And as ministers hand over ?4 billion,

they urge local councils to think seriously before they set

council tax next year.

Good evening.

After weeks of speculation, Swansea City have parted company

with manager Garry Monk.

BBC Wales understands that assistant manager Pep Clotet and first-team

coach James Beattie are also set to leave.

And tonight, it's been revealed that Swansea Coach,

Alan Curtis is set to take charge for Saturday's game

against Manchester City.

Our sports reporter Iwan Griffiths has more.

They've come from behind...

Scenes of celebration following the August victory over

Manchester United.

How things have changed.

With just one win since that result, Garry Monk's feature as manager

became increasingly uncertain.

A dismal performance and a disappointing three nil home

defeat to Leicester last week was a trigger that led

to his sacking.

He'll be hugely disappointed, very hurt.

I feel very disappointed for him because he's done a good job.

He took over in difficult circumstances, after

Michael Laudrup, and I think he's done a very good job.

He's taken the club to its highest ever finish,

certainly in the premiership.

There's no doubting Garry Monk's allegiance.

Joining the League 2 side on a free transfer in due 2004,

he received a captain's armband two seasons later.

With the Swans up in League 1, the defender skippered his team

to championship promotion in 2008, before but historic 2011

season, when Swansea city stepped up to the Premier League.

It was 2013, and Monk was celebrating a League

Cup victory, cheered on by thousands of fans who'd lined the Swansea

streets.

On the 4th of February 2014, following the sacking

of Michael Laudrup, he was appointed as interim player manager by HM Hugh

Jenkins will stop he was confirmed as manager three months later,

Jenkins.

he was confirmed as manager three months later, and Monk signed

a new three-year contract this July.

On the 9th of December just four months later,

and his 11 year relationship with the

South Wales club has come to end.

Probably change did have to come.

Not Garry Monk's personal self, any manager we had, the run of form

we had he would probably have to go away, whoever it was going to be.

We were talking about it at the weekend

and we said we can't see him staying long.

But I did like him.

I feel really sad, and I hope for

this one is that they get a really good manager.

Swansea city are currently 15th in the Premier

League, just one point above the relegation zone.

The new manager will need to change things around,

and quickly.

But it won't be easy.

Manchester city are the opponents in just three days' time.

Councils should think seriously before they set council tax next

year, after a better than expected settlement from the Welsh

Government. That's the message from ministers tonight.

Councils will get more than ?4 billion from the government.

That's 1.4% less than they got this year.

With the details, here's our political correspondent

Daniel Davies.

Keeping their heads above water hasn't been easy for

cash-strapped councils.

Here in Narberth this swimming pool is run by local people who saved it

from closure by Pembrokeshire County Council.

I've been on the Council for 20 odd years

and along the time I've learnt that if you want to maintain services,

especially in this climate where cuts are everywhere,

then you've got to get out as do it yourself,

there's no other way round it.

Government funding for councils next year will be just over ?4 billion.

A cut of 1.4%.

But that's less than the almost 35.%

cut they faced this year.

Under the funding formula, rural councils do badly.

Powys Council will take the biggest hit, down 4.1%.

Cardiff Council comes out on top down just

0.1%.

Do you expect council tax rises to be lower this year

than they have been?

Well, I don't want local governments to produce

irresponsibly low council tax rises, but nor do they want them to produce

irresponsibly high council tax rises.

I expect them to look first at the cost of administration,

senior management costs stop I expect them to look

at their reserves, that they are currently

carrying, and see how they can deploy those

to supplement their money they are getting from the Welsh government.

Councils are expected by ministers to protect

schools and social care, so when the axe falls it falls

elsewhere on libraries, and leisure centres.

The Tories say councils in the countryside are losing out.

The formula is certainly of...

You know, not helpful to those living in rural

communities will stop the relationship now between rural

communities and the Welsh Labour government is at an all-time low,

and this actually further endorses that.

The government doesn't accept that.

It says the formula sets funding reflects local

populations, and that all councils have signed up to it.

Cardiff Council is likely that says today's

settlement is encouraging, but still won't be enough

to meet growing demand.

His authority is going to lease this athletic Stadium

to help raise money.

Councils such as Cardiff faced being only able to fund education

and social services.

There won't be a budget is left for anything else.

Things that people do often care about, whether it is Ledger centres

or parks or clean streets.

The cuts are still coming down the track, but the pace of cuts

has slowed down.

Something local council leaders have

welcomed tonight.

Wales is once again at the bottom of a UK table measuring the strength

of the economy.

And the figures from the Office for National Statistics also

show that it's growing at the slowest rate.

While we make up 5% of the UK population, we only contribute 3.5%

to the economy.

A North Wales Assembly Member has branded the UK Government's

multi-million plan to improve mobile phone coverage in his area

as an expensive flop.

Plaid Cymru's Llyr Gruffydd says 27 masts promised for so-called "not

spots" haven't been installed, with the company responsible citing

technical and planning problems.

The MP for Wrexham Ian Lucas says there's a North/South divide

in terms of mobile phone coverage in Wales.

A civil engineering firm in Gwynedd is going into voluntary

administration, with the loss of 50 jobs.

Staff at Mulc-air, in Caernarfon,

have been told they're being made redundant.

The Newport Gwent Dragons say they're "extremely disappointed"

that Taulupe Faletau is to join Bath from next season.

The 25 year old has rejected an offer of a national dual contract

with the Dragons and the Welsh Rugby Union.

The WRU say it liaised with the Dragons "on all

developments" during the talks.

I'm growing very tired of Talupay and the Dragons being a test case

for these policies, procedures and documents,

but I think apart from the personal interests, I think there is a need

to consider its implications in a wider context as well,

so we can understand, going forward, how the NDC is working.

Or

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Or in this case not.

Time for a quick look at the weather now, here's Sue Charles.

Good evening.

After a brief respite in our weather today,

turning increasingly wet and windy overnight.

A band of more persistent rain pushing in from the north-west,

a further 20 to 40 millimetres of rain possible at lower levels.

60 on higher grounds, Snowdonia, the Cambrian Mountains.

So, the Met office warning of an ongoing flood

risk in north-west Wales, as river levels are so high

and the grounds already saturated.

A wet start tomorrow, but winds easing, and the weather

improving from the north-west, and that's the case

across the UK.

A cold front moving south-eastwards, bringing rain

crossed south-east England, slowly clearing behind it turning

drier and brighter from the north-west,

but also chillier behind that cold front.

A queue showers, wintry in the Highlands.

Highs of just four Celsius in north-east Scotland.

13 in the mind all the air in south-east England.

And across Wales, a drier, brighter ends to the day,

with a fuel isolated showers.

Highs of nine Celsius in Conwy, 11 in Cardiff.

Now, that front moves southwards on Thursday,

but it doesn't clear completely.

It is a waving weather front, pushing back

northwards on Friday, so showers clearing on Thursday

night, eventually turning drier, clearer

and colder overnight.

Two to eight Celsius in towns and cities,

colder than this in the countryside.

Friday is looking cold and breezy, with

sunshine and showers.

More likely to be drier in the north, away from

that front, with rain more likely to linger in the south,

where it is closer, and it is that same front

which looks like it will move back northwards over the weekend,

bringing rain at times, stronger southerly winds,

and eventually bringing milder air behind it.

So, chillier with sunshine and showers

on Friday, colder overnight into Saturday, with rain likely

on Saturday, which should then clear northwards on Sunday.

Detail is likely to change, though, as we get closer to the weekend.

We're back from around 6.25am in the morning.

That's Wales Today.

From all of us on the programme, thanks for watching.

Goodnight.

Goodnight.