23/02/2016 BBC Wales Today

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Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies says

David Cameron's EU deal was not "robust" enough for him to vote

And 600 pupils, parents and teachers protest against plans

Good evening. The leader of the Welsh

Conservatives says David Cameron's deal was not "robust" enough

to convince him to vote to remain in the European Union.

Andrew RT Davies has been setting out his reasons for his decision

to vote to leave the EU at the referendum on June 23.

But he says his first priority is trying to win the Assembly

Our Political Correspondent Daniel Davies has the story.

The most important election in a generation, he says.

But this morning's questions were all about another vote.

Politicians around here, including Andrew RT Davies,

would rather the EU referendum was happening later

The Assembly election would be overshadowed

At that election, the Tories hope to kick Labour out of office

and occupy the corridors of power in the Welsh government

Between now and the Assembly election, your opponents will use

every opportunity to remind voters that, on Wales' place in Europe,

Is that going to damage your Assembly election campaign?

At the end of the day, the Conservatives

My vote, David Cameron's vote, is worth

no more than your vote, than the lady or gentleman walking

outside this building, than the lady or gentleman

in Cardiff, Wrexham, Mold - the length and breadth of Wales

The Tories united in celebration after last year's

general election, but now they are divided over Europe.

Had Mr Davies discussed his views with the Prime Minister?

Whatever those decision are taken, I will stand by them.

Mr Davies is one of three Conservative AMs

who have said they will vote to leave.

Three more have confirmed that they are on the remaining side.

The other eight either haven't decided or are not saying.

At the end of the day you have to decide what do you think

is in the best interest of your constituency,

your country and I've decided that I think we should go

I think it is a good deal for Britain.

Mr Davies says he would fight for ways

to get money from Westminster if funding was cut

He paid tribute to the Prime Minister for negotiating hard

on EU reform but in the end the deal on offer wasn't robust enough

so he is following his instincts and voting to leave.

Some of Wales' largest companies, employing over 14,000 people,

are calling for the UK to remain part of the European Union.

BT, HSBC, Airbus and Ford are among those who have told BBC Wales that

jobs and growth will be better served by being in the EU.

Those campaigning for us to leave the EU say trade will continue,

An ex-Scoutmaster jailed for 12 years in 2014 for abusing boys

was back in court today, where he admitted to charges

Martyn Tucker pleaded guilty at Caernarfon Crown Court to 28

offences of indecent assault, spanning an 18-year period.

Conwy Council is to run a trial collecting refuse bins

But the pilot will only happen in one area, rather than throughout

Hundreds of people have signed petitions opposing the plans

which were being introduced by the council in a bid to reduce

the costs of sending waste to landfill and to

More than 600 schoolchildren, parents and teachers have been

protesting at plans to re-organise secondary education in Powys.

The council wants to close Llandrindod and Builth Wells High

School and build a new school in Builth Wells.

It also wants to replace two schools in Brecon

The Cabinet has voted for a full consultation to be carried out.

Rather than double maths it was a silent demonstration

They were protesting against Powys Council's shake up

Llandrindod and Builth Wales High School and a new school being built

A petition with more than 1,300 signatures on it was handed

What I'm particularly concerned about is the impact

At the moment there are three schools in special measures in this

Indeed, I haven't got a problem with that.

What I have got a problem with is the school being sited

The impact on this town and the students who are here

would be highly negative, in my opinion.

Over 600 pupils, teachers and parents have turned up here

this morning to protest and handing in a petition

This the secondary school here for well over 50 years

and these people don't want to lose it.

Llandrindod Wells is a small-town of a

population of just under 6,000 people.

If it even didn't have a high school here how is that town

If it goes it'll be a great loss to the community.

It is a major thing in the town and I

feel very passionate about it and so do other people.

At a packed meeting, councillors approved

on a merger of Llandrindod and Builth Wellss high schools,

as well as a consultation on the closure of Brecon High

and Gwernyfed school, to establish a new English medium

The council says with three schools in special measures and pupil

numbers dropping by around 800 in four years they had

We can't offer a sustainable curriculum and a satisfactory

The consultation will start in September, but these pupils

protesting already fear this could be beginning of the end

Former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton has described a campaign

against his bid to stand as an Assembly Member for UKIP

as a "cancer that needs to be cleansed".

UKIP has launched an investigation, after an anonymous leaflet

criticising Mr Hamilton was sent to party members.

It describes him as being "parachuted in" -

I was born in Wales, I grew up in Wales, I was educated

in Wales, both at school and at university.

My father was the chief engineer for the Coal Board in Wales.

He had an office just across the water there

in the early 1970s, before he retired.

I am just as Welsh now as I was then.

Rugby now and Warren Gatland has made three changes to the Welsh team

that will face France at the Principality Stadium

Alex Cuthbert will start on the wing, as Dan Lydiate gets

Second row Bradley Davies will get his chance in light

Two football results for you tonight.

Cardiff lost 3-1 to Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

Wrexham moved into the play-off places in the National League

after securing their third successive win, with a 2-0 victory

over struggling Kidderminster Harriers.

A lovely dry day for many of us today.

What about tomorrow? Derek's got the forecast.

Good evening. Cold And frosty today. Tomorrow, more dry weather and

winter sunshine. A widespread frost overnight. You can see the planet

Jupiter just to the left of the moon. Overnight temperatures down

below zero. He cold frost first thing tomorrow. Across the rest of

the United Kingdom, a frosty start for much of the country, especially

in Scotland. A few showers in Northern Ireland, with wintry

showers in the north of Scotland. Only four Celsius in Edinburgh,

double that in London. Dry and sunny spells for us tomorrow. Temperatures

are little lower than today, 6-7dC. A few showers tomorrow night, wintry

and poisons. Again, some frost overnight once again. On Thursday,

more cloud alone. Still some dry and great weather. On Friday, still some

uncertainty, with the chance of a little rain. Looking mostly dry over

the weekend, but very cold. That is Wales Today.

Thank you for watching. From all of us on the

programme, goodnight.