24/02/2017 BBC Wales Today

Torfaen's the latest council planning to scrap high school

Ffion's one of hundreds of pupils, parents and teachers

If there aren't enough people choosing certain courses then they

won't be able to run or if they have difficulty getting staff in the

first few years, then they won't be able to run the courses either.

A union says the Welsh Government's strategy to fund

as 60 staff who help people find jobs risk losing theirs.

Storm Doris caused more damage to Colwyn Bay pier.

The call now for it to be dismantled completely.

ahead of tomorrow's clash with Scotland.

Wales have to win to have any hope of being crowned champions.

And the million pound project hoping to double Wales' shellfish industry.

Hundreds of parents, pupils and teachers are calling

on the Welsh Government to block plans to remove sixth forms

from English-medium high schools in Torfaen.

Schools in Cwmbran, Croesyceiliog and Pontypool would be affected.

The council says plans to move post-16 provision

to a new ?20 million site in Cwmbran from 2019

Performing well, Saint Alden's high school in Pontypool. Sounds, lights

and much more, all the responsibility of sixth form

students. Without them, this show simply couldn't go on as often. Some

disappointed at the prospect of losing the sixth form. We have a lot

of schools coming from further up the valley and if we close down our

strict form and we have a college built down in Cwmbran, that creates

more barriers for disadvantaged students to access further

education. We are asking the question, could that money be spent

improving and enhancing education that we have here rather than a new

facility? There are three in this medium sixth forms in Torfaen. The

council wants to merge them, creating a ?20 million college at

this former industrial site near Cwmbran town centre. No one from

Torfaen council was available for interview today but officials have

told me in the longer term the authority expects to get less money

from the Welsh government, in part because fewer pupils will be coming

through the system here. Leave sixth forms as they are, they say, and

there's a chance that not all topics available now will be available in

future. They simply might not be the student numbers to make some of

those courses buyable. Get everyone on one site here, and you may create

a critical mass and get a better chance of offering that wide range

of courses. 14-year-old Ffion and others in her eurogroup would be the

first not to be able to stay in high school beyond their GCSEs. It would

have a lot of facilities, but if they have difficulty getting staff

in the first few years, then they wouldn't be able to run the courses

either, so new facilities are nothing without promises of great

teachers. And a promise of good outcomes and grades. The merger of

high school sixth forms has already happened elsewhere. Some in Gwinnett

years ago. Merthyr Tydfil did the same in 2013, against the wishes of

many at the time. Controversy back then, but now staff here say there

are more students, better links with industry and grades have improved.

The critical aspect for us has been the partnerships we have built up at

the local scholars to ensure that it is seamless transition from year 11

into the college. B show goes on in Torfaen. The schools watchdog says

sixth forms here are likely to at least maintain current standards. It

warning to, more assessment is needed on the effects on those from

low income backgrounds. The curtain isn't down yet. The proposal now

with the Welsh government for final approval on.

The trade union Unison is branding the Welsh government's approach

to the funding of its jobs advice service as "a mess" and wants

an urgent meeting to discuss plans to cut 10% of the workforce

The organisation says it's looking at all the options

Our business correspondent, Brian Meechan, joins us now.

Brian, what else is the union been saying? Careers Wales offers advice

to people going into work and training and apprenticeships. And it

is in the running at the moment to get a new contract to deliver this

scheme in future by the Bush government. It is fully owned and

funded by the Welsh government, but it has had budget cuts in recent

years. It has had gone from a staff of 1200 down to a staff of 600 and

it is now looking for a further 60 voluntary redundancies and Unison

say that frankly be current funding arrangement is a mess.

It doesn't make sense to us to plan a multi-million pound apprenticeship

programme next year where our careers members will be needed

and yet at the same time, they're downsizing their own service now.

We won't be in a position to deliver what the Welsh government want.

So what has been the response from the Welsh government and from

Careers Wales? Careers Wales say they have a budget shortfall and

they have to look at all the options on the table to try to deal with

that. The Welsh government has said that ultimately this organisation

has got to be more efficient and it's got to be on a longer-term

fitting with the funding that it is able to have and I think ultimately

we have seen budgets being cut. The Welsh government's budget has been

cut and Careers Wales is not the only organisation that is

experiencing that squeeze and the difficulties that they face so this

will be a 30 consultation period. As I say, it will be looking for

voluntary redundancies to start off with but it hasn't ruled out any

thing so we will have to see what happens next but Unison say there is

a real concern about the long-term future. Thinking.

A man from Cardiff has appeared in court accused of murdering his

31-year-old Matthew Scully Hicks denies killing

Elsie Scully Hicks, on the 29th of May last year.

He was released on bail, following a hearing

Two Cardiff men, including one seen here,

who unknowingly sold more than ?100,000 worth

of stolen cars to the police, during a six-month sting,

41-year-old Dean Cronin, and 28-year-old Daniel Gordon,

were behind a campaign to steal luxury vehicles

Both admitted conspiring to handle stolen goods.

Police in Llangennech say they don't believe the slashing of tyres

in the village is linked to a row over changing the local

primary school to Welsh-medium education only.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed they were investigating

reports of damage, but said the car owners didn't believe

they had been targeted because of the issue.

Around 1,000 homes across north Wales

are still without power, following Storm Doris.

Gusts of up to 94 miles per hour were recorded yesterday.

ScottishPower say they've drafted in extra engineers,

The storm caused further damage to the pier in Colwyn Bay

just weeks after a section collapsed into the sea.

The local Assembly Member, Darren Millar, is calling

on the council to dismantle the pier as soon as possible.

Take a look at the pier as it was in early February

and look again now that Storm Doris has been to visit.

Another sizeable section of the structure

Fortunately, it had already been fenced off and Conwy Council

engineers are preparing to inspect the damage and begin

I asked a retired civil engineer to give me his personal assessment

I seem to remember there was a lot of

cross bracing on the piece that has fallen, so that stability,

whatever it was in the condition it was, has now been lost, so the rest

There are ambitious plans being drawn up by a local trust

to salvage and restore what they can and give the pier

They admit it won't be cheap and will require

A long running legal fight between Conwy Council and the pier's

former owner was bitter at times but is now over.

We want to draw a line under the past.

We have a good working relationship with the council at the moment and

Without them, we won't succeed and they won't succeed either

without us, so it's a symbiotic relationship.

So hopefully, in the not too distant future, we will have

The pier trust says the storm damage hasn't

affected its plans or its timescale but there are those who feel that

it's now urgently necessary for work to begin to stop what's left

of the pier from coming to any more harm.

There's a lot of nostalgia in people's memories about the pier,

but at the end of the day, you know, at the moment,

it's not an asset for the town in its current state

so let's take it down, let's have a look at

whether there can be a creative solution found

to give it a future where it can be put back together again

and if that can't happen, then perhaps it may be the end

The latest proposals for the pier will go before

councillors next month, while the pressure to act

Neil Warnock says he'll stay at the club as long

The 68-year-old will sign a new contract in the next 24 hours.

Angling clubs say pollution incidents affecting rivers

in West Wales are becoming more frequent and could cause

It follows a slurry leak which has killed hundreds of fish

in the Gwili river in Carmarthenshire.

It's the third large scale pollution incident in recent months

It was described as one of the worst cases of pollution to hit in a

generation. More than 1000 fish were wiped out on a six mile stretch of

the river by a slurry like substance. It killed salmon, and

brown trout. Now, just a month later, another agricultural

pollution incident has killed hundreds of fish. Around 200 trout

and 40 lap rape and hundreds of small bullhead fish have been killed

in the river Gwili in Carmarthenshire following a slurry

week. Alex Young from the Angling club believes our rivers have to be

managed better. The impact it's having on the local rivers I think

is devastating, to be honest. This is our third one within

Carmarthenshire. Any slurry becomes downstream is going to end up in

here, end up in the river, and that is going to have an effect not just

on the fish but all the vertebrates and everything in the river. Now,

the hundreds of dead fish might have been washed away or cleared away,

but there is still evidence of a slurry week. You can see it here

with this form on the water. The concern is the frequency of these

pollution incidents and the effects that will have on the environment

and also the economy because angling tourism is a multi-million pound

industry for West Wales. Following the incident on the TV, the oil

leaked into the waterways in October last year, and now the slurry per

listen in the Gwili, it is worried visiting anglers by stayaway. She

says they are trying to tackle agricultural pollution and the cases

are following. Although we have had three high-profile cases recently

that have made the news, overall the number of significant pollution

incidents we have been dealing with has dropped tremendously since last

year. It's just that we have had three with in quick succession. I

think the reason for that is a changed the way we are working in

terms of our proactive campaigns but also the weather has had a big

impact on that. The environmental might still be visible after this

most recent incident but the economic impact is still to be felt.

Former Wales captain, Sam Warburton says he's braced

to face the toughest Scottish side of his rugby career.

Wales run out at Murrayfield tomorrow, looking for their tenth

consecutive win but the 28-year-old flanker says Scotland

look a complete side and will provide a stern test.

The stakes are high with both camps knowing the loser can almost

certainly give up any hopes of being crowned

The streets of Edinburgh today passed in winter sunshine,

the thousands of Welsh fans who braved yesterday's stormy weather

to get there looking forward to an encounter that should see

We've beaten Scotland nine times in a row now...

So, you know, it'll be number ten tomorrow.

Scotland have been playing well this year,

but they're not going to play well enough to beat us.

I think it will be a very close game, but I think we

might just catch it by a point or two.

I think if we kick the ball to Stuart Hogg,

Wales will run out at Murrayfield looking for their

tenth consecutive victory but they're not taking

Sam Warburton says he is braced to face

the toughest Scottish side of his career.

the Scots are now difficult opposition.

You know, they've got a really good front five,

They're physical in the contact area, they've got a back line

to match all that as well, so it's definitely going to be the

toughest Scottish team we've played against and it's going to be at

Murrayfield as well which makes it tougher, so...

I imagine it's going to be the toughest Scottish fixture

Scotland's win over Ireland on the opening weekend has certainly

given rugby north of the border the feel-good factor.

They may have been outmuscled by France last time out,

but make no mistake, come tomorrow afternoon,

Their new captain, Scarlets back rower John Barclay,

says he knows Wales will be under pressure.

Living in Wales, what rugby league is there, and I know

the pressures they're under, so probably for me, I think there's

If you don't win, then people talk about that,

and I kind of thought it was kind of half in jest,

but if you walk down the street, people will talk to you every time.

And I'm a Scottish person living in a part of Wales

And it is full on rugby there, so I think there,

And one former Wales captain and current Scotland forwards coach,

Jonathan Humphreys, says the pressure on Wales

So the things that can hang in the back of your mind as that

game is coming to a close, if you don't win,

Yeah, takes a bit of getting used to.

With Scotland having injuries and Wales

close to full strength, the stats to point to a Welsh win.

They were much improved against England and if

they reach those levels again, it's set to be a successful

Wales Women's match against their Scottish

The latest from Cumbernauld is

The first try being scored by Wales and they have converted that too and

are winning 7-0 at the moment. The game is live on the BBC Sport

Wales website and the red button. That match is also

on the BBC red button. And if that wasn't enough,

Scrum V will have the Blues away Coverage starts at seven

on BBC Two Wales. Football and Neil Warnock says

he will be Cardiff City manager next season following positive talks

with his bosses. The 68-year-old is expecting to sign

a new deal in the next 24 hours. I'm pleased to say that, you know,

we've agreed everything. Other than I've not

put pen to paper, but we've agreed an extension

for next season. We're all singing from

the same hymn sheet. Like I said, Vincent

and them have been nothing Let's talk to our football

correspondent Rob Phillips. You were the man asking the

questions today. Cardiff city have got their man and to be fair, Rob,

he has delivered. He has delivered. If you think they are in the bottom

three when he arrived in October and since then, he has delivered a brand

of football bad the fans like to see. It is up and at them, in your

face, and he has got results and that means that really the

negotiations were made fairly easy so he stays along with Kevin

Blackwell, his assistant, the coach and the goalkeeping coach. He has

done more than that, he has galvanised the fans. There was a big

disconnect between the fans and clubs over the rebrand but they sort

that Neal wore knickers patching up that and there are smiles on the

faces of Cardiff city supporters. They fit each other very well. He

has made no secret told that he wants to win another promotion in

his career. I think it might be his eighth if I am correct. Wally back

him? Financially, they will need to get right behind him. They have to

tiptoe around the financial fair play roles but he is confident he

will have the backing. That is what the meeting was about with chairman

members last Monday, positive noises came from that. To date Neill

Warnock revealed he would be staying and he loves the job, he loves the

club, but at his age, he doesn't want to be in a struggling clubs so

yes, they will find the money for him. He will have to work off the

field as well to sort out contracts and to bring them in line so that

they don't offend financial fair play roles but all that is good for

them now. It's working. Thank you very much indeed.

Swansea City boosted by news today that defender Federico Fernandez

has signed a new three-year contract at the club.

The 28-year-old's previous deal was set to expire

The Swans travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to face Chelsea.

Swans boss Paul Clement, who began his coaching career

at the club says the league leaders are clear favourites.

They've got themselves in a very strong position.

Excellent run recently where they were winning game

And they deserve to be in the position they're in

based on the way they've been playing.

Everyone's going to have to play well on Saturday if

we're going to get something out of this game.

Welsh skeleton racer, Laura Deas, is targeting a medal at

And despite a good second run, that heat had to be abandoned due

to snow, meaning the 28-year-old remains in 13th place

It'll now be just a three-run race and Deas will compete again

Now could Wales' shellfish industry double in size thanks to help

A unique project involving academics and shellfishers here and in Ireland

It will investigate the movement of shellfish in the Irish Sea

with the aim of boosting production but at the same time

ensuring shellfish numbers remain sustainable.

Today in Bangor, the mussel boats were tied up alongside the dock.

What we're doing is just getting the live product

and cleaning it up ready for wholesale market.

Trevor Jones is a partner in one of the boats.

He told me it is used not just to harvest mussels,

but also to collect young shellfish and move them

Our biggest constraint, if you like, to increasing

production is that irregular supply of natural

sea mussels and sometimes getting the permission to go and fetch it.

We rely on finding seen mussels in Morecambe Bay, south Wales,

These pictures show one of the Bangor boats at work.

They go out in all weathers and have a very

short season in which to find the young mussels.

That's where Dr Sheila Malham comes in.

She's a scientist at Bangor University's

So, these mussels are about three years old.

At the moment, they're obviously going off to be sold.

Dr Malham is now working with the shellfish industry

to discover where the mussel larvae go,

We know a little bit about what they like to settle on,

but we don't know the exact Skuse and what they are happy on,

so some of the things that we might be doing

is putting out long lines out offshore and these, we hope,

the mussels will sit on and stay on because we know that

And we will be able to capture far more mussels

The scientists will use what is known about currents

in the Irish Sea to track the mussel larvae.

At your local fishmonger or supermarket, you'll pick up a bag of

mussels for anything between ?4 and ?5 per kilo depending on the

quality, but here in Bangor, this is already multi-million pound industry

and it's one here they say could easily double in size.

And they already sell 7000-10,000 tonnes of

Science and business working together.

Prince Charles has been visiting various projects and sites

On a visit to Llandeilo this afternoon, he donated money

towards saving White Park Cattle from extinction, after learning

about the National Trust's efforts to protect the species.

They're so rare some experts say more giant pandas exist in the

world, but Dinefwr Park in Llandeilo has been home to White Park Cattle

And visiting this afternoon, Prince Charles showed his backing

to save the species from extinction by making a donation

It will go towards buying a new bull.

A campaign launched last autumn to save the herd.

As well as Caernarfonshire, the prince visited

several other sites in South and West Wales.

This morning, ex-service personnel, who make up 10% of the workforce,

at Alculus greeted him at the company's new office

The organisation has donated an IT system to the

Prince's own charity, The Prince's Trust,

which supports young people to secure jobs,

It's been a varied visit for the Prince of Wales.

A busy day in and out of the office

Time for a look at the weather forecast now.

After a calmer day, what's in store this weekend?

It will be wet and windy at times over the weekend but nothing as

extreme as Storm Doris. With some dry spells, feeling fairly mild as

well. There's even coloured cloud thickening and outbreaks of light

rain and drizzle will push in. Moving eastwards, drier spells

developing. Winds will pick up overnight and cloud holding up the

temperatures between six and eight Celsius. Tonight's front clears

allowing just a few drier spells in early Saturday but then these two

will follow bringing heavy rain by tomorrow afternoon. Early on

tomorrow in the south and east, the best chance of any dry weather.

Turning quite wet and windy form the north and west with heavy rain at

times especially on higher ground, often misty, murky and overcast with

hype south-westerly winds which could lease deal forced along

exposed coasts but when is also drawing up mild air so top

temperatures between nine Celsius in Swansea and 11 in French and Conwy.

For the six Nations match in Edinburgh tomorrow afternoon, breezy

with some rain and showers but some dry weather tomorrow, around seven

Celsius. Back in Wales tomorrow night, the rain turned patchy,

easing overnight. Misty and murky with just the odd spot of drizzle

but cloudy and not too cold at 4-8 C. The pressure chart shows this

easing eastwards over Sunday allowing clearer conditions for a

time until another system pushes for the Atlantic later in the day. On

Sunday, early brightness, dry for a time but winds picking up again and

gale force south-westerly is developing along Cardigan Bay with

some rain pushing in from the north-west in the afternoon. Patchy

at first, then turning heavier with top temperatures of ten or 11

Celsius. Turning wet and very windy at times through Saturday, the best

of any dry and bright weather on Sunday morning with further rain and

stronger winds in the afternoon and then next week, looking a bit cold

and breezy with sunshine and blustery showers which could turn

wintry in hills. Finally, today's picture. Shower clouds developing.

We are likely to see a lot of clout over the weekend and just a

reminder, if you have any photos to help tell the weather story, you can

become a weather watcher and check out all the latest detail of the

weather for the weekend online. A reminder of our top story. The

Conservative Party has won a historic by-election victory in

Copland. Is the first time a party in government has taken a seat in a

by-election for 35 years. The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn describes their

defeat is very disappointing but he said he wouldn't be standing down.

And hundreds of parents, pupils and teachers are calling on the Welsh

government to block plans to remove six forms from high schools in

Torfaen. The council say plans to move post 16 provision to a new 20

million pounds site with benefit students.

I'll be back with a quick update at eight and a full round up

But for now, from everyone on the programme,

Cake-a-bake? Yeah. What is that?