02/02/2012 BBC Wales Today

Hello and welcome to the programme. Here are the headlines: He heads

Wales' leading ethnic minority charity. Now we hear allegations of

bullying against staff. He is a bully. He is a mean poorly and he

would try to intimidate you. If he found somebody intimidated easily,

Lost all confidence - the damning words from senior doctors at

Bronglais Hospital about their managers.

The moment traffic officers smashed a pensioner's' car window. And had

my hands of a my head because I was restricted by the seat belt. And

they were shouting and screaming. After decades, the Swansea to Cork

ferry will dock for good. And Olympic chiefs give the

Millennium Stadium a once over. There is further tour mile tonight

at the Wales' a leading charity working with ethnic minorities. The

BBC has heard of allegations of bullying and harassment. For more

and current employees have complained about two of the

charity' bosses. -- the charity's bosses.

The complaints centred around the Chief Executive of the charity. In

October last year, several members of staff lodged a grievance against

him. Some of their complaints were about the treatment of part-time

staff. There are claims that future jobs fund staff had to sit and eat

separately, had to use different toilets and had to use �1 per week

to use the office water. This woman was one of them. He is a mean Billy.

-- bully. The charity based in Swansea has of late �0.5 million of

money to distribute to ethnic minority groups across Wales. --

8.5 million. It is sad to see that up to this

day, they can carry on intimidating and bullying staff. It is

increasingly difficult for staff to carry out their work. As I

understand, the investigation into the grievance is, as opposed to the

other investigations, was only conducted on a preliminary basis.

The recommendation is that further investigations on these gradients

is should be undertaken. -- these grievances. Trustees have sought

legal advice and were told by a weeding Lock Farm to suspend the

Chief Executive pending a disciplinary procedure. That did

not happen. These are public bodies with public money and transparency

should be there. I haven't any board members or export member has

been interviewed? -- export members. Nobody has been contacted.

Assembly member who was contacted says a police investigation is the

only way to clear up the matter. have written to the police and

asked them to investigate the allegations, particularly in the

light of the fact that trustees have not been contacted. I think

that is remiss of the Welsh government who is leading the

investigation to the stage. The public need to have confidence that

their money is being cared for properly by the Welsh government

and I do not think they have that confidence. The Welsh government is

investigating all of these allegations. In the meantime, the

man says it would be inappropriate to comment on the allegations

against him. We will have more on this story later.

That is right, on the programme later, more details about the

alleged bullying. We will speak to the offer of a report calling for

the suspension of the Chief Executive. We will also hear from

the newly appointed chair of the organisation who has gone public

with her view that the report is lacking evidence for its claims.

Thank you very much. Doctors at a hospital in West and Wales say they

have lost confidence in their management. A letter signed by a

majority of senior doctors at Bronglais Hospital says that

reforms would be dangerous. Managers say that no final decision

has been made. This is the only place offering

acute medical care for much of mid- Wales. A proposal to move much of

the care has been a post by doctors. A letter signed by a majority of

senior doctors said that the suggested changes was dangerous --

were dangerous. They ended by saying they had lost all confidence.

Campaigners agree. What they said is that what is

being proposed is unsafe and that makes the whole plan unsafe and I

think we have to ask the board, not just to consider but to actually

withdraw, their plan. Managers have told BBC Wales they are surprised

by D letter. They have had lots of opportunity to help pass shape the

options and we are only part way through that process. We have

plenty of time with which to work with them to review our proposals.

But the it -- the concerns expressed were shared by doors at a

public meeting earlier today. we going to be set? What happens if

you are in a road accident or you are having a baby and something

goes wrong unexpectedly? If all of these departments go, it is a

distance people will have to travel and Bronglais Hospital has given us

a wonderful service. The reforms affect patients across West and

much of mid-Wales. 400,000 people who are all under one health board,

who are arguing they will have to centralise some care. Someone

somewhere will have to travel further. The same dilemma affects

every corner of the country. For example in North Wales. The NHS

says in future there must be less complication. The drive to reform

has come from the Welsh government. Its opponents accuse the Health

Minister of failing to listen to doctors. I want her to listen to

doctors, they are telling her that they need to stop these plans and

seriously look at the services that have to be provided that all of the

district hospitals. The Welsh government say that they are

listening and this is the time for people to get involved in the

debate. In Aberystwyth, that debate is already more better than anyone

could have predicted. So news just coming in, fire and

ambulance crews are that the scene of an explosion at a house near

Porthmadog. It is thought that gas caused the explosion. If we get any

more news on that we will bring it to you.

An attempt is being made to topple the leader of Carmarthenshire

Council after comments she made about staff and protesters. Her

comments were made last month during a visit to a Llanelli drug

intervention centre. She called opponents to the downgrading of a

hospital, rabbles. See also said it would not be a problem if the 9,000

council employees worked as hard as the staff at the drug centre. A

motion of new -- no confidence has been tabled. BT's Concert -- Chief

Constable of North Wales police says he is making changes to the

way that rural areas are police. He says three senior officers will be

appointed to oversee police and in different parts of the force area.

He says he is delivering a good quality service despite cuts.

have lost 131 officers as of today and 112 a police staff. We are

thinner than we were. But are we doing our best? Yes, we are. A 71-

year-old retired businessman says he has received a substantial out-

of-court settlement following an incident where traffic officers

stopped his car and smashed the windows. The officers were

subsequently cleared any disciplinary hearing. The police

force has made no admission of liability. It is understood the

power out is in excess of �20,000. The moment police caught up with

Clive Otley in a quiet country lane. One policeman smashers the windows

and another climbs on the bonnet. was wearing my six glasses, and I

had my hands over my head, I was restricted by my seatbelt and there

was glass all over my face and my seat -- my test. And he was

shouting and screaming. The whole incident took place in September

2009. He was originally pulled over for driving without a seatbelt.

When he later pulled off, police followed him for eight miles. In

court, he was found guilty of failing to wear a seatbelt and of

failing to stop. Gwent police say they have not accepted any

liability. They decided to settle the matter out of court on

financial grounds. The footage was put on you to ban has been viewed

over 100,000 times. -- on YouTube. I would like some form of

recognition, and this is minor and it is far too late. It is a

terrific waste of public money. It is about time the police were held

to account. Two years on, he still remembers the day. Coming up, this

step has not sailed for the long time. Plans to restore this former

liner are being discussed. Restoration is complete at the

Cardiff so man Theatre, ready to welcome our audiences again after

two years. Farmers and the Wells government

have on a collision course over payment schemes designed to support

the industry and protect the environment. The minister in charge

says he might have to force farmers to join a new scheme by creating

new legislation. Some farmers argue that it will leave them worse off.

This man is busy lambing. He receives a farming payment from the

government. And more money from a scheme called Tir Mynydd. Final

payment will be made next month as the scheme has brought to an end.

Financially it is �8,000 and pot of those schemes finish this year. I

will only get �3,000 back. I might have to spend to get that money.

During the past two years, the government has held open days to

encourage farmers to join a new scheme. It offers support force

producing food and also for following stringent environmental

regulations set out by Europe. With less than 80 of the 8,000 farmers

registered, the minister has lost Farming unions have said they're

disappointed with the ministers' statement. We are not happy with

what he has said. It is not a sticky can work with with industry.

He has got to get us on his side. Only 1698 farmers have gone into

this scheme. That proves that the scheme is not a success. The Welsh

Government may have to enforce stricter rules on countryside

conservation agreed by all countries within the European Union

in a few years' time. Alun Davies may well be threatening farmers to

look more favourably on the Glastir scheme, or he suggests they could

lose out on compensation payments Top Olympic officials have been in

Wales today. They took a tour of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff,

which will host the first action of the Games in July. The executive

director of the Olympics said it was important that Welsh people

felt part of London 2012. Ashleigh Crowter reports.

This is where the games will begin before they have really begun. Two

days before the opening ceremony in July, the men in stadium will host

a women and football match, had the first sporting action of the 2012

Olympics. Today, officials from the Olympic Committee and the London

organising committee were given a guided tour. I think it is a

fantastic stadium. That is one good aspect about the football, we can

go to other cities in the country and we believe the game's belong to

the full country. It is important, when you have got a beautiful

stadium like this, it is good to use them. The stadium is used to

hosting major events like FA Cup finals and Rugby World Cup finals.

The Olympics is perhaps the biggest event of them all. Some athletes

have expressed disappointment that football is included in the

Olympics at all but that view is not shared by one of Wales's

biggest players who was hoping to be part of the Great Britain team.

There is no age gap so you are looking at the Ellie players. It is

almost like the World Cup. Tickets are still available for the

football matches in Cardiff as the Olympic Games come to Wales for the

first time. In tomorrow's programme, we will

tell you Wales have pitched -- picked for their first team against

Ireland. Warren Gatland has delayed naming their team to give players

like Rhys Priestland and Jamie Roberts extra time to recover from

injuries. We will have and use of the team in our lunchtime programme

at 1:30pm. Football, and new Wales manager

Chris Coleman says he'll meet Craig Bellamy to urge the Liverpool

striker to carry on playing international football. Bellamy has

suggested that the Gary Speed memorial game against Costa Rica at

the end of this month, could be his last for Wales. Coleman will also

meet Speed's assistant manager Raymond Verheijen tomorrow.

The Welsh Government will try to get back more than �2 million it

invested in the Swansea to Cork ferry after the company said the

service wouldn't run again. The company needed nearly �1.5 million

to start sailing again in the summer, but say they're far from

their target. Rhodri Lewis reports. The Swansea to Cork ferry has been

running on and off since the 1960s. The last launch was two years ago.

Since then, the company in charge says it's ferried 153,000

passengers between Wales and Ireland. But today's news means

this passenger terminal won't be opening up for the summer after all.

I am very disappointed it has failed to get the funding required

to carry on next year. Last November, rising oil prices meant

there fuel for one journey cost more than 18,000 euros. Further

west, they have sought so been a dip for other companies. In Dover,

more than 100 jobs were lost when at sea France announced they were

being liquidated by the French government. Here, the last

government had given the venture a loan of �2.3 million, money it now

wants back. 78 jobs will be lost, split between Swansea and Cork.

has been a successful service and it is going to affect people in

Swansea. Businesses in the city say there service has helped them by

bringing business from Ireland. It has ferried more than 150,000

passengers, although that is much less than in Fishguard where almost

800,000 people used the ferry last year. I think it is a terrible

thing for Swansea. There are going to be less people coming from

Ireland. That is a big part of our business, they go shopping and it

will have a knock-on effect on all businesses in Swansea and beyond.

It had been hoped the ferry could be saved, but last minute talks

between the Welsh and Irish governments failed. For its part,

the Welsh Government said the news was disappointing, but that the

company's proposals weren't commercially viable.

A campaign has begun to try to revive the fortunes of one of

Flintshire's most unusual landmarks. The Duke Of Lancaster passenger

ferry was bought by a private company and dry-docked near

Holywell in 1979. After a brief period as an entertainment venue,

it fell into disuse. Now, a new group of fans hope it'll be back in

business once more. After sailing around Europe from

the late '50s, the Duke Of Lancaster was berthed at Llanerch y

Mor near Holywell 33 years ago. It was renamed the Funship and, for a

short time, offered all the entertainment of a cruise without

leaving dry land, like amusement arcades, a disco and cinema. But

safety concerns from the former Delyn Council forced the Funship to

close. Since then, many ideas have been raised about what should be

done with it. For many of us, it was the last of its kind and it was

a great idea by the owner. Some people have sympathy for the ship

and I think it is very unfair how it has been treated. Popular

suggestions to revive it have include all sorts of ideas. In

Holywell today, those who've lived alongside the ship think it needs a

makeover. It is an I saw at the moment. If they did something with

it that was useful to the community, it would be worth it. Something

needs to be done with it. It could be a big local attraction but it is

going to take a lot of investment. Despite the enthusiasm of local

fans, the owner says he has become jaded with thwarted attempts to

breathe new life into this incredible vessel. That man is John

Rowley, seen here shortly after the ship closed, and now lives in

Romania. He says he's offered to work with Flintshire Council to

regenerate the area, but they've either failed to respond or cited

safety problems. They say they've been seeking to explore options for

the site with him but there are no present proposals. We have been

trying to negotiate with them over the last two and a half years at a

fairly high level within the council. There are no negotiations

being carried on at the moment, not through our fault. Purely because

they seem to want to ignore us. Funship once employed more than 100

people and its owners feel it could still bring much needed employment

to this area. One of the country's most popular

theatres will be opening its doors again for the first time in two

years. Since 2010, Sherman Cymru in Cardiff has been closed for

refurbishment. This weekend, people are invited to have a first look at

the revamped theatre. Here's Tomos Last-minute rehearsals of the play,

skint. It is a gritty look at the current economic squeeze. Next week,

it will be the first production staged since the Sherman Theatre

reopened. It is a wonderful environment, it is a very exciting

space. The minute you walk in, you feel it is a place where theatre

happens, where something exciting is about to happen. Since closing

its doors two years ago, the theatre took its productions to

theatres across the country. Now it is ready to welcome audiences again

after a facelift of more than �6 million. That money is being spent

on new rehearsal rooms and improvements to the auditorium.

has been some major developments in the city over the past decade and

we were lagging behind so I think we have got up to a par again.

There is a room for writers as well, a place to nurture new talent.

now have this fantastic building back and that means we can invite

back our 150 young people aged between 10 and 25 which we do

workshops with and create productions with. We can go and

into the community. The theatre was originally opened in 1973 by the

Duke of Edinburgh. Mealy 40 years on and a striking new facade will

welcome visitors. Designed by the same architect behind the Wales

Millennium Centre. Back on stage and bosses hope the new

surroundings will inspire and excite artists and audiences alike.

Is there a sense of the dramatic about the weather Derek? It's

We need to get Jamie to throw an extra lock on the fire.

Last night was the coldest of the winter so far. Temperatures fell as

low as -7 Celsius, for example, in Eglwyswen in Pembrokeshire. Today

is Candlemas Day and some people believe that the weather on this

day can tell us what the rest of the winter will be like from an old

rhyme. 'If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will have

another fight. But if Candlemas Day be clouds and rain, winter is gone

and will not come again'. Well it's been fair and bright today so

winter is far from over. Tonight will be dry and, with starry skies,

we're in for another widespread frost. It's going to be every bit

as cold as last night, if not colder. Lowest temperatures around

-2 to -7, but some places in Mid Wales, such as Beulah in Powys,

could drop as low as -10. Tomorrow morning, it's a repeat performance.

Temperatures below freezing across much of the country with a clear

sky. But not all of the frost will be visible because the air is dry

with very little moisture in the atmosphere. So, another fine and

crisp day tomorrow. Plenty of winter sunshine but cloud may

spread into Gwynedd, Anglesey and Pembrokeshire later in the

afternoon. Temperatures struggling to get much above freezing. 4

degrees Celsius the highest with mainly light winds. Tomorrow night,

most of the country will be dry with more frost. The Met Office has

issued a warning of snow. A yellow warning, which means "be aware". So,

on Saturday, rain and snow will spread across Wales. A few

centimetres likely. Snow especially on higher ground before it turns to

rain and temperatures rise. Sunday will be drier. If you're heading to

Dublin for the rugby on Sunday, the latest forecast is cloudy and damp

with a high of 9 degrees Celsius.. Some more snow on Saturday but not

everywhere and it will eventually A reminder of the main headlines

this evening: Some employees at AWEMA say they were bullied and

there is more on this on Dragon's Eye on BBC Two Wales.