17/02/2012 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story tonight. Sacked - the chief

executive of a race relations charity at the centre of a funding

Our other headlines. More money from your council tax bill to pay

for policing. �10 is a lot of money for people with families or the

elderly. Somebody has to pay the bill at the end of the day and if

we don't do it, we won't have any police on our streets.

They've been waiting for a train for almost 50 years, but a new

station is almost ready at one of Wales' most remote towns.

In tonight's sport, Wales enjoy a weekend off. And it's another Arms

Park outing tonight, as the Blues hint they could play more games

there. And we're at the Olympic Velodrome,

which is hosting its first sporting event. We'll be catching up with

Geraint Thomas as he continues with his preparations for the Olympic

Games. Good evening. The chief executive

and finance director of the race relations charity AWEMA ,which has

been at the centre of a funding scandal, have been dismissed. The

move comes after the Welsh Government launched multiple

inquiries into financial irregularities and mismanagement at

the organisation. Here's our Welsh Affairs Editor, Vaughan Roderick.

Naz Malik's future has been in doubt ever since accusations of

mismanagement emerged at the end of last year. Now both he and his main

accuser, the already suspended finance director, Saquib Zia, have

been sacked with immediate effect. Last week, a damning report said

that Naz Malik and the trustees had shown little regard for the

recognised standards in public life. There was a lack of fundamental

controls in the charity's procedures, it said. All public

funding for AWEMA was immediately funded. The Wales Audit Office on

the charity day should have launched inquiries. Naz Malik has

already admitted using funds to pay off his personal credit card debt.

Prior to the publication of the government report, Rita Austin

accused the opposition parties and the media off using AWEMA as a

stick to beat the Welsh government. An administrator is to be appointed

and what was the largest such charity is to close. So, Vaughan,

is this the end of AWEMA? Yes, it did not have large personal

donations. It did not rattle tins on the corners of streets. It was

inevitable once the public money was cut off that the charity would

have to close. He does not mean it is the end of this story. I think

the repercussions are going to rumble on for months. What will

happen next? We have the inquiries and those inquiries are being

conducted in liaison with the South Wales Police. They could become

involved as well. The government is due to make a statement on AWEMA on

Monday and there will be a debate on the situation in the Assembly

next week. They are all sorts of repercussions. There could be

further action taken against individuals or the charity but it

could take a long time before we discover everything that went on

inside it AWEMA that led to the collapse. A statement on Monday.

How politically embarrassing is this for the was government?

think it is embarrassing and be opposition parties are determined

to embarrass the government over it. There were close contact with the

Labour Party. The government had been warned that there were

problems. Why didn't they act? Why didn't they act to make sure this

could not happen, that is the question that will be asked.

Council tax payers are being asked to fill the gap left by UK

government cuts to police funding. Each of our four police forces have

increased the amount they'll be claiming from the council tax for

next year's budget, as they try to cope with cuts of 20%. It means

next year's council tax bills in large parts of the country will

increase on average by nearly �10. Cemlyn Davies reports.

You must judge me after the trial, not before! John Cooper was sent to

jail for life. He had been found guilty of carrying out two double

murders in Pembrokeshire, crimes that had gone and sold for more

than 20 years. This week, the chief constable warned expensive

investigations like this may not be possible in the future without an

increase of 5% in the chunk of money it claims from the council

tax. Today, be forced's authority voted unanimously in his favour.

have been looking at the Budgett since last summer. We have had a

massive cut in government grant. Much bigger than other public

sectors in Wales. We have to ensure the public of Dyfed Powys still

receive the highest level of service we can give them.

increase of 5% to the council tax precept means members of the public

will be facing an increase of 18p per week. That is �9.45 every year.

The police force say this will allow them to maintain the services

they are currently providing. Responding to the decision, the

chief constable said, while today's news is welcome, it will not

necessarily improve the situation. It will just stopping us from

getting any worse. It is a similar story across the

country. South Wales Police had already

decided to increase the amount it claims from the council tax to 5%.

Gwent Police have gone for a more modest settlement. We have been

sensitive to the needs of the communities. We have matched and

done all we possibly could do to keep it as low as possible.

North Wales, several members of the North Wales Police Authority had

cause for a freeze. In the end, there was a compromise. The least

worst option is giving the long- suffering council taxpayers of

North Wales a break of one year of an increase in exchange for the

police are authority having to do - - having to have second thoughts

about some of its activities. Chief Constable of North Wales

Police said he was disappointed with the decision, adding job

losses will now be inevitable. An increase across the board, but

is it fair? It should come from the government, definitely. We pay for

enough as it is. To �10 is a lot of money for people with families and

the elderly. Somebody has got to pay the bill at the end of the day

and if we do not do it, we will not have any police on the streets.

the UK government cuts back its contribution, it is falling to the

council taxpayer to protect those responsible for protecting us.

Earlier I spoke to Professor Martin Innes from the Police Science

Institute at Cardiff University and asked him if its inevitable that

front-line policing will suffer. I think at the moment the situation

is manageable but there comes a point where things start to tip.

Senior police officers have been talking about the fact that in the

current environment, they will have to do more with less but at some

point, that changes around and it is doing less with more. Less

pleasing but to its Markley. - policing but do it as smartly. That

gives you flexibility and adaptability. We have heard a call

from one senior police officer for a -- and all Wales police force.

Could that be the answer? It is possible but I think the thing I

would say at the moment is it would be worthwhile just holding fire on

that before going too far down that track. In Holland, they have

recently moved to a national force. They are in the process of doing so

in Scotland. We could watch and learn. Merging police forces is

very expensive. At a time when you have not got a money, whether you

want the money going on mergers or frontline police. It is a serious

consideration. Some police forces to have financial reserves. Could

they not use these? The trouble with dipping into the reserves is

they are there for a reason. Things happen. It only takes one good riot

or a good major crime to happen and that takes an awful lot of funding

to get you through that. If the reserves are not there, you do not

want to have at a point of crisis, wondering whether you can pay for

what you need to do. A 35-year-old man from Oswestry has been arrested

and bailed on suspicion of endangering safety on the railway

after a train collided with a van in Powys. It happened near

Llanbrynmair yesterday. Police are investigating the cause of the

crash, which knocked the van into a ditch. A man was airlifted to

hospital following the incident. Parents in Gwynedd are being urged

to get their children vaccinated with the MMR jab after an increase

of measles cases. Ten children have been diagnosed so far, all pupils

at Ysgol Eifionydd in Porthmadog. Public Health Wales says those

affected didn't have the full dosage of the vaccine or hadn't had

it all. The Annual Welsh Labour conference

gets underway in Cardiff this evening. Joining me now is leader

of the Welsh Labour party and First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones.

will be saying to the people of Wales we have developed it --

delivered a lot and we have exciting plans for the future. We

know people are finding it tough at the moment and making sure that we

have a safe and excellent health service. People are finding it

tough at the moment, they are. You have local council elections coming

up. Isn't it time to take responsibility for any cuts that

people may have seen in services? We can only play the cars that we

have been dealt. We have seen a cut of 7.5 % in budgets. That'll be the

case for the next three years. We can only spend the money that we

get. We have had -- we have tried to allocate money to areas that we

think are important, health, education and making sure people

have the opportunity to get jobs and training. He was still laying

the blame at Westminster door? is a matter of fact. We can only

allocate the money that we get from Westminster. But in the health

service, instead of creating chaos, we want to make sure that the

health service delivers for the people in Wales. We have put a

substantial amount of money into the economy over the past year and

we have seen the unemployment rate in Wales drop over the past two

months. It has gone up elsewhere in the UK. It shows that what we are

doing is having an effect, even at this early stage. You do need to

win back control in some local authorities to be seen as a

recovering party? That is absolutely true. We want to build

on the result we had in the Assembly elections last year. We

want to increase the number of councils that we have and increase

the number of councils that we control. We are not going to sit

back and be complacent. We will fight for every single vote. Hard

work brings the results. Naz Malik has finally gone from AWEMA.

Shouldn't the Labour government have stepped into this match really

are? There are two inquiries taking place. One is an independent

inquiry by the Auditor General for Wales. Absolutely crucial that

makes its recommendations. We will see what happens. Do you think you

go to have stepped in earlier? -- could have? It is always unwise to

prejudge what an independent inquiry is going to do. Let's see

what the auditor general says, let's see what happens and then it

will be important that lessons are learned. Let's be absolutely clear,

we want to make sure that this was an independent inquiry and that is

exactly what the people of Wales will get. Still to come on the

programme - a taste of the Olympics before they begin. Could it help

Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas repeat his medal success from Beijing? And

he was the first man to die on Scott's expedition to the south

Pole. A hundred years on, Petty Officer Edgar Evans is remembered.

In a few months, people living in one of our most remote towns will

have a train station for the first time in almost 50 years. The new

station with new services for Goodwick and nearby Fishguard in

Pembrokeshire should be ready by May. Here's Kate Scott-Williams.

Fishguard was once a major Atlantic port and a direct rail link with

London was forged. The train journey took less than 4.5 hours,

even in 1906. But for years, the only trains serving this remote

part of Wales have been those connecting with the ferry service

from Fishguard to Rosslare. One train every day and one train every

night. Until now that is. This is the sight of the new Goodwick

station. They will be an extra five stations stopping -- five trains

stopping here. It has made a big difference. Not

just to me but a lot of people my age. It has made Fishguard more

accessible for people wanting to come into the area and also it has

made Carmarthen, Swansea, Cardiff and even further a lot easier to

access. It has come about through Welsh government and capital

funding and follows more than a decade of campaigning by a local

transport group. There is an elite -- really train just before 7am. A

woman was told that he dad Safe To Fortune already, travelling to

London on business. -- it had saved her a fortune already. Around

�400,000 has been spent on this project and it will be looked at

closely to see if the service pays off. Good evening. This time next

week will mark the eve of a monster weekend for Welsh sport. It'll all

kick off with rugby and Wales' bid for a Triple Crown against England.

Some squad players are back for their regions this weekend and the

Blues return for the second week running to the Arms Park. The club

have hinted today it may not be the last time. A week today, all eyes

will be on Twickenham. A triple crown at stake. The break could not

have come at a better time for Wales. They are optimistic several

key players will bounce back in time. We are hoping everyone will

be up and running by next week. That is what we are hoping. We have

got the weekend off and a bit more rehab and different things. We will

see where we are on Monday. Some squad members have been released to

play for their regions, Gavin Henson, Scott Williams and Lloyd

Williams return for the Cardiff Blues. They are playing again at

the Arms Park tonight. They will be hoping for a bumper crowd. The

Cardiff Blues have hinted they may be spitting the game's Italy in the

two grounds in the future. I prefer the Arms Park. You saw the success

of last week, taking the game but at the Arms Park. The fans came out

in their numbers. They were making a statement, maybe. Maybe they just

enjoy being at the place. There are two more games tonight. The Ospreys

are at home to Pieroni. Steve Tandy welcomes back Alun Wyn Jones. He

makes his first start in over three months.

The Scarlets are away to Leinster. The motivation for Aled Brew why he

is leaving the Dragons. Confirmation today he is leaving.

It is understood he is heading for France. For the first time in

nearly three years, the Scrum V cameras are at Cardiff Arms Park

tonight. This is the scene there live, just ahead of kick off. You

can watch all the action straight after Wales Today from 7:00pm on

BBC2 Wales. BBC Two Network are showing the cycling. That's

available on the red button. Football and Swansea City arrived

back from five days' training in Tenerife last night. No game for

them this weekend, but it's Championship action for Cardiff

City tomorrow. The Bluebirds, still in third, are away to Ipswich where

they'll face their former striker Michael Chopra. It's Cardiff's last

league match before the Carling Cup Final at Wembley, a week on Sunday.

They have beaten the league leaders at their home ground. It has never

been an easy place to go. They are on a good run at the moment. They

have some good players. It is a dangerous run -- dangerous game we

have got a moral. -- tomorrow. The Olympic Games may be a few months

off but the British cycling team are competing in the Olympic

Velodrome for the very first time. Welsh medal hope Geraint Thomas is

part of the team pursuit. They've qualified for Sunday's World Cup

final. Tomos Dafydd went to experience the atmosphere at the

Olympic Park for himself. It is a test for the world's best cyclist

and the velodrome, hosting its first event. This place has been

built to help break records. The angles of the track have been

designed to maximum speed. Even the temperature has been set to create

record-breaking conditions. And there is no room for mistakes. And

if this is anything to go by, the Olympics will be very special.

6,000 fans helped propel Geraint Thomas and the team. They finished

second fastest on the night. Just getting a familiar with the

surroundings. It is not new when you turn about the Olympic Games.

It is a great venue. The track is very nice. It is similar to the one

in Newport. Repeating his success from Beijing will be tough.

Australia, New Zealand and Russia are a real threat. The Australians

are probably be favourites at the minute -- minute. They have been

preparing for this all summer. They have some super form. It is going

to be a tough race. The a gun to give it anything anyway --

everything anyway. -- they are going to give it any -- everything

A memorial service has been held in Swansea to mark 100 years since the

death of Edgar Evans, the first man to perish on Captain Scott's ill-

fated expedition to the South Pole. Petty Officer Evans was born in

Rhossili on Gower and reached the South Pole, along with Scott, in

January 1912. He died just weeks later on his return to base camp.

Paying tribute to one of Wales' greatest adventurers who died 100

years ago today in the frozen wastelands of the Antarctic. More

than 200 people attended a special service at St Mary's Church in

Swansea today to remember the life and exploits of Petty Officer Edgar

Evans. Among them was his grandson John. He was a very clever man. He

designs keys and kampongs, he even changed the design of the footwear.

He was well thought of by Scott. a clear day in 1910, Edgar Evans

and the rest of Captain's Scott's team left Cardiff docks on board

the Terra Nova, bound for the south Pole. Evans was personally chosen

by Scott because of his strength and resourcefulness. He was a

member of the five man polar party which set out to reach the South

Pole before the Norwegians. But their rivals had beaten them two it.

During the 800 mile journey back to base camp Evans, who was suffering

from frostbite and exhaustion, fell into a crevasse. He died from his

injuries a fortnight later. Paying tribute to Edgar Evans today was

Petty Officer Jason Davies, who serves on board the Royal Navy

Vessel HMS Scott. Scott's ill fated expedition is a tale of courage

against the odds and it's the bravery of men like Edgar Evans

which means that story will endure Time now for the weather forecast

with Derek. It's been quite mild this week, but

winter woolies will come in handy over the weekend! There is a big

change on the way. It's going to turn colder. Some rain, sunshine

and frost on the way. A dusting of snow in places too but not enough

to build a snowman. Tonight cloudy and damp. Pockets of light rain and

drizzle. Heavier, more persistent rain reaching the north-west later

in the night. The south westerly wind strengthening with lowest

temperatures only 7 or 8 Celsius. Tomorrow's chart shows a cold front

moving south across Britain. That will bring rain followed by colder

air from the Arctic. So tomorrow morning, Monmouth may start dry but

it won't last. For most of the country, a damp if not wet start to

the day. Some heavy rain in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and

Gwynedd. Hill fog and windy too with fresh to strong winds. So a

wet spell tomorrow but the rain will clear and during the afternoon

it will dry and brighten up. The sun will come out with a few wintry

showers in the north. Top temperatures around 9 Celsius but

turning colder once the rain clears. In Radnorshire tomorrow, some rain.

Becoming dry and sunny in the afternoon and turning colder.

Tomorrow night a few wintry showers in Mid Wales, Powys, Ceredigion and

the north. A dusting of snow in places, mainly on some hills and

mountains. Otherwise dry. Some frost and a few icy patches too. So

a cold start on Sunday. A few light hail, sleet and snow showers in

parts of Mid Wales, Powys, Ceredigion and the north otherwise

dry with bright skies and sunshine. Feeling chilly with a north-

westerly breeze. So Sunday the best day for a walk. Mind you, I'd make

the most of the dry weather if you can. Next week will start dry but

turning more unsettled and milder with spells of wet and windy

weather. Our picture tonight is from Jon Pimm. The Brecon Beacons

covered in snow. Thanks, Jon. A reminder of the main headlines

tonight: Naz Malik and Saquib Zia have been sacked from AWEMA. And