01/10/2013 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story: The last bus to Aberystwyth.

Passengers in one of the most remote parts of Wales face being cut off as

Arriva slashes services. I catch it to work and back so it is very good

but if they scrap it, we are stuck. Our other headlines: The performance

of the NHS in Wales compared to England. Tonight, the First Minister

fights back. Welcome to the world of work. A

taste of the nine to five for teenagers who might miss out on

education or training. Wasting police time. The callers

phoning 999 for help for things like moving the sofa.

And the race against time to rescue hundreds of ducks covered in oil.

Good evening. Bus passengers in West Wales have been left reeling after

learning that a large section of the bus network around Aberystwyth is to

be scrapped. Arriva announced today that it would pull six major

services, including one in North Wales, before Christmas. 46 jobs are

under threat. Abigail Neal has more. We've seen the number of bus

services go down and the prices go up. Now, West Wales' biggest

provider is saying it can't afford to service one of its largest towns.

Six routes in total are being withdrawn from December 21st. The

number 20, 40 and 40C between Cardiff and Aberystwyth via Swansea

and Carmarthen. X94 Traws Cambria between Wrexham and Barmouth. The

number 50 connecting New Quay to Aberystwyth via Aberaeron. And the

585 to Lampeter. I can't see how they can cut it. They will be no

buses from Newquay then. I catch it to work and back. At the moment it

is very good but if they decide to scrap it, I'll be stuck. As a

university city, the buses are vital to the student population. Prices

are going up and the cost of living is going up and most students cannot

afford cars. The buses were a lifeline. It will have a major

affect on how students live. Kerry council says it is disappointed with

the decision which has been made without consultation. They told us

the best case scenario is that local bus companies can now step in and

take over the routes that are being lost. Arriva blame uncertainty over

public funding for free bus passes and the spiralling cost of fuel for

the decision. A number of bus depots will also close, with 46 job losses

expected. It is a complete shock to everybody to hear that Arriva and

now withdrawing completely from all of their bus services in Ceredigion

and beyond. There has been no opportunity for a seamless

transition to other operators and for the government to a plan that

appropriately. They have given the minimum amount of warning on this. I

use these bus services themselves and they are well used. Pressure

will now fall on the Welsh Government and local councils to try

and fill the gap to ensure that bus passengers in West Wales aren't left

cut off come Christmas. Margaret Everson is from Bus Users

UK Cymru, which represents bus passengers in Wales. What do you

make of these proposed cuts? We were stunned. They had been rumblings

over the last few years but we were quite appalled to hear that the

level of cuts taking place in December. But you cannot live in a

rural area without a car. It is impossible. These are very related

areas. If you look at a map of the areas affected, it is going through

from Wrexham to Barmouth. There is not much alternative to a bus if you

don't have a car. If you want to get to hospital to Wrexham -- in

Wrexham, how are you going to do it? These are very isolated communities.

Commercial operators will say, passengers are not using these

services. They are not commercially viable. Is that true? To an extent

but even if five people use a bus, those five people need to use the

bus. It is essential they do. They have to get the hospital and school

and work and home again. So many of these services will be affected.

What happens now in so many other areas of life, there is guidance and

a regulator looking out for the consumer. Who looks out for the bus

passenger? We try to, obviously. The traffic commission regulates

punctuality and whether the services are being operate properly. But as

long as a commercial operator gives 56 days notice they can cancel the

service. But on the other hand, we have until December 21 to work with

local authorities and work with other operators because they still

have enough notice to get fresh services in.

The NHS in Wales is in the spotlight again tonight. The state of the

health service dominated First Minister's questions with opposition

parties accusing Carwyn Jones of being complacent and misguided over

his Government's running of it. He defended his party's record and

denied claims the NHS is better in England. We spend in Wales £12 per

head more on cancer treatment than is the case in England, even with

the cancer drugs fund. The reality is that in Wales people have better

access to non-nice approved drugs and the reality is in Wales is that

people with dementia and heart disease and stroke and multiple

sclerosis are not denied access to drugs as they are in England. There

is no specific fund for them. I say to the party opposite, you can

lecture us when your government in London spends as much on cancer

treatment as the Welsh Government. You are letting the people of

England down. Let's talk to our political editor,

Nick Servini. Where is the truth on the performance of the NHS in Wales

versus England? It is a matter of intense debate as was reflected this

afternoon. What we can say on some of the key targets mainly to do with

referral times, the amount of time it takes somebody to be treated in

hospital after they have seen their GP, Wales is falling behind England.

Today the Welsh Government came under some pretty severe criticism

from the opposition parties. Those opposition parties were inflamed by

a suggestion by the first minister yesterday that some of those targets

may even be changed. The leader of the Conservatives repeated his call

for an independent enquiry into some of the problems we have seen at some

of our biggest pop -- hospitals. The leader of Plaid Cymru accused the

Welsh Government of not taking its responsibility fully enough. But

what we saw today was a pretty robust defence from the first

Minister. He took an offensive particularly on the cancer drug

fund. He described it in a way as a confidence trick in England and are

trying to defend the record of a more broad a fun for all sorts of

conditions in Wales. They have been talking about restructuring the NHS

today as well. Very simply, as things stand, all the health boards

have to balance their books legally at the end of every year. In many

cases it is felt that can lead to set some bad decisions and concern

in some cases that operations may be postponed to try and meet their

financial requirements. So they can now balance their books after three

years. One footnote is, there is no extra money.

A nurse who expressed concern about standards at the hospital he worked

at has been reprimanded by a professional body. Colin Toseland

took to the social networking site Facebook, warning that wards at

Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan were unsafe. He also told claimed

the hospital had asbestos in it. Mr Toseland didn't attend the hearing

in Cardiff, although he had previously written to the panel

expressing regret about his online posts.

For months, charities have been warning that cuts to their business

rate relief could see their shops disappear off the high street, but

tonight there seems to be a change of heart from the Welsh Government.

Our reporter, Brian Meechan, is on one of Cardiff's shopping streets

tonight. What is this change of heart? I am on this busy street and

as you can see they are quite a few charity shops around. Essentially

the Welsh Government was looking into whether charity shops had an

unfair advantage. Many small traders say they do because they don't pay

the same levels of business rates. Charity shops say they need that

kind of relief in order to provide services across the board. The Welsh

Government was looking into it and some of the proposals was cutting

the rate of relief from 80% to 50% and abolishing it altogether for

larger stores. They have said tonight they are going to write to

the UK government and the other devolved administrations because it

will need primary legislation. -- it will mean. It is not imminent but

neither is it off the table. What has been the response. The charities

say they are concerned about this level of uncertainty. They want this

wiped out altogether. It has not been ruled out. The Welsh Liberal

Democrats say they are concerned about the uncertainty and they

pointed out this legal problem that ministers did not have the problem

to go ahead without getting the law changed.

Councils will be asked to produce maps of all walking and cycling

routes to encourage us to use our cars less if a bill is agreed in the

Senedd tonight. But there's been criticism of the Active Travel Bill

because it doesn't include new money for more routes. We have got some

good examples already of quality infrastructure, good cycle and

walking routes in place, so we're not starting from scratch. In recent

years we have seen a substantial increase in the numbers of people

and walking so that is a good base to build on but this bill is very

much about further progress and further development.

Much more to come before 7:00pm: The race against time to save hundreds

of ducks covered in oil. School leavers in Wales will be

guaranteed an opportunity to continue to learn or train under

Welsh Government plans to reduce the number of young people out of

education, employment or training. There are more than 11,500 so-called

NEETs in Wales aged between 16 and 18, higher than the number in

England. The Government says its new framework will enable every young

person to achieve their full potential. Cemlyn Davies reports. In

this workshop near Llanelli a group of young people have been

refurbishing old furniture and equipment so they can be sold on.

Before they began here, none of these teenagers were in education,

employment or training. 17-year-old -- this seven year -- 17-year-old

became a NEETs when she left college in January. It's hard. I thought I

could not get back into college. Then I was told I could come here

and it's been helpful. These young people are not being helpful -- paid

for the work they are doing here but it's hoped the experience will stand

them in good said when they apply for jobs in the future. They are

turning up on time. They phone if they can make it so they are being

more responsible. Because not turning up to work will rip --

resulting unemployment. At the end of last year, Wales had more than 11

and a half thousand NEETs the figures have been worse here than in

England where young people now have to stay in learning or training

until they are 17. Today the Welsh Government acknowledged that more

until they are 17. Today the Welsh needs to be done. We need to

identify people who are at risk of disengaging from education before

they need to. We will look at attainment levels, behaviour and

attendance. We will be able to predict who is most at risk and

intervene. As part of the announcement the Welsh Government

has called for a single lead worker to be allocated to young people at

risk of becoming a NEETs. That relationship will build trust and

get rid of confusion and bureaucracy. But what do they do

with the people afterwards? What we need is a lot of preparation for

some of these youngsters before they are placed with a business. From

next September the government hopes to introduce the youth guarantee

which will ensure all school leavers are offered an opportunity to learn

or train so they too can put a shine on their employment prospects.

Jeff Protheroe is from the National Training Federation for Wales, which

provides courses for NEETs. What is your reaction to the Welsh

Government's plans to tackle youngsters not in education,

employment or training? I think it is very positive, having listened to

the debate today. It's fair to say that we are very positive about this

and anything that provides progression or pathway to

progression for young people can only be welcomed. There is no extra

cash. There is extra money in the system for apprenticeships for this

year and the next. A lot of providers are working to deliver on

the requirements. It is all well and good having courses but do they

actually lead to jobs at the end of it? Apprenticeships are jobs. They

are paid employment. There is evidence to suggest that when an

apprentice gets more productive in the workforce employers tend to take

them on. It is hoped that with the proposed economic upturn there will

be sustained jobs as well. When people hear the word

apprenticeships, they think about something which lasts years and

years but that is not the case as it? No. Some of them last 18 months.

In engineering, maybe they are for years.

The Welsh music band, the Lostprophets, have announced they're

splitting up after 15 years. The group told fans on their Facebook

site and thanked people for their support. The band's former

front-man, Ian Watkins, is due to stand trial this year for sexual

offences. It's supposed to be for emergencies,

but when it comes to calling 999, North Wales Police say they've taken

calls from those who want help moving a sofa, or to complain about

a catalogue firm. The force is now running a campaign to reduce

time-wasting calls, warning they could be getting in the way of real

emergencies. Here's Matthew Richards.

Here are just a few examples of recent calls to North Wales Police.

From furniture removal to home shopping.

Each call took up time that staff could have spent helping someone in

genuine need. The force received more than half a million calls to

its 999 and non emergency 101 phone lines but less than half needed a

police response. I think staff deal with them very well. We are

constantly amazed by the content of some of the calls. Each day brings

yet another one which amazes you. So North Wales Police is spreading its

message through social media and live webchats to urge people not to

tie up its operators with irrelevant calls. A lot of them are

nonemergency and they clog the system up. They don't allow us to

get to the people who really need assistance. Malicious and hoax calls

also cost the force money as well as staff time and those responsible

will be prosecuted. But the focus of this campaign is on those who abuse

the system for trivial or inappropriate, if genuine concerns.

Pink balloons and lanterns are being released in Machynlleth tonight to

remember the murdered schoolgirl April Jones, one year on since she

was abducted. Last week, hundreds of mourners attended April's funeral in

the town. Her body has never been found, despite one of the biggest

search operations in police history. The Football Association of Wales is

recommending imposing an age limit for members of its ruling council.

Some of the current crop of councillors are in their eighties

and nineties. The governing body is reviewing the way the sport is run

here, but the recommendations will have to be passed by the FAW Council

itself. Our football correspondent, Rob Phillips, has been reading the

report. So how old will be too old to be on the FAW Council? What the

review suggests is an age limit of 70 for any councillor standing in

the next elections which are in 2016. That will be reduced then to

65 for years later in 2020 and the key point, an age limit of 80 that

life members should then lose their voting rights on the F EW Council.

And for those of us who don't live and breathe football politics in

Wales, why has this review been carried out? It was sanctioned by

the F EW at the behest of the chief executive who is keen to push

through structural reforms and it was brought to heightened interest

in the summer with the achievement of Barry town. If you look at the

perceptions that are gathered by this panel in the report they say

many council members understood the public just thought they were the

day for international trips and were described as the blazer brigade. The

F EW have to vote for this in order of it to happen which is a bit like

turkeys voting for Christmas. It can be like that and that is the wordy.

They will take out what they want. They believe that the key points.

But I think Jonathan Ford will be keen for what we've talked about to

be pushed through. Hundreds of ducks have had to be

rescued after oil spilled into a pond in Denbighshire. The 500 birds

were destined for a shoot in a few weeks time. Now, they're on their

way to a wildlife centre in Somerset for cleaning. The RSPCA says the oil

spill at Corwen may have been deliberate and the matter has been

reported to the police. The oil has seeped through their

feathers right down to the skin. It means they are cold and emaciated.

Since the spill, these birds have been unable to eat properly. Now,

without help, they are at risk of drowning. It looks like it has been

done deliberately. There are different areas of oil rather than

in one place. We have got 80% of the birds which are heavily coated in

oil and they have gone off for washing in Taunton and the other 20%

have also come away because we can't leave them here because of the

contamination. The spill happened last week. The farmer here, Iwan

Davies, says his dog disappeared the same evening as the oil appeared and

he's horrified at what he believes is an act of deliberate cruelty. It

is a deliberate act of criminal damage to wildlife and the

environment. The owner of the decks had high profile clients coming to

the shoot and he spent an awful lot of time and money in producing these

ducks ready for that. Mr Davies has managed to clear 90% of the oil off

the pond, but says the rest is embedded in the soil and cleaning

that could take some time. He's just relieved he says that the level of

the water here means the oil has not seeped into the River Dee.

Let's take a look at the weather forecast now. Here's Derek.

On this day two years ago, October started with a heatwave. No sign of

Indian summer this year, but staying mild this week. Wet at times,

though. Some significant rain with a warning in force for Thursday. This

evening, some dry weather but rain in the south and west will spread

slowly north overnight. Some of the rain heavy and you may hear thunder.

Breezy on the coast with lowest temperatures 12C to 15C. Tomorrow's

chart shows low pressure near Ireland. Swirling around that are

bands of rain and heavy showers. Here's the picture for 8:00am in the

morning. Wet in parts of the north and east. Some heavy rain in

Llandudno and Wrexham. Some low cloud and hill fog. Elsewhere, drier

apart from a few scattered showers. During the morning, heavy rain in

the northeast. Elsewhere, drier and brighter. Sunshine in places but

showers as well. Heavy in places. Top temperatures, 15C to 18C with a

southeasterly breeze. It will feel warm in the sunshine. Tomorrow

evening, more rain and showers will spread from the south. Heavy and

thundery in places. And a very mild night. Thursday, dry and bright for

a time but further rain will spread from the south during the afternoon.

So turning wet. A yellow warning has been issued. The rain heavy and

possibly thundery but there is some uncertainty about the timing and

when the heavy rain will arrive. The forecast could change so stay tuned

for updates. Friday, breezy with more rain and showers but some

drier, brighter spells as well. The weekend looks better. Much drier and

calmer. Some sunshine, lighter winds with a few mist and fog patches. Our

picture tonight is from Tony Stingle. Shower clouds over the

Bristol Channel. Thanks, Tony. A few showers in Sully tomorrow. Hopefully

a little sunshine and feeling mild. If you have a photo you'd like to

share with us, please send it in. E-mail is best.

[email protected]. And you can follow me on Twitter as well.

The headlines again. The Labour leader Ed Miliband is locked in a

bitter row with the Daily Mail after the paper said his late father hated

Britain. He said that description of his father was a lie. The newspaper,

which has given the Labour leader right of reply, has refused

apologise. Bus passengers in mid and West Wales have been left reeling

after learning that a large section of the bus network in a rural area

in Wales are set to be scrapped. Arriva buses announced it would

withdraw six major services before Christmas, 46 jobs are also under

threat. We'll have an update for you here at

8:00pm and I'll be back after the BBC News at 10:00pm. That's Wales

Today. Thank you for watching. From all of us on the programme, good

evening.