10/03/2014 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today: Cutting council sport and leisure services

could fuel our obesity crisis and pile up trouble for the NHS

according to one of the country's leading doctors.

We need to tackle this in every direction from the food industry,

media and doctors as well as leisure centres.

We'll be live in Swansea finding out if the days of council-run leisure

centres are over. As councils across the county start

to sign off their budgets - tonight how your services will be affected.

Our other headlines: Two police officers are sacked after this

detective sexually assaulted domestic violence victims.

Lauren's mum couldn't buy new shoes til payday - should pupils be

punished for the wrong uniform? Good evening. In tonight's sport:

Getting ready for the Queen's Baton Relay - school children here show

off their design as Wales' Commonwealth Games torchbearers are

named. And after that defeat to England

Warren Gatland faces calls to change his side ahead of the Six Nations

finale against Scotland. Good evening. Cuts to leisure

services could be disastrous at a time when more than half of adults

in Wales are overweight or obese. That's the stark warning from a

leading doctor. Tonight, as councils across the country look to make

millions of pounds in savings and are finalising budgets, we look at

how the services you use will be affected. Leisure is particularly

vulnerable because there's no legal obligation for councils to provide

it. Our sports news correspondent Gareth Lewis is in Swansea. Gareth.

Welcome to what thousands of people still call Swansea Leisure Centre,

which was the name of this place when it was run by the council. It

was taken over by a trust six years ago, which shows that changes to

leisure provision have been happening for some time. They're in

real focus now because of those savings. And because of potential

cuts or price rises this is, as you mentioned, a time of concern and

worry for those looking after our health and those involved in

grassroots sport. The 200 junior and senior players of

Dafen AFC in Llanelli are enjoying something of a reprieve. After

vociferous protests, Carmarthenshire council voted unanimously last week

to freeze planned rises in fees for sports pitches pending a review. But

will any celebrations be short-lived?

Who knows. It is still hanging over us at the moment that in the back of

my mind I think there are elections next year so that might be just

keeping us quiet. We are trying to raise money left right and centre at

the moment. If the plug was pulled, you would find there would be at

least 100 children from this area alone walking the streets and not

doing anything. Carmarthenshire's decision shows

just how unpopular making cuts to leisure can be. The council needs to

make cuts of ?30m over three years. It currently spends ?260,000 a year

maintaining pitches and changing rooms. The original plans to raise

fees from ?73 this April to a potential ?235 by 2016 for an adult

football pitch are now on hold. The man who runs Wales's only NHS-funded

obesity clinic is alarmed at any threat to our ability to take

exercise. I think it is depressing and

alarming. It is a disastrous move. We already have an obesity crisis in

Wales. I call it an obesity tsunami and we have to tackle it in every

direction from the food industry, politicians, media and also leisure

centres. Those at the top of sport agree with

Dr Haboubi that cuts to leisure are a false economy.

We need to consider any closures that we make today could be passing

on the cost to health in the future. Young people and elderly people need

to be active as part of a healthy life.

Even a world away from the hub-bub of football of gymnastics, there's

change and uncertainty over the future. The council needs to save

?25 million over four years. The bowls Company fred-mack club needs

to find ?11,000 a year but is up for it.

There is a large amount of money involved but we feel we can make it

and in 2014 we are using it as a test to find out and hopefully we

can make it work. One thing is certain - this is a

time of great change for how our leisure services are funded and run.

The days of the council being the main provider have gone in parts of

Wales. But change is one thing - change that gets the support of the

electorate is another. It is warmer in here than it was on

the touchline. Richard Proctor is chief executive of the company which

runs the LC. Welcome to the programme. Are the

days of a council run leisure Centre coming to an end with Mac hopefully

we have shown there are different ways of delivering it.

It is a reduced cost so better value for the taxpayer and better

standards and facilities. Hopefully it demonstrates a different way of

doing it. The council isn't out of the

equation and you get half ?1 million a year from them in the study.

We have reduced that since we started. The council still dictate

what they want delivered to the community. They determined the

outcome and we are there to deliver it for them. So the relationship is

very important. We have a great elation gyp with

them and it is about what they want. -- relationship with them.

I would say come and have a look if you are feeling uneasy but there are

different ways of doing it. You get a better experience from a customer

and a better out put for the council.

Leisure cuts are a hot topic. Wrexham Council will be discussing

the future of a leisure centre controversially earmarked for

closure. Well, sport and leisure facilities

aren't the only services affected by shrinking budgets. Many services are

under pressure. Our political reporter Daniel Davies has been

looking at what services are being prioritised by local authorities.

Dan, it's a mixed picture. Councils are under pressure and

we've been looking at the consequences for our services. Take

libraries for example. In Rhondda Cynon Taf the council wants to close

14 out of 26 libraries in the county borough - part of a plan to save

?70m over four years. In neighbouring Vale of Glamorgan they

haven't closed any yet but a report on the council's nine libraries will

go to its cabinet soon. Nursery places vary around Wales. In Neath

Port Talbot children can go part-time the day after their third

birthday, if there's space for them. In Bridgend children have to wait

until the school term after their three - but the council says it

needs to make cuts of ?1.5m from other budgets to protect that

service. And all councils now collect black bag rubbish once a

fortnight. Pembrokeshire was the last to start doing that in October

last year, saying it has to meet government recycling targets and

save half a million pounds a year. Some people in Powys still have a

weekly collection, but by the end of this year everyone in the county

will be on fortnightly collections. There was government has decided to

protect the NHS which means less money for councils. They can't cut

social services so the axe will fall more heavily on things like

libraries and nurseries. Thank you very much indeed.

Later in the programme we'll be looking at how schools, although not

affected directly by the cuts, are still facing the squeeze.

Now the rest of the day's news. Two South Wales police officers have

been sacked after they failed to investigate properly a colleague who

was later jailed for sexual assault. Detective Constable Jeffrey Davies

was jailed for three years last summer for offences against two

women. Caroline Evans reports. As a family liaison officer Jeffrey

Davies was supposed to support victims of crime, instead he took

advantage of his position. Today we learned two of his superior officers

have been sacked for failing to address the allegations against

Davies. The conduct of these two officers

fell well below the standards we would expect of leaders in our

organisation. They didn't deal with the complaints of two vulnerable

women and they made light, in some ways, of those complaints. They have

been dismissed. Davies, his detective sergeant

Richard Jones and detective inspector Philip Camm all worked

here at Merthyr Tydfil police station part of Aberdare CID. The

Independent Police Complaints Commission which led the

investigation said they uncovered what amounted to a canteen culture

where inappropriate comments were viewed as harmless banter and showed

the officers concerned had nothing but contempt for the women.

The women concerned in this particular investigation came to the

police for help. They were making very serious allegations of a sexual

nature against a serving police officer. They should have expected

to be treated with respect, with dignity and they should have

expected that their allegations were investigated quickly and thoroughly.

South Wales Police say they believe they have dealt with this matter

robustly. They want to assure women that this was exceptional behaviour

and say it should not deter other vicitms from reporting issues to the

police. Swansea-born MP, Nigel Evans, used

his "powerful" influence to sexually assault young men - a court has

heard. The 56-year-old appeared at Preston Crown Court to face trial

for nine sex offences against seven men, between 2002 and 2013. He

denies the charges. The service which treats children

and young people with mental health problems in Wales is in crisis,

according to child health experts. The Welsh Government refutes the

claims, and says it will spend an extra ?250,000 a year to try to

tackle the problem. But a BBC Wales investigation has found that young

people are often left struggling to cope without the appropriate

support. I think in Wales there is a

situation where the government policy and its legislative framework

is quite good, quite advanced. On the other hand, delivery falls a

long way short. It is very patchy across Wales and we still haven't

overcome the difficulties of transition for people going from

childhood with a mental illness into adult hood. They are difficult

changes. Schools need to consider the

financial situation of families after a teenage pupil from Wrexham

was punished for wearing the wrong shoes to school. Llyr Gruffydd, a

Plaid Cymru AM for North Wales, says it was unfair that a pupil had to

pay for her parents' difficulties. Chris Dearden reports.

Lauren's mother wrote a book in her ledger to explain to teachers she

couldn't afford leather shoes. I explained that I couldn't afford

them until I get paid and then I can get her better shoes but the rules

and the Galatians that they seem to have don't give much leeway at all.

Those rules say footwear has to be plain black so when Lauren got to

school wearing these shoes, she was put in isolation for the day.

When it was full, she was moved into a store room which Lauren says was

no bigger than a cupboard. I found it very unfair because it

wasn't my fault so I shouldn't be getting the punishment for it.

The school says it is a private matter but it will be dealing with

the complaint from Lauren's man. -- Lauren's mother. We have to see it

here guide is for teachers on how they deal with those situations on

the coal face because there has been a breakdown somewhere.

It is a subject which causes regular problems for headteachers and Wales.

The Welsh government says its guidance makes it clear that schools

should consider costs when setting uniform policy.

Uniform is popular with parents and pupils because it is a good leveller

in situations where children are competing to wear designer brands or

the best clothing, some parents can't afford to support their

children in that kind of environment.

As for Lauren, she hasn't had to go to school in her canvas shoes

today. She finally got her new ones over the weekend.

Still ahead tonight: Warren Gatland names his side to face Scotland on

Thursday - is it time to make changes with a World Cup to plan

for? And it's winging its way to Wales -

we'll be live in Grenada as the Queen's Baton Relay makes its way

across the Commonwealth. Let's return now to our series

looking at cuts to council budgets and how that affects our services.

Schools budgets in Wales are protected from cuts by the welsh

government. But as our education correspondent, Arwyn Jones found

out, that doesn't mean they're not feeling the squeeze.

He had the Roman fort, they are taking these children through their

marching drills. As well as battles for educational purposes, like this

one. There are many skirmishes over education in Wales at the moment

because even though spending in schools is protected, it doesn't

mean they are immune from cuts. It is a similar fight scene all over

Wales as councils set their budgets. Local authorities keep between ten

and 20% of schools budgets for central services and now there is a

call to give that money directly to schools because they spend it more

effectively. Schools pay money towards statutory

testing, the circuits within schools. That is the equivalent of

?91,000 per high school. They could imply an electrician and still have

half the budget of Dover. Councils defend their right to keep central

services but many are diverting more responsible is used to schools

themselves. Support levels are reducing as the

amount of money devolved to schools is decreased and we would question

whether the additional funding is adequate to provide those additional

services. And it's not only schools feeling

the pinch. This costs of after-school clubs and bicycles and

councils in Wales are rising -- run by schools. According to recent

research, the cost has gone up by 15% in Wales but come down in

England. After-school clubs have gone up

significantly in Wales but in England they have gone down this

year so the situation in Wales this quite difficult for parents.

Councils argue schools budgets have fared much better than other

services. Local authorities are facing tough financial times and

have to make cuts. So while schools are protected, it doesn't mean they

are unscathed. Tomorrow we'll be talking about your

council tax bill - who's paying the most, who's seen the biggest

increases and how that all impacts businesses where you live. That's

6:30pm tomorrow. More analysis online.

Time to talk sport now - here's Claire.

Good evening. Some of our most committed community sports

volunteers have been rewarded for their efforts with the honour of

carrying the Queen's Commonwealth Baton when it comes to Wales in May.

They'll be joined by top sports stars, as the relay passes through

on route to Glasgow. The baton is currently travelling through the

Caribbean. We'll be getting a live update shortly after this report

from Ashleigh Crowter. It is still more than two months

away but the relay is already proving an inspiration. Today in

Carmarthenshire, children showed off their own bat on design. When the

real thing comes to Carmarthen, it will bring back memories for this

former distance runner. He has carried it three times.

The first time was a very big honour for a youngster. The second time it

was the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002. I ran along the

quayside in Carmarthen and there were hardly any people there. This

year I hope there will be many more. This woman is a volunteer in

Aberystwyth and she runs sports clubs for children.

It is a great honour. I have worked quite hard for the Urdd so it is a

reward for the work I've done for the Urdd. Some national sporting

stars will carry the baton, including Mark Colborn.

Ray Williams won Commonwealth gold and is proud to be another battle

carrier. It is special for the community in Wales because it gives

youngsters a chance to have a feel of it before they see it in July.

Today is Commonwealth Day and it was marked with a flag lifted outside

County Hall. An injured soldier climbed Snowdon

to show his support. Let's go live to Grenada now and speak now to the

BBC's Mark Beaumont, whose job it is to follow the baton as it travels

around the Commonwealth. Just take us through where has the

baton been so far? Welcome, from a very blustery and

harder. It started from Buckingham Palace and has already been through

the African nations and now it is in the Caribbean. Five months on the

road and the reception has been fantastic. It has been in the

Falkland Islands in the last week. They are looking forward to

representing themselves because at the Olympics they would be part of

Team GB. In Barbados, the rugby team have just had a call up to play

against the mighty all Blacks. They didn't think they were going. I bet

getting an incredible reception on its journey but what will be

happening when it comes to Wales? Well, by the time it gets to the

British Isles on the 11th of May and Wales between the 24th and the 30th,

there will be the build-up to the opening ceremony on the 23rd and

deeper will be following the journey. I hope that is what it be

like in Wales as well there will be lots of sporting heroes and

community heroes getting involved. We look forward to it arriving.

Thank you. Let's turn to rugby now and Wales'

two-year reign as Six Nations champions came to an emphatic end

yesterday with defeat to England. The loss has prompted calls for

Warren Gatland to make changes to his side. Former Wales and Lions

wing Dafydd James is here. Great to see you.

England were clearly the better side yesterday. What went wrong for

Wales? England were by far the better team but what was

particularly disappointing was Wales failed to adapt to what was in front

of them. They only had a plan A. The kicking

out of hand was pretty poor and turnovers were particularly

disappointing. Most importantly, lack of creativity was a major

factor. And there are calls for changes

ahead of the Scotland game this weekend. Are you thinking wholesale

changes or perhaps a change in the style of play?

I would like to see a change in the style of play. The one up rugby

mentality is a little bit and familiar to us. -- unfamiliar. I

think there will be changes to the front five and halfbacks. I would

like to see James Hook coming in and putting a spark in the backline.

Gethin Jenkins is set to get a record-breaking 105 th cap.

Do you think you will be missing out? It did appear as though he

could miss out because there is no place for sentiment in the game.

Wales have to win and you got to make the right changes to build for

the World Cup, 18 months away. With that only 18 months away, is it

important to perhaps not have a sense of panic. The team has

achieved so much already. There is always that element when we

play against England and get the wrong result but let's not panic. It

is a case that we have world-class players in the squad but they should

be playing on form and not reputation and perhaps Warren

Gatland needs to get a little bit of spark back in there but I'm sure

Wales will bounce back. On the back of yesterday's performance everybody

is hurting. It was a bad one, let's write it off.

Football and Cardiff City 3-1 say their win over Fulham has given them

renewed optimism as they fight for Premier League survival. Two goals

from captain Stephen Caulker and an own goal helped secure the three

vital points. The win keeps them in the bottom three but they're up to

18th, on the same points as West Brom, who have a game in hand.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says they need to win four of their last

nine fixtures. They are away to Everton this weekend.

Welsh golfer Jamie Donaldson has strengthened his claim for a Ryder

Cup spot with a second place finish in the World Golf Championship event

in Miami. The 39-year-old is up to 27th in the world rankings and

second on the world points list qualification for the European Ryder

Cup. Captain Paul McGinley will name his 12-man team at the end of

August. Not quite Miami temperatures here.

But we can't complain, Derek? Yesterday was the warmer day of the

year so far. In much of Wales the temperatures soared to 18 Celsius. A

little bit cooler today but 18 Celsius is not bad. Plenty more dry

weather this week thanks to high pressure. More sunshine but there

will be some cloud in the mix with a few mist and fog patches. Watch out

for a touch of frost. Dry and clear tonight with some cloud in the east.

Colder than last night. Where the sky remains clear, temperatures will

fall close to freezing with a slight frost. Tomorrow's chart shows high

pressure over the UK. Something we haven't seen for quite some time. Of

course high pressure does not always mean sunshine and some of the

country will wake up to cloud tomorrow morning. Cloud in Wrexham,

Knighton, Brecon and Monmouth. Feeling chilly too. Further west,

much brighter. Sunshine in Haverfordwest, Aberystwyth and

Caernarfon. A mixture of cloud and sunshine. The north and west

enjoying the lions share of the sunshine! Top temperatures ten to 13

Celsius with a light east to north-easterly breeze. In the

Marches tomorrow dry and fairly cloudy. Hopefully some sunshine in

Welshpool and Montgomery. For guaranteed sunshine tomorrow, head

west. A beautiful day on the Cardigan Bay coast with a high of 12

in Barmouth. Tomorrow night dry with cloud becoming more widespread. Some

mist and fog patches as well. Parts of the west and north clear with a

touch of frost. Wednesday another dry day. The cloud will break with

most places enjoying some sunshine and the rest of the week remains

dry. Sunny spells once any morning mist and fog clears. Mild afternoons

but chilly at night with a risk of frost. Cloudier Friday.

After such a wet winter, a dry spell of weather for us this week. Thank

goodness! The headlines again: As councils

across the country are looking to save millions of pounds, a leading

doctor has said, cutting leisure services could be disastrous - at a

time when more than half of adults in Wales are overweight or obese.

Two South Wales Police officers have been sacked after an investigation

into how a colleague sexually assaulted domestic violence victims.

Family liaison officer Jeffrey Davies was jailed for three years

for sex offences against two women in Merthyr Tydfil. A police watchdog

has ruled the two officers failed to properly follow up complaints from

the women. X-Ray's on in half an hour. Here's

Lucy and Rhodri. Tonight the call centre which

promises to wipe tens of thousands of your debts but leaves you a ring

more than ever. I will try and solve the mystery of the missing birthday

hasn't. And the EC corrects causing fires

across Wales. -- E cigarettes.

I'll have an update for you here at 8:00pm and again after the BBC News

at Ten. Good evening. with loads of running,

swimming and cycling events. You don't need hi-tech equipment

to get involved - Show your support by wearing

a Sport Relief T-shirt or even one of these Sport Relief

headbands. See you later.