09/12/2015 BBC Wales Today

Last weekend's home defeat the final straw -

after a losing streak, Garry Monk is no longer manager

According to Swansea City chairman, Huw Jenkins, the club have parted

company with Monk this evening "reluctantly

Also tonight - a good deal for public services.

The claim from ministers as they hand over ?4 billion

and I would encourage all local councils to look at their reserves,

look at what they can do in driving down senior management costs. But

most people in local government will see this as a good budget for local

services. A north/south divide

for mobile phone coverage, according to one AM,

branding plans to improve it We're on Anglesey finding out why

people there generate less money And how clean is

the air you breathe? Concern that targets to reduce

emissions won't be met. After weeks of speculation and 11

years with the club, Swansea City have parted company

with their manager Garry Monk. The 36-year-old started there first

as a defender and became a manager But with just one win in 11

Premier League games, club chairman Huw Jenkins say

he took the decision to part with Monk "reluctantly

and with a heavy heart". Our sports reporter Iwan Griffiths

is at the Liberty Stadium Yes, the decision came here just a

few hours ago. I saw the chairman, Huw Jenkins, driveaway. By then the

decision had been made following just 1 Premier League win in 11

games. I am joined by our football correspondent. Rob, we understand

that the coaching team will also be leaving. Yes, I understand to

assistance of Garry Monk will also be parting company with Swansea

City, but no mention of that in the statement. The decision was

inevitable. It is worth underlining the importance of staying up this

season. Absolutely, there is a massive lucrative television deal

kicking in next season, so every Premier League club knows the

importance of survival this season. At the end of last season, record

points total and highest finish, the chairman said this season would be

the club's biggest challenge. More from Robina 2nd, but let's look back

at the events that have led to this evening's decision.

Scenes of celebration following the August victory over Manchester

United. How things have changed. With just 1 win since a result,

Garry Monk's future as manager became increasingly uncertain. A

dismal performance and a disappointing 3- 0 defeat to

Leicester last weekend was the trigger that led to his sacking.

Hugely disappointing, very hard. I feel disappointed for him because he

has done a good job. He took over in difficult circumstances after

Michael Laudrup and I think he has done a very good job. He has taken

the club to its highest ever finish, certainly in the Premiership. There

is no doubting Garry Monk's allegiance, joining the League 2

side on a free transfer in June 2004, he received the captain's

armband 2 seasons later. With the team in League 1, the defender

skippered the team to championship promotion in 2008 before that

historic 2011 season when Swansea City stepped up to the Premier

League. It was 2013 and Garry Monk were celebrating the cup victory,

cheered on by thousands of fans who had lined the Swansea streets. On

temporary 2014 following the sacking of Michael Laudrup he was appointed

as interim player manager by chairman Huw Jenkins, confirmed as

manager 3 months later. He signed a 3 year contract this July. Just 4

months later and his 11 year relationship with the club has come

to an end. Probably changed it have to come. Any manager who had the run

of form we had would probably have to go away. We said we could not see

in staying long, but we did like him. I feel sad, and I hope for the

Swans that they get a really good manager. Swansea City are 15th in

the Premier League, just 1 point above the relegation zone. A new

manager will need to change things around and quickly. It will not be

easy. Manchester City at the 1st opponents in just 3 days' time. What

next? Firstly, Rob, after a decade of service, what a sad except for

Garry Monk. Almost 12 years as a player and manager, indeed it was a

back door exit this evening at Liberty Stadium because his car was

parked over there when he 1st arrived for what turned out to be

the decisive meeting with chairman Huw Jenkins, then it was moved by a

member of staff, and that was the last resort Garry Monk. At the game

on Saturday, who will be in charge? Alan Curtis is the obvious 1, he has

done the caretaker job before, but this would be a totally different

situation in the Premier League. Lots of speculation. Is Brendan

Rodgers the favourite? He is with the bookmakers. The name of Gus

Poyet is being linked with the club, they were interested in him

previously. But we have learned with the chairman Huw Jenkins it can be a

left-field choice. You cannot 2nd-guess Huw Jenkins, so it could

be any of the contenders from left-field. Garry Monk has left. Do

the players need to take some responsibility? I cannot remember

seeing such a collective loss of form in such a short period of time.

At the start of September they were in the top four. And now they are 1

point off relegation. Thanks for your time this evening. That is all

for the moment but comeback at the end of the programme. For now,

thanks very much. Councils should think seriously

before they set council tax next year after a better than expected

settlement from the Welsh That's the message

from ministers tonight. Councils will get more than ?4

billion from the Government. That's 1.4% less than

they got this year. Powys Council will see the biggest

cut, and Cardiff the smallest. With the details, here's our

political correspondent Daniel Keeping heads above water has not

been easy for cash-strapped councils. Here in Narberth the

summing pool is run by local people who saved it from closure by

Pembrokeshire County Council. I have been in the council for 20 odd

years, and I have learned that if you want to maintain services,

especially in this climate where cuts are everywhere, then you have

got to get out and do it yourself. There is no way around it. Now they

have dipped their toes in, they want to take other services of the

Council's hands, lick the library, which faces a cut in opening hours.

As with all councils, the size of the budget here in Pembrokeshire

depends on what happens in Cardiff Bay, just as the size of the Welsh

government's budget is decided by politics in Westminster. When

decisions are taken further up the chain about what to protect them

what to trim, those decisions lead to more difficult choices in

communities like this. I have not seen any cuts. Bin collections,

libraries, things like that? I have not seen anything. I have seen so

many, the library is open about 20 hours a week. I don't think so, I

haven't seen any. Government funding for councils next year will be just

over ?4,000,000,000, a cut of 1.4 %, but that is less than the almost 3.5

per cent cut the face this year. Under the funding formula rural

councils will receive a different amount. Cardiff comes out on top

down just 0.1 %. Do you expect council tax rises to be lower this

year than they have been? I do not want local government to produce

irresponsibly low council tax rises that it I want them to produce

irresponsibly high rises. I wanted to look 1st at the cost of

ministration, senior management costs. I expect them to look at the

reserves they are carrying and see how they can use those to supplement

the money they are getting from the Welsh government. Councils are

expected to protect schools and social care, so when the axe falls,

it falls on other things like libraries and leisure centres.

Cardiff, where before today the council was considering ?46,000,000

of cuts, this athletic Stadium will be leased to a further education

college to help save money. The council leader says today's

settlement is encouraging but still will not be enough to meet growing

demand. Councils such as Cardiff face being able only to fund

education and social services. There will not be budget left for anything

else. Things people care about, leisure centres, parks, clean

streets. The cuts are still coming down the track, but the pace has

slowed, something local council leaders have welcomed tonight.

Nick, we have had the settlement today, the main budget yesterday.

How does that prepare the ground for the Assembly elections? Yellow like

the Tories accuse Labour of ignoring the countryside with the settlement

today. You would expect that. What was extraordinary was a warm

response from council leaders. That has been bad blood between many

Labour council leaders and the Labour Welsh government here because

of reorganisation, so they have succeeded in getting them on site.

The other big box that Labour would have ticked with this budget is the

increases to the NHS budget that we have seen. It was striking this

morning after years of telling us it was on helpful and wrong to compare

the NHS in Wales with England because of the different weekly

figures are put together, the First Minister directly compared the 2

health services in number of times, a sure sign of things to come, and

how we are moving into an election fitting. There have been some

losers, notably higher education. The Higher Education Funding Council

for Wales, that allocates funding to universities, deeply unhappy with

cuts which it says are up to one third. As is the way with these

things, there is awry with the figures, the Welsh government not

agreeing with their assessment of it. Also some disagreement from

Welsh language campaigners, but not howls of outrage from public sector

organisations today. The families of two men killed

in an explosion at the Celsa steelworks in Cardiff have

paid tribute to them. 51-year-old Peter O'Brien

from Cardiff and Mark Sim, who was 41 and from Caldicot,

died in the blast last month. The family of Peter O'Brien has

described him as a "treasured Mark Sim's family say his death has

left a "great void". Their funerals will

be held this month. A civil engineering firm in Gwynedd

is going into voluntary administration with

the loss of 50 jobs. Staff at Mulcair, in Caernarfon,

have been told they're The company's recent high-profile

projects included building the new Pont Briwet bridge

across the Dwyryd river and work A North Wales Assembly Member has

branded the UK Government's multi-million pound plan to improve

mobile phone coverage in his area Plaid Cymru's Llyr Gruffydd says 27

masts promised for so-called "not spots" haven't been installed -

with the company responsible citing It means many homes and businesses

are disadvantaged with no mobile This historic slate town is home to

nearly 5000 people. Although it is nestled in the heart of Snowdonia,

it is not just its physical geography that keeps the town

isolated. Telecoms infrastructure make this a mobile blackspot. For

this taxi driver it is a barrier to business. Customers cannot get him

on their mobile phones and he has difficulty receiving calls. You miss

phone calls and texts at home. I have to keep the mobile in the

window just to get a signal. Amenities like this across North

Wales are suffering from the communications which they say is

extremely frustrating. It Israeli bad, there is no mobile signal at

home at all. Very frustrating, it can be an emergency call somebody is

ill or you're desperate to get somebody. What can you do? If you

cannot make a call, you cannot make a call. We will have to go

old-fashioned, get a pigeon or something! It is more masts like

these that are needed. The UK Government plans to invest ?150

million to pay for 600 around Britain. But here it has been called

an expensive flop as none of the 27 plan for North Wales have been built

because of planning and technical issues. My message to the UK

Government is, let's persevere, has been money set aside, the will is

there, the need is there certainly to address these not spots, so let's

extend the programme so we can deliver at least some of the

promised additional masts. It is not just confined to rural areas,

Wrexham is suffering as well. It is a massive North/South divide. That

means we need the government to not rely on the market only but to take

action and invest and compel providers to provide a service. In a

statement, the UK Government say they are committed to ensuring there

is better coverage, and they say that likes to a landmark agreement

in number of areas with no signal will be cut by two thirds. It is

progress, but still leave some unable to connect.

Still to come in the programme tonight: this is one of the most

polluted areas in Wales - concerns that plans to protect

And the Met Office issues a heavy rainwater in as it turns

increasingly wet and windy overnight.

Wales is once again at the bottom of the table measuring the strength

of the economy - but it's no longer growing at one of the fastest rates,

While we make up 5% of the UK population we only contribute 3.5%

Our economics correspondent Sarah Dickins has been analysing

Sobering news for Wales as we hear our economy which affects our

livelihoods, does not just generate the lowest amount per person but

also has the lowest growth rate. The UK average is counted as 100. Wales

has fallen below for years, and now it is worse. It used to be the bath,

Cardiff and Newport were pretty similar in terms of the money they

generated for the economy. But it now seems that Bath has raced ahead,

helped by its tourism, its university and innovative high-tech

companies. Has Bath gone up a gear? A creative space tucked away in Bath

city centre where designers artists and engineers work on their own

projects but bounce ideas around. What did other places copy? They

need good work space where they know there will be like-minded people. If

you need a certain expertise, I sometimes look out for electronics

or deep engineering knowledge which I do not have. I have people liken

find locally. He is an industrial designer taking concepts from his

sketch pad to computer design, changing the way industries behave.

In economic terms it is high-value work. This idea of knowledge-based

industries working together has been an aim in Wales for several years.

This is not Bath with the economy is growing and people are generating

more than the UK average. This is Newport, which is falling behind.

Technology start-ups are seen by the Welsh government as important if the

economy is to grow. It has helped this Newport -based cyber security

firm go to trade shows abroad. Similar companies already the

meetings together. It is growing, it is slow to start up and get going,

but there is a collaborative process going on, and it will grow. We will

see benefits eventually. But Wales is being outmanoeuvred by other

parts of the UK. Not the traditional way to market a beer company, but it

seems to have worked. This man studies have different economies

expand. Some of politicians and support agencies want to control

things too much but sometimes that does not necessarily the best ideas.

Sometimes you need a little bit of anarchy. There had been debate about

how to narrow the gap between Wales and the UK, no Wales needs to focus

on not letting the economy fall back further.

Two parts of Wales come in the bottom ten areas

with the lowest GVA per head of population in the UK.

The Gwent Valleys and Anglesey, where it's close to half

But is the statistic a true reflection of the state

Roger Pinney's been to Anglesey to find out.

Welcome to millionaires' rule, some of the smartest and most expansively

listed in Wales. And yet the statistics suggest the island's

economy is struggling. These homes are for the affluent few, not be

many, and there have been some well-publicised job losses on

Anglesey. But look at other figures like unemployment and income, visual

Anglesey performing better than the Welsh average. Quite a few of these

properties have absentee owners, but new businesses are being created.

This man runs a company and also chairs the destination Anglesey

partnership. Tourism is important, he says there is potential. If

you're going to set up a business, tourism is one of the best sectors

you can choose for that. Businesses are growing. The economy within

tourism is growing, and the future for tourism on Anglesey is looking

very bright. It is estimated to resemblance to hundred and ?50

million a year into the Anglesey economy and supports 4000 jobs. But

historically, work in this sector has been seasonal and low paid. At

this restaurant they say they want to change that. David Evans founded

the restaurant after running businesses in the United States and

Manchester. He now employs around 100 year and that her sister

restaurant. As a measure, he says that GV HMB misleading. We would

advise people not to look at GVA in isolation, but try to get a more

balanced picture. Did you know that Anglesey is one of the happiest

places to live in the UK? I like that statistic. I like the fact that

not only is this a good place to work but it is a happy place to work

as well. Important elements of the Anglesey economy are not reflected

in its GVA. People on retirement incomes, those who live here but

work on the mainland. Just outside Holyhead, Anglesey Aluminium used to

apply 500. It is now silent. In the last decade the island has lost many

of the industrial and food sector jobs would use to be a mainstay.

There are plans to redevelop the site. A science park is also to be

opened. It is about creating a mix of job opportunities. More

maintenance was founded by four Anglesey Aluminium workers and the

now employ 18. But there is concern that they may have to leave the

island for work. I have a daughter who is 25 and she has moved off the

island. We are in danger of losing younger people and becoming an old

population. The truth is we should read economic figures with a note of

caution. For economists, GVA is a key indicator but it may not tell

the whole story. As negotiations continue to try

and secure an agreement on reducing carbon emissions at the climate

summit in Paris, there are concerns over whether the government here can

hit its target of reducing emissions So far it's only managed

to cut emissions by 12% - It's now allocating an extra ?25

million in capital spending to help Our environment correspondent Iolo

ap Dafydd reports from Paris. The A1 motorway into Paris right

next to the climate summit shows clearly how much the economy depends

on road transport. In Wales, one of the worst polluting areas is near

the' for motorway and a steelworks. The local authorities year

responsible for air quality has 11 monitoring stations throughout the

county. Emissions are decreasing compared to before 1990, but not

quickly enough, according to environmentalists. There is a

genuine lack of understanding of what climate change means for all

Wales's future, there is failure to take this issue seriously. Vehicle

emissions adds to pollution. Public-health Wales is currently

researching the impact nitrogen oxide has on us. In 2010 there were

an estimated 1300 premature deaths in Wales from these types of

emissions. This man is an environmental health officer and

checks pollution levels in Swansea. These machines gather data, which is

evaluated by Welsh and UK agencies. We should've complied with the

nitrogen oxide target in 2010. Then we had an agreement from the

European Commission that we could try to hit that target I20 15. We

missed both those targets. -- by 2015. Year-on-year we report on

these figures, and generally they are getting worse in Wales. The UK

Government has been criticised of hypocrisy, saying it supports action

on climate change while at the same time cutting subsidies for wind and

solar energy. A Welsh Mr came here to explain how Wales is leading the

world in terms of introducing legislation it believes will help

protect the environment and communities. But on emissions,

Wales' record is worse than any other UK country. It set a target of

70 present but so far has managed a 12 present cut. That is a disgrace.

If you're a series of climate change we need a 40% reduction by 2020 and

the Welsh government are aware of that. But the minister in charge is

adamant Wales will reach the target in 2020 and an extra ?5 billion is

to be allocated to deal with climate change. But as it continues to

support and new M4 relief road, the Welsh government will still face

questions about its priorities. Sue, how is it looking

for the next few days? After a brief respite turning wet

and windy overnight. A cold front moving south-east words overnight,

so it will turn increasingly wet and windy. That band of rain pushing

information at West, 20 up to 40 millimetres at lower levels. The Met

Office warning of an ongoing flood risk in North West Wales as river

levels are high on the ground is already saturated. A wet start

tomorrow. The wind is easing. Turning drier and brighter in the

north-west but with lingering showers in the South. It will be

called tomorrow behind the front as it moves eastwards. Temperatures

between 6-11dC. It is a waving weather front pushing back

northwards on Friday. Showers clearing on Thursday night turning

drier, clearer and colder overnight with temperatures between 2-8dC in

towns and cities and colder in the countryside. Cold and breezy with

sunshine and showers, drier in the north away from that weather front

with rain more likely in the South where it is closer. That same

weather front will move back northwards over the weekend bringing

rain at times. Stronger southerly winds bringing milder air. Chillier

with sunshine and showers on Friday, colder overnight into Saturday with

some rain likely on Saturday. It should clear northwards and then

things brighten up on Sunday, but details could change as we get

closer to the weekend. Finally, this picture of the flooded pitch at

Porthmadog football club, likely to see more rain tonight.

A final word from Iwan Griffiths at the Liberty Stadium -

That is the big question. Looking back at Garry Monk's departure, that

performance against Leicester, the 3-0 loss, made his departure

inevitable. The Swans are one point above the relegation zone. We

understand that James Beattie will also be leaving. That is the big

question, who will be the next manager? Rendon Rogers? Gus Poyet

to? That is the big question. That is Wales Today, from all of us

here, has a great evening.