0:00:04 > 0:00:05Welcome to Wales Today.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07Tonight's headlines: The grandparents of a disabled
0:00:07 > 0:00:11teenager who needs round-the-clock care win a legal challenge
0:00:11 > 0:00:14to the so-called bedroom tax.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16And Gwent Police's Chief Constable tells us a significant number
0:00:16 > 0:00:26of his staff have left the force for higher-paid jobs.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37Good evening.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40The family of a disabled teenager from Pembrokeshire have
0:00:40 > 0:00:43won their legal battle against the so-called bedroom tax.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Paul and Susan Rutherford care for their 16-year-old grandson,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Warren, who has an extremely rare chromosome disorder.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Court of Appeal judges have ruled that it's discriminatory
0:00:53 > 0:00:56to reduce their housing benefit for having what was deemed to be
0:00:56 > 0:00:58a spare room.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Matt Murray reports.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Warren is unable to walk, talk or feed himself.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08He suffers from a rare chromosome disorder and needs 24-hour care.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10That's down to his grandparents to provide.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Paul Rutherford and his wife Sue look after Warren around the clock
0:01:13 > 0:01:17in this specially adapted three-bedroom bungalow.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19With Paul's health getting progressively worse,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22carers stay overnight at the house in Clynderwen.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26But under the so-called "bedroom tax", this is a spare room,
0:01:26 > 0:01:30and that means a cut in housing benefit for the Rutherfords who say
0:01:30 > 0:01:32the room is essential.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35It just wouldn't be a viable proposition at all.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39We wouldn't be able to have the help with Warren if we were in a smaller
0:01:39 > 0:01:47property and, without the help, we can't look after him.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Paul showed me around the bungalow to demonstrate how every
0:01:50 > 0:01:54bit of space in this property is utilised.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56The UK Government's aim is to encourage people to move
0:01:56 > 0:02:01to smaller properties and save around ?480 million a year
0:02:01 > 0:02:03from the housing benefit bill.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06But today the Court of Appeal ruled that the so-called bedroom tax
0:02:06 > 0:02:10is "unlawful", ruling in favour of the Rutherfords and a seperate
0:02:10 > 0:02:13case of a single mum who relied on a panic room to protect her
0:02:13 > 0:02:15from a violent ex-partner.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18What these rulings mean, effectively, is that members of two
0:02:18 > 0:02:23distinct groups have been unlawfully discriminated against.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28So those are severely disabled children who need night-time care,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32children like Warren, also, a smaller group of female victims
0:02:32 > 0:02:37of domestic violence who have faced such threats that their properties
0:02:37 > 0:02:40have to be strengthened and secured.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions say
0:02:43 > 0:02:45they fundamentally disagree with the court's ruling and have
0:02:45 > 0:02:48already been granted permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51They say they know there will be people who need extra support.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55That is why they are giving local authorities more than ?870 million
0:02:55 > 0:02:59in extra funding over the next five years - to help ensure people
0:02:59 > 0:03:02in difficult situations don't lose out.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05But that's little comfort to Paul and he lives in fear of having
0:03:05 > 0:03:07to move if the money stops.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11We're relying on the council saying, OK, they are a deserving case,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13they should get some money.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16If the government decides not to give the council that money any
0:03:16 > 0:03:19more, or the council finds that there is more pressing needs
0:03:19 > 0:03:22for that money, we're not go to get it.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25While the UK Government plan to appeal, Paul says he will fight
0:03:25 > 0:03:29this for Warren every step of the way.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31How much should new police officers be paid?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34It's a question being asked by Gwent Police's chief constable,
0:03:34 > 0:03:39who says a significant number have left the force for higher-paid jobs.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40The starting salary for a Police Constable
0:03:40 > 0:03:46is between ?19-22,000 - slightly less than a newly-qualified
0:03:46 > 0:03:47teacher.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Paul Heaney has more.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52This is Gareth O'Reilly's old patch.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55He used to be a police officer with the Gwent force but after ten
0:03:55 > 0:03:59years, changes to pensions and a job offer which paid him significantly
0:03:59 > 0:04:03more as a train driver, he left.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05We've seen a vast amount of police officers now seeking alternative
0:04:05 > 0:04:08employment, seeing that the grass is greener outside the police,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11which you haven't in previous years, and it is a relatively
0:04:11 > 0:04:12new phenomena.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15I don't think the pay is necessarily the only issue involved in it
0:04:15 > 0:04:16but it is a factor, obviously.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Today, Gwent Police has announced it will be replacing the likes
0:04:19 > 0:04:21of Gareth with new recruits from outside the force
0:04:21 > 0:04:26for the first time since 2013 - a total of 100 positions to replace
0:04:26 > 0:04:30more than 300 staff who have left in recent years.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34I had two members of staff who have left us, both of whom became train
0:04:34 > 0:04:37drivers, which is a great profession, and they are looking
0:04:37 > 0:04:38forward to doing it.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41But both said they wanted to remain as police officers,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43but financially, it wasn't viable for them.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48And I think some of the things that our staff have to deal with,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I think if the public really saw some of the things that they do face
0:04:51 > 0:04:52day to day.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55But Gareth and some of his former colleagues say this
0:04:55 > 0:04:56isn't just about money.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Cuts from the Home Office, fewer police officers
0:04:58 > 0:05:02and reorganisation within the force play a part as well.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Morale has nosedived significantly in the last couple of years
0:05:06 > 0:05:10in front-line policing, especially.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13The conditions of the job are suffering.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16I asked people in Abergavenny to write down what they thought
0:05:16 > 0:05:19the starting salary for a constable should be.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20?16,000 a year?
0:05:20 > 0:05:25So if I tell you they start on ?19-22,000, depending
0:05:25 > 0:05:28on their experience, what do you think?
0:05:28 > 0:05:29Is that about enough?
0:05:29 > 0:05:30Is that about right?
0:05:30 > 0:05:33To start on, I'd say that is about right.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36I work in retail so I earn a lot less.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37?26,000.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42So if I say it is ?19-22,000 when the first sign up,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44what do you reckon?
0:05:44 > 0:05:46I mean, it is a hard job, isn't it?
0:05:46 > 0:05:49No, I think they should start on a little bit more than that.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53The Home Office is broadly in charge of how much money police forces get.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56They say police pay is higher than other emergency services
0:05:56 > 0:06:00with earlier retirement and a better pension than many.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Pay is one aspect of their story but so is pressure, doing the same
0:06:03 > 0:06:06job with fewer people.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09A father has told an inquest how he accidentally ran
0:06:09 > 0:06:12over his six-year-old daughter after she fell from their tractor
0:06:12 > 0:06:14while on holiday in Gwynedd.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Evan David from Oxfordshire was giving his three children a ride
0:06:17 > 0:06:20as a treat in Aberdaron when Teal fell.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24The coroner said the death was due to misadventure.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27All four party leaders in the Assembly have written
0:06:27 > 0:06:29to the Prime Minister, objecting to holding the EU
0:06:29 > 0:06:31referendum in June.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33There's been speculation David Cameron plans to hold
0:06:33 > 0:06:36the in-out vote a month after May's Assembly elections
0:06:36 > 0:06:41but the leaders say this could confuse voters.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46A Welsh MP has called for a review into all prisons run by operator G4S
0:06:46 > 0:06:49following the death of an inmate at Parc Prison in Bridgend.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Shadow Justice Minister and Cardiff Central MP Jo Stevens
0:06:52 > 0:06:55said the man had died because his epilepsy had not been
0:06:55 > 0:06:57diagnosed and the prison didn't allow him medical assistance.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said the UK Government had put more money
0:07:00 > 0:07:01into providing safer custody.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06G4S has been asked to comment.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08The Welsh Government's being accused of overpaying for Cardiff Airport
0:07:08 > 0:07:13after an original valuation said it was worth ?20-30 million.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Ministers bought it for ?52 million after another valuation took
0:07:18 > 0:07:22into account other potential benefits of public ownership.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24The Welsh Government says the purchase secured the airport's
0:07:24 > 0:07:26future and since then passenger numbers have increased
0:07:26 > 0:07:28and facilities improved.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Rugby now and Wales coach Warren Gatland says his side feel
0:07:30 > 0:07:33the same going into this year's Six Nations as they did before
0:07:33 > 0:07:35winning the Grand Slam in 2012.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38The coaches and captains gathered today, ten days before
0:07:38 > 0:07:41the tournament kicks off, with Wales' first match
0:07:41 > 0:07:44against Ireland.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46It will be another entertaining game, that is for sure.
0:07:46 > 0:07:47They normally always are.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50But it is probably going to be one of the tougher fixtures,
0:07:50 > 0:07:51especially away from home.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Ireland away is incredibly tough.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57This fixture four years ago set us up for a Grand Slam in 2012,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00so if we do get that win, it is massive for confidence
0:08:00 > 0:08:02and momentum going forward.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05The weather forecast for Wales now with Benny.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Yes, a much calmer night tonight compared with last night.
0:08:08 > 0:08:09Feeling chilly out there.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11It's a bright start tomorrow morning but cold.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14We've got rain coming in later on in the day.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Through tonight, it's a fairly quiet night.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17We do have some clear skies.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Maybe a touch of frost away from the coast where
0:08:19 > 0:08:21it is sheltered.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Temperatures around the freezing mark for most of us and that
0:08:24 > 0:08:26will give us a chilly start to tomorrow morning.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28But pressure is rising for a time.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31This weather system will bring more rain with it later on in the day.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35But first thing tomorrow morning, it's a quiet start to our morning.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37It's cold, a bit breezy along those coastal areas, but
0:08:37 > 0:08:39lighter winds inland.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Some sunshine but through the day, the cloud will thicken from the West
0:08:42 > 0:08:46and we will start to see some patchy rain coming in as well.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48For the rest of the British Isles, yes, that rain band
0:08:48 > 0:08:51across Northern Ireland and Scotland, falling as snow,
0:08:51 > 0:08:52even at lower levels.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55The best of the drier and brighter weather the further south and east
0:08:55 > 0:08:58you are with the temperatures ranging between 7-10dC.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Here in Wales, tomorrow afternoon, a cloudier picture.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04The winds strengthen and we will see rain coming in from
0:09:04 > 0:09:06the south-west as well.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10The temperatures cooler than today, ranging between 8-9dC.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13More persistent rain coming in as we go into tomorrow night,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17continuing into the early hours of Friday morning.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Strong south-westerly winds, too, but a milder night
0:09:19 > 0:09:21compared with tonight.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Temperatures no lower than around seven Celsius.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26So it's a milder start to Friday morning.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28We've got more wind and rain.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29This wind could be damaging.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32The rain could cause some flooding.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34So there are warnings in place for Friday.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Temperatures on the milder side, ranging between 10-12dC.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41And the unsettled weather does continue into the weekend.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Saturday, cold, some rain, windy.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Sunday, more chance of seeing some rain, too, but a milder feel.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Bye for now.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53The Wales Report is up next but that's Wales Today.
0:09:53 > 0:09:59From everyone on the late team, goodnight.