:00:00. > :00:00.Tonight's headlines: The Caerphilly Council members
:00:07. > :00:09.who awarded themselves hefty pay rises.
:00:10. > :00:18.Now it's revealed the three year dispute has cost almost ?3 million.
:00:19. > :00:21.It means the cost to every household here in Caerphilly is more than ?30
:00:22. > :00:26.Riot police out in Newport last year.
:00:27. > :00:29.There was significantly more anti-social behaviour per person
:00:30. > :00:35.The call for more support for children when family breakdowns
:00:36. > :00:50.We took a long time to recognise what we now see as child abuse and
:00:51. > :00:53.this is a severe form of child emotional abuse.
:00:54. > :00:56.We're on the buses to find out how daily journeys could change
:00:57. > :00:58.with the proposed Metro for North East Wales.
:00:59. > :01:00.And the D-Day landings of World War Two.
:01:01. > :01:19.Three veterans from South Wales are awarded France's highest honour.
:01:20. > :01:24.Four years ago, Caerphilly Council suspended three senior staff members
:01:25. > :01:26.after an investigation claimed they'd given themselves pay rises,
:01:27. > :01:31.a move the Wales Audit Office called unlawful.
:01:32. > :01:33.Tonight, it's emerged the cost of suspending them on full pay
:01:34. > :01:39.and legal fees is set to rise to nearly ?2.8 million.
:01:40. > :01:51.Here's our political editor Nick Servini.
:01:52. > :01:57.It's the longest running pay dispute of its kind in Welsh local
:01:58. > :02:01.government at the moment and tonight the course is heading towards the 3
:02:02. > :02:06.million mark. This story began four years ago when the council's three
:02:07. > :02:10.most senior officers, the Chief Executive Anthony O'Sullivan, his
:02:11. > :02:15.deputy Nigel Barnett and the head of legal services Daniel Perkins, had
:02:16. > :02:18.large pay rises approved in a meeting that was not open to the
:02:19. > :02:22.public. The assistant auditor general for Wales Anthony Barrett
:02:23. > :02:27.decided to investigate and didn't like what he saw. In March 2013 he
:02:28. > :02:30.published a report saying they were inadequacies in the wake Caerphilly
:02:31. > :02:35.council worked out chief officer pay and said it had acted unlawfully.
:02:36. > :02:40.The officers were suspended and charged by police with misconduct in
:02:41. > :02:43.public office. Eventually the case arrived at Bristol Crown Court but
:02:44. > :02:48.not for long. After a two-year investigation a judge dismissed the
:02:49. > :02:53.case saying there wasn't enough evidence for a jury to find the men
:02:54. > :02:58.guilty. The Leader of the Opposition grew but the council says this story
:02:59. > :03:03.has become a doorstep issue. For council taxpayers across the county
:03:04. > :03:08.borough. It has been never-ending and unfortunately there is no end in
:03:09. > :03:16.sight. This could go on until after the election. It is ridiculous that
:03:17. > :03:21.you can get into this situation with costs escalating out of control. One
:03:22. > :03:24.Labour councillor claimed that while it's been a long-running party
:03:25. > :03:29.problem lied Camry cannot wash its hand of the affair either. The
:03:30. > :03:34.deputy leader of Plaid Cymru was on the committee which met in 2012 and
:03:35. > :03:39.he knew about it. If he had said something sooner we could have dealt
:03:40. > :03:43.with it in September 20 12. But you know Labour run this council and
:03:44. > :03:48.Labour will have to face up to most of the responsibility. And Labour
:03:49. > :03:52.apologised to the public in December 20 12. Then it took steps to reduce
:03:53. > :03:56.the amount of pay that was awarded at the time. Caerphilly councillor
:03:57. > :04:01.has now begun its own investigation into the offices and says it was
:04:02. > :04:03.important to note that a portion of the costs were incurred during the
:04:04. > :04:09.police investigation which lasted for two years. During this time the
:04:10. > :04:14.council was advised it was unable to undertake its own proceedings and
:04:15. > :04:19.therefore the timescales have extended beyond the original
:04:20. > :04:20.anticipation. And so the saga surrounding the top three council
:04:21. > :04:23.officials in Caerphilly continues with no immediate end in sight and
:04:24. > :04:27.council elections around the corner. Nick, many people will be surprised
:04:28. > :04:39.at just how long That's right. We are heading into
:04:40. > :04:43.council election season which means we have 22 separate apples and
:04:44. > :04:47.separate dynamics going on right across Wales. But there is nothing
:04:48. > :04:55.quite like this going on anywhere else. To have the three most senior
:04:56. > :05:00.officials now on paid leave for that period of time and a variety of
:05:01. > :05:04.enquiries with the bill getting up to ?3 million. Traditionally
:05:05. > :05:08.internal disciplinary matters particularly in relation to
:05:09. > :05:12.officials does not really have much traction with the public, but when
:05:13. > :05:18.it's costing the equivalent of ?32 for every household it's the kind of
:05:19. > :05:21.thing that gets talked about a lot. That is the problem for the Labour
:05:22. > :05:27.administration running this council. Plaid Cymru was to run this and it
:05:28. > :05:30.will be a top target authority for Plaid Cymru and the election. When
:05:31. > :05:34.Plaid Cymru meets just down the road for their spring conference tomorrow
:05:35. > :05:40.they will be looking to take advantage of it. But in truth no one
:05:41. > :05:45.really comes out particularly well from this and the remarkable thing
:05:46. > :05:51.about it is that it is still not coming to an end. For everyone I
:05:52. > :05:55.have spoken to, no one is expecting it to come to an end soon.
:05:56. > :05:57.There was significantly more anti-social behaviour
:05:58. > :05:59.per person in Gwent last year than the rest of Wales.
:06:00. > :06:01.That's according to a report by the police watchdog.
:06:02. > :06:04.Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary also found
:06:05. > :06:08.Dyfed Powys Police needs to improve when it comes to keeping people
:06:09. > :06:21.But how effective are they at protecting us from crime?
:06:22. > :06:25.Fires started in a busy Newport street.
:06:26. > :06:30.The police watchdog says there was more antisocial behaviour
:06:31. > :06:33.per person in Gwent in the twelve months to March last year
:06:34. > :06:48.I meet residents groups and we encourage them to report areas of
:06:49. > :06:53.crime. I am not too worried about the figures. We want to reduce them
:06:54. > :06:54.of course and we will accept ways of doing it but it is a partnership
:06:55. > :06:56.matter. With this report we're
:06:57. > :06:58.able to produce a simple Its officers sometimes don't
:06:59. > :07:03.have the skills to deal And crucially the force needs
:07:04. > :07:15.to improve its investigations. I accept the report and understand
:07:16. > :07:21.we do have areas for improvement but I am motivated to try and respond to
:07:22. > :07:24.the report and look for areas we can improve and hopefully get to a
:07:25. > :07:26.position where Dyfed-Powys Police has more positive reports in the
:07:27. > :07:28.future. North Wales Police needs to get
:07:29. > :07:30.better at protecting There are also more organised crime
:07:31. > :07:34.groups per person in its area than anywhere else
:07:35. > :07:35.in Wales, influenced Gwent Police is said
:07:36. > :07:40.to have a limited understanding And South Wales Police did well
:07:41. > :07:48.in all of four key categories. Although, it could improve the way
:07:49. > :07:51.cases are handed over. This policing expert says
:07:52. > :08:07.forces are trying to adapt What they have flagged up is a need
:08:08. > :08:12.for an increase in the number of detectives rather than uniformed
:08:13. > :08:15.police officers. When you're talking about child protection, these are
:08:16. > :08:20.complex and difficult cases to tackle. We have seen a decline in
:08:21. > :08:22.the number of detectives in the preservice over the last 15 years.
:08:23. > :08:24.The North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner says he's
:08:25. > :08:26.encouraged by this report, but says there's always
:08:27. > :08:33.Three of the forces were found to be good overall at keeping people safe.
:08:34. > :08:35.South Wales being the best, Dyfed Powys requiring
:08:36. > :08:39.Overall it paints a good picture of policing in Wales,
:08:40. > :08:47.A tribunal has heard allegations that Cardiff councillor
:08:48. > :08:49.and Assembly Member Neil McEvoy made "a threat" against
:08:50. > :08:55.The Adjudication Panel for Wales is considering whether the Plaid Cymru
:08:56. > :08:56.AM for South Wales Central has breached
:08:57. > :09:05.New standards for teachers in Wales have been unveiled
:09:06. > :09:10.Kirsty Williams says the current standards are outdated and no
:09:11. > :09:15.They set out who can be a teacher or headteacher and what is expected
:09:16. > :09:26.The break-up of many relationships can be painful for children
:09:27. > :09:28.but what happens when one parent deliberately turns a child
:09:29. > :09:31.Research suggest thousands of children across Wales
:09:32. > :09:34.are experiencing what's been called Parental Alienation.
:09:35. > :09:38.It's prompted calls for front-line staff here to be given training
:09:39. > :09:40.to help identify cases and for the impact it can
:09:41. > :09:56.When parents go their separate ways it's often the children left in the
:09:57. > :10:02.middle who suffer the most. And the threat of parental alienation say
:10:03. > :10:07.experts is a real one. This is when the behaviour of one parent turns
:10:08. > :10:11.the child against the other. It affects fathers and mothers equally.
:10:12. > :10:17.But it can also put children at risk of serious emotional harm. Stephen
:10:18. > :10:20.is from south Wales, we have hidden his identity to protect his child,
:10:21. > :10:24.for almost a year he has been locked in a to battle with his ex-partner
:10:25. > :10:31.or the contact time with his daughter. Stephen says his
:10:32. > :10:38.daughter's mother has tried to alienate him. It's heartbreaking. I
:10:39. > :10:42.think of my daughter every day. We weren't one of those stayed in the
:10:43. > :10:50.house people we did everything together. When it comes to the
:10:51. > :10:53.birthdays and things she says she can still the days because she has
:10:54. > :10:57.not seen a father. Stephen says false allegations have been made
:10:58. > :11:02.against him. This has meant weeks going without seeing his daughter.
:11:03. > :11:09.It totally turns your life upside down. I ended up suicidal. I am a
:11:10. > :11:13.father and like all the other parents out there fighting to see
:11:14. > :11:16.their children. One expert has told this programme she believes front
:11:17. > :11:21.line staff should be better informed about the part of parental
:11:22. > :11:27.alienation. I think it should be a requirement that the issues of the
:11:28. > :11:31.rental alienation and this complex dynamic which occurs is taught to
:11:32. > :11:39.front line stamp -- staff. This is a severe form of child emotional
:11:40. > :11:43.abuse. It needs to be recognised along with other types of child
:11:44. > :11:47.abuse. In some countries governments legislate against those who choose
:11:48. > :11:52.to alienate a parent. In Mexico parents were guilty of such
:11:53. > :11:55.behaviour are sent to prison. But there are those who don't recognise
:11:56. > :12:00.parental alienation as a form of abuse. In the UK some judges are
:12:01. > :12:05.starting to do so but there is no formal legislation. There are also
:12:06. > :12:08.concerns and legal professionals about the time it can take to
:12:09. > :12:12.complete a report if one parent makes an allegation against the
:12:13. > :12:16.other. If the allegations are unfounded but appear that remains
:12:17. > :12:21.hostile to contact it can be months before a child sees the other parent
:12:22. > :12:26.again. Often I find that cases take over six months to reach the final
:12:27. > :12:30.stage where hearing will resolve the matter. Of course in that period if
:12:31. > :12:36.there has been no contact whatsoever between a child and parent it is
:12:37. > :12:42.absolutely atrocious for the child to re-establish that relationship.
:12:43. > :12:46.Speaking on behalf of the family Court support service in Wales the
:12:47. > :12:50.Welsh Government says it recognises the impact parental separation can
:12:51. > :12:54.have on children and is developing information and advice services
:12:55. > :12:58.appearance. As calls grow for legal recognition of parental alienation
:12:59. > :13:02.for now Stephen like other parents vow not to give up their fight.
:13:03. > :13:07.Still to come: A BBC poll shows television news is still the first
:13:08. > :13:12.place most of us turn to to find out what's going on in the world.
:13:13. > :13:14.One of three World War veterans from South Wales given France's
:13:15. > :13:29.highest honour for their role in the D-Day landings.
:13:30. > :13:31.?50 million has been committed by the Welsh Government
:13:32. > :13:33.for the development of a Metro transport network
:13:34. > :13:38.They say it is vital to grow the economy and sustain links
:13:39. > :13:42.Earlier, our reporter Roger Pinney met the economy secretary Ken Skates
:13:43. > :13:45.in Rhyl and decided to test the existing system by travelling
:13:46. > :13:51.there from his home by public transport.
:13:52. > :13:54.Waiting for the 9.05 and at the bus stop some more regular
:13:55. > :14:07.They are awkward times though, aren't they?
:14:08. > :14:11.Yes, the times don't suit employment.
:14:12. > :14:17.And there already one of the problems of using
:14:18. > :14:24.They are not frequent, they don't always get
:14:25. > :14:26.you where you want when you need to be there.
:14:27. > :14:29.And so to the second leg of my journey by rail
:14:30. > :14:31.from Colwyn Bay along the coast to Rhyl.
:14:32. > :14:33.This is the mainline linking with regular stops
:14:34. > :14:35.in North Wales to the north-west of England and London.
:14:36. > :14:38.And in Rhyl you step off the train straight into a newly
:14:39. > :14:46.The location of the bus station just outside the train
:14:47. > :14:51.What would encourage you to use the trains?
:14:52. > :14:53.If you went to Chester for example, would you drive?
:14:54. > :15:02.Arriva, which operates the rail station, has just
:15:03. > :15:06.The idea is to make links between rail and bus
:15:07. > :15:10.There is even a touch-screen journey planner.
:15:11. > :15:15.They call this rather grandly the Rhyl Interchange.
:15:16. > :15:18.It will be a key hub in the even more grandly named
:15:19. > :15:24.And that conjours up all sorts of images doesn't it.
:15:25. > :15:30.Think Metro and you probably think of the tube or at
:15:31. > :15:34.But that isn't what's planned for north-east Wales.
:15:35. > :15:36.Rather, better integration between existing trains
:15:37. > :15:45.Long-term, an electrified railway with improved cross-border links
:15:46. > :15:52.But isn't calling it a Metro simply windowdressing?
:15:53. > :15:57.This will receive a considerable amount of investment.
:15:58. > :16:00.I have already stated that ?50 billion is going to be used
:16:01. > :16:03.for the first phase of development of the North East Wales Metro.
:16:04. > :16:06.It is a major long-term scheme which will unlock the potential
:16:07. > :16:09.of the economy and meet the expectations of people who wish
:16:10. > :16:13.to use public transport but at the moment find there are too
:16:14. > :16:21.If the problem is to be solved both in terms of collectivity
:16:22. > :16:23.into the Northern Powerhouse, as it's called, and also HS2
:16:24. > :16:27.when it comes to Crewe, that's the kind of benefit
:16:28. > :16:33.The expenditure is therefore very unlikely to be worth it.
:16:34. > :16:36.In both directions the best part of 50,000 people make
:16:37. > :16:39.the cross-border journey everyday, mostly by car.
:16:40. > :16:41.Whatever you call it, the challenge for public transport
:16:42. > :16:47.Delivering change will cost more than the ?50
:16:48. > :16:56.Now as you are watching this programme you are probably
:16:57. > :16:58.interested in what's happening across the country and a BBC poll
:16:59. > :17:01.shows television news is still the first place most of us
:17:02. > :17:08.TV is also considered to be the most trustworthy source for stories.
:17:09. > :17:10.But it's facing growing competition online.
:17:11. > :17:14.Our arts and media correspondent Huw Thomas has been
:17:15. > :17:21.The poll for BBC Wales found 33% of us look at websites
:17:22. > :17:29.Television is the most popular source of news,
:17:30. > :17:34.with watching news programmes like this one.
:17:35. > :17:37.But compared to last year it's down 7%.
:17:38. > :17:40.The declining appeal of newspapers is shown with those picking up
:17:41. > :17:44.a paper down 1% since last year and symptomatic of the
:17:45. > :17:52.But finding news sources we can trust means we're still relying
:17:53. > :17:56.on traditional media, rather than the web.
:17:57. > :17:59.An overwhelming 44% of people said television news was the source
:18:00. > :18:04.they trusted the most to tell them the truth about the news.
:18:05. > :18:08.By contrast, just 19% of us trust websites and social media.
:18:09. > :18:12.It's the first time the poll has asked people about trust
:18:13. > :18:17.but the experts say it's an important consideration
:18:18. > :18:30.With the rise of social media everybody's News publisher so
:18:31. > :18:33.everybody shares information but not necessarily that verification
:18:34. > :18:37.processes on the part of that any more so it's really important that
:18:38. > :18:40.you will understand and education is a big part of it. Just because
:18:41. > :18:42.something is said doesn't mean it's true.
:18:43. > :18:45.We've never had so much choice about where we get our news.
:18:46. > :18:47.But it's forcing us to think even harder
:18:48. > :18:51.about where to look, and who to trust.
:18:52. > :18:53.People living in Chirk near Wrexham are considering legal action
:18:54. > :18:56.against a wood panel manufacturer, which they blame for chronic dust
:18:57. > :19:00.The company, Kronospan, says it's committed to reducing
:19:01. > :19:03.the impact of its activities on the environment and local people.
:19:04. > :19:10.Suzanne Newell thinks she spends more time cleaning
:19:11. > :19:15.She lives in Chirk, less than a mile from the wood panel
:19:16. > :19:19.It's been a massive part of the village since 1972
:19:20. > :19:22.and employs 600 people, but many residents say they're fed
:19:23. > :19:25.up of a fine layer of wood dust landing on every surface
:19:26. > :19:41.It's frustrating that you can't always have your windows open. You
:19:42. > :19:46.clean your windows and you have dust. Everywhere gets test but not
:19:47. > :19:49.like we have it. 71 families have sought
:19:50. > :19:58.legal advice to see Those who have been affected are
:19:59. > :20:03.being urged to attend drop in sessions but by a firm of
:20:04. > :20:05.solicitors. If enough people get in contact legal action will be
:20:06. > :20:07.launched which could force the company to act.
:20:08. > :20:09.Residents know how important the company is to Chirk but want
:20:10. > :20:11.to express their frustration at being shrouded
:20:12. > :20:21.I have come to make a stand because it's about time something was done.
:20:22. > :20:23.Every year is the same. We should make a stand.
:20:24. > :20:26.The lawyers say it may not be necessary to fight
:20:27. > :20:38.In past cases we have been able to work agree a compromise. If we are
:20:39. > :20:42.unable to agree steps will be taken by the site operators and we can
:20:43. > :20:45.apply to the court and ask them to make an injection compelling the
:20:46. > :20:48.site operator to bring the dust nuisance to an end.
:20:49. > :20:50.The company says it meets environmental standards
:20:51. > :20:51.and its emissions are being independently monitored.
:20:52. > :20:54.It also points to improvement work which is about to get underway.
:20:55. > :21:04.We are in the process of investing ?150 million to modernise this site.
:21:05. > :21:11.That is going to bring a number of benefits. Obviously from the local
:21:12. > :21:18.community's point of view it will reduce our impact on them and the
:21:19. > :21:19.environment and also of course we will secure the long-term future of
:21:20. > :21:21.the site. Chirk and Kronospan
:21:22. > :21:22.are inextricably linked. Villagers are hoping
:21:23. > :21:24.the relationship will improve once Two cities from Wales are bidding
:21:25. > :21:28.to become the next UK Swansea joins the list
:21:29. > :21:32.which includes Perth, as well as St David's
:21:33. > :21:35.in Pembrokeshire. Some football news and Gareth Bale
:21:36. > :21:43.has apologised after being sent off last night during Real Madrid's 3-3
:21:44. > :21:46.draw against Las Palmas. Bale was shown a straight red card
:21:47. > :21:49.for pushing an opponent. A ban for Bale could be good news
:21:50. > :21:52.for Wales ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifier against Ireland
:21:53. > :21:56.later this month. Meanwhile, following an injury,
:21:57. > :21:59.Aaron Ramsey is taking part in full training ahead of Arsenal's game
:22:00. > :22:05.against Liverpool on Saturday. Three World War Two veterans
:22:06. > :22:08.from South Wales have been awarded France's highest honour
:22:09. > :22:10.in recognition of their role Peter Horn, Raymond Simmons
:22:11. > :22:16.and John Price were presented with the Legion d'Honneur
:22:17. > :22:18.at a special ceremony in Cardiff, believed to be the last
:22:19. > :22:21.of its kind in Wales to commemorate their efforts
:22:22. > :22:37.during the D-Day Landings. This is it. They are on the beach.
:22:38. > :22:43.All in all over 150,000 Allied forces would land on the shores of
:22:44. > :22:47.Normandy on D-Day. Amongst them these three, presented today with
:22:48. > :22:57.France's highest honour for their efforts on the 6th of June 1944. I
:22:58. > :23:02.was in the Royal Navy and they were shells going over the top.
:23:03. > :23:07.Originally from Brighton but now living in Caldicot 95-year-old
:23:08. > :23:14.Raymond Simmons joined the Navy at 18. Quinta do his bit for King and
:23:15. > :23:20.country. He certainly did at Normandy. Arguably the pivotal
:23:21. > :23:29.moment in the Second World War. Did it feel like that at the time? No.
:23:30. > :23:35.The 91-year-old from Bridgend is now one of 300 in Wales to have been
:23:36. > :23:42.awarded the Legion d'Honneur. I remember during the night when we
:23:43. > :23:47.were going over there were aircraft in the air, hundreds of aircraft.
:23:48. > :23:52.Was it scary? On occasions, yes. When you are in a situation like
:23:53. > :23:55.that I don't think you have time to think about it. But officials had
:23:56. > :24:01.been thinking about it for some time. Around a year in the planning
:24:02. > :24:09.it remains the largest sea invasion in history. We landed at 6:30am in
:24:10. > :24:18.the morning and the adrenaline was working all the time. I was 23 years
:24:19. > :24:22.of age. 95 years old by now, Peter Horne from Cwmbran served in the
:24:23. > :24:28.Army at the time. What is it mean to you to be honoured today?
:24:29. > :24:36.Marvellous. It brings back so many memories. And today was certainly
:24:37. > :24:40.another day to remember. Time for the weather forecast now. There was
:24:41. > :24:49.some lovely sunshine today. It has been a bright and blustery
:24:50. > :24:55.day for most of us but tomorrow they will be rain at times. It
:24:56. > :24:58.deteriorates tonight. These fronts will bring further wet and windy
:24:59. > :25:02.weather at times. Tonight might start drive but some showers and
:25:03. > :25:06.heavier rain pushing in from the south and west overnight. Southerly
:25:07. > :25:12.winds. Not quite as cold as last night. Tomorrow, driest in the
:25:13. > :25:20.north-east and then out bits of rain. Some heavy bursts at times.
:25:21. > :25:24.That rain more than in north eastwards. Some drier spells in
:25:25. > :25:34.between but remaining overcast the mother of Wales. Tomorrow night the
:25:35. > :25:39.rain continues on and off moving northwards but remaining misty and
:25:40. > :25:46.murky overnight. Not as cold as recent nights. Then we keep this
:25:47. > :25:49.changeable Atlantic influence into the weekend with friends moving in
:25:50. > :25:58.from the west bringing and settled weather at times. Heavier rain on
:25:59. > :26:02.Sunday. A few bright spells early on Saturday and the odd shower. Moving
:26:03. > :26:09.northwards but dry weather in between. Then Sunday might start
:26:10. > :26:17.drive in the north-east but likely to see more heavy rain pushing in
:26:18. > :26:21.from the south-west during the day. Eventually clearing in the
:26:22. > :26:26.afternoon. After a bright and breezy on today, looking more unsettled
:26:27. > :26:34.over the next few days. Some try spells over the weekend with rain at
:26:35. > :26:36.times. Today's picture, snow on the peaks in the Brecon Beacons taken by
:26:37. > :26:51.Rob Davies. That is Wales today. We will have an
:26:52. > :26:55.update at 8pm and more after the BBC News at 10pm. From all of us here,
:26:56. > :26:58.have a good evening.