02/03/2017 BBC Wales Today


02/03/2017

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Tonight's headlines: The Caerphilly Council members

:00:00.:00:00.

who awarded themselves hefty pay rises.

:00:07.:00:09.

Now it's revealed the three year dispute has cost almost ?3 million.

:00:10.:00:18.

It means the cost to every household here in Caerphilly is more than ?30

:00:19.:00:21.

Riot police out in Newport last year.

:00:22.:00:26.

There was significantly more anti-social behaviour per person

:00:27.:00:29.

The call for more support for children when family breakdowns

:00:30.:00:35.

We took a long time to recognise what we now see as child abuse and

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this is a severe form of child emotional abuse.

:00:51.:00:53.

We're on the buses to find out how daily journeys could change

:00:54.:00:56.

with the proposed Metro for North East Wales.

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And the D-Day landings of World War Two.

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Three veterans from South Wales are awarded France's highest honour.

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Four years ago, Caerphilly Council suspended three senior staff members

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after an investigation claimed they'd given themselves pay rises,

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a move the Wales Audit Office called unlawful.

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Tonight, it's emerged the cost of suspending them on full pay

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and legal fees is set to rise to nearly ?2.8 million.

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Here's our political editor Nick Servini.

:01:40.:01:51.

It's the longest running pay dispute of its kind in Welsh local

:01:52.:01:57.

government at the moment and tonight the course is heading towards the 3

:01:58.:02:01.

million mark. This story began four years ago when the council's three

:02:02.:02:06.

most senior officers, the Chief Executive Anthony O'Sullivan, his

:02:07.:02:10.

deputy Nigel Barnett and the head of legal services Daniel Perkins, had

:02:11.:02:15.

large pay rises approved in a meeting that was not open to the

:02:16.:02:18.

public. The assistant auditor general for Wales Anthony Barrett

:02:19.:02:22.

decided to investigate and didn't like what he saw. In March 2013 he

:02:23.:02:27.

published a report saying they were inadequacies in the wake Caerphilly

:02:28.:02:30.

council worked out chief officer pay and said it had acted unlawfully.

:02:31.:02:35.

The officers were suspended and charged by police with misconduct in

:02:36.:02:40.

public office. Eventually the case arrived at Bristol Crown Court but

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not for long. After a two-year investigation a judge dismissed the

:02:44.:02:48.

case saying there wasn't enough evidence for a jury to find the men

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guilty. The Leader of the Opposition grew but the council says this story

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has become a doorstep issue. For council taxpayers across the county

:02:59.:03:03.

borough. It has been never-ending and unfortunately there is no end in

:03:04.:03:08.

sight. This could go on until after the election. It is ridiculous that

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you can get into this situation with costs escalating out of control. One

:03:17.:03:21.

Labour councillor claimed that while it's been a long-running party

:03:22.:03:24.

problem lied Camry cannot wash its hand of the affair either. The

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deputy leader of Plaid Cymru was on the committee which met in 2012 and

:03:30.:03:34.

he knew about it. If he had said something sooner we could have dealt

:03:35.:03:39.

with it in September 20 12. But you know Labour run this council and

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Labour will have to face up to most of the responsibility. And Labour

:03:44.:03:48.

apologised to the public in December 20 12. Then it took steps to reduce

:03:49.:03:52.

the amount of pay that was awarded at the time. Caerphilly councillor

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has now begun its own investigation into the offices and says it was

:03:57.:04:01.

important to note that a portion of the costs were incurred during the

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police investigation which lasted for two years. During this time the

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council was advised it was unable to undertake its own proceedings and

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therefore the timescales have extended beyond the original

:04:15.:04:19.

anticipation. And so the saga surrounding the top three council

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officials in Caerphilly continues with no immediate end in sight and

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council elections around the corner. Nick, many people will be surprised

:04:24.:04:27.

at just how long That's right. We are heading into

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council election season which means we have 22 separate apples and

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separate dynamics going on right across Wales. But there is nothing

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quite like this going on anywhere else. To have the three most senior

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officials now on paid leave for that period of time and a variety of

:04:56.:05:00.

enquiries with the bill getting up to ?3 million. Traditionally

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internal disciplinary matters particularly in relation to

:05:05.:05:08.

officials does not really have much traction with the public, but when

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it's costing the equivalent of ?32 for every household it's the kind of

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thing that gets talked about a lot. That is the problem for the Labour

:05:19.:05:21.

administration running this council. Plaid Cymru was to run this and it

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will be a top target authority for Plaid Cymru and the election. When

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Plaid Cymru meets just down the road for their spring conference tomorrow

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they will be looking to take advantage of it. But in truth no one

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really comes out particularly well from this and the remarkable thing

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about it is that it is still not coming to an end. For everyone I

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have spoken to, no one is expecting it to come to an end soon.

:05:52.:05:55.

There was significantly more anti-social behaviour

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per person in Gwent last year than the rest of Wales.

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That's according to a report by the police watchdog.

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Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary also found

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Dyfed Powys Police needs to improve when it comes to keeping people

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But how effective are they at protecting us from crime?

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Fires started in a busy Newport street.

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The police watchdog says there was more antisocial behaviour

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per person in Gwent in the twelve months to March last year

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I meet residents groups and we encourage them to report areas of

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crime. I am not too worried about the figures. We want to reduce them

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of course and we will accept ways of doing it but it is a partnership

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matter. With this report we're

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able to produce a simple Its officers sometimes don't

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have the skills to deal And crucially the force needs

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to improve its investigations. I accept the report and understand

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we do have areas for improvement but I am motivated to try and respond to

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the report and look for areas we can improve and hopefully get to a

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position where Dyfed-Powys Police has more positive reports in the

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future. North Wales Police needs to get

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better at protecting There are also more organised crime

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groups per person in its area than anywhere else

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in Wales, influenced Gwent Police is said

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to have a limited understanding And South Wales Police did well

:07:36.:07:40.

in all of four key categories. Although, it could improve the way

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cases are handed over. This policing expert says

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forces are trying to adapt What they have flagged up is a need

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for an increase in the number of detectives rather than uniformed

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police officers. When you're talking about child protection, these are

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complex and difficult cases to tackle. We have seen a decline in

:08:16.:08:20.

the number of detectives in the preservice over the last 15 years.

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The North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner says he's

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encouraged by this report, but says there's always

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Three of the forces were found to be good overall at keeping people safe.

:08:27.:08:33.

South Wales being the best, Dyfed Powys requiring

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Overall it paints a good picture of policing in Wales,

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A tribunal has heard allegations that Cardiff councillor

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and Assembly Member Neil McEvoy made "a threat" against

:08:48.:08:49.

The Adjudication Panel for Wales is considering whether the Plaid Cymru

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AM for South Wales Central has breached

:08:56.:08:56.

New standards for teachers in Wales have been unveiled

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Kirsty Williams says the current standards are outdated and no

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They set out who can be a teacher or headteacher and what is expected

:09:11.:09:15.

The break-up of many relationships can be painful for children

:09:16.:09:26.

but what happens when one parent deliberately turns a child

:09:27.:09:28.

Research suggest thousands of children across Wales

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are experiencing what's been called Parental Alienation.

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It's prompted calls for front-line staff here to be given training

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to help identify cases and for the impact it can

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When parents go their separate ways it's often the children left in the

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middle who suffer the most. And the threat of parental alienation say

:09:57.:10:02.

experts is a real one. This is when the behaviour of one parent turns

:10:03.:10:07.

the child against the other. It affects fathers and mothers equally.

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But it can also put children at risk of serious emotional harm. Stephen

:10:12.:10:17.

is from south Wales, we have hidden his identity to protect his child,

:10:18.:10:20.

for almost a year he has been locked in a to battle with his ex-partner

:10:21.:10:24.

or the contact time with his daughter. Stephen says his

:10:25.:10:31.

daughter's mother has tried to alienate him. It's heartbreaking. I

:10:32.:10:38.

think of my daughter every day. We weren't one of those stayed in the

:10:39.:10:42.

house people we did everything together. When it comes to the

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birthdays and things she says she can still the days because she has

:10:51.:10:53.

not seen a father. Stephen says false allegations have been made

:10:54.:10:57.

against him. This has meant weeks going without seeing his daughter.

:10:58.:11:02.

It totally turns your life upside down. I ended up suicidal. I am a

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father and like all the other parents out there fighting to see

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their children. One expert has told this programme she believes front

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line staff should be better informed about the part of parental

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alienation. I think it should be a requirement that the issues of the

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rental alienation and this complex dynamic which occurs is taught to

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front line stamp -- staff. This is a severe form of child emotional

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abuse. It needs to be recognised along with other types of child

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abuse. In some countries governments legislate against those who choose

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to alienate a parent. In Mexico parents were guilty of such

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behaviour are sent to prison. But there are those who don't recognise

:11:53.:11:55.

parental alienation as a form of abuse. In the UK some judges are

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starting to do so but there is no formal legislation. There are also

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concerns and legal professionals about the time it can take to

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complete a report if one parent makes an allegation against the

:12:09.:12:12.

other. If the allegations are unfounded but appear that remains

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hostile to contact it can be months before a child sees the other parent

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again. Often I find that cases take over six months to reach the final

:12:22.:12:26.

stage where hearing will resolve the matter. Of course in that period if

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there has been no contact whatsoever between a child and parent it is

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absolutely atrocious for the child to re-establish that relationship.

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Speaking on behalf of the family Court support service in Wales the

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Welsh Government says it recognises the impact parental separation can

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have on children and is developing information and advice services

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appearance. As calls grow for legal recognition of parental alienation

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for now Stephen like other parents vow not to give up their fight.

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Still to come: A BBC poll shows television news is still the first

:13:03.:13:07.

place most of us turn to to find out what's going on in the world.

:13:08.:13:12.

One of three World War veterans from South Wales given France's

:13:13.:13:14.

highest honour for their role in the D-Day landings.

:13:15.:13:29.

?50 million has been committed by the Welsh Government

:13:30.:13:31.

for the development of a Metro transport network

:13:32.:13:33.

They say it is vital to grow the economy and sustain links

:13:34.:13:38.

Earlier, our reporter Roger Pinney met the economy secretary Ken Skates

:13:39.:13:42.

in Rhyl and decided to test the existing system by travelling

:13:43.:13:45.

there from his home by public transport.

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Waiting for the 9.05 and at the bus stop some more regular

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They are awkward times though, aren't they?

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Yes, the times don't suit employment.

:14:08.:14:11.

And there already one of the problems of using

:14:12.:14:17.

They are not frequent, they don't always get

:14:18.:14:24.

you where you want when you need to be there.

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And so to the second leg of my journey by rail

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from Colwyn Bay along the coast to Rhyl.

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This is the mainline linking with regular stops

:14:32.:14:33.

in North Wales to the north-west of England and London.

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And in Rhyl you step off the train straight into a newly

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The location of the bus station just outside the train

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What would encourage you to use the trains?

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If you went to Chester for example, would you drive?

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Arriva, which operates the rail station, has just

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The idea is to make links between rail and bus

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There is even a touch-screen journey planner.

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They call this rather grandly the Rhyl Interchange.

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It will be a key hub in the even more grandly named

:15:16.:15:18.

And that conjours up all sorts of images doesn't it.

:15:19.:15:24.

Think Metro and you probably think of the tube or at

:15:25.:15:30.

But that isn't what's planned for north-east Wales.

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Rather, better integration between existing trains

:15:35.:15:36.

Long-term, an electrified railway with improved cross-border links

:15:37.:15:45.

But isn't calling it a Metro simply windowdressing?

:15:46.:15:52.

This will receive a considerable amount of investment.

:15:53.:15:57.

I have already stated that ?50 billion is going to be used

:15:58.:16:00.

for the first phase of development of the North East Wales Metro.

:16:01.:16:03.

It is a major long-term scheme which will unlock the potential

:16:04.:16:06.

of the economy and meet the expectations of people who wish

:16:07.:16:09.

to use public transport but at the moment find there are too

:16:10.:16:13.

If the problem is to be solved both in terms of collectivity

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into the Northern Powerhouse, as it's called, and also HS2

:16:22.:16:23.

when it comes to Crewe, that's the kind of benefit

:16:24.:16:27.

The expenditure is therefore very unlikely to be worth it.

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In both directions the best part of 50,000 people make

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the cross-border journey everyday, mostly by car.

:16:37.:16:39.

Whatever you call it, the challenge for public transport

:16:40.:16:41.

Delivering change will cost more than the ?50

:16:42.:16:47.

Now as you are watching this programme you are probably

:16:48.:16:56.

interested in what's happening across the country and a BBC poll

:16:57.:16:58.

shows television news is still the first place most of us

:16:59.:17:01.

TV is also considered to be the most trustworthy source for stories.

:17:02.:17:08.

But it's facing growing competition online.

:17:09.:17:10.

Our arts and media correspondent Huw Thomas has been

:17:11.:17:14.

The poll for BBC Wales found 33% of us look at websites

:17:15.:17:21.

Television is the most popular source of news,

:17:22.:17:29.

with watching news programmes like this one.

:17:30.:17:34.

But compared to last year it's down 7%.

:17:35.:17:37.

The declining appeal of newspapers is shown with those picking up

:17:38.:17:40.

a paper down 1% since last year and symptomatic of the

:17:41.:17:44.

But finding news sources we can trust means we're still relying

:17:45.:17:52.

on traditional media, rather than the web.

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An overwhelming 44% of people said television news was the source

:17:57.:17:59.

they trusted the most to tell them the truth about the news.

:18:00.:18:04.

By contrast, just 19% of us trust websites and social media.

:18:05.:18:08.

It's the first time the poll has asked people about trust

:18:09.:18:12.

but the experts say it's an important consideration

:18:13.:18:17.

With the rise of social media everybody's News publisher so

:18:18.:18:30.

everybody shares information but not necessarily that verification

:18:31.:18:33.

processes on the part of that any more so it's really important that

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you will understand and education is a big part of it. Just because

:18:38.:18:40.

something is said doesn't mean it's true.

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We've never had so much choice about where we get our news.

:18:43.:18:45.

But it's forcing us to think even harder

:18:46.:18:47.

about where to look, and who to trust.

:18:48.:18:51.

People living in Chirk near Wrexham are considering legal action

:18:52.:18:53.

against a wood panel manufacturer, which they blame for chronic dust

:18:54.:18:56.

The company, Kronospan, says it's committed to reducing

:18:57.:19:00.

the impact of its activities on the environment and local people.

:19:01.:19:03.

Suzanne Newell thinks she spends more time cleaning

:19:04.:19:10.

She lives in Chirk, less than a mile from the wood panel

:19:11.:19:15.

It's been a massive part of the village since 1972

:19:16.:19:19.

and employs 600 people, but many residents say they're fed

:19:20.:19:22.

up of a fine layer of wood dust landing on every surface

:19:23.:19:25.

It's frustrating that you can't always have your windows open. You

:19:26.:19:41.

clean your windows and you have dust. Everywhere gets test but not

:19:42.:19:46.

like we have it. 71 families have sought

:19:47.:19:49.

legal advice to see Those who have been affected are

:19:50.:19:58.

being urged to attend drop in sessions but by a firm of

:19:59.:20:03.

solicitors. If enough people get in contact legal action will be

:20:04.:20:05.

launched which could force the company to act.

:20:06.:20:07.

Residents know how important the company is to Chirk but want

:20:08.:20:09.

to express their frustration at being shrouded

:20:10.:20:11.

I have come to make a stand because it's about time something was done.

:20:12.:20:21.

Every year is the same. We should make a stand.

:20:22.:20:23.

The lawyers say it may not be necessary to fight

:20:24.:20:26.

In past cases we have been able to work agree a compromise. If we are

:20:27.:20:38.

unable to agree steps will be taken by the site operators and we can

:20:39.:20:42.

apply to the court and ask them to make an injection compelling the

:20:43.:20:45.

site operator to bring the dust nuisance to an end.

:20:46.:20:48.

The company says it meets environmental standards

:20:49.:20:50.

and its emissions are being independently monitored.

:20:51.:20:51.

It also points to improvement work which is about to get underway.

:20:52.:20:54.

We are in the process of investing ?150 million to modernise this site.

:20:55.:21:04.

That is going to bring a number of benefits. Obviously from the local

:21:05.:21:11.

community's point of view it will reduce our impact on them and the

:21:12.:21:18.

environment and also of course we will secure the long-term future of

:21:19.:21:19.

the site. Chirk and Kronospan

:21:20.:21:21.

are inextricably linked. Villagers are hoping

:21:22.:21:22.

the relationship will improve once Two cities from Wales are bidding

:21:23.:21:24.

to become the next UK Swansea joins the list

:21:25.:21:28.

which includes Perth, as well as St David's

:21:29.:21:32.

in Pembrokeshire. Some football news and Gareth Bale

:21:33.:21:35.

has apologised after being sent off last night during Real Madrid's 3-3

:21:36.:21:43.

draw against Las Palmas. Bale was shown a straight red card

:21:44.:21:46.

for pushing an opponent. A ban for Bale could be good news

:21:47.:21:49.

for Wales ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifier against Ireland

:21:50.:21:52.

later this month. Meanwhile, following an injury,

:21:53.:21:56.

Aaron Ramsey is taking part in full training ahead of Arsenal's game

:21:57.:21:59.

against Liverpool on Saturday. Three World War Two veterans

:22:00.:22:05.

from South Wales have been awarded France's highest honour

:22:06.:22:08.

in recognition of their role Peter Horn, Raymond Simmons

:22:09.:22:10.

and John Price were presented with the Legion d'Honneur

:22:11.:22:16.

at a special ceremony in Cardiff, believed to be the last

:22:17.:22:18.

of its kind in Wales to commemorate their efforts

:22:19.:22:21.

during the D-Day Landings. This is it. They are on the beach.

:22:22.:22:37.

All in all over 150,000 Allied forces would land on the shores of

:22:38.:22:43.

Normandy on D-Day. Amongst them these three, presented today with

:22:44.:22:47.

France's highest honour for their efforts on the 6th of June 1944. I

:22:48.:22:57.

was in the Royal Navy and they were shells going over the top.

:22:58.:23:02.

Originally from Brighton but now living in Caldicot 95-year-old

:23:03.:23:07.

Raymond Simmons joined the Navy at 18. Quinta do his bit for King and

:23:08.:23:14.

country. He certainly did at Normandy. Arguably the pivotal

:23:15.:23:20.

moment in the Second World War. Did it feel like that at the time? No.

:23:21.:23:29.

The 91-year-old from Bridgend is now one of 300 in Wales to have been

:23:30.:23:35.

awarded the Legion d'Honneur. I remember during the night when we

:23:36.:23:42.

were going over there were aircraft in the air, hundreds of aircraft.

:23:43.:23:47.

Was it scary? On occasions, yes. When you are in a situation like

:23:48.:23:52.

that I don't think you have time to think about it. But officials had

:23:53.:23:55.

been thinking about it for some time. Around a year in the planning

:23:56.:24:01.

it remains the largest sea invasion in history. We landed at 6:30am in

:24:02.:24:09.

the morning and the adrenaline was working all the time. I was 23 years

:24:10.:24:18.

of age. 95 years old by now, Peter Horne from Cwmbran served in the

:24:19.:24:22.

Army at the time. What is it mean to you to be honoured today?

:24:23.:24:28.

Marvellous. It brings back so many memories. And today was certainly

:24:29.:24:36.

another day to remember. Time for the weather forecast now. There was

:24:37.:24:40.

some lovely sunshine today. It has been a bright and blustery

:24:41.:24:49.

day for most of us but tomorrow they will be rain at times. It

:24:50.:24:55.

deteriorates tonight. These fronts will bring further wet and windy

:24:56.:24:58.

weather at times. Tonight might start drive but some showers and

:24:59.:25:02.

heavier rain pushing in from the south and west overnight. Southerly

:25:03.:25:06.

winds. Not quite as cold as last night. Tomorrow, driest in the

:25:07.:25:12.

north-east and then out bits of rain. Some heavy bursts at times.

:25:13.:25:20.

That rain more than in north eastwards. Some drier spells in

:25:21.:25:24.

between but remaining overcast the mother of Wales. Tomorrow night the

:25:25.:25:34.

rain continues on and off moving northwards but remaining misty and

:25:35.:25:39.

murky overnight. Not as cold as recent nights. Then we keep this

:25:40.:25:46.

changeable Atlantic influence into the weekend with friends moving in

:25:47.:25:49.

from the west bringing and settled weather at times. Heavier rain on

:25:50.:25:58.

Sunday. A few bright spells early on Saturday and the odd shower. Moving

:25:59.:26:02.

northwards but dry weather in between. Then Sunday might start

:26:03.:26:09.

drive in the north-east but likely to see more heavy rain pushing in

:26:10.:26:17.

from the south-west during the day. Eventually clearing in the

:26:18.:26:21.

afternoon. After a bright and breezy on today, looking more unsettled

:26:22.:26:26.

over the next few days. Some try spells over the weekend with rain at

:26:27.:26:34.

times. Today's picture, snow on the peaks in the Brecon Beacons taken by

:26:35.:26:36.

Rob Davies. That is Wales today. We will have an

:26:37.:26:51.

update at 8pm and more after the BBC News at 10pm. From all of us here,

:26:52.:26:55.

have a good evening.

:26:56.:26:58.

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