08/11/2017 BBC Wales Today

Hello and welcome to Wales Today.

Our headlines tonight:

The family of the late

Labour Minister, Carl Sargeant,

say he was denied "natural justice"

after being sacked

following allegations

of inappropriate behaviour.

This can't happen to anyone else.

Whatever the allegations,

whatever the nature,

we really need to learn

lessons from this.

Tonight, the Labour Party says

it followed procedure

but there are questions over how

the First Minster

handled the dismissal.

Also tonight, serious

failings at the mortuary

of Wales' biggest hospital.

An apology to the families of people

whose tissue samples were kept

longer than allowed.

Arts and crafts over a coffee -

these stroke survivors meet

regularly but experts say more

groups like it are needed

to offer better support.

And he was a player at Glamorgan

for 20 years,

now Matthew Maynard

returns in a coaching role.

Good evening.

The family of the sacked

Welsh Government Minister

Carl Sargeant says he was deprived

of natural justice because he had

not been able to defend himself

against unspecified allegations.

Mr Sargeant is thought to have

taken his own life yesterday

after facing accusations

which included inappropriate

touching or groping

by a number of women.

More from our political

editor Nick Servini.

24 hours after his death, the family

of Carl Sargeant has hit out at

their handling of the sacking of the

Welsh Government minister. A series

of letters between his solicitor and

the UK Labour Party's head of

disputes has revealed the mental

turmoil behind-the-scenes facing

Carl Sargeant up to the point his

body was found on Tuesday at his

home after apparently taking his own

life. One letter from his solicitor

showed that the former minister knew

the allegations involve unwanted

attention, inappropriate touching or

grouping. But he was pushing for

further details. A statement from

his family said it wanted to put

them into the public domain in the

light of the continued unwillingness

to clarify the nature of the

allegations made against him. It

went on to say that up to the point

of his tragic death on Tuesday

morning, he was not informed of any

of the detail of the allegations

against him, despite requests and

warnings regarding his mental

welfare. The family wish to disclose

the fact that he maintained his

innocence and he categorically

denied any wrongdoing. It went on to

say that the distress of not being

able to defend himself properly

against these unspecified

allegations meant he was not

afforded common courtesy, decency or

natural justice. His solicitor also

accuses the First Minister of

prejudicing the enquiry with his

media appearances on Monday in which

he said he had no choice but to

refer the matter to the party to be

investigated. Privately there has

been anger among some within the

party. Publicly there has been more

measured concern.

This can't happen

to anyone else, whatever the

allegations, whatever the nature, we

really need to learn lessons from

this on how we actually support

people, look after people. Politics

is a rough and difficult game but it

should not end in this way. If the

procedure is, I have heard that the

procedure is followed, maybe we need

to look at the procedure because

something has gone badly wrong.

Carwyn Jones attended the opening of

the Welsh National Field of

Remembrance this morning. In a

statement tonight he said this was a

difficult time for everybody,

particularly for Carl Sargeant's

family. He said that like everyone

in the Welsh Labour family, he is

deeply upset by the death of his

friend. In the meantime the pressure

continues to mount. One Conservative

called on him to resign for the

first time today.

We should never

have got to this. It has been

handled particularly badly,

certainly in the statement on the

news by the First Minister on Monday

night. The First Minister has some

form of responsibility and I am

calling for him to consider his

position and resign.

The shock and

grief following Carl Sargeant's

death is still very raw. A book of

condolence has been opened for his

colleagues and friends to record

their memories.

He brought such a

fresh, new outlook. I am wearing my

white ribbon because he was

passionate about tackling violence

against women and he gave himself to

this whole Assembly. He was widely

respected, he had a huge sense of

humour but he drove to some very

important legislation in terms of

housing. I remember him visiting my

constituency in Barry and relating

to people and he was so widely

admired.

All eyes will now be on a

crunch meeting of Labour Assembly

Members tomorrow, their first

opportunity to discuss the tragic

events of the past week.

Nick, what are the

latest developments?

Well, fast paced developments over

the past 36 hours. The most

significant is the release of those

documents from the family because it

tells us how unhappy they are with

the situation and paints a picture

of what was going on

behind-the-scenes. We now know that

Carl Sargeant broadly knew the rough

area of the allegations against him,

which related to unwanted attention,

inappropriate touching or grouping.

But he wanted more details so that

he could be in a position to defend

himself. He would have got those

details in time from the Labour

Party ahead of an official hearing

that was pencilled in in January. In

the meantime, he felt exposed.

Labour will have its rules that it

follows under these circumstances

but increasingly it will come down

to what we call Pastoral care. Who

was looking out for Carl Sargeant

within the party? His lawyers are

saying there was no formal

assistance. The sense within the

documents, words like anxiety,

mental well-being and distress. His

friends talk about how devastated he

was. He was a big bruiser of a

politician but a sense of a

venerable individual in the past few

days. And to add fuel to the fire

tonight, if you could call it that,

Leighton Andrews has said that there

was a deliberate undermining of

Leighton Andrews by the Labour

government.

So the next few days

will be critical.

Carwyn Jones will

not have had to attend a meeting

like this before. This is the most

difficult political moment he has

had to face. Like a lot of close

friends of Carl Sargeant,

undoubtedly he will be feeling grief

as well, but he will have two set

out his case to the Assembly

Members. When we spoke to said they

will give him a fair wind as he

tries to justify the decisions he

would make, but there really is

anger within the party. Within the

past hour I spoke to a Labour figure

in Welsh local government saying

there is a groundswell of opinion

out there that Carl Sargeant was

badly treated and an expectation

that some kind of action will be

taken in the meeting tomorrow. That

is open ended but the stakes are

high.

A road in Cardiff has been blocked

off tonight as police deal with an

ongoing incident. Pfizer -- firearms

officers have been deployed.

A man has admitted causing death

by dangerous driving after an object

flew off his van and killed

50-year-old nurse Susan Owen,

who was driving her car

in the opposite direction.

Caernarfon Crown Court

heard that 31-year-old

Barry Slaymaker was driving along

the Nant Y Garth Pass near Felinheli

when the incident

happened last September.

He'll be sentenced later this month.

Plans to turn a 19th Century

mill in Pembrokeshire

into a Victorian-themed tourist

attraction have been rejected.

Bluestone National Park want to turn

Blackpool Mill into a heritage site

with a narrow-gauge steam railway.

But planning officers

at the Pembrokeshire Coast National

Park Authority recommended refusal

of the plan because of the potential

harmful impact on the environment

and the tranquillity of the area.

Bosses at Wales's biggest hospital

have apologised unreservedly

after an inspection discovered

"significant" failings

at the mortuary.

It found tissue samples from 42

people, including entire organs,

were kept by the University Hospital

of Wales for longer than permitted.

Our health correspondent

Owain Clarke has been

following developments.

When a person dies unexpectedly,

then the police or coroner can

insist that a post mortem

examination takes place.

In those cases, organs or tissue

can be removed and kept

by a hospital to try to find out

exactly what happened.

But once those investigations

are complete, then those remains

need to be returned to the family

or disposed of in line with their

wishes within three months.

But it's emerged that on no fewer

than 42 occasions the mortuary

at Wales' biggest hospital kept hold

of human tissue

beyond that deadline.

There were five examples

where an individual's brain had been

kept longer than was allowed.

And in one instance a tissue sample

was kept for five years.

The boss of the local health

board has apologised.

Our systems have let us down

and that is the feeling.

Our systems have let us down.

A number of those are administrative

systems and therefore

I would suggest there is no

excuse for that.

We have to put that right

and we need to put it right

and make sure it stays right

into the future.

But that's not the only big failing

that was picked up when the mortuary

was inspected in August.

The Human Tissue Authority

also found problems

with maintenance and equipment.

It said the mortuary wasn't

clean or secure enough.

And it concluded the individual

whose legal responsibility

it was to make sure standards

were met was "not suitable

"to act in this capacity".

That person still works

for the health board but has been

moved to another role.

But this isn't the first time

serious concerns have been raised.

In 2009, the mortuary had to be

closed down for a period

following a previous

highly-critical inspection.

They have honestly not learned any

lessons and I would expect

the Welsh Government and the health

board to taken very strong action

to ensure that this mortuary

comes up to standards,

that patients and their families

are not treated in this awful way.

But the health board says

there's already been

a lot of improvement,

even though the Human

Tissue Authority insists

there's a lot left to do.

And they'll be monitoring closely,

considering few things are more

important than taking proper care

of the remains of loved ones.

10,000 crosses have been laid out

in the grounds of Cardiff Castle

to create a Field of Remembrance

for those who died while serving

in the Armed Forces.

Organised by the Royal British

Legion, the field in the Welsh

capital is one of six across the UK

to remember those who died

in conflicts in the distant

past and more recently.

I think it's important for the Welsh

nation but it's important

for the whole of the United Kingdom

as well that we don't forget

the sacrifices made in both

the World Wars and all the other

conflicts, by both those who fought

and those who remained at home

and also suffered.

The price they paid for our freedom

is just something that, as nations,

we should not forget.

There are calls tonight for more

support groups for younger people

who have a stroke.

The Stroke Association says they can

provide invaluable emotional support

to people who are recovering

from the effects of a stroke.

Around 50 stroke survivors regularly

attend the award winning

Neath Port Talbot group.

Our reporter Ben Price joined them.

Christmas may still be 47 sleeps

away but for everyone

at the Neath Port Talbot stroke

group, they firmly believe

in looking ahead to the future

and they are quite

a creative bunch too.

Conrad Evans suffered

a stroke four years ago.

It affected his body,

speech and memory.

With the support of his wife

and his children,

he has made steady progress.

Joining the stroke group

earlier this year

has also made a big difference.

You thought your life

was over, wasn't it?

You were not going

to do anything again.

But now they are talking

about going on zip wires and things.

There are so many things to do.

You could live a more extreme

life than ever before.

There's more things

to do than I did before.

That's certainly something that

makes this group of stroke

survivors stand out.

They are ready to have a go

at almost anything.

Like learning to fish

or even African drumming.

And they've been to Ibiza and now

there is talk of going surfing.

It is something different.

Somewhere to be.

Really good.

I enjoy it.

It's more pleasant

to see other people.

You don't feel like you are

more disabled yourself.

In Wales, around 7,500 people

have a stroke each year.

According to the Stroke Association,

the number of people of working age

having a stroke is on the rise.

Unlike many groups, this one has

members in their 30s right

through to their 80s.

I would say that every town,

every county, needs one

or two stroke groups.

What you've got to remember is that

one of the biggest risk factors

of stroke is getting older.

So a variety of groups as well.

Some groups are very good

at supporting people

in their 60s and 70s,

there is a very big need

for stroke support

for people in their 30s,

40s, 50s, of working age.

John Evans never expected

to have a stroke at the age of 42.

More than a year on,

he has managed to get back

on track to some extent,

even finding himself a new job.

I guess being part of this

group has really helped

you get back into work?

They have been amazing because it

has allowed me to talk to people

that have had the same experience

as me and help other people as well.

And it is down to strong,

hard work and determination

I've managed to get where I am.

As they put the finishing

touches to their designs,

this adventurous group promise a lot

more to come in the years ahead.

Still to come before 7pm.

150 years on, a community

remembers the victims

of the Ferndale Colliery Disaster.

And, he's back.

Glamorgan great Matthew Maynard

returns to the county

in a coaching role.

Unions are welcoming Tata Steel's

£30 million investment

in its Port Talbot site.

The company says it'll pay

for new equipment to help it produce

advanced materials for electric

and hybrid cars.

But unions want Tata to commit

to re-lining one of the blast

furnaces at the steel works,

which they believe will secure

the long-term future

of the Port Talbot site.

Our business correspondent

Brian Meechan is in Port Talbot.

Brian, tell us more

about the investment?

The investment will see a new 500

tonne steel-making vessel prodding

at Port Talbot. There will also be

new cranes and new technology which

will try to reduce emissions at the

site. That means that it will be

able to produce and develop more

advanced, high performing steel that

can be used in electric and hybrid

cars, but also make buildings of the

future more energy efficient. This

is part of an expectation we have

that there will be more money coming

from Tata not just to this Port

Talbot site but to its other Welsh

and UK sites.

I am sorry about the

technical problems we seem to be

having in Port Talbot.

150 years ago today,

more than half the miners

at Ferndale Colliery were killed

in an explosion.

178 men and boys died

in the disaster, which was caused

by large amounts of gas underground.

Today the community has come

together to remember those

who lost their lives.

Caroline Evans reports.

Ivor England, himself a former

Ferndale miner, rings the bell

for the men who lost their lives

at this moment, 1:30pm,

150 years ago.

He believes the men and boys

who died, some of whom are buried

here in Llanwonno, would not have

known the dangers mining presented.

They had a ventilation

fan underground,

a furnace, in a coal mine.

They had lamps that

were faulty in a coal mine.

Unbelievable.

Back in 1867, this area had

a population of around 800.

Almost every single

house was affected.

Newspaper reports from the time tell

of harrowing scenes as the dead

were brought to the surface.

It took three weeks

to recover all the bodies.

The youngest being 12,

six were 13 years of age,

25 were 18 and under,

and 92 out of the 178 killed

were under 25.

So you can imagine

the decimation it would have had

on this particular area.

For months now, a small group

of dedicated volunteers has been

working to uncover the history.

This film part of the exhibition

which has been put together

for today as interest has grown

in the community.

In the last three months,

it has grown out of all proportion.

The overwhelming response from local

people, the wider community,

social media, and tonight

you will see something that this

community has never seen before,

and I think it will truly represent

what those miners went through.

What this small group has

started now has grown

to involve hundreds of people.

This evening they are marching

from the colliery site once more

for a service to commemorate

the anniversary of the disaster.

Six kitchen workers from a hospital

in Neath Port Talbot have won

a EuroMillions jackpot of more

than £25 million.

The women have been playing

the lottery as a work syndicate

for the past six years,

but the "catering girls"

have now handed in their notice.

They are currently planning

a dream holiday together

to Las Vegas in the New Year.

Slight changes but we

are not going to change.

We will be the same.

We are too ordinary to change.

Yes!

He spent more than 20 years

at Glamorgan, first as a player

and then as director of cricket.

Now, after a seven year

break from the club,

Matthew Maynard is returning

as a batting consultant.

He says he's delighted to be back

at the club he was able

to call home for so long.

Sam Richards reports.

Matthew Maynard at his best.

Thrilling Welsh clouds with his

attacking stroke play. A big figure

in Glamorgan's history. And now he's

back after leaving the role of

Somerset's head coach. He is

Glamorgan's batting consultant.

Whether it is a ball that is a

decent length or a half volley, you

have that where you want to be.

I have got a daffodil tattooed on my

arm. It is very close to me, the

club, and always has been. It has

always played a massive part in my

life and now there is an opportunity

for me to give something back. It is

like when I was captain, Robert

Croft was playing for me, when I was

captain he was playing for me, and

now I am playing for him.

He will be

working with some of the county's

Brighton -- brightest talents.

Probably a little bit before my

time. I think the style he played

and the brand he played really

resonates with me personally. It is

quite an honour to have another

Glamorgan legend back on the

coaching staff.

Matthew Maynard was

part of the Glamorgan side that won

the County Championship in 1997. He

called time on his playing career

eight years later. He went on to

become the director of cricket

Glamorgan in 2008 before moving on

to coach in the Caribbean and South

Africa. In 2012 he took a break from

the game following the tragic death

of son Tom Maynard.

He has had time

away from Glamorgan, picked up

experience around the world, and the

timing is absolutely right now. He

is very prepared and very at ease in

his own mind that he wants to go

very skills specific and we are

excited about giving our batters the

best possible chance going forward.

Coaches say they were encouraged by

the 2017 season. A number of young

players were able to make their mark

on the side and fans got to see

their team reached the 20/20 final.

But there is still a lot of work to

do and it is hoped Matthew Maynard's

return could help bring the glory

days back to Glamorgan.

Football, and Wales will play

in the 2018 China Cup alongside

China, Uruguay and the Czech

Republic.

The line-up was announced at a press

conference in Beijing.

The four-team competition will be

held in the southern Chinese city

of Nanning next March.

Tonight's derby match

between Chester and Wrexham

will go ahead with

loosened safety measures.

For the past four seasons,

the fixture has been classed

as a "bubble match",

which means away fans must travel

in officially-organised coaches.

Police have relaxed

the restrictions

following a drop in arrests

and disorder.

Time for a look at the weather now.

Benny's here, and some

lovely sunshine today.

Can we expect any more tomorrow?

Can we expect any more tomorrow?

Yes, we can expect some more bright

weather tomorrow. We started the day

on a cold and frosty note.

Temperatures got down to minus three

Celsius in Sennybridge last night.

But then we did cede some gorgeous

sparkly sunshine. Some cloud coming

in through the afternoon and that is

where we are tonight. This is a very

weak front pushing south and

eastwards through the night. We will

see some hill fog developing. The

rain intensifying across Gwynedd and

then gradually pushing down and

clearing away. The temperatures

tonight not as cold as last night.

Between four and eight Celsius. It

will be blustery along the coast.

Tomorrow, once this front clears, a

ridge of high pressure building so a

fairly settled day. But later on in

the night, we will see some rain

pushing in from the west. First

thing tomorrow morning, dry and

cloudy start across the south-east.

Some patchy rain for Powys. Some fog

first thing but a very mild start to

the day further north. Blustery

conditions along Cardigan Bay. Quite

a bit of cloud around for

Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.

But a dry start of a morning with

temperatures around 12 Celsius.

Cloudy across Swansea as well. As we

go through the morning, the cloud

and rain will clear and then by the

afternoon we can look forward to

more in the way of sunshine.

Certainly an improving picture with

temperatures tomorrow slightly

higher than today so feeling milder.

Between ten and 14 Celsius. Tomorrow

night it is quiet at first and then

we will start to see the next

weather front coming in, bringing

more patchy rain with it. It will

push through pretty quickly and

Pembrokeshire escaping the worst of

the rain. Temperatures still fairly

mild for this time of year. The

weather turning colder again as we

head into the weekend.

The family of Carl Sargeant, the

late Welsh Government minister who

was sacked last week of allegations

of inappropriate behaviour say he

was deprived of natural justice,

claiming he had not been able to

defend himself. He is thought to

have taken his own life yesterday.

The Labour Party said it followed

procedures in line with the

investigations.

This can't happen to anyone else,

whatever the allegations, whatever

the nature, we really need to learn

lessons from this and how we

actually support people, look after

people. Politics is a rough and

difficult game but it should not end

in this way.

Back now to our political editor.

Reminders of the latest

developments.

36 hours after the tragic death of

Carl Sargeant, fast paced movements.

This afternoon, I think it was the

opportunity for the family of Carl

Sargeant to show how unhappy they

have been with the situation and a

picture emerging of what was going

on behind-the-scenes. We now know

that Carl Sargeant knew that he was

facing allegations relating to

inappropriate touching and groping

but he wanted more details in order

to fully defend himself and he

wasn't getting it from the party.

And in some documents that were

released by the family today, a

sense of the vulnerability that he

was feeling. Talk about mental

well-being and even anxiety. And

tonight Leighton Andrews, the former

Assembly Member, has said there was

an undermining of Carl Sargeant from

the Labour Welsh Government for

several years. That will not go down

well with a number of figures,

including Assembly Members, which

Carwyn Jones is addressing in a

crunch meeting here tomorrow.

Thank

you.

And there'll be more on that

story on Wales Live,

a new programme starting

on BBC One Wales tonight.

Here are the details.

Join us at 10:30pm for the latest on

this developing story. We will be

asking what next for the First

Minister Carwyn Jones. And joining

us in the studio will be a former

Wales Labour minister.

We shall be

life after the news at 10pm.

I'll have a quick update

at 8pm, but for now,

from everyone on the programme,

have a lovely evening.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.