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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED That the motion be put. In summing up, Councillor Huw Murphy stated that the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542 relegated Welsh below English and it had taken 451 years to achieve Welsh equality so stated that he would never hesitate to challenge any bias shown towards his mother tongue. He recognised that Councillor Paul Miller had today apologised for the language he used during the April Cabinet meeting, however highlighted that had he done so earlier, today’s meeting would not have been required. The importance of choice of words used by Councillors was emphasised and it was stated that it was unfortunate that there was sometimes a lack of understanding regarding how important the Welsh language was and how much it was spoken in the North of the County. It was reiterated that the development of the Welsh language and the strengthening of it through education was very important. The vote, undertaken by way of an electronic vote, was not carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Jamie Adams, Terry Davies, Alan Dennison, Tim Evans, Brian Hall, Delme Harries, Mike James, Mike John, Phil Kidney, Elwyn Morse, Huw Murphy, Shon Rees, Vanessa Thomas, Anji Tinley, Alun Wills and Simon Wright [16] Against the Motion: Councillors Steve Alderman, Michelle Bateman, Joshua Beynon, Maureen Bowen, Alistair Cameron, Aaron Carey, Alec Cormack, Pat Davies, Nicola Gwynn, Simon Hancock, Jon Harvey, Tessa Hodgson, Paul Miller, Bethan Price, Neil Prior, Jordan Ryan, David Simpson, Rhys Sinnett, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Vivien Stoddart, Mike Stoddart, Marc Tierney, Thomas Tudor, Tony Wilcox, Chris Williams, Michael Williams, Jacob Williams and Guy Woodham [28] Abstentions: Councillors Mark Carter, Di Clements, John Cole, John Davies, Claire George, David Howlett, Nick Neumann, Aled Thomas, Michele Wiggins, Steve Yelland and Danny Young [11] RESOLVED That the Notice of Motion be not adopted.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors David Bryan, Jonathan Grimes and Rhys Jordan.
The following declarations of interest were made: Councillor Simon Wright declared a personal interest by virtue of his daughter being employed at Ysgol Caer Elen. Councillor Shon Rees declared a personal interest by virtue of his wife being employed as a teacher at Ysgol Caer Elen. Councillor Aled Thomas declared a personal interest by virtue of being a Local Authority appointed Governor of Ysgol Caer Elen. Councillor Jordan Ryan declared a personal interest by virtue of having a relative who attends Ysgol Caer Elen.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the motion be put. In summing up, Councillor Huw Murphy stated that the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542 relegated Welsh below English and it had taken 451 years to achieve Welsh equality so stated that he would never hesitate to challenge any bias shown towards his mother tongue. He recognised that Councillor Paul Miller had today apologised for the language he used during the April Cabinet meeting, however highlighted that had he done so earlier, today’s meeting would not have been required. The importance of choice of words used by Councillors was emphasised and it was stated that it was unfortunate that there was sometimes a lack of understanding regarding how important the Welsh language was and how much it was spoken in the North of the County. It was reiterated that the development of the Welsh language and the strengthening of it through education was very important. The vote, undertaken by way of an electronic vote, was not carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Jamie Adams, Terry Davies, Alan Dennison, Tim Evans, Brian Hall, Delme Harries, Mike James, Mike John, Phil Kidney, Elwyn Morse, Huw Murphy, Shon Rees, Vanessa Thomas, Anji Tinley, Alun Wills and Simon Wright [16] Against the Motion: Councillors Steve Alderman, Michelle Bateman, Joshua Beynon, Maureen Bowen, Alistair Cameron, Aaron Carey, Alec Cormack, Pat Davies, Nicola Gwynn, Simon Hancock, Jon Harvey, Tessa Hodgson, Paul Miller, Bethan Price, Neil Prior, Jordan Ryan, David Simpson, Rhys Sinnett, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Vivien Stoddart, Mike Stoddart, Marc Tierney, Thomas Tudor, Tony Wilcox, Chris Williams, Michael Williams, Jacob Williams and Guy Woodham [28] Abstentions: Councillors Mark Carter, Di Clements, John Cole, John Davies, Claire George, David Howlett, Nick Neumann, Aled Thomas, Michele Wiggins, Steve Yelland and Danny Young [11] RESOLVED That the Notice of Motion be not adopted.
Council considered a report by the Chief Executive regarding a Notice of Motion of no confidence in the Deputy Leader of Council. The Presiding Member highlighted a typographical error on page five of the agenda pack, where it should state that the date the requisition was received was 23 May 2025not 2024, as indicated in the report. Councillor Huw Murphy spoke in support of his Notice of Motion and outlined his reasoning for the submission stating that it had been due to inflammatory and unacceptable comments made by the Deputy Leader in relation to the delivery of Welsh Education and his clear disregard of professional advice. The differing figures of pupils attending Ysgol Caer Elen compared to Haverfordwest High VC School from the Neyland catchment area were outlined and it was stated that the Deputy Leader had no justification for only requesting additional choice information from parents of learners enrolled in Ysgol Caer Elen which demonstrated bias. It was highlighted that following the success of his call-in of the Cabinet decision, the Cabinet decision was then altered to request such information from parents of both Welsh and English medium education which would have budget implications as such information was not required to be collected as part of the Schools Admissions process. Members were advised that Councillor Murphy had referred his concerns to the Welsh Language Commissioner, following accusations made about her by the Deputy Leader, who promptly replied. In summing up, Councillor Murphy expressed that the Deputy Leader’s continual failure to listen to anyone on the matter had led to a loss of confidence in his ability to remain in his position. Councillor Huw Murphy Moved that the Notice of Motion be adopted; Seconded by Councillor Anji Tinley. The Deputy Leader of Council, Councillor Paul Miller, was invited to respond to the Notice of Motion. The Deputy Leader highlighted that his response in the Chamber today would be consistent with his contributions to both Cabinet and the Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee. It was highlighted that understanding the reasoning for parental school choices was crucial, especially during the conducting of the school modernisation programme as it would involve new school investments and closures, and the importance of data informing such decisions was expressed. It was stated that the initial Cabinet recommendation had been quite specific in relation to language choice as it formed part of the discussion in relation to the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) but it was noted that the revised Cabinet recommendation was much broader and would consider all of the factors which may affect parental choice. An apology was conveyed regarding his choice of words on the matter, and it was clarified that he was quoting a mother from his constituency, not expressing his own view, however, he highlighted that the core issue was understanding parental motivations. Members were reminded that the current administration had achieved the highest growth in Welsh Language Education in Wales and continued to invest in new Welsh Medium Schools and he stated that it had been disappointing that a division in the County was being portrayed where no such division existed. On conclusion, the Deputy Leader committed to publish all correspondence between himself and the Independent Group relating to the matter. The Presiding Member then welcomed contributions from Members and the key points were highlighted as follows: • Councillor Di Clements stated that in her opinion the Deputy Leader showed poor judgement in his use of inappropriate language to put forward a recommendation to evidence based decisions regarding why and where parents choose to send their children to school. It was stated that the matter had been highlighted and called-in and should now be a closed matter. It was recognised that it was the Leader’s discretion as to who forms his Cabinet and she believed that the calling of an Extraordinary Meeting of Council was political and a significant cost to the tax payers of Pembrokeshire, of which the Welsh Conservative Group did not support. • Councillor Jordan Ryan expressed his support of the Welsh Language and agreed that such meetings should not be called for political gain. It was highlighted that the time spent in the Chamber today could have been invested in further developing the Welsh Language within the County. • Councillor Delme Harries reminded Members that choice should be celebrated and not questioned and the questioning or judging of such matters without appropriate understanding can lead to the undermining of it, and in this case it is the Welsh language. It was stated that where criticism is made with no basis, then an apology should be offered, and it was highlighted that the Welsh language was a living language which deserved respect. The achievements of learners within Pembrokeshire at the Urdd Eisteddfod last week were recognised and the importance of retaining such learners within the County was expressed. The Chamber’s support was sought in committing to support Welsh Medium education for both current and future generations. • Councillor Anji Tinley expressed that she commonly heard ‘I am not anti-Welsh’ within the Chamber, but she felt Members should be expressing their support by saying they were ‘pro Welsh’ which reflected more positively. • Councillor Aled Thomas agreed that the Deputy Leader could have communicated his points in a better way; however, stated that the views that had been communicated were those of his constituents. It was stated that the calling of an Extraordinary Meeting of Council was driving a wedge between Welsh and English speakers, and it was added that Councillor Huw Murphy’s Welsh contributions to meetings over the last two years had been low and had only been used when it suited politically. It was noted that it had been pleasing to hear so much Welsh at today’s meeting which he hoped would continue in future. • Councillor Alan Dennison expressed that in his opinion no democracy was a waste of money; however, monetary concerns were raised regarding the cost of the additional questionnaire. • The Leader stated that when considering the Notice of Motion ‘creating division where none exists’ and ‘political opportunities’ came to mind and he considered that it was important to put the matter into context. Accordingly, the decision of Cabinet was outlined, and it was emphasised that the decision was simply tasking the Director of Education to explore how the demand for school places could be better captured, with language preference forming just one element of the research. A number of points which had been included within the Notice of Motion were addressed and it was stated that following receipt of a letter from the Welsh Language Commissioner the Leader had responded outlining Cabinet’s resolution and the reasons for the decision and an overview of his full response was given. It was added that the submission of the Notice of Motion raised concerns in relation to the ability of Members asking questions or expressing a view in fear of a vote of no confidence. Cabinet’s support of the Welsh Language was reiterated. • Councillor Huw Murphy highlighted that had he not called the matter in, the original April Cabinet decision would still stand where information would only have been collected from parents who chose to send their children to Welsh Schools, however, the amended decision, following the call-in, would now obtain data from Welsh and English school parents, which was a success story for democracy. • Councillor David Simpson reiterated that it had been pleasing to hear so much Welsh being spoken within the Chamber today. Reference was made to the Corporate Peer Challenge which the Authority took part in during his time as Leader, and he stated that praise had been given to the Deputy Leader by a Member of the Peer Team stating that his approach to matters was inspirational, which Councillor Simpson agreed with. It was added that during his time as Leader of the Council it had been an honour to appoint the Deputy Leader to assist him. [Councillor Michele Wiggins joined the meeting at this juncture.] • Councillor John Davies agreed that the phrasing used by the Deputy Leader had been offensive and highlighted that it was important for Members to use appropriate language. It was stated that it had been pleasing to hear an apology from the Deputy Leader and hoped that on reflection he would be regretful of how the point was communicated. The importance of the Chamber being one-voice on such important matters was expressed. • Councillor Jamie Adams also expressed that an apology was required but added that in his view, the Deputy Leader should not be sitting in the Chamber, partaking in the debate, on a matter that was in relation to him, despite it being permitted within the Constitution. The importance of democracy was reiterated, and it was stated that the accountability which the Notice of Motion sought to receive had been successful. Councillor Tessa Hodgson Moved that the matter be put; Seconded by Councillor Marc Tierney The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the motion be put. In summing up, Councillor Huw Murphy stated that the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542 relegated Welsh below English and it had taken 451 years to achieve Welsh equality so stated that he would never hesitate to challenge any bias shown towards his mother tongue. He recognised that Councillor Paul Miller had today apologised for the language he used during the April Cabinet meeting, however highlighted that had he done so earlier, today’s meeting would not have been required. The importance of choice of words used by Councillors was emphasised and it was stated that it was unfortunate that there was sometimes a lack of understanding regarding how important the Welsh language was and how much it was spoken in the North of the County. It was reiterated that the development of the Welsh language and the strengthening of it through education was very important. The vote, undertaken by way of an electronic vote, was not carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Jamie Adams, Terry Davies, Alan Dennison, Tim Evans, Brian Hall, Delme Harries, Mike James, Mike John, Phil Kidney, Elwyn Morse, Huw Murphy, Shon Rees, Vanessa Thomas, Anji Tinley, Alun Wills and Simon Wright [16] Against the Motion: Councillors Steve Alderman, Michelle Bateman, Joshua Beynon, Maureen Bowen, Alistair Cameron, Aaron Carey, Alec Cormack, Pat Davies, Nicola Gwynn, Simon Hancock, Jon Harvey, Tessa Hodgson, Paul Miller, Bethan Price, Neil Prior, Jordan Ryan, David Simpson, Rhys Sinnett, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Vivien Stoddart, Mike Stoddart, Marc Tierney, Thomas Tudor, Tony Wilcox, Chris Williams, Michael Williams, Jacob Williams and Guy Woodham [28] Abstentions: Councillors Mark Carter, Di Clements, John Cole, John Davies, Claire George, David Howlett, Nick Neumann, Aled Thomas, Michele Wiggins, Steve Yelland and Danny Young [11] RESOLVED That the Notice of Motion be not adopted.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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