School meal price hike axed in Gwynedd

A FORMER reality TV star let himself into the house of a woman who was renting from his parents and went through her knicker drawer.

Geraint Leonard Sidney Siddall used a key to victim Lisa Roberts’ property to let himself in.

In early April Ms Roberts found some items of her underwear, which were kept in a drawer, were missing.

Initially she thought they may have been in the washing basket.

During subsequent days more underwear was found to be missing, until she had just two pairs of knickers left.

In another incident items of underwear normally kept in a drawer were later found in a wardrobe.

A covert camera was GWYNEDD has become the first local authority to declare its support for Welsh independence.

Councillors backed a motion in favour of Wales becoming a sovereign nation, with an overwhelming majority.

But a Liberal Democrat member who opposes independence said the move would be a “disaster”.

The council’s decision comes after at least 17 community councils backed similar motions. installed in the room and footage showed Siddall in the room going through the drawers.

The 33-year-old, who appeared as a finalist on Fferm Ffactor in 2009 and 2014, was at Caernarfon crown court, having admitted to harassing Ms Roberts for six days in April this year.

Bench chairman Elfed ap Gomer said the offending was so serious it crossed the custody threshold.

He said: “This offending was a significant invasion of the private space of the victim for which you have given no rational explanation.”

Diane Williams, prosecuting, said Ms Roberts lived with her partner and young child in a house rented from Siddall’s parents.

Plaid Cymru councillor Nia Jeffreys put forward the largely symbolic motion at a meeting in Caernarfon yesterday.

She said: “We’re facing a hard Brexit and are used to Westminster playing silly games while ignoring Wales.

“They (the Government) are putting their own party’s unity ahead of our economy.

“It would be easy to fall into a pool of despair but there is hope, there is a mood for change.”

While Wales has been

They had a key to the property but Ms Roberts believed they had never used it, instead always visiting when the family were at home.

During an interview with police Siddall (pictured), of Newborough, confirmed he had been in the property.

Richard Williams, defending, said Siddall had no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

“He realises, looking back, that the incident was extremely distressing and he is very sorry,” he said.

The court also made Siddall the subject of a Restraining Order and he must not contact the victim, directly or indirectly, for two years.

Siddall was given an eight week sentence suspended for 12 months. politically aligned to England and later the United Kingdom since 1282, recent opinion polls have seen a rise in support for the idea of Wales breaking away.

Gwynedd’s county town of Caernarfon is also set to hold a pro-independence rally on July 27.

Fellow Plaid Cymru member Mair Rowlands said: “We have our problems but surely we would be better off if we had a government that worked for Wales alone.

“We need powers over our natural resources.”

But while any constitutional change could only happen following an agreement between the Welsh and UK Governments, a referendum would also be needed before any breakup could take place.

Support for independence was not unanimous, with Liberal Democrat Stephen Churchman claiming it had the potential to be “disastrous.”

“We have no industry to speak of and our economy is in tatters,” he said.

“We won’t get the same deal as we already have in the EU and we need to fight Brexit together.

“I wholeheartedly agree with more devolution and autonomy but independence would be a disaster.

“If Britain falls apart it will sink.”

Beth Lawton, an independent member, said the authority should concentrate on issues closer to home.

But support for the motion was not limited to Plaid Cymru ranks alone, with Llais Gwynedd members Alwyn Gruffydd and Owain Williams both speaking in favour of the principle of an independent Wales.

Cllr Williams said: “It’s outside of these doors that we need to preach – there’s no point preaching to the converted.

“Some of us have dedicated our lives to fighting for Wales but we need to keep that in mind.

“It’s persuading people out there that’s important.”

The motion was carried by 44 votes to four with five abstentions. THE price of school meals will be frozen in Gwynedd after councillors admitted concerns that they are now being served to fewer than half of primary pupils.

A report presented to the council cabinet on Monday sought permission to keep the daily price at £2.50 a day despite warning that scrapping the planned 10p increase would cost the authority over £82,000.

The authority’s head of education told members that the current cost in Gwynedd is already among the most expensive in Wales matched only by Cardiff, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.

He added that there had been a pattern of fewer children taking up school meals following price rises, warning that a further hike would likely see a further fall from the current 46% figure.

The council leader, Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn, conceded that another 10 pence a day would have an effect on many families.

Cllr Catrin Wager raised concern over child poverty and that many working families on low incomes were struggling to pay as working tax credits do not equate to free school meals.

“I think it’s important that we, as a council, do all we can to support these families by keeping the cost down as low as possible as it’s important that they have access to school meals,” she added.

The head of finance confirmed the authority had set aside money when it became apparent that the expected income from the last school meal hike in 2017 would not be realised.

Cllr Gareth Thomas said that he was alarmed that the take-up had fallen under 50% but saw a price freeze as the “sensible thing to do.”

Cllr Ioan Thomas added: “This is a fine example of a department looking to generate income but we need to be mindful that it can sometimes have the opposite effect.”

In response, the head of education accepted that the authority may need to look at “more holistic” approaches in future.

The report was approved unanimously by the cabinet, meaning that the price of school meals will remain at £2.50 from September 2019.