Council tax hike claims denied by Welsh Govt
TWO Bangor and Rhyl footballers were fined yesterday for their part in a mass brawl at a derby match in front of 700 spectators.
A judge condemned their use of “gratuitous force” and warned incidents like these could deter referees and prevent games from being held.
The incident was sparked in the 94th minute after the ball went out and Bangor 1876 player Shaun Lock “shielded” the ball to prevent a prompt restart by Rhyl 1879. Bangor 1876 won the game at Rhyl’s Belle Vue stadium 2-1.
On Wednesday last week, Lock, 31, and Rhyl’s Alex Jones, 28, pleaded guilty at Llandudno Magistrates Court to using threatening words or behaviour in the Ardal North West Division match on October 22 last year.
Prosecutor James Neary said there were really two incidents in front of 711 fans that day.
He said the ball went out for a corner to Rhyl. But Bangor’s Lock picked up the ball “in order to waste time”. He was pushed to the ground and the referee sent off Rhyl’s Alex Jones and Bangor’s Tomos Clarke.
In the second incident tensions flared and Alex Jones punched another player in the face causing him to fall to the ground and triggering the mass brawl.
Witness Robert Thomas, who didn’t support either side, took his binoculars to watch the game. Mr Thomas, a football enthusiast for 40 years, said he was watching from 50 yards away and saw a Rhyl player “swipe” a Bangor player’s legs. The referee sent off the Rhyl player but a “melee” ensued.
He also saw a Rhyl player unleash two “haymaker” punches at a Bangor player’s face. The Bangor player was “prostate” on the floor.
A little later the victim was sitting up and someone was holding what appeared to be an ice pack to his face.
Mr Thomas was “shocked and sickened” by the events and added: “I was very relieved to see he did not appear as badly injured as feared,” the court heard. He discussed the violence with other elderly fans as they left and they were all appalled by what they had seen. He rang police when he got home.
In fact the police received a number of complaints and launched an investigation, said the prosecutor. He said referee Mr Webb’s report told how he had issued several red cards to players from both sides. He said Mr Webb stated: “I have dealt with mass brawls before but people (normally) grab people’s shirts. Punches are quite rare. The extremes of this (case) can only occur once, twice or even never in a referee’s career.” Mr Neary said it was “quite incredible” that players with numbers on their backs behaved in this way as people can record footage on their mobile phones and share it on social media which they did.
Solicitor Alex Fitzgerald, defending Alex Jones, said feelings in a local derby had “completely spilled over”. His client, of Glyn Avenue, Rhuddlan, is embarrassed and apologises.
He had tarnished not only his own reputation but that of Rhyl FC. The club’s managing director and manager were in the public gallery, he added.
Before yesterday’s criminal proceedings, Jones was banned for nine matches by the Football Association of Wales, the court heard. He has sought counselling and has only had one yellow card since the brawl, said his solicitor.
Solicitor Andrew Scott, defended Lock, of Gwern Las, Maesgeirchen, Bangor. He said Lock had initially shielded the ball to prevent a quick restart. He was sorry for his actions. He had not been disciplined by the referee. District Judge Gwyn Jones fined Jones and Lock £750 each. They must also pay a £300 surcharge and £85 towards costs.
He said: “This was an important game for both sides. Many supporters were watching the derby. It’s clear that what happened towards the end of the game was totally and utterly unacceptable. It was the gratuitous use of force.”
He asked how such behaviour will impact on grassroots football.
“If referees and support staff have to put up with abuse they won’t do it (and) they will be no games.”
A ROW has erupted over claims that widows and single parents could be hit with a council tax hike in Wales.
The Telegraph ran a story saying Labour councils were “plotting” to remove the single adult discount - that gives a 25% discount if there is only one eligible council tax payer in a household.
The claim comes ahead of local elections in England. Welsh Government described it as “categorically untrue”.
Welsh Government has been consulting on changes to the council tax in Wales.
This does discuss the single person and empty property discounts and offering additional rates in addition to the 25% and 50% ones currently offered.
Part of the consultation mentions setting different conditions for the statutory discounts - giving local authorities more discretionary powers.
But the consultation does not suggest scrapping those existing discounts for single adult and empty households. Around 520,000 households across Wales will receive a 25% discount in 2022-23. The Welsh Government has now proposed reforms including more additional bands reflecting the latest data, regular revaluations, and a review of arrangements for discounts and reductions.
On the back of the Telegraph story, Shadow Minister for Local Government, Sam Rowlands MS said: “If the single person discount is not preserved, widows and single-parent households will be significantly impacted, with their council tax going up by 33% if Labour pursues this preposterous proposal.
But in response, Welsh Government said: “The claims we have consulted on scrapping or reducing discounts are categorically untrue. Our consultation did not propose removing the single person discount, or any of the discounts currently in use.
“The consultation proposed a review of the wide range of existing discounts and exemptions to improve and modernise the system. Any changes would be focused on making the system simpler, fairer and more progressive. And any specific proposals would be subject to further consultation.”
The changes are set to be delivered from April 2025, and more detail will be confirmed towards the end of this year.