News story: Swansea Christmas tree grower wins Downing Street display title

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns has joined farmer Robert Morgan from Three Crosses, Swansea as the grower’s fir tree was lit outside No10 Downing Street today (6 December).

Robert received the most votes from fellow growers to win the British Tree Growers Association (BTGA) ‘Grower of the Year’ title, and will now provide the 18ft 6” Christmas tree to adorn the front of the Prime Minister’s home.

Trees will have been nurtured for more than 10 years to reach competition height of between 1.4m and 2.2m from base to tip. They are judged on their foliage, colour, shape and marketability.

Robert was runner up ‘Grower of the Year’ in 2014, and provided a Nordman fir for the pillared state dining room inside No10. His family have been in the sheep and cattle farming industry for five generations, and started planting Christmas trees in 1996.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

This is a fantastic achievement and is a wonderful way of recognising the hard work that Robert and his family have put in over the last twenty years to produce award-winning Christmas trees.

Small business owners like Robert represent an important part of the Welsh economy, and the UK Government is determined to make sure these businesses have the support they need to grow and be successful, and are rewarded for their dedication.

I’m proud that a Welsh-grown tree has been chosen for this accolade, and wish Robert and his family a Merry Christmas and extend my warmest congratulations to them on this unforgettable day.

Robert Morgan of Gower Fresh Christmas trees said:

I look forward to our visit to Downing Street today, and my seven year old son Lloyd is especially excited. The tree at Downing Street was one of the first planted at our farm on the Gower, after deciding to venture into the Christmas tree market.

It’s a fitting tribute that this tree, which is almost 20 years old, is here today to signify the years of hard work which has gone in to producing our Christmas trees.



Press release: DVLA staff hand over £50,000 to mental health charity

The grand total was raised for the mental health charity throughout 2017 as part of a year of fundraising by DVLA staff. Staff chose Mind as the agency’s annual charity of choice and have been raising money through a number of activities including half marathons, Three Peaks Challenge, skydiving and a ‘Music for Mind’ charity concert. Over the year staff also ran raffles, sweepstakes and cake sales, with every opportunity raising funds for the good cause.

Along with representatives from the charity, Swansea City Football Club Ambassador Lee Trundle showed his support by attending the presentation of the cheque to Mind at the DVLA in Morriston today, during the agency’s annual Christmas fayre.

Oliver Morley, DVLA Chief Executive, said:

The efforts of our staff in our charity of choice campaign this year have once again been truly outstanding, and I am really proud of everyone who has raised or donated money to support Mind. We’ve seen a massive range of fundraising activities taking place across the agency throughout the year and I’m grateful to everyone for getting involved and supporting this incredibly good cause.

Lorna Killin, Senior Corporate Account Manager for Mind, said:

We are absolutely thrilled that DVLA chose us as their charity of choice and for all their fantastic fundraising support. The money raised will be split between Swansea Mind, which provides support locally, and the Mind Infoline which provides support and advice for anyone experiencing mental health problems. The money raised by DVLA will help Mind ensure that no-one has to face a mental health problem alone.



Press release: Woman who tried to pervert course of justice has sentence increased

Catherine Coslett has sentence increased after the Solicitor General referred it as too low

A woman who conspired to pervert the course of justice has had her sentence increased today by the Court of Appeal after the Solicitor General referred it as too low.

Catherine Coslett was originally sentenced at Newport Crown Court to eighteen months’ imprisonment suspended for two years. She was found guilty of disposing of evidence and putting pressure on witnesses to retract their statements in the case of a man murdered by her son, Richard Wallis.

Catherine Coslett conspired with her son and his daughter to wash and dispose of the clothing that he was wearing when he killed Jan Jedrzejewski. They also put pressure on three witnesses to retract the accounts they gave to the police that incriminated Coslett’s son in the crime.

Following the Court of Appeal hearing, Coslett’s sentence was increased to two years’ immediate imprisonment. Commenting on the increased sentence, the Solicitor General said:

“I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to increase Catherine Coslett’s sentence. The murder of Jan Jedrzejewski was a despicable crime and Catherine Coslett’s actions to cover it up were disturbing. My thoughts are with the family of Mr Jedrzejewski. I hope they can take some comfort from the increased sentence today.”



News story: Spring Statement 2018 date confirmed

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, has announced that the government will respond to the forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in a Spring Statement on Tuesday 13 March 2018.

Following the Chancellor’s announcement at Autumn Statement 2016, there will now only be one major fiscal event in each year, held in the Autumn.



News story: Anthony Browne appointed to the Regulatory Policy Committee

Secretary of State for Business Greg Clark confirmed today that Anthony Browne has been appointed as the new Chair to the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC).

The RPC provides the Government with external, independent scrutiny of new regulatory and deregulatory proposals.

Anthony Browne brings a wealth of expert business experience to the position, having previously held the roles of Chief Executive of the British Bankers’ Association, Head of regulatory affairs at the US investment bank Morgan Stanley, co-founder of the HomeOwners Alliance and Director of the Policy Exchange.

Minister for better regulation Lord Henley said:

High quality regulation is essential for ensuring robust and effective policy-making. The Regulatory Policy Committee plays an integral role in providing stakeholders with confidence that the costs and benefits of regulatory change have been properly considered.

Anthony brings decades of leadership and experience in regulatory reform and I am delighted to see him appointed to this position.

Chair of the Regulatory Policy Committee Anthony Browne said:

It is in everyone’s interest that the UK has regulation that both promotes growth and jobs, and protects the interests of society.

Never has getting regulation right been more important than now and I very much look forward to doing my part to help ensure the UK has regulation that is fit for purpose.