Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

The latest Clay Shaw Butler Money Matters column from the Carmarthenshire Herald. By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants. If you are an employer - and if you are an employee - you will interested in the latest news about the National Minimum Wage and the new National Living Wage. The Government has announced it is getting tough on National Minimum Wage (NMW) sanctions It has announced a package of measures, including tougher NMW penalties, to ensure employees receive the pay they are entitled to. The measures include: doubling the penalties for non-payment of the NMW and the new National Living Wage  increasing the enforcement budget  setting up a new team in at taxman HQ at HMRC to take forward criminal prosecutions for those who deliberately do not comply  ensuring that anyone found guilty will be considered for disqualification from being a company director for up to 15 years  Business Secretary Sajid Jav

Shadow of the Missing, a movie currently in production in both the UK and the United States, has returned to Llanelli, prompted by the loss of a historic church in that community. The August fire devastated the Park Church structure, which was built in the 1860s. “The loss of this historic structure is indeed a tragedy, but perhaps some good can come from it,” said Jamie Lee Smith, American film producer. “We have built a story for our movie around the history and mythology of this region. It only makes sense to include this latest chapter in that story.” Smith stated that the plot of the movie has been changed to include the church fire as a key element. In addition to footage and interviews related to the fire, the production company will feature additional scenes in and around Wales and Carmarthenshire. A large number of local residents have been invited be a part of filming this time around as well. “We loved working with local talent both in cast and crew. Since w

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post. Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. www.philevans.co.uk ------------------------------------------ We all make mistakes. Yes, we all make mistakes, as the short-sighted Dalek said when he tried to get fresh with a dustbin. Even I’ve been known to do or say the wrong thing at an inopportune moment. Knickers! I’ve just done it again. I often make the mistake of watching a trailer for a new film which looks interesting, then, when I return to the multiplex the following week to hand over my hard-earned, it turns out to be two hours of bombastic, ear-splittingly loud, intelligence-insulting nonsense. Although I should know better, I’ll probably keep being suckered-in by brilliantly-edited trailers for the rest of my life. Because that’s what brilliantly-edited trailers do. If I‘m in a strange town at lunchtime and I see two restaurants next to each other, the one

The latest 'On Song' column (about the choral scene in and around Llanelli) from the Llanelli Star - Members of Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir will be holding a recruitment day at Tesco’s Trostre superstore in Llanelli on Saturday, October 31 - 9am to 5pm. Choir vice-chairman Tony Crossman said: “We are always looking out for new members and we have recently held a couple of very successful recruitment days – one at the St Elli Shopping Centre and another one at Tesco. “We work very hard to promote the camaraderie of being part of a male voice choir. It is a great experience being part of a 70-strong choir – and it’s a proven fact that singing is good for your health! “We welcome one and all. The choir members are great ambassadors for Llanelli and being part of a male voice choir means you can join our many away trips. This Christmas, we will be off to North Wales and next spring we will be in Ireland. “On previous trips, we have visited the USA, New Zealand, Australia

Two Carmarthenshire firms have been declared winners at the Local Authority Building Control All Wales Building Excellence Awards 2015. The ceremony was held at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay and the opening address was made by Carl Sargeant, Welsh Minister for Housing and Regeneration. Charles Church won the category for Best Large Volume Housing at Machynys East, Llanelli, and T.Richard Jones (Betws) Limited (TRJ) won the category for Best Public Building at ‘The Ffwrnes’ Theatre Llanelli. Both companies will now go on to the National finals in London this November. Charles Church’s The Links is thelatest phase of the much larger Machynys Bay development, and the two, three and four bedroom homes are adjacent to Machynys Peninsula Golf and Country Club. The homes ranging from affordable one bed apartments up to a spacious five bed detached family houses are all built to EcoHomes ‘Very Good’ Standard and striving for ‘Excellent’. TRJ’s winning project, the 'Ffwrnes

The public are being asked for their views on new orders drawn up to tackle dog fouling and the control of dogs in public places. The orders include cleaning up after your dog on all public land in the county, putting your dog on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised officer and excluding dogs from children’s play areas. Residents and stakeholders will be able to give their views as part of the consultation process. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Although the majority of dog owners are responsible, there are a minority who do not care; and residents, local members and community councils have been asking us to take action for a long time. “A number of changes in legislation have held up the process but we are now in a position to proceed with these three orders which reflect the results of the public survey we carried out back in April. “We believe the orders will make it easier to deal quickly and efficiently with irrespo

Three more of Carmarthenshire Archives collections have been made available to view. The records include Carmarthenshire Court of Quarter Sessions 1794-1971 – order books and judge’s notebook, Carmarthenshire Rural District Council minute books from 1950-1972 and Carmarthen District Council minute books from 1974-1996. The Court of Quarter Sessions usually tried crimes that could not be tried summarily by the Justices of the Peace without a jury in petty sessions, and were sent up by the process of indictment to be heard in Quarter Sessions. The court did not have jurisdiction to hear the most serious crimes such as capital punishment or later life imprisonment. These crimes were sent for trial at the Great Sessions, or after 1830, the Assize Court. In addition to its criminal jurisdiction and prior to the creation of the County Council in 1888, the court was also responsible for a number of administrative functions, such the repairs of roads and bridges, supervising the lunatic

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