Two Welsh Government ministers attended an informal dinner with the owner of the Green Man Festival as controversy raged about the decision to spend £4.25m of public money on buying a farm for the festival, WalesOnline has learned
The dinner with Fiona Stewart took place at the home of lobbyist Cathy Owens, the managing director of Deryn Consulting and a former Labour special adviser, who has made a declaration identifying the Green Man Festival as one of her company’s clients.
Yet because of a loophole in the Welsh Government’s Ministerial Code under which “informal” meetings do not have to be declared, Climate Change Minister Julie James and Education Minister Jeremy Miles were not obliged to declare their attendance at the dinner.
But now, after being alerted to the event by the Western Mail, First Minister Mark Drakeford has ordered an inquiry.
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A spokesman for the First Minister said: “While ministers attended this social event in a personal capacity, the First Minister has asked the Permanent Secretary to look into the circumstances surrounding their attendance.
“The First Minister has also asked the Permanent Secretary to consider if any amendments need to be made to the Ministerial Code to ensure all interaction with lobbyists is appropriately recorded.”
Opposition politicians have expressed a range of concerns about the purchase by the Welsh Government of Gilestone Farm, near Talybont-on-Usk, about seven miles from the festival site on the Glan Usk estate near Crickhowell. Questions have been asked why it was bought without a full business plan.
An outline business plan was submitted to the Welsh Government in October last year and a full business plan was provided at the end of June.
The Green Man Festival has been held at the Glan Usk estate for 20 years, attracts more than 25,000 visitors annually and is estimated to generate over £10m a year to the region’s economy. During a meeting of the Senedd’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, Plaid Cymru MS Rhys ab Owen asked Welsh Government officials: “Is it usual practice to spend over £4m before having a detailed business plan?”
Andrew Slade, director-general of the economy department, said an “outline case” was necessary but that it was “perfectly possible, feasible, legal, proper... for government to engage in property purchases where we think that is going to deliver on the Welsh Government’s policy delivery objectives.”
Mr Slade said the purpose of buying the farm was about “the wider business and development of the wider Green Man business”, adding that it would include sustainable development work, farming activities and a “range of other things that would allow them to keep the operation in Wales”.
Mr Slade told the committee the festival had “insufficient funds” to buy the farm itself, with either “not enough money to go ahead or the possibility of borrowing to go ahead to get the property needed to develop the business”.
The Welsh Government says it is undertaking “full due diligence and assessment” on the Green Man business plan, submitted by Ms Stewart on June 29, 2022. If the plan is rejected, the Welsh Government aims to sell or rent Gilestone Farm.
In written evidence published ahead of the committee meeting, the Welsh Government said it had been in discussion since 2019 about the “need for Green Man to identify and establish a permanent base in Wales”. Green Man had received “numerous approaches by various corporations to buy the brand in which case it could end up in moving from Wales”. Supporting Green Man to this site “would secure its future in Wales”, the document said.
Green Man is said to have submitted an “outline business plan” in October last year and notified the Welsh Government of the potential upcoming sale of Gilestone Farm in February.
Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, said: “Many people trying to get into the agriculture business will look on with dismay as the Welsh Government buys up a productive farm which most farmers could only dream of.”
Plaid Cymru’s agriculture spokesman, Mabon ap Gwynfor, said: “It seems that a business plan is being
created retrospectively to fit the purchase of the land. This is completely at odds with what others have to do when applying for government assistance.”
The dinner at Ms Owens’ home in Cardiff attended by Ms James, Mr Miles and Ms Stewart took place on May 23, after Gilestone Farm had been bought but before the detailed business case had been delivered by Green Man.
We put a series of questions to the Welsh Government:
- Is it accepted that the ministers attended the dinner and was their attendance at it recorded in their diaries?
- What was the nature of the discussion between the ministers, Ms Owen and her client? Was the purchase of Gilestone Farm and associated matters discussed? While the Welsh Government had already bought the farm when the dinner took place, there was still “unfinished business” in that a business case had not been drawn up by Green Man. Were there any action points arising out of the meeting, and if so what were they?
- Paragraph 3.7 of the Ministerial Code states: “Ministers should not meet formally with professional public affairs organisations (lobbyists) seeking to influence the views or decisions of Government.” Was the dinner at Ms Owens’ home considered by the Welsh Government to be “formal” or “informal”? What distinguishes a formal meeting from an informal one in the view of the Welsh Government?
- Did the ministers at the dinner make any declarations to the Welsh Government in respect of their attendance?
- Had Ms James or Mr Miles had previous discussions about Gilestone Farm with Ms Owens and/or her client?
- Did any other Welsh Government ministers discuss at any stage the purchase of Gilestone Farm with Ms Owens and/or her client?
Every three months the Welsh Government publishes on its website details of formal meetings involving ministers and external organisations. Typically the list of meetings runs to around 60 pages. None of the three most recent lists includes meetings with the Green Man Festival or Deryn Consulting.
We asked Ms Stewart and Ms Owens for statements explaining what was discussed in relation to the festival and Gilestone Farm at the dinner. Ms Stewart did not wish to comment and Ms Owens did not respond.
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