SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: What Ceredigon don't want you to know about Llettytwppa Farm

Ceredigion County Council has spent more than £2.4 million setting up a new agricultural school just outside Lampeter. But instead of being a keynote project meant to highlight vocational and training opportunities in the farming and rural sector, the project has become mired in controversy.

The first Ceredigion county councillors knew about buying Llettytwppa was in June 2025.

What they didn’t know was that early in the new year, Chief Executive Office Eifion Evans had already applied to the Welsh Government for £2 million to buy the main 129-acre property and an adjacent 5-acre plot.

On 14 March – months before elected county councillors were ever asked to approve the purchase on 3 June - Mr Evans had received confirmation from Cardiff Bay on the loan over seven years at an interest rate of 2.15 per cent, with the £2m to be repaid in 2032.

Through Freedom of Information requests filed with the Welsh Government, we’ve been able to report Mr Eifion and Ceredigion had until March 21 to draw down on the loan.

It was a fait accompli as far as Mr Evans and Corporate Director Barry Rees were concerned: Ceredigion was buying the property regardless of how the council might vote when elected members would be eventually informed on 3 June. That in itself shows the confidence senior officers have in their control over elected members. The finance was sought, arranged and drawn down months before the councillors were asked for permission to acquire the asset — or even knew about it.

“We never knew anything about this and the first we heard was when it came to council in June,” one councillor told Cambrian News.

Councillors agreed to speak with this publication without being publicly named as they fear doing so would draw the administrative wrath of the council CEO.

“I never knew we were buying a farm in Lampeter,” another said.

Yes, much of the goings on at the farm are indeed shrouded in secrecy, with a Cambrian News team spending three months trying to unpick the goings on at Llettytwppa and the council.

With the £2m loan from the Welsh Government already drawn down three months before, Ceredigion councillors were simply asked on 3 June to approve the purchase of an unknown property in Lampeter. Because of the council secrecy, most councillors assumed the purchase was related to the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) campus in Lampeter.

Even then, the decision in June to buy the ‘asset’ was made after the press and public were excluded from the council meeting. It’s not uncommon, however, for property purchases to be approved ‘in camera’.

But would the councillors have gone ahead if the full facts of the done deal were known publicly?

Months before, the university said that third-level education at the oldest campus in Wales was to end with humanities courses being moved from Lampeter to Carmarthen. The university was founded in 1822.

This would end more than 200 years of academia in the town after the university was founded in 1822.

Mr Evans had previously mused that the campus would make a perfect Sixth Form school, allowing Ceredigion to centralise its six Sixth Form courses into one or possibly two centres. Regardless of how parents across Ceredigion would feel about having to have their children bused to Lampeter, Mr Evans had succeeded in planting the idea that he and his senior council staff had some type of a master plan in place.

“When Eifion gets an idea,” one councillor told us, “It’s very hard to dissuade him. It’s his way or no way.”

Another told us: “I had no idea we were purchasing the farm. The first I heard about it was when I read it in the Cambrian News. We’re kept in the dark, and that’s no way to run a council.”

But it’s the way Ceredigion is run under Mr Evans.

Many have complained to us they have little or no scrutiny over the project. Now they want answers to questions raised by our investigation.

How come there are just two full-time students at the farm school?

How come Prys Lewis, a close friend of Council Leader Bryan Davies ended up as the farm manager at Llettytwppa?

How come the council is paying rent for him on a property in Lampeter?

How did the daughter of Mr Evans end up being hired a lecturer at the Llettytwppa Farm school and in Tregaron?

They also want to know how and when Mr Evan’s son was hired by the council, first in finance and now in IT.

And councillors also want to know how family members of Elen James, Ceredigion’s Chief Education Officer, profited from the farm through a grazing agreement, work as a herdsman and on fencing.

Under current rules, senior council staff are not required to publicly declare a conflict of interest.

“It’s madness,” one councillor said. “We have no idea what’s going on and it’s very hard to get straight answers.”

Ask Ceredigion how many students are at the farm, and council’s press office is a little hesitant to reply.

You would think that just over a month into the school year, the answer would come quickly. Not so. No information on Llettytwppa comes quickly.

When asked by Cambrian News how many students had enrolled at Llettytwppa this year, a Ceredigion County Council spokesperson said: “We currently have 47 learners enrolled on agriculture / land-based related courses that are linked to the Fferm Llettytwppa project.

“Arrangements are also in place for all Year 10 and Year 11 pupils who are studying an agricultural course, along with any other pupils in those year groups interested in pursuing a career in agriculture to visit Llettytwppa Farm this term.

“For information, apprenticeships and other vocational courses / training programmes offer flexible start dates, they are not restricted to fixed/traditional academic terms or September start dates, allowing learners to enroll and complete their qualifications at any time during the year. Hyfforddiant Ceredigion Training accepts new learners year-round.”

Sounds promising?

Not so.

The reality is that the morning roll call of full-time students is very brief indeed.

There are two full-time students at the farm. Both are named Tom. Indeed, one Tom is about to leave to transfer to Gelli Aur, a purpose-built and long-established agricultural complex which is home to the 520-acre college farm in the Tywi Valley near Llandeilo, about 25 miles away from Lampeter.

If Llettytwppa Farm is to succeed as a new and purely Ceredigion-based facility, it will have to compete with the reputational and historical success of Gelli Aur.

A number of county councillors contacted by Cambrian News said they received the Ceredigion Press Office statement on ‘official’ numbers after the publication asked how many were at the school.

“Every councillor knows there are just two full-time students, and the council won’t give a straight answer to a straight question,” one elected member told us. “But the staff fudge the numbers. It’s coming from Barry (Rees) and Eifion (Evans).”

Maybe there’s every reason to fudge those numbers, making it look as if there’s a far greater demand for courses at the £2.4m facility.

“According to Ceredigion County Council’s own rules, a Sixth Form subject needs to have at least four students for it to be taught,” one councillor fumed. “Here we have two students, soon to be one, and we’re spending God knows how much on Llettytwppa. It’s a complete mess.”

That’s a sentiment picked up by another county councillor, who said that three years ago, CEO Evans and Executive Director Barry Rees tried to close four primary schools in the north of the county and ended up in a nasty public dispute with councillors, parents and taxpayers over whether they misled the council and allegedly misinterpreted advice from the Welsh Government - all to save £250,000.

“Everything that has happened at Llettytwppa has been signed off by the CEO and the Executive Director. One’s the brawn, the other the brains,” the councillor said. “Barry thinks it, Eifion gets it done. That’s the way things work at the council. We councillors are an after-thought. We simply don’t matter.”

If you believe the public relations material churned out by Ceredigion on Llettytwppa, there’s a big demand for the vocational courses.

In March, more than 200 people attended an open day at the farm.

During the open day, visitors had the opportunity to explore the training opportunities that will be offered at Llettytwppa from September 2026 onwards, including the Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship and Level 3 Apprenticeship in Agriculture through Ceredigion Training.

The newly appointed farm manager, Prys Lewis, toured secondary schools across the county in June, “to raise awareness of the opportunities available at Llettytwppa, including a new agricultural course designed to equip learners with practical skills and knowledge for careers in the sector,” the council beamed.

According to one council press release then, “learners were provided with an overview of the facilities, training opportunities and hands-on learning experiences available at the farm. They were introduced to key aspects of modern agriculture, including sustainability, livestock management and land-based skills, helping them to better understand potential career pathways.”

Mr Lewis said: “It was a pleasure to visit our local schools and share what we offer at Llettytwppa. These sessions are a great way to engage young people, broaden their understanding of agriculture and inspire them to consider future opportunities within the sector.”

And in the same release, Councillor Bryan Davies, Leader of Ceredigion County Council, said: “Developing the skills of the next generation of farmers and land-based workers is vital for the future of our rural communities. The work taking place at Llettytwppa is a great example of how we can inspire young people and provide clear pathways into the agricultural sector.”

Throughout the summer, Ceredigion staff set up information stalls at venues such as the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show to try and drum up interest in the new school.

What the press release, Mr Lewis and Cllr Davies omitted, however, was the close friendship both have enjoyed for years.

Or that Ceredigion County Council is paying £1,000 monthly to a Tregaron-area teacher to rent a Lampeter-area home for Mr Lewis while the council makes official arrangements and renovates residential accommodation on the Llettytwppa Farm. After all, farmers held farmers, right?

Answers were also in short supply when Cambrian News reached out to Mr Lewis on a recent Friday morning.

Asked if he was a friend of Council Leader Bryan Davies, Mr Lewis said: “No. I know who he is.”

Pressed on whether he ever socialised with him, Mr Lewis said: “No, I hardly know him.”

We asked him if they had ever been photographed together, drinking beer, having fun, or were associates for years?

Mr Lewis said he had nothing more to say.

Cambrian News pressed Mr Lewis on whether Ceredigion County Council is providing him with rented accommodation in Lampeter. He answered: “No.”

Multiple Cambrian News sources, however, confirm that the council is indeed paying £1,000 a month for a Lampeter home for Mr Lewis.

The landlord, who we are not naming, is an employee of Ceredigion’s schools’ system and Cambrian News is not suggesting any illegality or impropriety in this rental arrangement.

“I’ve nothing more to say to you,” Mr Lewis told Cambrian News. “Talk to my line manager,” he said.

Asked who that manager is, Mr Lewis replied “Mark Gleeson”. According to Ceredigion staff records, Mr Gleeson is the Corporate Manager for Lifelong Learning and Skills at Hyfforddiant-Ceredigion Training Centre.

Cambrian News asked Ceredigion directly whether Mr Lewis is being provided with accommodation paid for by the council.

It refused to answer the Freedom of Information question on the grounds it would be a breach of his privacy. Citing privacy rights, it also declined to answer how much the accommodation was costing Ceredigion taxpayers.

The last time Llettytwppa was discussed in public by councillors was a month ago. Councillors raised concerns over the transparency of how Llettytwppa was developed and they wanted to know what future plans senior Ceredigion staff had to run vocational courses on the Lampeter university campus.

During a cabinet meeting in September, Liberal Democrat councillor for Aberaeron, Elizabeth Evans asked why there was not a governance structure in place with regards to the partnership between Ceredigion County Council and University of Wales Trinity Saint David, adding “that needs to be in place now so we can scrutinise it”.

Ceredigion CEO Evans responded to the council meeting, saying: “When we use the word governance we have to be clear what we mean by the word governance.

“We have to remember that the campus is the property of Trinity Saint David’s

“What we have created during the past year is an executive board that meets monthly and they look at the possibilities and how the campus can work.

“There has to be an understanding of what we are governing here.

“The executive board has been developed.

“So, when we are talking about governance, the operational steps are working well.

“We have external partners like Sports Council for Wales and Arts Council for Wales. They are aware and are committed to the partnership in the long run. We must have a forum now.

What CEO Evans omitted to tell the council publicly - then or at anytime - is that his daughter, Sarah Evans, has been hired by Ceredigion as a lecturer at Llettytwppa and teacher in Tregaron.

Cambrian News sources also confirmed that Sarah’s husband has been employed at the farm school through a zero-hours contract.

Unlike councillors who have to formally declare a conflict of interest on a topic brought before council, the CEO and other staff members would not have had to declare an interest at the meeting - but they would have had to declare an interest to the council about the farm if a family member worked there.

“Whilst employees’ private lives are their own concern, they must not allow their private interests to conflict with their public duty,” Ceredigion’s code of conduct says. “They must not misuse their official position or information acquired in the course of their employment for personal gain to further their private interests, or the interests of others, such as their close relatives and associates, nor for causing disadvantage to any person or organisation.

The code says: “Employees must make a declaration regarding any actual personal interests or potential personal interests by filling in the declaration of interests form available on the council’s intranet site (Cerinet).

“In completing the declaration of interests form, the employee will be required to provide any relevant information as is available to them at that time in order for a decision to be made as to whether there is a conflict (or potential conflict) of interest with their employment/role as a council employee. That includes relationships with close family members/close personal associates and related parties who are employees/officers of the council or teachers within schools in the county.”

Those staff declarations, however, remain private and cannot be accessed by outside parties such as taxpayers or the press. Councillors have difficulty in knowing which officer has interests of conflicts in any issue being discussed or acted upon by the elected members.

Again, in a detailed Freedom of Information request, Cambrian News asked Ceredigion for details of Sarah Evans’ hiring, to what position was she hired, and what role if any did her father having in the hiring process.

Ceredigion declined to answer those questions on the grounds of privacy.

The council told us: “All vacancies were advertised through Ceredigion County Council’s careers website in accordance with the council’s recruitment procedures.

It said position of Training Advisor for Agriculture/Land-based Studies was advertised - it offered 22.2 hours of work weekly - from 27 February 2026 to 22 March 2026. It was re-advertised on 13 April 2026 at the manager’s request, with a closing date of 5 May.

The council says it received six applications for that role.

It also advertised the casual position of Training Advisor Agriculture/Land-based, from 20 April with a 12 May closing date. There were three applicants.

Ceredigion says it also advertised the position of Farm Manager/Tutor from 14 October to 4 November 2025.

It confirmed there were six applicants for the farm manager role.

Ceredigion told us that CEO Evans “is not involved in the recruitment process within individual council services, and that the relevant recruiting manager oversees all stages of the recruitment process.

Citing privacy concerns, it declined to answer an FoI question on whether Mr Evans indicated that one of the applicants was his daughter.

During our investigation into the events surrounding Llettytwppa, multiple council sources told us that Jack Evans, the CEO’s son, had also been employed by Ceredigion, first in finance and then in IT. Indeed, at the Eisteddfod in August, Mr Evans openly commented how proud he was of the work carried out by his son.

Ceredigion told Cambrian News that it would not be answering FoI questions on his hiring, citing privacy.

“The council does not hold any recorded information in this regard,” it said.

Responding to CEO Evans at that September council meeting when he spoke of the definition of “governance”, Cllr Elizabeth Evans noted: “I fully understand what governance means I can assure you. It’s about checks and balances. When you enter into a partnership it’s about setting the parameters. We don’t own that campus, so we need to know exactly where our lines of delineation are. what our responsibilities are, and also value for money.”

As leader of the opposition group on Ceredigion, Cllr Rhodri Evans feels a bit like a Bible preacher knocking on doors and constantly getting those slammed in his face.

CEO Evans, multiple sources say, has already said he’s going to have difficulty controlling Ceredigion council after next May’s local elections if Plaid Cymru loses it majority and he has to work with current opposition councillors who would then be in a majority.

In September, the Independent Group Leader publicly asked at a council meeting: “How many have enrolled on the offer that we have in Llettytwppa?

Chief Education Officer Elen James responded: “It’s a small crew of learners that we have registered up until now. Hyfforddiant Ceredigion has been very active over the summer.

“We don’t have 100 per cent figures in place at the moment. There are apprenticeship courses that are slightly different. We will continue with the marketing. We will be commencing a small crew but hopefully be able to attract more between now and half term and Christmas.”

What Ms James omitted to say was that direct family members had benefitted from casual herding work, fencing and through grazing arrangements at the farm.

As part of our three-month investigation into Llettytwppa, we asked specific questions under Freedom of Information legislation about the grazing arrangement at the farm organised with the Chief Education Officer’s family.

Ceredigion said that because only a small number of sheep are required and only intermittently for demonstrations and open days, the arrangement was “made directly” with family members of Ms James.

Fencing work at the property was carried out by her brother.

But local Lampeter-area farmers and several councillors said that they believe construction work at the farm in recent months should have been undertaken by local tradesmen, and not by Aberystwyth-based Afan.

“There’s plenty of lads in Lampeter who know how to build and can swing a lump hammer,” one councillor said.

We asked Ceredigion about its policies on employing local contractors from the community.

It said council: “Contract notices are published on the Sell2Wales portal, while contracts above Procurement Act 2023 thresholds are also available through the UK Government’s Find a Tender service.”

Ceredigion cited commercial interests in declining to answer Freedom of Information requests on the nature of such contracts.

It did, however, detail that Afan Construction has undertaken work totalling £2,086,873.16 excluding VAT since 2024 for the council.

Cambrian News also asked every elected member of Ceredigion County Council to answer a series of specific questions over Llettytwppa, hiring practices and student numbers, and whether they believed there were enough concerns to merit a judicial, police or other inquiry into the farm.

Council Leader Bryan Davies, who leads the majority Plaid Cymru caucus in Ceredigion, did not answer the detailed questions.

Instead, Plaid members collectively answered our detailed questions with the following blanket statement, issued in the name of its deputy leader, Cllr Alun Williams: “The Plaid Cymru group on Ceredigion council is satisfied that all processes relating to employment at Fferm Llettytwppa have been carried out in a fair and rigorous manner in line with the council’s obligations and processes under employment law.

“The Fferm Llettytwppa is a project we seek to develop in order to enhance educational and training opportunities for Ceredigion’s agricultural community,” the statement said.

Privately, several Plaid councillors told Cambrian News they were seething at the collective answer as it failed to address serious questions raised by the Cambrian News — reporting that damaged the political credibility of Plaid county councillors

“There is no accountability whatsoever and we’re blindly believing all that we’re being told about the farm,” one said.

“Clearly there are serious questions that need to be answered. It’s rather ironic that the word ‘twp’ in Welsh refers to an idiot. We’re being made look like idiots on Llettytwppa.”

Penparcau Plaid Cymru councillor, Carl Worrall, did respond, saying: "I was not involved in any decision relating to the purchase of Llettytwppa Farm and was not aware of the proposal prior to it being progressed.

“As a result, I am unable to comment on the decision-making process surrounding its acquisition.

"More generally, I have questioned with other councillors why a separate agricultural education facility was pursued when there are already established educational and agricultural training provisions in the Aberystwyth area.

"However, this has not been an area of responsibility that I have been directly involved with.

"I do believe that major projects of significant public interest should be subject to appropriate transparency and scrutiny, and where necessary be openly discussed through the council's democratic processes.

“As with any public body, it is important that proper governance procedures are followed and that councillors are provided with sufficient information to carry out their responsibilities effectively."

For its part, the opposition independent group also chose to issue a joint response to the Cambrian News questions.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Cllr Rhodri Evans said: “Independent members asked numerous questions when the matter of Llettytwppa Farm appeared on the Cabinet agenda on 1 September when a response was given but with no firm figures provided.

“Independent members have also requested that a full project report regarding Llettytwppa be presented to the Education scrutiny committee scheduled for 12 November, which is an open public forum meeting.

“It’s expected a number of these questions can be addressed at that stage also,” Cllr Evans said.

He said that group has not been advised that Mr Evans’s daughter was appointed to a teaching position at the school.

“The authority has a policy and procedure to follow when appointments are made and we would expect these to have been adhered too,” he said.

“With regards to public perception, the authority has a code of conduct for both officers and members with declaration of interest as part of the code together with maintaining the Nolan Principles in public life,” he said.

The Nolan Principles address issues such as acting solely in the public interest; avoiding improper outside obligations or influence; making impartial, merit-based decisions using the best evidence; remaining accountable to the public and submitting to scrutiny; acting transparently; being truthful and declaring conflicting private interests; and actively promoting and exemplifying these principles.

There are topics touched upon by CEO Evans in a recorded video message he sent to all council staff in the early summer, addressing the issue of ethical behaviour and staff employee responsibilities.

“We are not aware of the video issued to staff as this would be deemed to be an operational issue, but we would expect the authorities’ policies and procedures to be followed during any recruitment process,” Cllr Rhodri Evans told the Cambrian News.

Similarly, when it came to appointments of Mr Lewis, Jack and Sarah Evans, and benefits received by others, Cllr Evans said: “This position would again be an operational issue that members would have no involvement with such an appointment. Again, declarations of interest and the Authorities’ Code of Conduct for Members and Officers provides an opportunity to advise the authorities’ Monitoring Officer when and if an interest exists.”