Carmarthenshire County Council has been accused of acting undemocratically by a Plaid member of the Council after the Executive Board ignored a request for further information by one of its Scrutiny Committees. The Council's Cabinet proposed to close the restaurant in County Hall because of the level of losses which it was making. When the issue was discussed by Scrutiny Committee, the Committee decided to request more information first on possible alternative courses of action, such as better publicity for the service.
Cllr Gwyneth Thomas said, "There was a clear majority in the Scrutiny Committee for a delay whilst alternatives were considered. But after the meeting, it was discovered that, without waiting for any comment from Scrutiny or anyone else, the Council's Executive Board had already rushed out redundancy notices to the staff. This undemocratic approach undermines the scrutiny process, and highlights how the Council's ruling Labour/Independent Party coalition believe that they can ride roughshod over any opposition to their plans."
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Jobs should be here first
Concern was expressed by Plaid Cllr Mari Dafis at a meeting of Carmarthenshire County Council about the government’s strategy for putting people on training programmes. Cllr Dafis felt that if we didn’t know which jobs were coming and when, there was a danger that we would either provide the wrong training, or else that the training would be out of date before it could be put into practice.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Dafis said, “I very much welcome the government’s expansion of the Modern Apprenticeships Scheme for instance, and I am delighted that the county council is endeavouring to make more use of it. But unless we know that there are going to be permanent jobs available at the end of this sort of scheme, there is a danger that the schemes just hide the true extent of unemployment.
“For the young people concerned, it can be very frustrating spending time learning skills which they are never able to apply. It’s almost as bad when they complete their training and then find that it’s so long before they get a job that the training is out of date, and further training is needed.”
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Dafis said, “I very much welcome the government’s expansion of the Modern Apprenticeships Scheme for instance, and I am delighted that the county council is endeavouring to make more use of it. But unless we know that there are going to be permanent jobs available at the end of this sort of scheme, there is a danger that the schemes just hide the true extent of unemployment.
“For the young people concerned, it can be very frustrating spending time learning skills which they are never able to apply. It’s almost as bad when they complete their training and then find that it’s so long before they get a job that the training is out of date, and further training is needed.”
Monday, 23 February 2009
Plaid return to attack over education
The Plaid group of councillors on Carmarthenshire County Council have again criticised the selective approach of the county council to educational re-organisation. Despite clear assurances from the Education Minister that the detail is entirely a matter for the county council, the county council leaders continue to maintain that they are following instructions given to them by the Assembly Government.
Plaid Cllr John Edwards said, “I cannot understand why the county is rushing ahead with changes to one area only. It is obvious that changes in one area will impact on other areas, and it is madness not to consider the issues across the county as a whole. Only by doing so can we ensure that we are coming up with the best approach overall.”
The Plaid group leader expressed his shock at some of the comments which had apparently been made by Government officials in Cardiff. “It was reported to the council,” said Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, “that if the council does not rush forward with its plans, we will slip behind in the queue for funding, and not receive any money for investment. I really cannot believe that the Assembly Government would determine its strategy for investment in education on the basis of who rushes to put the first plans in, and that the last to submit plans will receive nothing, regardless of need. That is a wholly unacceptable way of allocating funds.”
Plaid Cllr John Edwards said, “I cannot understand why the county is rushing ahead with changes to one area only. It is obvious that changes in one area will impact on other areas, and it is madness not to consider the issues across the county as a whole. Only by doing so can we ensure that we are coming up with the best approach overall.”
The Plaid group leader expressed his shock at some of the comments which had apparently been made by Government officials in Cardiff. “It was reported to the council,” said Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, “that if the council does not rush forward with its plans, we will slip behind in the queue for funding, and not receive any money for investment. I really cannot believe that the Assembly Government would determine its strategy for investment in education on the basis of who rushes to put the first plans in, and that the last to submit plans will receive nothing, regardless of need. That is a wholly unacceptable way of allocating funds.”
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Cllrs meet with traders
Lammas Street traders met with the four Plaid Cymru county councillors for Carmarthen Town to discuss the proposed changes to parking arrangements in Lammas Street. The meeting was organised by South Ward Cllr Arwel Lloyd as a result of the concerns expressed by traders about the Council's plans. After the meeting, Cllr Lloyd said, "The overwhelming message given to me by the traders is that the current arrangements are working well, there are no real problems, and therefore no need for change. The County Council's only reason for changing the current system seems to be an attempt to increase the council's income - they seem not to have taken into account the fact that, if even one business fails as a result of the introduction of charges for parking, the council will probably lose more in business rate income than it gains in parking income."
The County Council's proposals, passed by the Executive Board last year, include the introduction of charges for parking along Lammas Street. Currently, there is a limited waiting period, but no charge. The Council also proposes to move the taxi rank to use a part of the current bus bay. The plans had been scheduled for introduction on 1st January this year, but following campaigns by Plaid and others, the council's Executive Board agreed to defer the introduction for one year.
Cllr Lloyd added, "As things stand, the scheme has not been shelved, only delayed. Traders in Lammas Street have been having a bad time recently for a number of reasons, and the temporary reduction in parking in the town whilst redevelopment takes place has not helped. Coupled with the recession, many businesses feel that they are now operating on the financial margins, and that any changes which further reduce their income could mean the end for some of them. There is a serious danger that the changes proposed by the council will deter people from coming into Lammas Street at all, and that could spell disaster for some businesses.
"The council say that they are only proposing to charge 20p for parking initially, but I am concerned that this will be the thin end of the wedge. Once the principle is established, there is nothing to stop the council increasing the charges each year, so it is important that we resist the principle. I will continue to support the traders and work with them to put together a case asking the council's Executive Board to reconsider its decision. As one of the traders put it to us at the meeting - 'it isn't broken - so why are they trying to fix it?'"
The County Council's proposals, passed by the Executive Board last year, include the introduction of charges for parking along Lammas Street. Currently, there is a limited waiting period, but no charge. The Council also proposes to move the taxi rank to use a part of the current bus bay. The plans had been scheduled for introduction on 1st January this year, but following campaigns by Plaid and others, the council's Executive Board agreed to defer the introduction for one year.
Cllr Lloyd added, "As things stand, the scheme has not been shelved, only delayed. Traders in Lammas Street have been having a bad time recently for a number of reasons, and the temporary reduction in parking in the town whilst redevelopment takes place has not helped. Coupled with the recession, many businesses feel that they are now operating on the financial margins, and that any changes which further reduce their income could mean the end for some of them. There is a serious danger that the changes proposed by the council will deter people from coming into Lammas Street at all, and that could spell disaster for some businesses.
"The council say that they are only proposing to charge 20p for parking initially, but I am concerned that this will be the thin end of the wedge. Once the principle is established, there is nothing to stop the council increasing the charges each year, so it is important that we resist the principle. I will continue to support the traders and work with them to put together a case asking the council's Executive Board to reconsider its decision. As one of the traders put it to us at the meeting - 'it isn't broken - so why are they trying to fix it?'"
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Disquiet over education re-organisation
Following their highly successful series of public consultation meetings on education in the Gwendraeth / Dinefwr area, Plaid Cymru report that there is a great deal of disquiet about the county council’s proposals for re-organisation. The party’s leader on Carmarthenshire County Council, Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, said, “Our meetings were very well attended. There was enormous disquiet about the county council’s proposals, and only very limited support for them from a small number of people. The biggest single concerns were over the rushed timetable and the way in which the county council has chosen to consider only part of the county, rather than preparing a comprehensive plan.”Rhodri Glyn Thomas, AM, who attended the meeting in Llangadog, said that he was concerned about the message being given out by the county council. “We heard from people who said that the county council had told them that they had no real choice about their proposals. The county council has apparently been claiming that they are only following instructions from the Assembly government. As an AM, I have spoken to the Education Minister about this, and I can categorically state that the claim is nonsense.
“Jane Hutt has made it very clear to me that neither she nor any of her department’s officials have given any instructions to the county council about the nature of any proposed changes. That is entirely – and quite properly – a matter for the county council itself to propose. I cannot understand why the county council seems so determined to mislead people in this way.”
Carmarthen East MP, Adam Price, also attended two of the meetings, and said this week, “I am delighted that the Plaid group on the county council are showing the way a proper consultation exercise should work. They had no preconceived ideas, no proposals to put to people; they simply went out and listened. They had a very warm response to that approach – people commented to me on how different Plaid’s approach was from that of the council. Education is one of the most important responsibilities of the county council, and it is vital that people’s views are properly taken into account from the outset. Preparing a limited range of options and asking people to choose amongst them is a long way short of a proper consultation.”
Having held the three meetings, in Cross Hands, Llangadog, and Ammanford, Plaid will now prepare their own submission on the options which could be pursued and seek to change the county’s approach accordingly. They will be doing so in co-ordination with Plaid Cymru’s new Education spokesperson in the Assembly, Nerys Evans AM, who is based in Carmarthen herself.
She has promised full co-operation to the councillors, and said this week, “I have questioned Jane Hutt on a number of occasions, and every time she tells me that the detail is entirely a matter for Carmarthenshire. There is nothing in the Assembly Government’s policies which forces any county council to close or merge schools – there are other options, and we shall be exploring them.”
Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths concluded, “We have found this a very worthwhile exercise, and I think that local people felt the same. It is a model of consultation which we will be using again. We’re extremely grateful to all those who attended – there must have been over 300 in total – and will try and reflect all views in our alternative proposals.”
Friday, 16 January 2009
New school for Llanelli?
Following the announcement that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is making additional funds available for new capital projects, Plaid Cllr Huw Lewis has suggested that an additional Welsh school for Llanelli should be a priority. The County Council recently rejected a call for such an additional school on cost grounds, but Cllr Lewis argues that this objection is no longer valid.
“The demand for more Welsh-medium provision in Llanelli is clear and recognised,” said Cllr Lewis. “When I raised this at the last meeting of the county council, I was told that there was no scope within the county council’s capital spending programme for an additional school. But this week, the Chancellor has announced an additional £140million for capital spending in Wales. I think Carmarthenshire County Council should make an immediate bid for part of that for a much-needed additional school in Llanelli.”
“The demand for more Welsh-medium provision in Llanelli is clear and recognised,” said Cllr Lewis. “When I raised this at the last meeting of the county council, I was told that there was no scope within the county council’s capital spending programme for an additional school. But this week, the Chancellor has announced an additional £140million for capital spending in Wales. I think Carmarthenshire County Council should make an immediate bid for part of that for a much-needed additional school in Llanelli.”
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Conflict of Interest
The National Assembly’s Health, Wellbeing, and Local Government Committee is currently conducting an enquiry into the effectiveness of the way in which county councils’ decisions are scrutinised by members of councils. As part of their enquiry, two Assembly Members recently visited Carmarthenshire to observe a Scrutiny Committee in action. The Assembly Committee has also invited formal comments on the way in which the process operates.
Plaid Cymru’s group leader on Carmarthenshire County Council, Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, has submitted evidence to the enquiry on behalf of his group.
“We have drawn attention to what we consider to be a fundamental weakness of the system,” said Cllr Hughes Griffiths. “The allocation of chairs of scrutiny committees is in the hands of the majority coalition on the council, and in effect, that means that the chairs are all appointed either by the Leader of the Labour Party or by the Leader of the Independent Party. They then receive an enhanced allowance for their work. In essence, their additional allowance is in the gift of the very people whom they are supposed to scrutinise.
“I do not seek to impugn the integrity of any of the chairs, but there is clearly a potential for a massive conflict of interest here. Any chair who dares to criticise any decision of the Council’s leadership, for instance, can be removed from office by the person criticised, and lose a significant sum of money as a result. That cannot be right and it cannot ensure fair, open, and unbiased scrutiny.”
Cllr Hughes Griffiths re-iterated Plaid’s position that all councillors from all groups should be working together for the good of the county, but added, “The Independent Party and the Labour Party have decided that they want to have a system where there is an Administration run by them, and an opposition. In that environment, scrutiny would be far more open and transparent if all the scrutiny chairs were appointed by and from the opposition councillors. That is the only way in which they can be truly independent of the coalition running the council.”
Plaid Cymru’s group leader on Carmarthenshire County Council, Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, has submitted evidence to the enquiry on behalf of his group.
“We have drawn attention to what we consider to be a fundamental weakness of the system,” said Cllr Hughes Griffiths. “The allocation of chairs of scrutiny committees is in the hands of the majority coalition on the council, and in effect, that means that the chairs are all appointed either by the Leader of the Labour Party or by the Leader of the Independent Party. They then receive an enhanced allowance for their work. In essence, their additional allowance is in the gift of the very people whom they are supposed to scrutinise.
“I do not seek to impugn the integrity of any of the chairs, but there is clearly a potential for a massive conflict of interest here. Any chair who dares to criticise any decision of the Council’s leadership, for instance, can be removed from office by the person criticised, and lose a significant sum of money as a result. That cannot be right and it cannot ensure fair, open, and unbiased scrutiny.”
Cllr Hughes Griffiths re-iterated Plaid’s position that all councillors from all groups should be working together for the good of the county, but added, “The Independent Party and the Labour Party have decided that they want to have a system where there is an Administration run by them, and an opposition. In that environment, scrutiny would be far more open and transparent if all the scrutiny chairs were appointed by and from the opposition councillors. That is the only way in which they can be truly independent of the coalition running the council.”
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