Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters
From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts.
Become a member today
Caerphilly’s Plaid Cymru group has cried foul over Labour’s use of the local authority’s logo on a party leaflet online.
The Labour post criticised the Plaid Cymru Welsh Government over funding for additional learning needs (ALN) and teachers’ pay, accusing Plaid of being “at war on education”.
Featuring comments from a teaching union and the council’s deputy leader, the flyer also displayed a Caerphilly County Borough Council logo – which Plaid alleged could be against the rules.
Plaid called the post “blatantly party political”, and its group leader, Cllr Charlotte Bishop, has written to the council’s chief executive to complain and find out whether the logo’s use was authorised.
“The leaflet contains clear political messaging directed at Plaid Cymru, yet prominently displays the council’s corporate logo and branding,” wrote Cllr Bishop. “As this appears to be party-political material rather than an official council publication, I am concerned that the council’s identity may have been used in a way that could imply institutional endorsement or compromise the council’s duty of political impartiality.”
In further comments, Cllr Bishop defended the Plaid government on ALN and claimed Labour was being “hypocritical” on education, amid the council’s ongoing plans to remove free school transport for hundreds of borough pupils from September.
“This is desperate stuff from the Labour group in Caerphilly who are clearly scared stiff at their prospects in next year’s council elections,” she alleged. “They are right to be, given that people will see through their attempts to mislead the public.
“People deserve politics based on facts, not scare stories. Claiming Plaid Cymru is ‘at war on education’ simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.”
Responding to those claims, Cllr Jamie Pritchard, who leads Caerphilly Council and its labour group, said: “The Plaid group in Caerphilly should direct their fury at their own government.
“Plaid has united teaching unions and the whole of local government against them with their raid on additional learning needs.
“With NAHT Cymru and ASCL Cymru jointly declaring a collective trade dispute with the Welsh Government over ALN and teachers pay, I would urge the Plaid group to listen to the groundswell of public opinion and urge their government to do the right thing for pupils with ALN.
“I’ve got a bad feeling the local party is prepared to go along with anything their government does, even if that means raiding ALN.”
Cllr Pritchard added the post had been edited to remove the council’s logo.
Cllr Bishop said it was “entirely legitimate to debate how public money should be spent – what isn’t legitimate is suggesting that investing in children with additional learning needs or investing in our NHS amounts to being ‘at war on education’”.
“Those claims simply don’t match the facts,” she added.