Caerphilly County Borough Council has been praised for its performance over the last 12 months with opposition Plaid Cymru councillors challenging Labour to maintain standards.
The positive report from the Welsh Local Government Data Unit is part of a review of council performances.
This year’s report, covering the year 2011/12, shows that Caerphilly performed well across a wide range of council services and bettered the Welsh average in three quarters of the published performance areas.
Leader of council Harry Andrews welcomed the findings and said: “We are committed to improving our services and continually look at ways to enhance our performance and provide better value for money.”
Plaid Cymru group leader Colin Mann also welcomed the report and challenged the ruling Labour group to ensure they maintain the legacy of Plaid Cymru, which ran the authority until May this year.
Cllr Mann said: “The evidence published shows just what a well-run authority Caerphilly was during four years of a Plaid administration.
“We’re very proud of our record on key services to the public and the challenge now to Labour is ensure that there is no fall back in standards while continuing to provide excellent value for money, as we did.
“Caerphilly was acknowledged as a top authority under Plaid and we want to see that continue.”
It just shows how the Electorate were lied to by the Labour party in the last local elections, they should hang their heads in shame, but they wont as always they will try to take credit for other partys efforts.Of course it alos shows how gullible he Electorate was, i suppose another example of people geting what they deserve.
Since Labour seized power in Caerphilly with the overwhelming support of the Boroughs voters they have already discontinued the previous Plaid Administrations obscene tax on workers who travel to work every day from our valley`s railway stations.
They have continue to inspect ` The Books` which were left by the redundant Plaid Cymru Party, a party roundly rejected by the voters, and with a bit of luck we will see Plaid Cymru, parochial, pet projects up and down the valley shown up for what they were, smoke and mirrors, they certainly did not win them the support and votes they thought they would, we, the Boroughs voting public are not that gullable.
Plaid always were the party of spin, no surprise to see it continuing unabated.
I believe Plaid Cymru believed their own propaganda at the last election and consequently came a cropper when the electorate were allowed their say. Labour could easily fall into the same trap, congratulating themselves on a job well done when the voters quietly seethe and can’t wait to vote for somebody else.
If Labour want to break the ‘see saw’ between them and Plaid Cymru that has gone on since the late 1990’s and run the council for more than one term they need to be self critical. This means listening to views of people other than party supporters and adjusting policy to provide the services people want rather spending our money on pet projects. Plaid was very bad at this and lost heavily as a result. I will, no doubt, hear some people say that the last election was a protest against the Con/Dem coalition; they are kidding themselves. During my campaign not one voter that I spoke with said they were going to vote Labour as an anti Tory vote.
Local politics is about engaging with the electorate and all those who stand for election need to do better. I worry about the low voter turnout much more than who runs the council.
Sorry Helen but The Welsh Local Government Data Unit is an objective organisation, and their comments on Plaid`s handling of the Council is not spin, but fact, however some people are too bigoted to see reason. It is sad we have to suffer five years of Labour Tammany Hall politics, yet again. Once the Labour Party was a crusade, now its full of Don Corleone wanna bees and New Labour Tony Blair clones, out for themselves, remember the old song, "The working class can kiss my **** I`ve got the Mayor`s job at last" .
However impartial the Welsh Local Government Data Unit is, and I have my doubts as to its objectivity, the only survey that counts is when people put their vote in the ballot box. Political parties are successful when they present policies that inspire the voters or run an administration with a good track record so that enough voters return them to power.
Worryingly there are ever fewer voters who bother to vote which hands the power to decide to a small percentage of the population. In my ward only just over 4 in every ten voted in 2012, and this figure is better than many wards in the borough. I am deeply concerned with this but increasing the number of votes cast appears to be a low priority amongst politicians. Wayne David has, to his credit, voiced his concerns on this subject on Caerphilly Observer but all parties need to address this. Voter apathy is, or should be, the number one priority for every party.
On the doorstep campaign I often made the point to people that, though I wanted their vote, my main concern was that they knew there was an election and that I wanted them to cast their vote, even if it was for an opponent. Winning when the turnout is in the 30% range is a pyrrhic victory, this will lead to the end of democracy and ultimately to tyranny.
with the number of plaid's stealth tax's they were lucky it wasent a value for money review
In view of the report in today`s Western Mail, of the filthy conditons at Hamza Poultry Ltd of Bristol, which supplied tonnes of sub standard meat to take aways in, among other places, Caerphilly, I hope the new Labour Council will get the Trading Standards Department to publish a list of the Caerphilly take aways involved, so we know which ones to avoid to stop ourselves getting poisoned.
Could Arthur explain how Labour can abolish a tax which was never actually brought in? How many times did he or anyone else pay Park and Ride charges – NONE. I won't comment on the rest of his misguided comments.
Hmmm, more Labour spin from the comments here. Caerffili had one of the lowest council taxes in Wales, whereas us here in RCT under Labour have one of the highest council taxes! RCT under Plaid won awards for reversing the mismanagement of Labour, but voters are too blind and forget what Labour did not do for them and that they are just as bad as the Tories. I vote for a Welsh party because I am Welsh…my mother votes for a Welsh party (though English), because she knows they put Wales and her community first!!!