Plaid Cymru has chosen Matthew Farrell as its candidate to fight the Risca East by-election on Caerphilly County Borough Council on May 2.
Mr Farrell, 24, who works for the Department of the Work and Pensions, said the by-election would give residents in Risca East an opportunity to give their verdict on the recent pay scandal which has engulfed the local authority.
Matthew, who stood at the council elections last May, said: “The exorbitant increases awarded by the Labour council have caused outrage in Risca, as well as across the whole of the county borough.
“Residents are asking me how could a Labour council, which is supposed to look after ordinary people, support a huge hike for those at the top of the council. What planet are they on because they don’t live in the real world? This was pushed through by Labour at a time when ordinary workers have had their pay frozen.
“And to make things worse the decision was unlawful. What a way to run a council. Risca deserves better than an out-of-touch Labour Party, who prefer to reward the already well-rewarded.
“Plaid blocked these pay hikes while running Caerphilly and I would not support any pay rise for the highly paid.”
Mr Farrell, who also works as a sports therapist with a number of high profile football clubs, spent the summer working as a Games Maker at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
He has been previously organised community and charity events in Risca and worked with local residents associations and Risca United AFC. A member of PCS trade union, Matthew is a community councillor for Risca East.
When Plaid were in charge this is what happened with senior salaries. Will the Plaid candidate in this by – election condem this massive pay award?.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/south-wales-new…
Least we forget there was also a Plaid councillor present, who conveniently forgot to draw attention to any irregularities that took place. Well not until it became public and now no one can decide which way he voted.
Not just a Plaid councillor, Helen, but deputy leader. I too would like to know what was said and done at that secretive meeting. The answer of course is record the vote of every member at every meeting. Very easy to do and the electorate would be able to see exactly what their representatives are voting for on their behalf.
This may stimulate interest in people actually voting at elections in the numbers which they once did. Under the present, faulty, system the man and woman on the street is suspicious of all those who offer theselves for election; who can blame them?
Helen and Richard- not only was the Plaid Cymru representative, at the meeting which decided these huge pay rises, Deputy Leader of that party, but more significantly he was the Cabinet Member of the last Plaid Administration of Caerphilly Council with responsiblity for all `Employment` issues including pay and gradings in the council at that time, in fact, more recently and currently, under the LABOUR Administration, he is Chairman of the `Labour` council`s `GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE`, responsible for all GOOD governance of the current council.
This is the sort of hypocritical situation which puts voters off voting, usually with the remark " why vote, they are all the same`.
The general public are not interested in back biting by labour and plaid cymru they are interested in having someone to serve the area and not themselves and their family.
Although not a voter in Risca East I'm very surprised that the Plaid candidate mentions only the rather "old hat" and dubious Plaid comments about pay rises.
He appears to have no interest in key Council matters such as education and social services. He doesn't seem to realise that these are the issues that really matter to people.
But perhaps Plaid have not told him what to say yet!