Plaid Cymru AM Lindsay Whittle has slammed proposals to merge Caerphilly Council with Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen during questions to ministers in the Senedd.
Lindsay Whittle, who is a former leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, said Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews should go back to the drawing board.
Caerphilly County Borough Council voted to reject proposals to merge with Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent as part of recommendations by the Williams Commission.
The South Wales East AM pointed to the discrepancy between Band D council tax bills in Caerphilly, which are £400 lower than in Blaenau Gwent, while people in Torfaen pay almost £100 a year more than in Caerphilly.
He said: “Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent outsource their leisure services, Caerphilly does not. Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent have no housing stock, Caerphilly does. Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent do not operate equal pay/job evaluation, Caerphilly council does.
“As for equal pay, Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent do not operate this, but Caerphilly does.
“You are alienating a lot of local government councillors and officers whose future is uncertain. I really think you need to refer back to the drawing board.”
Mr Andrews questioned Plaid Cymru’s party line on the proposed merger.
He said: “His colleague, the member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, has been extolling the virtues of local authority leaders who are putting forward the case for voluntary merger, whereas he takes a more negative view of the whole process.
“There are some real issues about council tax levels, and those are, to some extent, a legacy of the previous reorganisation in the mid 1990s, which his other colleague the Member for Arfon described earlier on as “a shambles”.
“I have not heard anybody during the course of this Assembly say that they believe that the current model of 22 local authorities is the optimum model for Wales post-devolution.”
I agree with what Lindsay Whittle says, a merger of this kind will be detrimental to the people of Caerffili. I do recognise that there are too many councils and I favour County Councils where Caerffili, Llanbradach etc return to Glamorgan where they have belonged for hundreds of years.
In the absence of any sensible alternative I support those councillors who wish us to remain as we are for the time being. Unfortunately we have a Welsh Assembly who are determined that their ill thought out plan wil be implemented. Very bad news for the voters of our town.
The merger of Authorites is a policy of the Welsh Assembly, which ones merge with which is a matter for bordering councils.
The Welsh Assembly have even given the specific task of ensuring the will of the Assembly is carried out, to a Minister, Lieghton Andrews.
The greater debate on the pros and cons of this policy have been established, according to the Welsh Assembly, any negative issues which Caerphilly Council may now promote which are `against` the principals of thier merger with anyone else are rather nebulous in that Lieghton Andrews and his staff will decide what is good for the people of Caerphilly at the end of the day.
Lindsay is correct of course to highlight the uncertainty of the sisuation on staff and Councillors, but, local Council staff have been working under uncertainties about thier employment status for three years now, and, this Welsh Assembly may say that the issue of a merger with another authority may offer more secure, future, employmeny propects.
A merger would NOT protect the position of some Councillors who would loose thier seats, and, presumably save ratepayers money in the process, but I must say my own view is `neutral` in respect to this Welsh Assembly proposal.