Councillors in Caerphilly County Borough have voted to oppose Welsh Government plans to merge the council with Newport.
Under the proposals of local government secretary Alun Davies the council would merge with neighbouring Newport, with the overall number of Welsh local authorities reducing from 22 to 10.
But in their response, the council maintain their stance that working as a standalone authority would result in the “best outcome” for its communities.
Speaking at full council on Tuesday, June 5, leader Dave Poole said: “We don’t want to move away from our communities and become a larger organisation.
“The proposal is that we merge with Newport, a city organisation that has vastly different problems to this council.
“We’re 80% rural and I cannot see how this merger would be of a benefit to the residents of Caerphilly.”
Cllr Poole also believes the £1.2billion Cardiff Capital Region City Deal between the 10 local authorities in south east Wales could be put in jeopardy.
“We continue to argue and demonstrate that the answer is regional working,” he said.
“You’ve got to keep [the City Deal] moving. If we’re not delivering what we promised, the will not have met our targets, therefore UK government, Welsh Government and European moneys will be withdrawn.”
The leader of the Plaid Cymru group, Cllr Colin Mann, said that the council was capable of surviving without merging.
“The way its run at time obviously, as an opposition, we would question but it’s certainly capable of surviving, and even better when we run it better of course,” he added.
“I resent every minute we waste on this issue. It’s nonsensical.”
The Welsh Government green paper estimates reorganisation costs at more than £200 million. The council say the proposed savings for Caerphilly are “no longer there to make this viable”.
A council report says that Caerphilly Council has made £88.9m in accumulative savings since 2008, with £52.4m cut from its budgets since 2014/15.
Labour councillor Eluned Stenner said the cost of reorganisation would come at a time when residents were facing “unprecedented” cuts to services.
But independent councillor Graham Simmonds argued that there was a need for an “effective” change in management across Welsh local government.
He said: “I firmly believe that there are far too many authorities in Wales.
“Why have we Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr been a bottom quartile education authority for the past 20 years?”
“We’ve had £6 billion [in European structural funding] to spend and Caerphilly’s [gross value added] output has fallen.
“This was a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to regenerate the Welsh economy, and it didn’t happen.”
The recorded vote saw 54 councillors in favour of opposing the mergers, with one against, one abstention and one non-voter.
Mr Poole why are you and the rest of the councillors so much against the merger I think it will be good for caerphilly.
Is it because you and the rest will have to account for your expenses and the amounts of money that caerphilly waste.
If it comes to a public vote ? I would vote merge.
Be prepared for job lossess and money to be spent in other areas expect for Caerphilly, Newport will have all the money. I agree a stand alone Caerphilly wont work, we need to go back to the old Mid Glam council in some shape.
Newport County Council seems to have they act together, re-investment in the town center looks really good what has C.B.C done for caerphilly Town center ystrad blackwood Bargoed do I need to go on. Nothing..
We live in a democracy money will be distributed.
And yes job losses so be it.
What has caerphilly got nothing……forgot caerphilly Castle.
When was the last time you saw a road cleaner.
Even the grass trees are all over grown nothing is being done.
Litter everywhere.
So a change is better then nothing
You know full well working within the council that money wont be distributed evenly. It will go to areas other than caerphilly. I agree jobless wouldnt be a bad thing, we have departments that are over funded and waste money. You are living in a land of make believe
You run with the fox and hounds.
We need to move forward yes forward not live in the past. Move with the times as you said we need to go back to old Mid-Glam council your living in the past not the future when we merge with Newport it should be exciting.
How do you know money will all go to Newport you have no proof
If it goes to the community its better then going into the pockets of councilers and managers.
I dont run with foxes and hounds im a realist, we need to cut the deadwood departments to save money, eventually the bars will come down and they will close in order to save money.
Is The council scared that any merger might disclose further skeletons in its cupboard ?( Like the Senior Managers Pay Scandal )?
This maybe part of it, but lets hope the main reason is to prevent money going to Newport and our residents being deprived.
As I have said before mergers are probably inevitable but I agree with Cllr. Poole that Newport is the wrong option for Caerffili. If this goes ahead we who live here will suffer more cuts in services and facilities to the benefit of Newport and surrounding area.
I don’t think a stand alone Caerffili council will remain viable but any merger should be with our fellow Glamorgan authorities. Parts of the present borough, such as Risca may indeed be better off as part of a Newport authority but this will not work well for towns like Caerffili, Bedwas, Ystrad Mynach, Llanbradach and Blackwood. They are too far from the centre of gravity of the proposed authority and will suffer accordingly.
Very well said Richard, i agree a merger must happen but not with Newport. Maybe a reworking of the whole map so that towns near Newport merge. I remember the old mid glamorgan council which seem to work really way. People need to realise that any merger will mean job losses.
Yes, job losses are on their way. Compared to the private sector our council is way over manned.
How do you know that money will not be distributed equally. You don’t know this.
One minute you saying a merge will have job losses then you saying deadwood departments need to close that’s the same to me.??
We will still need the departments to run the the District but probably at a lower capacity but more correctly.
Two different things Jack my boy. When two departments
merge you only need one manager for example or instead of having 20 employees you may only need 10 to run that department, this will either mean they will have to move to other areas or made redundant. Deadwood departments to me is like those Caerphilly warden type people, who we pay for but never see. These departments are a total waste of money especially when we have a constabulary doing the work. This is the differance Jack my boy i hope this clears things up for you.
Is this not a good thing to slim down the departments.
What about the distribution of the money within the district.
Where did you get this information??
Common sense Jack thats where i got the infomation from!
It’s speculation
Its obvious Jack my boy! Look at the pattern as much i love Caerphilly, it does get more of the money than towns higher up in the valley so does the lower half of the borough. Imply this to a merger and the money will get diverted to the big city eg Newport. I imagine Newport would have more councillors than Caerphilly, there fore having a bigger share on the budget when its voted on. You need to stop being so gullible and look at the past then learn from it in order to make a better future. Poltics is all about patterns.
What is caerphilly council doing for these little towns what about caerphilly itself nothing ??? look at the cut backs and the savings 88.9m.
Every one in council is out for themselves it’s all about money nothing for the community.
If it’s going to be Newport then so be it look at Rhonda council look how big that is and it’s doing Ok investment right through aberdare mountain Ash pontypridd.
We absolutely need a new challenge and change.
I can’t remember defending Caerffili Council which is a recent construct. My point is that merging with the wrong council, meaning Newport, will be very bad.
When we had the Glamorgan health board we had a fully functioning, and excellent, hospital in the town. When the police were S. Wales police we had a police station with cells. We also had, until recently, a law court. All these things have been lost because we are considered part of the Gwent administrative district.
A merger with Newport will be very bad for local services here. Caerffili needs to be in a Glamorgan council.
So what is a Glamorgan Council?? Caerphilly to merge with pontypridd or are we saying stay as caerphilly and just changed the name.
If we go back 90 yrs we had local courts local police local hospital every village had something I remember police House in a estate gone but is this not progressing forward.
You cant argue with Jack, he will never see sense
You may well be right Edward!