Plaid councillor hits out at deputy leader over new senior officer comments

The former leader of the council’s Plaid Cymru group has hit back at Caerphilly County Borough Council’s deputy leader, after he said he supports the appointment of a deputy chief executive – but not at a cost of £189,000.

On November 24, councillors approved a spend of £300,000 for the appointment of two senior officers – including a deputy chief executive and a deputy finance officer.

At the full council meeting, Labour councillor Jamie Pritchard brought up previous comments made by Plaid Cymru’s Colin Mann.

Cllr Pritchard, who represents Morgan Jones, said: “I anticipate there being block voting against the recommendations, but only 13 months ago, the then-leader of Plaid Cymru was actually calling on us in this chamber to appoint a deputy chief executive.”

Following this, Cllr Mann has requested an apology from Cllr Pritchard for the comments, which he said are “misleading”.

Whilst discussing temporary appointments to the corporate management team in a meeting on October 5, 2021, Cllr Mann said “it is very good practice to have a designated deputy”.

Now, Cllr Mann has said he wants to clarify his position. The Llanbradach councillor said: “I do support appointing a deputy chief executive, and said so, but what I did not say was that we should take on someone from outside at a cost of £189,000.

“The council could appoint someone from the current payroll to fill in when the chief executive is absent either on holiday or as a result of illness. Cllr Jamie Pritchard tried to divert criticism and mislead the public by implying that I was saying one thing and doing something different, which is wrong. It would be good to see an apology made.

“To be honest, the council’s decision to appoint a deputy chief executive and another officer from outside the authority beggars belief in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

“I’m against taking on a couple of pen-pushers at almost £300,000 every year when the money would be far better spent on frontline services such as care workers, refuse workers, and community safety wardens. These appointments won’t see any potholes filled or signs and shelters cleaned.

“What message does the action by Labour say to the public – we’ll carry on building our empire while our residents struggle to heat their homes and feed their families?”

Cllr Pritchard has said he will not be apologising for “stating facts”.

He added: “Plaid Cymru have publicly campaigned in previous years for a deputy chief executive, and they have just repeated this call today. Plaid were desperate for us to appoint a Deputy Chief Executive long before we even considered it.

“Plaid would have brought in a deputy chief executive if they controlled the council. I’m baffled by their comments”.