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Caerphilly Town Council has been found to have acted “unlawfully” by Audit Wales.

During the 2021/22 financial year, the town council spent £39,778 on contracts for Christmas lights, flower displays, and floodlights.

Under financial regulations, the town council is expected to invite tenders from at least three companies, if a contract exceeds £2,000. Because it failed to do so, its actions were seen as “unlawful” by Audit Wales.

Audit Wales said the council had “failed to comply with its own regulations”.

The town council has defended its actions, stating everything the council spends is accounted for.

Clerk at the town council, Phil Davey, said: “We have a duty to demonstrate value for money, and Audit Wales thinks there’s only one way to do that.

“Going forward we will commit resources to going through the procurement process, [but] the consequence of this is that our local suppliers could lose out, which I hope doesn’t happen.”

He added: “We have got to be careful going to tender, it’s not just about the cheapest cost, it’s about can the new contractor deliver. It’s not just a give us a quote, it’s about what are they going to give us for the price.”

Caerphilly Town Council covers the wards of Morgan Jones and St Martin’s. It is separate to Caerphilly County Borough Council.

What did the town council spend its money on?

• £5,418.50 on plants for hanging baskets and displays. (Boverton Nurseries)
• £2,051.85 for installation of AV equipment. (Drake AV Video Ltd)
• £6,004 on Christmas lights. (Lite)
• £7,898 to upgrade St Martins Church floodlights. (BPS Facilities Ltd)
• £6,608 on watering and maintenance of plants. (J S Lee Ltd)
• £1,930 to supply and install office door security. (CDS Ltd)
• £4,758.20 to install, take down, and store Christmas lights. (Elsbury Access Platforms)

These costs do not include VAT.