Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

Opposition figures in Caerphilly have questioned the county borough council’s spending on top officer salaries, accusing the local authority of “empire building”.

Plaid Cymru councillor Colin Mann argued money would be better spent on frontline services rather than executives.

But the council’s leader has fought back, accusing Plaid of making “misleading and inaccurate statements”.

Caerphilly’s Plaid group claimed council spending on top officers had increased by 41% between the two most recent years on record.

The financial accounts for 2023/24 – which are the most recent available – also showed the amount the council paid out in redundancies more than doubled from the previous year, with one payoff in the range of £80,000 to £100,000, Plaid said.

“Back in 2023, I warned that the appointment of two more top officers at a cost of almost £300,000 couldn’t be justified,” said Cllr Mann. “We argued that money should be going on frontline employees such as care workers, refuse workers and community safety wardens, not empire-building.”

The council recently began a restructure of the senior management team it said would result in savings of nearly £1 million.

This was criticised by Plaid amid suggestions of poor decision-making.

“Now, they are restructuring and one of the posts axed is the deputy chief executive, a role Labour approved just a couple of years ago,” said Cllr Mann. “What an absolute shambles, particularly as frontline services such as libraries and leisure centres are being closed.”

Cllr Lindsay Whittle, who leads the Plaid group in the council chamber, added: “Labour leaders were fooled into employing a deputy chief executive and then the chickens came home to roost. The former chief executive then went onto the sick, ultimately leading to a massive pay-off.

“Sadly the financial accounts only confirm what we have been saying for years – the Labour leadership has taken incompetency to a new level.”

However, Cllr Sean Morgan, who leads Caerphilly County Borough Council, refuted Plaid’s claims of “empire-building”.

“It’s worrying that Plaid Cymru members seem unwilling or unable to correctly interpret data,” he alleged. “They know very well that our top tier of management has reduced over the past 12 months, leading to savings in the region of £900k.

“They clearly misunderstand the financial accounts, which are already 12 months out of date. They claim that the increased costs relate to two additional officers, but this is simply not the case.”

Cllr Morgan added: “These were existing posts, but because they were in receipt of an honorarium for additional responsibilities, their full salary costs must be included in the financial note to the accounts. This is just a requirement in the way we report senior roles and does not mean that two extra posts were created.   

“I would urge Cllr Mann and Cllr Whittle to check their facts before issuing misleading and inaccurate statements.”