Caerphilly County Borough Council has “significant failings in its governance arrangements”, according to a report by the Wales Audit Office and will face a special inspection later this year.
The public spending watchdog’s annual improvement report on the authority sates: “Overall the Auditor General has concluded that whilst the council has made some service improvements, there are weaknesses in its self-evaluation arrangements, the pace of improvement is slow in some key priority areas and there are serious failings in its governance arrangements.”
The report comes as the council still finds itself at the centre of a pay scandal which saw 21 senior managers awarded huge pay rises.
The local authority’s chief executive Anthony O’Sullivan and his deputy Nigel Barnett are currently on police bail after being arrested on suspicion of fraud and misconduct in a public office.
The controversial pay rises were voted for last year by a secret committee meeting of five councillors. That vote was based on a report penned by Mr O’Sullivan himself, whose wage rose from £132,000 to £158,000.
In January this year, the pay deal was partially reversed in a compromise deal which saw Mr O’Sullivan’s pay go up by £5,000 and not £26,000.
In a subsequent report by the WAO earlier this year, the original pay rises were deemed unlawful.
Because of the governance issues raised by the latest report by the WAO, the Auditor General has decided to undertake a special inspection of the council later this year.
Stuart Rosser, Interim Chief Executive of Caerphilly Council said: “We acknowledge and accept the findings of the Annual Improvement Report and I can confirm that work is already well underway to address many of the issues raised in the document.
“I am confident that the council will be able to manage these issues successfully thanks to our excellent workforce and the ongoing support of members.
“I would like to assure residents that we are moving forward as an organisation and our focus remains on delivering efficient and effective services to all sections of the community.”
Cllr Harry Andrews, Leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “We are obviously disappointed with some of the issues raised in the Annual Improvement Report, but I have full confidence in our excellent workforce and I know that steps are already being taken to address some of the concerns that have been highlighted.
“I will continue to work closely with my members and the council leadership to ensure that progress is made to tackle these issues over the coming weeks and months.
“I would like to assure the community that our priority is, as always, the delivery of quality services across the whole county borough.”
No members of the public yet knows what these failures really are.
The fact is that the Caerphilly Council, from a governance point of view, have been eroding many previously in place processes from which the inhabitants of the Borough have benefited over the years, for instance, under the last administration the Caerphilly Town Centre Residents , ( and other residents associations and residents groups up and down the borough) and other groups, with a major stake holding in the town, have not been consulted on issues which directly, and sometimes adversely, affect them and their families.
When the Labour Party were last in power in Caerphilly, and under the responsibility of the now recalled Chief Executive Stuart Rosser, the Authority ensured that most things civic were at least drawn to the attention of residents, various groups were asked to comment and consultation exercises took place. On these issues, Good Governance of the borough.
However, over that last five or six years the need to consult residents has taken a dramatic drop in importance amongst those OFFICERS of the council who had been given a `free hand` to Close Roads around the town, impose new rubbish collection rules, and, change parking orders without any proper meaningful consultations with those people effected.
This is only indicative of a much bigger problem by the look of it.
I wonder if Stuart Rosser will sort it out for the future, he is certainly the man who can, he is probably the man who is saving he Authority from the dramatic and REAL intervention by the Welsh Assembly and other authorities who are there to safeguard the public interests.
Let's hope stuart rosser can sort the place out.
Caerphilly cbc are a disgrace!
The impossible can be done at once, miracles take a little longer….and very rarely happen!
Stuart Rosser sounds like a brilliant person to fill the role of Chief Executive. He has previously held this position, and I believe he left under a Plaid controlled council and then Anthony O’Sullivan and his deputy Nigel Barnett were given the positions. It makes me ask the question why did Mr Rosser leave in the first place, was he ousted by the then Plaid controlled council or did he choose to leave? If he chose to leave of his own accord, why has he come back? Maybe Plaid Cymru should take some of the flack for the farce over the wages scandal as Mr O'Sullivan and Mr Barnett were I think employed in the positions under a Plaid led council. Would the same thing not have happened if Plaid were in control as I thought the council took advise from an independent authority regarding the pay review and just went along with that, which I think Plaid would have done the same thing regardless of what they may say now, after all Cllr Fussell had the opportunity to vote against the increases and he chose not to.