The Plaid Cymru group on Caerphilly County Borough Council has hit back at criticism by Labour following publication of a Wales Audit Office report which highlighted “significant governance issues”.
The WAO’s Annual Improvement Report on the council comes in the aftermath of the pay scandal which saw 21 senior managers awarded huge pay rises.
But Plaid have hit back at the claims.
Cllr Colin Mann, leader of the Plaid Cymru group, said: “I know Labour is still reeling from the chief officers’ pay scandal but their deputy leader (Cllr Keith Reynolds) is desperately trying to divert attention with his criticism of the former Plaid administration.
“I would refer readers of Page 9 of the Wales Audit Office which clearly states that Caerphilly Council was on track to meet the target of securing continuous improvement until September 2012.
“This is when the decision was made by Labour to pay out the massive rises to senior staff (now declared unlawful). The serious concern of auditors clearly dates from September 2012. Labour currently has had a large majority in the council. The crisis is of their making. They are an embarrassment to the Labour Party, an embarrassment to the council and an embarrassment to local taxpayers.
“My group is prepared to respond to the plea of the Interim Chief Executive and play our part in re-building the council, but main responsibility obviously lies with the controlling group. Labour seem incapable of acting positively.”
Councillor Mann said he was proud of the party’s record while in office and pointed to a freezing of council tax for two years, holding down councillors’ allowances, regenerating town centres and spending millions of pounds on new library facilities.
He added: “The improvement reports highlights many positives of the Plaid administration including its work with the elderly and the welfare of children and young people.”
Colin Mann conveniently forgets that the Auditors Report highlights the Council`s failure to have in place systems of meaningful engagement and consultation with the people who Pay the Piper, i.e. the citizens of the borough.
Plaid Cymru built on the failure in this area which they inherited from the last Labour Council, ( Under the Leadership of Harry Andrews, as it is again now) and they made the situation far worse,they encourage and support their member Councillors to disengage with the Communities they are supposed to serve, this was to ensure that those Plaid Councillors who did not come up to scratch had less opportunity to mess things up by listening to the residents they were elected to serve, this, in turn, gave far more power to a very small selected few Plaid Councillors to follow a hidden and subjective agenda, and, if anyone wants to see this in practice all you need to do is follow the processes which Plaid Cymru Caerphilly Town Councillors engage in, for instance, for the last ten years or more NO OPPOSITION Councillor has ever been given the opportunity to represent the town as MAYOR, they meet in a small back room of the Twyn Community Centre where few members of the public can attend and scrutinise their antics.
All this points to a failure to engage with the public, with residents, and with the people who pay the piper.
Plaid Cymru in Caerphilly do not get off this one, much of the almost total lack of engagement and consultation with the public, highlighted in the Auditor Generals report is down to them, and they are still at it in conclaves in the borough, and I dont see anything changing there????
Taking a little time off from your Assembly duties Jeff?
Just to let Glyn Erasmus know that the "Jeff" is not me. But we all await with interest the unfolding revelations about the Nats true role in all of this.
I do not believe that all the “significant governance issues” highlighted in the report have been made since May 2012 when control of Caerphilly County council was taken over by Labour. I suspect many of these failings would have occurred under the previous Plaid Cymru administration. Cllr Mann refuses to accept any responsibility for any failings, however I notice he likes to take credit for the positives highlighted “The improvement reports highlights many positives of the Plaid administration including its work with the elderly and the welfare of children and young people.” Does he really believe the electorate have blinkers on and will accept what he says is correct? He is treating us the public as if we are stupid.
Cllr Mann, if it is only Labour that are responsible for the negative things such as the pay fiasco, (which out of interest why didn't your administration do a review when you had the chance?) are you certain that Labour are not responsible for the "…its work with the elderly and the welfare of children and young people”? You can't have it both ways and blame others for things that went wrong and pat yourselves on the back for things that turned out well. Why not admit that under Plaid administration mistakes were made such as delaying the pay review?I am sure the public would respect you far more. It is also interesting that the now suspended Chief Executive and his deputy were appointed by a Plaid controlled council and the present interim left this post during the Plaid administration and has been brought back by the Labour council. It doesn't bode well for Plaid Cymru people who actually appointed Anthony O’Sullivan and Nigel Barnett in the beginning. Maybe they should be asking themselves why did they appoint these people and allow Stuart Rosser to leave?
Plaid up to their necks in it over car allowances here.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/paym…
the report clearly highlights the right off over £200K to officers throw the car scheme,which has been deemed illegal in the report, the sale of IBT, poor value for money and the £200K loan to Bedwas rugby club, all the handy work of Cllr Mann, former Cllrs Davies and Pritchard , No apology , oh and we have the Icelandic debacle, were Plaid put £15 million into banks that had been downgraded weeks before they collapsed, that one was down to Cllr Whittle the man who when asked about the lost millions ,said I did not even know we had any money in these banks , now that's a leader with his finger on the pulse, there is still over £2.5 million that we will never get back leaving a huge gap in finances. Must not forget Plaids 15K a year pay rise to deputy chief executive, again no apology and the money was not rescinded , Cllr Mann is in denial and fools mo one. I noticed at council that Cllr Mann eluded to fact that he trusted officers when Plaid were in control, could it be that
he he thinks offices duped him into all the above Plaid clangers, or is that he is incapable of owing up to Plaids failings. Typical Plaid arrogance
Perhaps Lindsey and Lou (above) would benefit from properly reading the Improvement Report, in particular page 9, which clearly says that the serious concerns of the auditors as date from the date of the secret pay awards – made by Labour in September 2012