The leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council has warned there are tougher times ahead.
Cllr Harry Andrews said the Labour-controlled local authority would continue to work hard to provide a high level of service to residents.
The council leader pointed to the most set of results for the National Survey for Wales which placed Caerphilly County Borough Council second out if 22 Welsh councils for delivering “a high quality service”.
The survey for results cover the period April 2012 to March 2013 and had a sample size of 14,400 people.
Cllr Andrews said: “I’m delighted that, despite the Tory-led Westminster Government’s austerity cuts and cost of living crisis, and local political challenges, Caerphilly County Borough residents have given our council’s service the thumbs-up.
“Thanks to Labour’s strong leadership, and our council staff’s commitment, Caerphilly residents clearly appreciate the standard of service we have delivered.
“Though there are even tougher times ahead, with even deeper ConDem cuts due in future, we will continue to work hard to provide the highest standard of services to Caerphilly County Borough’s people.”
With three of the most senior officer employees of the council appearing in Court in Bristol Today for misconduct in public office, and likely to plead NOT GUILTY, and Elected Members stating unequivicaly they knew nothing about the unlawful pocketing of money being done under their noses by these senior staff, it is difficult to understand what the governance situation must be in the other 20 local authorities which Caerphilly Beat into relegation?. Who the hell takes part in these National Surveys for god sake.
More nonsense from the Labour bench. As we know, Labour wastes money. Evident in the council spending 250k on community projects (they’re always a let down) but refusing to spend 50k on a cycling race that brings customers and money into Caerphilly business.
I fully concur with Trefor Bond regarding the state of local governance as revealed by the secretive pay deals hammered out by this council. It will be interesting to see what the plea is when this goes to Crown Court. If Trefor is right and a plea of not guilty is entered then a defence must hinge on what a few elected members knew or did.
Tough times are indeed ahead; for some elected members that is.
Less than 1% of the population take part in The National Survey for Wales, and they have the nerve to call it a national survey, quite laughable really, the results of such a tiny opinion poll are totally meaningless, and the questions were loaded multiply choice so that the results could be manipulated.
Tougher times ahead – well the Welsh Labour Party will be happy with that, they want us all to stay poor so that the generous levels of European funding will continue.
You are right Paul C. It is also worth mentioning that only around 1% of people are members of a political party but end up producing 100% of the laws. The point you made about Welsh Labour is, in my opinion, equally true of Plaid Cymru who it seems dream of an ‘independent’ Wales within the EU who can constantly hold out a begging bowl to the richer countries of Europe.
This is actually a viable system as financially supporting Wales would be easily accomplished by the EU. As a proud Welshman I just don’t want this to happen to Wales; we need to get cracking on the things we do well and high quality manufacturing is at the top of the list. Since 1979 the Welsh have been betrayed by successive governments of all shades and deserve better.
“Cllr Harry Andrews said the Labour-controlled local authority would
continue to work hard to provide a high level of service to residents”
Harry,
the best thing the Labour controlled Council could do for the benefit
of
residents is to downsize an overweight, obese, and, monolithic
organisation which is Caerphilly County Borough Council, it is so big
and out of corporate control and proper scrutiny by the people we elect
that an entire group of its senior officers were able to fleece the
ratepayers of hundreds of thousands of pounds without a single elected member knowing about it, how does that happen???????.
Currently the Caerphilly Council is akin
to stale fried egg, i.e. spread all over the place. When times get
tough, as they are at present, and the reasons for that situation is out
of the council`s control, they have to “do better” in reducing demands
on the ratepayers, to do this they have to tighten their corporate belt,
reduce their “demands” on the ratepayers pockets whilst at the same
time reducing the demands on the public purse. But, where do the council
look in order to balance their books?, answer: to the ratepayers, put
this or that charge up, create a new charge for something that was
previously paid for out of the rates we already pay, and, through
creative accounting, move money from one department to another thus
disguising the lack of depth of any real internal savings.
This
Council have largely lost sight of the impact on local ratepayers
household income, created by the decisions of the UK Lib Dem Tory
Government ( and lets not forget neither of those parties were elected
to run this Country and therefore the impact of their decisions is
disproportionate considering they usurped the authority to do so.) A
labour Authority should consider all ways possible to lessen the
financial impact on household income, and not turn to
those, squeezed budgets, to maintain the huge cash chomping departments
of the Council, some of which, were originally set up in times of
considerable state prosperity, to spend ratepayers cash which was in
plentiful supply at that time from central government, always topped up
of course with Caerphilly ratepayers money,
the first way to do so is to go on a local authority cash income diet,
not continuously find inventive ways to rob the ratepayers by increasing
or creating this or that charge. Lets see some REAL corporate
downsizing.