tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post2408744603786411759..comments2023-11-18T08:59:54.598+00:00Comments on Carmarthenshire Planning Problems and more: The Mark James Business Empire - Nothing to declare!caebrwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233902574832152764noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-3709839225648026782017-11-23T21:49:18.914+00:002017-11-23T21:49:18.914+00:00As you suggest, Jacqui, or as the council would ha...As you suggest, Jacqui, or as the council would have it, James could be running a string of massage parlours staffed by trafficked Vietnamese children, but as long as it's outside Carmarthenshire, then that's OK.<br /><br />Which is why an indirect and tenuous link with Carmarthenshire intrigues me. I'll try not to overcomplicate it, but as I say, it is intriguing.<br /><br />James became a director of Century Wharf (Two) RTM Company Ltd on 27 June 2014. He joined the other 2 RTMs (One & Three) 27 November 2014. This establishes his connection with Steven James Corner, who joined all three RTMs 27 November 2014.<br /><br />Corner, whose only interest is property, then took a bizarre career detour, and strayed quite a distance from his usual stomping ground, by becoming a director, on 20 May 2015, of Curtain Gallery (Wales) Ltd, based at Tir yr Yspyty, a residential area very close to the Loughor bridge, but in Carmarthenshire.<br /><br />Prior to Corner's arrival the sole director of this soft furnishings company was a Kathleen Bowen, an interior designer. Soon after Corner's arrival the company address moved over the bridge to Gorseinon, which of course is in Swansea. The move was registered in August 2015.<br /><br />In a Return made to Companies House dated 19 July 2015 we are told that Bowen and Corner each hold two shares in the company. In a Statement of 19 July 2016 we are told that Corner's shares have been transferred to Ms Bowen. Corner ceased to be a director 30 October 2015.<br /><br />So what exactly did he contribute to a soft furnishings company in his less than six months as a director?<br /><br />Not a lot apparently, for an application was made to strike off Curtain Gallery (Wales) Ltd in September 2016 and the company was Dissolved before Christmas.<br /><br />One obvious question is: how did a property whizz kid like Steven James Corner, who knows Wales no further west than Cardiff, get involved in a soft furnishings business in Llanelli? <br /><br />Another question might be, how did he get to meet Kathleen Bowen? Come to that, who is Kathleen Bowen? Were they perhaps introduced by a third party, one local to Carmarthenshire, perhaps a friend of Ms Bowen?<br /><br />So many questions.Jac o' the North,https://www.blogger.com/profile/02032744625666336148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-43530868321327204412017-11-23T21:33:46.291+00:002017-11-23T21:33:46.291+00:00Under section 9 of the Officers Code of Conduct,
...Under section 9 of the Officers Code of Conduct, <br /><br />9.1 Employees of Carmarthenshire County Council ate NOT permitted to undertake private work which relates to any matters likely to require consideration or approval by the Council or an employee authorised to act on it's behalf without the prior written consent of the authority through the Assistant Chief Executive People Management & Performance in consultation with the departmental Chief Officer.<br /><br />9.2 Where an employee may desire to undertake work for their personal gain, prior written approval MUST be obtained from the Assistant Chief Executive People Management & Performance following consultation with the employees own Chief Officer.<br /><br />9.3 Should the Assistant Chief Executive People Management & Performance and departmental Chief Officer encounter any difficulty in sanctioning such a request, the matter may be referred to the Appeals Committee for determination.<br /><br />FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THE ABOVE RULING WILL CONSTITUTE GROSS MISCONDUCT AND RESULT IN SUMMARY DISMISSAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNCIL'S DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE.<br /><br />So, where is Mr James' request to Paul Thomas, and where is the 'get out of jail' clause that LRJ would like us to believe that exists. <br />Councillors, wake up! Surely to God, you haven't all got a broken moral compass. If you can't ask the tough questions, then you shouldn't have stood as a representative of your ward. <br /><br />In the words of Edmund Burke, 'The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-21298458777670662362017-11-23T18:06:38.532+00:002017-11-23T18:06:38.532+00:00Labour just could not be bothered, Plaid simply fo...Labour just could not be bothered, Plaid simply followed suit.<br /><br />Nothing will change unless we get responsible Councillors who are prepared to carry out the duties they a elected to do.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Wavellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-83704706611800506912017-11-23T12:48:06.032+00:002017-11-23T12:48:06.032+00:00
Its a fact of life we are all answerable to someo...<br />Its a fact of life we are all answerable to someone - I am lined managed and my line manager is line managed and so forth<br /><br />CEOs of global companies are answerable to their shareholders and frequently have to answer for their actions <br /><br />Mark James must be managed by someone - I would say the ruling party in charge Plaid Cymru - they must then be by default happy for him to conduct all these extra activities in his own time - whether as taxpayers we are just are happy is another matter which we can only express at the next election <br /><br />Great work by yourself to bring these matters to our attention<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-16226909220293687722017-11-22T19:28:46.017+00:002017-11-22T19:28:46.017+00:00Another approach may be to submit an FOI request f...Another approach may be to submit an FOI request for a record of delegated decisions taken by senior officers. In most councils this information seems to be readily available via the internet and quite rightly so with the potential for conflicts of interest as well as for openness and transparency. However this appears not to be the case for CCC. I eventually found an 'officer decisions' page at http://democracy.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/mgListOfficerDecisions.aspx?bcr=1&BAM=0.<br />Inputting a date range of 22/11/2002 - 23/11/2017 rather surprisingly reveals "No matching decisions"<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-27754975966825739602017-11-22T16:10:54.588+00:002017-11-22T16:10:54.588+00:00Anon 14:51
Yes it was the libel indemnity, his fa...Anon 14:51 <br />Yes it was the libel indemnity, his failure to declare a direct interest let alone leave the meeting was just one of the reasons the WAO declared the indemnity unlawful. It's either ignorance or total arrogance...I believe it's the latter.caebrwynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233902574832152764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-60227593979146633332017-11-22T14:51:31.253+00:002017-11-22T14:51:31.253+00:00Perhaps he doesn't know the meaning of "c...Perhaps he doesn't know the meaning of "conflict of interests" considering that he apparently sat in on a meeting which, if I remember correctly, was either discussing his pension arrangements or the decision underwrite his legal expenses or, at least, something which he should to which he should not have been privy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-73822242218583424672017-11-22T11:11:28.676+00:002017-11-22T11:11:28.676+00:00http://www.ombudsmanassociation.org/young-people/m...http://www.ombudsmanassociation.org/young-people/maladministration.htm<br /><br />This makes interesting reading.Keanjohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05712816955263616297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-84801960384389811332017-11-22T09:47:36.785+00:002017-11-22T09:47:36.785+00:00Anon 09:33
My FOI asked for copies of written cons...Anon 09:33<br />My FOI asked for copies of written consent, as claimed by Mr James in the Western Mail - clearly it doesn't exist.caebrwynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233902574832152764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-53168710624970150322017-11-22T09:34:56.836+00:002017-11-22T09:34:56.836+00:00Anon 05:58
Under the Code of Conduct, if the senio...Anon 05:58<br />Under the Code of Conduct, if the senior officer convinces him/herself that there is no conflict of interest, there is no need to declare anything. This renders it weak and useless, and potentially wide open to abuse.<br />As far as the Code applies to Mr James, it's not worth the paper it's written on, and not just the section on conflicts of interest either.caebrwynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233902574832152764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-39978064016125176572017-11-22T09:33:24.674+00:002017-11-22T09:33:24.674+00:00As usual Ms Rees Jones demonstrates her unique tak...As usual Ms Rees Jones demonstrates her unique take on CCC's constitution<br />Nowhere in the Officers’ Code of Conduct does it state that work/interests by a paid employee are exempted from declaration if based outside Carmarthenshire but it does state that "Openness in the dissemination of information and decision making should be the norm."<br />Let's imagine Ms Rees Jones was moonlighting by running a political lobbying company in Cardiff - would she determine that there could be no potential conflict of interest as the business was not based in Carmarthenshire?<br /><br />caebrwyn wrote: "Seems that this consent must have been the usual nod and a wink variety from a dutiful disciple, rather than anything 'official'"<br /> - the Officers’ Code of Conduct states "Where an employee may desire to undertake work for their personal gain, prior <b>written approval</b> must be obtained ..." this is later emphasized by "FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THE ABOVE RULING WILL CONSTITUTE GROSS MISCONDUCT AND RESULT IN SUMMARY DISMISSAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNCIL'S DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-791817892794754996.post-38945374931397277562017-11-22T05:58:04.519+00:002017-11-22T05:58:04.519+00:00Does Mark James have a Code of Conduct?? I have tr...Does Mark James have a Code of Conduct?? I have tried to find it but with no success. Another hidden secret.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com