You may have read about the recent row over Caerphilly Council's Chief Executive 'secret' pay rise of £35k. A special committee met in private to approve the deal to bump up the salaries of senior officers, including the £35k rise, based on a report authored by the CEO himself. The ensuing outrage led to a council vote to cut the pay increases, and the Chief Executive's rise has been cut by £21k. Even though the whole deal could have been unlawful anyway as three days notice of the meeting was not given, not all the pay increases will be clawed back and I expect the council taxpayers of Caerphilly will pick up the bill. Gwynedd council staff are today protesting today over a 7% increase in their senior staff pay.
Putting the political banter and blame aside, this all shows how completely out of touch with real life some of our local authorities have become, not just in awarding massive pay hikes to senior directors whilst most residents are deciding whether they can afford bread and milk or a bag of coal, it is also the perception that they have a right to make these decisions away from the prying eyes of the public, press and the majority of councillors, particularly whilst all Welsh Councils are finalising their budgets, making cuts to services and shedding low paid workers. A recent debate to introduce fares for children on school buses at Wrexham council was deemed to be so sensitive that it led to a ban on local reporters tweeting from the meeting, earning the borough a coveted place in this week's Private Eye.
So what about Carmarthenshire? Caerphilly's Chief Executive, even if he'd kept his pay rise would still be receiving less than his counterpart in Carmarthenshire. And, unlike Carmarthenshire, at least Caerphilly have attempted to introduce the Living Wage for low paid staff. A £26k pay rise in 2009 for our Chief Executive was swept through with Meryl brought out to defend it saying something about monkeys and peanuts. The 2011/2012 accounts show the Chief Executive's pay, including pensions and 'fees' as £209k. The 'Remuneration of the Senior management Team' document on the council website is so out of date Meryl is still Leader, maybe this is just wishful thinking though.
It was interesting that a recent survey by Hansard of new Welsh Assembly Members showed that their priority had changed since the election from representing their constituents to trying to make government more accountable, at it's most basic level this involves the apparently insurmountable task of getting a straight answer.
Carmarthenshire Council leads the field of course in opaque decision making and lack of accountability. The public and press are excluded from Executive Board Member meetings; the 'Business Management Group' of party leaders and senior officers makes 'recommendations' yet doesn't appear in the organisational structure of the council, nor publishes agendas or minutes; the various amendments to the Constitution have led to less scrutiny and further centralised control to the Chief Executive's office. I could go on.
The press office has gained national notoriety as a bloated propaganda wing of the ruling officer-led administration, acting as the catalyst for threats to the local papers. An attempt to bring this to a head in the Chamber by the opposition was headed of at the pass by the Chief Executive resulting in the meeting I referred to in my last post, which left me speechless. And I'd like to know who decided to give Cllr Pam Palmer the portfolio of 'Communications', was this some sort of joke?
The council continues to remain in denial over negative ombudsman reports, and the strained relationship between council bosses and what is after all, our only source of redress and complaint doesn't help in the accountability stakes. The next meeting of the Planning Committee, for instance has a very rare 'Ombudsmans report' for discussion. The 'Carmarthenshire' public interest test will be applied and no doubt the discussion will be held in private. We can only assume, as we are not told in the agenda, that this is the Breckman case from last July, as featured, very publicly, on Wales This Week last October. The committee will be given an officers' report on the case which I am sure will read somewhat differently to the original and will they be told that, as I understand it, the watchdog in Cardiff is still not satisfied with the council's response?
I couldn't attend, for various reasons, yesterday's full council meeting which leaves us all with the depressing reality of having to rely on the surgically cleansed 'approved' Minutes, (the 'official' approval at the following meeting is purely cosmetic as we know any important challenges to their accuracy are completely ignored). The minutes from the Executive Board meeting of the 7th January still haven't been published which is a long time, even for Carmarthenshire and surprising given that the Board have met since.
When it comes to accountability and a moral responsibility to at least be seen to be democratic, our local authorities in Wales are becoming autonomous institutions, ruling parts of Wales like ancient fiefdoms. Leading the way as a model of dictatorial local government, and seemingly endorsed by the Welsh Minister responsible for such things, is, without a doubt, our very own Carmarthenshire County Council.
Update; The ever resourceful Cneifiwr has a rundown on yesterday's meeting - where it appears that a brand new Constitutional trick has been devised to further prevent insolent councillors from questioning the regime, (even if, as it appears to be the case here, the Chair of the meeting had been given prior notice and presumably her permission) - Just take 'Any Other Business' off the Agenda! Job done!
Putting the political banter and blame aside, this all shows how completely out of touch with real life some of our local authorities have become, not just in awarding massive pay hikes to senior directors whilst most residents are deciding whether they can afford bread and milk or a bag of coal, it is also the perception that they have a right to make these decisions away from the prying eyes of the public, press and the majority of councillors, particularly whilst all Welsh Councils are finalising their budgets, making cuts to services and shedding low paid workers. A recent debate to introduce fares for children on school buses at Wrexham council was deemed to be so sensitive that it led to a ban on local reporters tweeting from the meeting, earning the borough a coveted place in this week's Private Eye.
So what about Carmarthenshire? Caerphilly's Chief Executive, even if he'd kept his pay rise would still be receiving less than his counterpart in Carmarthenshire. And, unlike Carmarthenshire, at least Caerphilly have attempted to introduce the Living Wage for low paid staff. A £26k pay rise in 2009 for our Chief Executive was swept through with Meryl brought out to defend it saying something about monkeys and peanuts. The 2011/2012 accounts show the Chief Executive's pay, including pensions and 'fees' as £209k. The 'Remuneration of the Senior management Team' document on the council website is so out of date Meryl is still Leader, maybe this is just wishful thinking though.
It was interesting that a recent survey by Hansard of new Welsh Assembly Members showed that their priority had changed since the election from representing their constituents to trying to make government more accountable, at it's most basic level this involves the apparently insurmountable task of getting a straight answer.
Carmarthenshire Council leads the field of course in opaque decision making and lack of accountability. The public and press are excluded from Executive Board Member meetings; the 'Business Management Group' of party leaders and senior officers makes 'recommendations' yet doesn't appear in the organisational structure of the council, nor publishes agendas or minutes; the various amendments to the Constitution have led to less scrutiny and further centralised control to the Chief Executive's office. I could go on.
The press office has gained national notoriety as a bloated propaganda wing of the ruling officer-led administration, acting as the catalyst for threats to the local papers. An attempt to bring this to a head in the Chamber by the opposition was headed of at the pass by the Chief Executive resulting in the meeting I referred to in my last post, which left me speechless. And I'd like to know who decided to give Cllr Pam Palmer the portfolio of 'Communications', was this some sort of joke?
The council continues to remain in denial over negative ombudsman reports, and the strained relationship between council bosses and what is after all, our only source of redress and complaint doesn't help in the accountability stakes. The next meeting of the Planning Committee, for instance has a very rare 'Ombudsmans report' for discussion. The 'Carmarthenshire' public interest test will be applied and no doubt the discussion will be held in private. We can only assume, as we are not told in the agenda, that this is the Breckman case from last July, as featured, very publicly, on Wales This Week last October. The committee will be given an officers' report on the case which I am sure will read somewhat differently to the original and will they be told that, as I understand it, the watchdog in Cardiff is still not satisfied with the council's response?
I couldn't attend, for various reasons, yesterday's full council meeting which leaves us all with the depressing reality of having to rely on the surgically cleansed 'approved' Minutes, (the 'official' approval at the following meeting is purely cosmetic as we know any important challenges to their accuracy are completely ignored). The minutes from the Executive Board meeting of the 7th January still haven't been published which is a long time, even for Carmarthenshire and surprising given that the Board have met since.
When it comes to accountability and a moral responsibility to at least be seen to be democratic, our local authorities in Wales are becoming autonomous institutions, ruling parts of Wales like ancient fiefdoms. Leading the way as a model of dictatorial local government, and seemingly endorsed by the Welsh Minister responsible for such things, is, without a doubt, our very own Carmarthenshire County Council.
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Update; The ever resourceful Cneifiwr has a rundown on yesterday's meeting - where it appears that a brand new Constitutional trick has been devised to further prevent insolent councillors from questioning the regime, (even if, as it appears to be the case here, the Chair of the meeting had been given prior notice and presumably her permission) - Just take 'Any Other Business' off the Agenda! Job done!
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...and if you only read one thing today, make sure it's this post this from award winning blogger, Owen Donovan, aka Oggy Bloggy Ogwr;
5 comments:
Excellent, if thoroughly depressing, analysis of the current situation Jacqui. Good luck in February - most of Carmarthenshire will be keeping their fingers crossed for you.
Fear not! Cneifiwr has produced a handy run-down on yesterday's council meeting which included an amazing new constitutional trick!
IF you are not aware despite serving on a Community Council - There is no such thing as Any Other Business in a properly constituted run community or town or county council. Section 100B should be only used in an emergency and then only on the discretion of the Chair .
In this case the Chair is particularly weak and is more interested in her funny little stories and scolding the gents for getting to have a !!!!
As I've said elsewhere: it's time for citizens of Carmarthenshire to consider a legal challenge to the culture and practice of counter democracy being perpetrated in their names by their elected representatives. All of these practices run in total contradiction to the principles of transparency, accountability and scrutiny - open government - and the law must be used to enforce compliance if the authority refuses to acknowledge such obligations.
I HAVE JUST READ OGGYS PIECE AND THOUGH I THOROUGHLY ENJOY YOUR WRITING HIS POSTING ENTITLED "WELL TONIGHT THANK GOD ITS THEM INSTEAD OF YOU" SHOULD BE COMPULSORY READING FOR ALL COUNCILLORS IN CCC.
IM ASSUMING THAT ALL COUNCILLORS IN CCC READ THIS BLOG - PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ OGGYS BLOG,IT SHOULD MAKE YOU THINK HOW YOU SHOULD CONDUCT YOURSELVES IN FUTURE - ESPECIALLY LABOUR COUNCILLORS, YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THINGS NOW. PLEASE FIND YOUR BALLS AND STAND UP FOR SOCIALIST PRINCIPLES - COULD MAKE A START WITH LIVING WAGE ?
LOOK TO THE CHURCH PROJECT THAT COULD WELL BLOW UP IN YOUR FACES BIG TIME !!!!!
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