Carmarthenshire Council is very fond of telling us that it is the best local authority in Wales, the envy of all others, of the world perhaps. Not everyone is convinced of course. Appearing on their homepage yesterday was another reminder;
'In the recent National Survey for Wales on Local Authority services, Carmarthenshire was identified as the best in Wales for letting local people know how it is performing'
In fact, there was a raft of questions in the survey and unfortunately the results for 'did respondents feel they could influence decisions affecting their local area? were the worst in Wales, with 70% of respondents feeling completely ignored. That bit wasn't on the homepage.
A clear result; Department of Spin - 1, Democracy - Nil.
Don't forget today's full council meeting starts at 10am and can be found here; http://www.carmarthenshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/home
(Update; Meeting has now ended and will be archived later).
'In the recent National Survey for Wales on Local Authority services, Carmarthenshire was identified as the best in Wales for letting local people know how it is performing'
In fact, there was a raft of questions in the survey and unfortunately the results for 'did respondents feel they could influence decisions affecting their local area? were the worst in Wales, with 70% of respondents feeling completely ignored. That bit wasn't on the homepage.
A clear result; Department of Spin - 1, Democracy - Nil.
Don't forget today's full council meeting starts at 10am and can be found here; http://www.carmarthenshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/home
(Update; Meeting has now ended and will be archived later).
10 comments:
The Survey results will be further polished at Monday's Executive Board meeting, and an extract of the survey can be seen here
Can someone please explain to me why there is so much confusion surrounding "declaration of interest?" at this late stage in the meetings. Is it the case that prior to webcasting, councillors with an interest were attending meetings that they shouldn't have?
Anon 12.55 No, I don't think that was the case. Prior to the webcasting, declarations of interest were made on a form which was passed round. Oral declarations were not allowed - I think the sudden enthusiasm by the 'Chair' over 'Declarations for the benefit of the camera' has backfired and realisation has set in that some cllrs will use this as a way of saying something controversial. And we couldn't possibly have that could we.
Hence the comments of the Acting Head of Legal to keep it away from the cameras.
Thanks caebrwyn. Forgive my ignorance but are those with a prejudicial interest as opposed to a financial/personal interest permitted to stay in the meetings? Also in light of recent events in Caerphilly Council, my apologies for not including Officers as well as Cllrs in my question above.
Anon 13.34
I think there's some confusion all round as to when a cllr has to declare a prejudicial interest. If a cllr has spoken out about an issue, it is now possible under new rules for them to take part in a meeting where a decision is being made as long as they bring an 'open mind' to it. Unlikely I know, but I think the reasoning behind it was to allow councillors to campaign on local issues without having to then leave the meeting where it was being decided.
That's how I understand it anyway.
Similar rules apply to Officers and if they are financially and personally gaining from a decision, perhaps at an Executive Board meeting, they should definitely declare an interest and leave the meeting. This should be recorded in the Minutes. If they have also had any input into the report which is recommending the decision from which they will benefit, this is even more reason for them to leave, and it is also entirely reasonable to suggest that they should not have any input, at all, into such a report in the first place.
This would be a matter for an investigation by the Wales Audit Office, which is what happened in Caerphilly.
Thank you Caebrwyn for your comprehensive explanation. I hope that common sense prevails and that the new rules are as you understand it!
Quoting 'In the recent National Survey for Wales on Local Authority services, Carmarthenshire was identified as the best in Wales for letting local people know how it is performing' - yet missing off the poor result - spot the irony? I wonder if "best" includes consideration of value for money? I wonder if CCC are the most expensive at letting local people know the good, and spun from poor to not so bad, and completely ignored if bad, bits of how they are performing?
I loved the bit where one of the council officers said that the survey had the highest number of people who felt they were'nt able to influence decisions affecting their local area process, but alos the lowest in Wales responding that they want to be involved.
Apathy is a killer!
Always fun to see some selective use of stats!
i think denbighshire county council is a lot, lot worse.
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