Stopped from Filming a Council Public Meeting

Again in the interests of transparency and so members of the public can see our wonderful planning department and committee in action I decided to film a snapshot of the proceedings.

As you will see from the video below (and on You Tube) I was stopped by the Council solicitor. Apparently it is not allowed (although I remember them allowing the BBC to film in the Chamber when Prince Charles' application went in front of the Committee a couple of years back - but I guess I am not Prince Charles..or the BBC am I?) Anyhow, like my previous attempts I believe I was acting in the public interest, at a public meeting, where elected councillors were doing their public duty. The Council officers are paid out of the public purse, therefore their actions should be transparent too. Surely they have nothing to hide?

I fail to understand their attitude and would have thought such actions would be welcomed as a means of direct accountability to the public. Obviously not. Perhaps it is the lack of control over the presentation of such footage which they object to.

I was also asked to give my name and address at the end of the meeting, I am not sure why, anyway I left before the end and didn't oblige. If they really want to know it will not be hard to find out.
I'll be back

31st March 2011

I have uploaded the video above onto You Tube and also a couple of others filmed briefly before I was noticed and stopped. I must add that there was no 'hidden camera' I was there for all to see. Apologies again for the quality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6C-4HCQUaE

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80b-8U0I8LM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d57NOzxU78

and thanks to fellow blogger from Rhondda CT for the link; Candid With a Carmarthenshire Camera

Update 2nd April
A short appeal to anyone with a smartphone/recording device who happens to go to the public gallery in Carmarthenshire Council Chamber; (after you've got through the first barrier - THE DOOR TO THE PUBLIC GALLERY IS ALWAYS LOCKED and you have to trail around County Hall and several flights of stairs to get someone to open it)
Next time you are there, film/record the meeting - if enough people do this they might get the message.

Pantecelyn School - Judicial Review

I am publishing the following press release on behalf of the Save Pantecelyn Action Group (YPAG). Preliminary enquiries have been made regarding the possibility of launching a Judicial Review against the decision of Carmarthenshire County Council to close Pantecelyn Secondary school, Llandovery. Before taking this action it is necessary to ascertain the level of support such a move would have from all the interested parties;

"A core group of YPAG members have re-grouped and made enquiries about pro-bono representation in court to pursue a judicial review. This looks very possible but before going ahead with this the YPAG members would like to give a last opportunity for those who oppose the judicial review to have their say. We understand that support has fluctuated for a number of reasons but there are still very enthusiastic supporters of this action. The edict from Carmarthen Council has been that the decision about the school should be made on the educational advantages alone. There has been some argument that local tradesmen will suffer if the new school does not go ahead. Also there seems to be some idea that Pantycelyn will become a Welsh School which we would not wish to oppose. However the survey conducted among primary school parents concerning their preferences did not support welsh only secondary education in the Llandovery area. We have also made enquiries about this possibility but these have brought forward no evidence at all that this will be the case. The argument that more subjects are necessary (which is given as the driver of this reform) is not supported by all educationalists or politicians. Many understand quality not quantity is needed. Whilst the grant will make possible the very necessary rebuilding of a school to service the Llandeilo area, we feel that this money should be available without the proviso that Pantycelyn should be closed, and will continue to lobby AM’s on this. If you have strong views against this action being taken we need to hear from you. The democratic process needs people to speak up and air their views so please contact us by via email: info@ypag.org.uk or telephone. You can also write to YPAG , The Drovers, Market Square, Llandovery, SA20 0AB."

There are several posts on this blog concerning this matter which can be searched for in the searchbox on the right

UPDATE 5th APRIL;
The final consultation document is now on the council website along with the response form here;    http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/English/education/Pages/Home.aspx (under heading 'useful documents')
The final day to submit you concerns is June 17th 2011. The plan is to close Pantecelyn and Tregib by summer 2012 but use the buildings for temporary arrangements for the children until the new school opens in, maybe, 2015.

The Council Works in Mysterious Ways...

I see that Carmarthenshire Council are planning to give £280,000 towards the funding of the proposed bowling alley and community facility on the old St Ivel site in Carmarthen for the Towy Community Church. This is on top of the land already donated last year to the value of £750,000. In fact I didn't realise the Council had so much spare cash - have I missed something? This decision should please all those campaigning to preserve the non-denominational day centres for the elderly, village schools, care homes, libraries etc obviously the budget predictions were entirely wrong and all will be saved. 
Naturally, I believe such ventures, religious or otherwise should be encouraged, I wouldn't want to put a dampener on such enthusiastic community spirit...In fact I am thinking of setting up my own 'Caebrwyn Community Fellowship' as I am sure the Council would give me some prime development land and a few quid to start my own church community facility...wouldn't they?
I think we need a little more clarity over this.
 http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/wyl/carmarthen/Bowling-alley-s-163-1m-council-support/article-3383839-detail/article.html

Later Post; http://carmarthenplanning.blogspot.com/2011/04/council-works-in-even-more-mysterious.html

County Hall Pravda Rebranded

One of my correspondents drew my attention to the fact that the council rag 'Community News' is coming to an end. However my celebrations were shortlived when I realised that it is to be 're-branded' as the 'Carmarthenshire News'. I then remembered this previous post from January  County Hall 'Pravda' Expands.. which explains how Council 'partners' eg the health board and FE colleges will now be contributing to this nonsense out of their meagre budgets. I hope the 'partners' are pleased with the contents of the current issue which has no less than six photos featuring Executive Board Member Cllr Scourfield, and feel this will bode well for the future...

(Please see further posts on the 'Community News' by searching this blog)

Police to Investigate Wales Audit Office?

 I see that the committee of AM's are now demanding a police investigation into Jeremy Colman's dealings whilst he was chief of the Wales Audit Office, particularly the circumstances surrounding the £750,000 retirement package paid to the ex-chief operating officer, Anthony Snow.  As you can imagine the current management of the WAO would rather not bother. To anyone who has followed this saga it is absolutely clear that something was very wrong;
The Committee chairman said  "It is with great regret that we have had to consider these matters and we believe they are largely due to the actions of one person who decided the high standards and expectation required for the position of auditor general did not apply to him......My committee colleagues and I believe that a question remains as to whether aspects of Mr Colman's conduct could be considered criminal and that this question will remain unanswered unless an appropriate authority reviews the evidence we've received"
AMs demand Wales Audit Office £750,000 pay-off inquiry  BBC News

Grants, Loans and an Inappropriate '!'

A forthcoming report to the Council's Audit Committee illustrates the ineffectiveness of the Wales Audit Office and failings within the Council Resources department. The WAO has been highlighted serious failings in the Council's grant procedures since 2008 (previous posts 'Council Grant Process Deteriorates' and 'Failing to Follow the Rules' have now been removed)  and it appears the same issues, for example, non-compliance with tendering procedures, errors in claim forms, ineligible expenditure being claimed and insufficient documentation are still areas of concern in a report dated March 2011. The number of grant claims that have had to be amended puts Carmarthenshire Council well below the Wales average - not something they're likely to trumpet from the pages of the 'Community News'.

A recent meeting of the Environment Scrutiny committee finally saw the report dealing with the relationship between Carmarthenshire Council and it's 'wholly owned' company, Cwm Environmental Ltd, which handles the Council's recycling programme. A few concerns were raised, one of which was the lack of representation from the Council on the Board of Directors, apparently it was deemed perfectly acceptable that the only representative on the Board is an ex-official of the council...so that's ok then...?
I have previously mentioned two loans made by the Council to this company in 2008 totalling £650,000 to further expand the recycling facilities (according to the report they were unable to raise it from the bank), it would then appear that the location of the facility will be long term, and one wonders whether the £4 million held in 'reserve' for 'reinstatement purposes' couldn't have been at least partly used, as one Councillor suggested, to plug the hole in the council's budget deficit? I seem to remember, from the meeting he was told "there was no money there".

Lastly, back to planning and I wonder whether there is ever an appropriate use of an exclamation mark in a planning officers report? Whatever the merits or otherwise of a planning application, the associated costs of the application can be substantial, particularly when an agent is employed and no matter how the planning officer feels about the application, the applicant should be able to expect an objective appraisal. The use of an exclamation mark in a report which is going in front of next week's Planning Committee meeting, says an awful lot more than the words and sends a definite and intentional message of ridicule to anyone who cares to read it. Need I add, it's recommended for refusal.
Very unprofessional.

[removed]

Wales Audit Office Whitewash

Well, as promised the ex-chief officer of the Wales Audit Office, Anthony Snow was brought before the Assembly Public Accounts Committee yesterday as part of the investigation into the financial peculiarities of the WAO.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/wales/newsid_9432000/9432321.stm
If the exercise was about drawing a line under the alleged 'discrepancies' unearthed since the departure of Jeremy Coleman, it merely raised more questions, questions which will remain unanswered as it became apparent that nothing was ever written down. The relaxed Mr Snow clearly knew he would have nothing to fear and despite attempts by some AM's to prod, albeit mildly, a little deeper, into matters such as why expensive 'coaching sessions' were held regularly at a private London club, he deflected all with the skill of an experienced politician.
If the WAG Public Accounts Committee is the last resort for such investigations it is obvious that the public purse is no more protected by them than it is by the Wales Audit Office.

The Inside Out blog puts it rather well here

School Spin and More..

I see the latest press release from Carmarthenshire Council announces that the funding for the new superschool on the flood plains of Ffairfach is now available. I do not doubt this is good news for some but as the council 'press on' with the programme, the closure of Llandovery's Pantecelyn secondary school, is, sadly, entirely presupposed. and therefore probably inevitable. Typically of this council, the little inconvenience of the official consultation, including the Community Impact Assessment (the effect on Llandovery and surrounding area) has yet to be even started. In fact the press release states that the proposals will now be shared with all the interested parties - it doesn't look like there is much choice in the matter really. I also wonder who will be doing the Impact Assessment..an independent body?

Needless to say the campaigners trying to save the school are astonished but not surprised by the council's bulldozer tactics. Underneath the spin, the school reorganisation programme is perhaps designed not to deliver better education but simply a cost-cutting exercise. You never know though, there may be another revolt as we saw over the care home closures..

Carmarthenshire Council's Fat Cats 2011

The Taxpayer's Alliance has, for our convenience, published it's annual Town Hall Rich List for 2009/2010, I should imagine there will be a few blogs up and down the country sporting similar images as the one on the right, and not without good reason, Council's are only required to name those with the highest salaries. For staff earning over £60,000 there is a head count, this rose from 116 in 2008/9 to 135 2009/10. In the higher end of this scale, (£90,000 to £119,000) despite the apparently dire financial climate and public services and low paid workers facing the axe, the number of senior managers rose from 23 to 27. So much for 'efficiency savings in senior management'.

The highest paid (including pensions);
Mark James, Chief Executive - £188,018 (includes expenses etc but not his fees as Returning Officer for elections, ie. announcing the result)

Dave Gilbert, Director of Regeneration & Leisure - £147,637

Richard Workman, Director of Technical Services - £135,451

Bruce McLernon, Director of Social Care, health and Housing - £135,189

Roger Jones, Director of Resources - £135,219 

Robert Sully, Director of Education and Children's Services - £135,333

These figures do not include other fees and expense allowances  which may or may not be registered somewhere in the dusty basements of County Hall, or maybe even in the 'nuclear bunker' (anyone remember that? built without planning permission in 1986 which then had to be granted 'retrospectively'...I digress)

Sadly, unlike with private companies, we do not have the option of taking our custom elsewhere.  

At the other end of the scale is Anne Dawson, the school cook from Llanelli, forced to retire early, and, after three years is still fighting a claim for equal pay...I can't see our fat cats having problems like that can you?
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/m-owed-pay/article-3332886-detail/article.html

Carmarthenshire Planning - Ignoring it's own Rules

This week's Llanelli Star reports that Carmarthenshire's Planning and Legal Departments are ignoring it's own rules;

The council in Carmarthenshire has been accused of riding roughshod over its own planning rules by allowing a developer to build new homes before addressing potential flooding risks.

Campaigner Delme Phillips is against putting the 137-home estate on around four hectares of land which consists of St Michael's school playing fields and open pasture land off Heol-y-Mynydd Road in Bryn.
The 62-year-old, who lives around 100 yards from the proposed site, said he and other residents feared sewage and drainage problems, as well as increased traffic if the scheme was given the go-ahead.
However the plans, submitted by Asbri Planning, on behalf of Barratt Homes, were approved by the council's planning committee last July, with a condition being that "a detailed scheme for the removal of highway surface water from the combined sewer is submitted, the implementation of which to be secured by a Grampian condition".
The imposing of such a condition means the development cannot start until works required off-site have been completed.
So Mr Phillips said he was angered to see contractors for Barratt Homes begin work on the site last month, apparently without the required drainage work being done.
On further investigation, he was shocked to discover the council had mysteriously changed tack.
In a letter to the Star, Mr Phillips explained: "I obtained a copy of the full planning permission issued to Barratt Homes and signed by EW Bowen, head of planning.


"The condition quoted above has been ignored, but, even more alarmingly, condition nine of the permission issued to Barratt Homes totally alters that condition's requirements. This is a condition that completely overturns the wishes of the planning committee.
"I have written to the chief executive of Carmarthenshire Council, the head of law and the head of planning due to the urgency of this issue and have pointed out that I believe that the changing/ignoring of the planning condition is illegal."


But Carmarthenshire Council senior solicitor Steven Murphy said the authority had acted within the law.
He said: "The head of planning has authority to amend and/or add conditions in relation to applications approved by the planning committee in these circumstances."

Is Pantecelyn School Now Sustainable? - Part Two

Following on from this previous post, 'Is Pantecelyn School now Sustainable? I see that the Save Pantecelyn Action Group have written, as below, asking that very question. The contents are self explanatory;

 

To all AM’s, local newspapers (Carmarthen Journal & South Wales Guardian), Education Department Carmarthenshire County Council/FAO: Mr. Robert Sully;

In 2008 the process of reforming the Welsh Education system started and the Dinefwr area of Carmarthenshire going under the name Tri-Level Reform was set in motion. The reason for this was the fact that the Welsh Assembly made statutory regulations that schools had to offer 28-30 subjects and if they could not, they would be in breach of the regulations. The Tri-Level Reform set up a group of Head Teachers and C.C.C. Education officials in order to see how the current schools in the area could be reorganised to offer these subjects. Public Consultations followed, plans were submitted to the Welsh Assembly Government and consultants instructed. In short, millions of pounds were spent and a massive amount of time used to try and implement the WAG reforms.


In February 2011 Mr. Leighton Andrews/Education Minister announced that there are too many subjects being taught across Wales and they need to be “slashed” in order to bring the emphasis back on “quality” qualifications.


This makes a complete mockery of the last three years. Nobody now knows where they stand, be it schools, parents, pupils, teachers and the education departments.


What is the Government now going to do about this? In particular from our point of view , Ysgol Gyfun Pantycelyn in Llandovery is now a sustainable school. Is it not time that our 3 local county councillors, our own local AM and MP start fighting for our school in Llandovery? These changes throw a complete new light on the delivery of “21st century education”. The vast amount of public money wasted on the Tri-Level Reform should have been spent on improving the education of our pupils all along.

Save Ysgol Pantycelyn Action Group Committee.
 
http://carmarthenplanning.blogspot.com/2011/03/pantecelyn-letter-in-south-wales.html 
http://carmarthenplanning.blogspot.com/2011/01/sainsburys-llandeiloand-new-school-site.html
and previous posts throughout this blog, please search.

Pantecelyn - Letter in South Wales Guardian

In response to this article about Llandovery sorting office in the South Wales Guardian, 'Anger as Last Post Sounds in Llandovery' I had to drop the paper a line expressing my disbelief over County Councillor Ivor Jackson's comments and, more particularly, the lack of them, regarding the impending closure of Pantecelyn secondary school.

He says, astonishingly, of the sorting office (but not the school of course);

"It's a crying shame we're losing a facility which has been in Llandovery for so many years,"

Anyway here it is (and I include here the last sentence which had been edited out by the paper);

'Dear Editor,
I must comment on County Councillor Ivor Jackson's concerns about the nine postal staff in Llandovery in your article 'Last Post Sounds in Llandovery'. It goes without saying that these hard working people who are up early in all weathers, doing a great service, should be supported in every way possible. What I find hard to believe is why Cllr Jackson is not equally as vocal about the hundreds of schoolchildren who soon will have to do the same 24 mile journey, some of them much further, and in all weathers when Pantecelyn School finally closes it's doors.
As he says, it's a 'crying shame' that the last 'post' will be sounding in Llandovery but no one has seen him shedding any tears, or speaking out, over the last bell ringing at Pantecelyn.

Then again, perhaps it is easier for him to snap at the Post Office than to bite the hand that feeds him, Carmarthenshire County Council.
yours sincerely'

UPDATE 7th MARCH:
For your information here is the costs incurred so far, funded by the Welsh Assembly, for the Dinefwr School Reforms programme. I am not sure what 'Internal Management Fees' are but I daresay it's essential spending. Other consultants' costs are self explanatory.
I am quite clearly in the wrong business.

Filming in the Chamber...(and the Care Homes Stay Open!)

Pleased to see the campaigners trying to save two care homes for the elderly in Llanelli score a victory today in Carmarthenshire Council Chamber. I intended to remain for the entire budget debate but due to the late start, a flat battery on my phone and severe toothache I called it a day. I spent an interesting couple of hours though filming, photographing, and tweeting from the public gallery. Further to my previous post, whereas it may not be council policy it is not against the law to record meetings in such a way. This was, as you will see from the quality of the video, an experiment and the examples are given (YouTube links) to make my point. Point made.
Transparency, even in this cosmetic 'showcase' form, needn't come at a price.
The Care Home closure debate itself saw various Councillors making their point including one who mentioned the £100,000 squiffed by the Planning department pursuing Mr Humphreys and his Mill, another reminded everyone of the gift to 'the stadium'. As the debate continued M Gravell looked crosser and crosser, and a recorded vote, (28 to 38) meant the Care homes stay open.
I must mention that our two local stalwarts of the elderly, Cllr Ivor Jackson and Cllr Tom Theophilus both 'Independents', and ever loyal to Meryl, voted for closure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbzFYftI_Jo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7XHNptexpU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvxngtFqx_0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCwHcbRZLn0

UPDATE March 1st;

Remember, the combined pay of those you see sat at the 'top table' is approaching £1.3 million. 

Today's newspaper articles about yesterday's debates;

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Bigger-tax-rise-thrashed-save-care-homes/article-3276294-detail/article.html

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/care-homes-u-turn/article-3276306-detail/article.html

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Campaigners-elated-late-reprieve/article-3276261-detail/article.html

UPDATE 4th MARCH:

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Campaigners-hit-care-home-criticism/article-3288645-detail/article.html (well said Ray)

UPDATE 6th MARCH;

To date, the You Tube clips have been viewed 216 times!

LATER POST 7th April; Vote of No Confidence in Executive Board Member

Recording Council Meetings - The Response

Following on from my previous post, here, I have had a reply to my query regarding the recording of Council meetings;

"While the law requires us to allow public access to meetings, it does not require us to allow recording of proceedings by members of the public and our current practice is that it is not permitted, and this is respected by the media who report our proceedings.
I regret that the same principle would need to be applied to your request.
There are many legal and practical considerations which need to be addressed and resolved before a Council can consider going down the route which you are suggesting. The Council is aware however that there is a developing public interest in the use of modern technology at meetings of Councils and other public bodies, and will be reviewing this issue in the light of legislation and government guidance. How that is progressed will be a matter for Council members to decide at a future date."

In other words, no.
I cannot believe that this would also include a bar to tweeting/blogging from the public gallery as I enquired...or does it? (I shall soon find out)

Eric Pickles' office sent this letter (PDF) to all Councils on Wednesday. I assume Wales was not included as local government is supposed to be a devolved matter (that's another story..) Anyhow, the Council's doesn't have a leg to stand on over this. It seems that there should be no bar to members of the public recording meetings by whatever means - there are no real issues over Data Protection as the activity being filmed is open to the public and the decisions being made, particularly with current budget debates, affect the public - even the Information Commissioner sees no conflict with data protection and states that they are 'elected representatives acting in the public sphere'.
The letter concludes;
'In short transparency and openness should be the underlying principle behind everything councils do and in this digital age it is right that we modernise our approach to public access, recognising the contribution to transparency and democratic debate that social media and similar tools can make.'
This chap has clearly never visited Carmarthenshire.

Recording Council Meetings

Eric Pickles' statement today that bloggers and members of the public should be allowed to make recordings, online films etc of Council meetings has been welcomed by many who hope that such transparency will assist the general public in holding councils to account. I would also welcome such a move, if it happened in Wales. One blogger makes the valid point though that what goes on in the Chamber is often cosmetic democracy and a rubber stamping of decisions. It is the decisions and deals made in the corridors and behind closed doors that are of real importance. So very true in Carmarthenshire.
However, it would be a start and as Carmarthenshire Council has not subscribed, as a fair few other councils have, to live webcasts of meetings on it's website, I thought I'd enquire. I did have a look at the Standing Orders (protocol for meetings) but there was, as far as I could make out, not a mention of recordings and suchlike.
So, with the full Council Budget Debate next Monday (28th Feb) in mind I emailed the 'Democratic Services Unit' with my enquiries;

Dear Sir
Could you please let me know whether, in the interests of transparency, Carmarthenshire County Council would have any objection to members of the public recording committee meetings from the Public Gallery in County Hall. This could be either a sound or video recording which could then be used to illustrate the democratic process to residents of the County. I trust the Council has no objection to the use of mobile phones (on 'silent' of course) by the public in the Gallery to relay information to other residents through social networking sites such as Twitter.
If the Council has any objections to any or all the above, please state why. Please note, I would not expect it necessary to obtain permission prior to each meeting.
A quick response would be welcome prior to the County Council meeting on 28th February.
Thank you

I have been informed that my email has been passed on to the legal department.
I shall post the response here, if and when one arrives.
Regardless of the response, I'll be in the Public Gallery on Monday.

Whilst on the subject of budget cuts, and to illustrate the spin which is so carefully put on unpopular decisions, I noticed that a proposal to close five day centres for elderly people (always an easy target) was 'reported' in the media section of the council website as 'Service development leading to Community Day Club engagement'. There must be someone working in the Council's Press Team who's job it is to select individual 'buzzwords' and randomly re-arrange them in a headline which will have no logical meaning. They must think we're daft. 

Update 25th Feb;

The response from Carmarthenshire Council; http://carmarthenplanning.blogspot.com/2011/02/recording-council-meetings-response.html

Housing Benefit Cuts - Carmarthenshire - Leaked Document

Today's South Wales Evening Post reports ( Benefits blitz 'set to target poorest') on the contents of a 'leaked' Carmarthenshire council document, sent to Councillors, which refers to the Coalition government's proposed shake up of housing benefits. It deals with the probable, and worrying, effect on residents in Carmarthenshire, predicting a sharp rise in 'evictions, homelessness and poverty', there will be a 'negative effect on social inclusion and the local economy' as housing benefit is cut to Carmarthenshire claimants to the tune of £3 million.

The way in which housing benefits will be administered will also change so job losses in the Council's benefits section are also predicted.

Incidentally I'm sure it's not exactly top secret stuff and there must have been quite a big leak because I've got copy,  if anyone else would like one please email me.

Conflict of Interest?

Back to the story of Mr Humphreys and the Mill at Felin Wen. Mr Humphreys has now made an official complaint over the role of one of the planning officers who dealt with the case.

The officer, who deals with conservation, gave evidence at the original trial at Llanelli magistrates court, where Mr Humphreys was aquitted of breaching Listed Building Regulations. At no time during that trial, or indeed with the handling of Mr Humphreys' planning applications did the officer happen to mention that he was an executive member of the Welsh Mills Society. It wasn't until  the case was sent back to the magistrates over one issue, after the council appealed to the High Court, did he decide to reveal his membership. 

The Council's Code of Conduct states that if an officer has a non-pecuniary interest in a planning application he should take no part in it's determination - so what happened here? The overriding ethos of the Welsh Mill Society must be the preservation and restoration of old mills, surely this will cloud Mr Griffiths' objectivity in this, and any other similar matter? 

The Council, of course, deny there was a conflict of interest but one wonders, if that was the case, why he didn't declare his position in the very first instance?

The South Wales Guardian has the story; Builder at centre of row questions role of official

The council has now issued Mr Humphreys with an Enforcement Notice, going against the opinion and guidance given by the Planning Inspector; Mr Humphreys has lodged an Appeal. It will be interesting to see whether the Planning Inspector who determines this appeal will agree with his colleague or with the council!

Cuts and Double Standards

As the deliberations over Carmarthenshire Council's budget cuts rumbles on I was rather disappointed that the Council should blame those pesky 16 year olds and their free school/college buses for pushing up council tax. Shouldn't they be encouraging youngsters to further their education - free transport, particularly for low income families is a deciding factor as to whether they send them or not especially in the more rural parts of the county, they can't exactly hop on a bus, after all, our local County Councillor claims around £2400 a year in travelling expenses...
Incidentally, the thorny question whether to charge Blue Badge holders to park has been deferred, apparently lawyers are being consulted as there are so many Councillors who will have to declare an interest they won't have a quorum.
Anyhow I leave the last word to Mr Ray Jones, resident of Llanelli who sent me this;

I recently read two articles in the Evening Post which strikes me of double standards and spin from the Council.
One article covers 450 redundancies which the Council hope will be covered by voluntary redundancies or natural wastage.
Natural wastage means that there will be less employment down the line for our children who already find it extremely difficult to find employment now.
How wonderful that the "Officers" have agreed to a "pay freeze" anybody earning over £100,000 can afford to be generous, all we have to look at now is how much their expenses will rise.
Ask Mrs Gravell to catch "public transport" to her place of work like the rest of the population, and not be chauffeur driven everywhere all around the County, ask her to bring her own "packed lunch" and make do with scraps.
The Council want £25 million of cuts over the next three years, how ironic that, that is exactly the amount our very secretive council have admitted Parc-y-Scarlets cost "the tax payer", even though Chief Executive Mark James told us in his now famous statement that "the stadium won't cost the tax payer a penny"
I consider that the real cost in land sales, lease, preparation costs etc. make the figure more like £53 million. How many council services have been moved into Parc-y-Scarlets and are paying rent for the privilege of doing so, when there are brand new offices in Llanelli's North Dock laying empty.
The Council loans have seen the rate cuts for them cut in half and remember the capital sum will not be paid back until 15 years time, when presumably the "goalposts" will be moved again so that "they won't have to pay a penny" is this what the famous quote refers to.
How much have the Council paid in grants out of the £800,000 for the new "Pumphouse Restaurant" in Llanelli's North Dock.
A restaurant which it was "plugged" twice in commentary live on BBC Television Wales v England Rugby International, that Stephen Jones and Dwayne Peel who own it, and will give a "speedy service"
Mrs. Gravell also believes that we have to many "Care homes" and that places like St Paul's in Llanelli who we are told only has 4 residents must close, she is backed up by Pat Jones Executive Board members who has responsibility over the closures.
Well if we have to many, why not utilise the spare capacity of these places by relieving our Hospitals and the disgraceful amount of "bed blocking" that clogs up the system, or is that to easy a solution.
And while we are on the subject, is the CEO of the Hywel Dda Trust taking a "freeze" in his £175,00 per annum post ?
Prime Minister David Cameron states that we are all in this together, yes we are in it to take all the cuts going and suffer everything, and "they" (the rich, and we have many of those in this Council) will sacrifice absolutely nothing.
"Prime" means FIRST and that is what "they" are putting themselves.
Sincerely,
Ray Jones

Is Pantecelyn School Now 'Sustainable'?

Campaigners trying to save Pantecelyn secondary school, Llandovery from closure are a little puzzled over Education Minister, Leighton Andrews announcement to reduce the range of A level subjects. This is not because of the idea itself (which is good or bad depending on your view of the purpose of education), but because the alleged inability of the school to meet previous decrees from the Assembly that at least 30 subjects should be offered, was a very large factor in the Council's argument for closure. Does this mean that Pantecelyn is now 'sustainable'?
Also here; http://borthlas.blogspot.com/2011/02/welcome-u-turn.html

I was also surprised that a Community Impact Assessment has not been carried out yet, given the grave effect the closure of the school will have on the town of Llandovery. I would have thought this would be obligatory when the proposal was first mooted. I imagine that the eventual assessment will be slanted towards the Council's own agenda over closure, and long after the will to object to the inevitable has passed.

Further posts about Pantecelyn School can be searched for on this blog.

Later post; http://carmarthenplanning.blogspot.com/2011/03/is-pantecelyn-school-now-sustainable.html

Wielding the Axe

Today's paper has yet another report on Carmarthenshire Council's budget cuts. As I have mentioned the proposals many times throughout this blog I will not repeat it all here. The Executive Board will rubber stamp the cuts today, to be ratified at a full council meeting on the 28th February. I shall be in the Public Gallery. With regard to the public consultation this was accurately described by union chiefs as "shabby, cynical and insulting...giving the illusion of choice to the people of Carmarthenshire, as well as a veneer of legitimacy to the proposed cuts", in fact the Council's own analysis (or whoever did it) uses terms such as 'unreliable' and 'should be treated with caution'. No surprises then. I also predict that there are a couple of controversial cuts, deliberately popped in to enable a magnanimous u-turn and an excellent PR opportunity. But then I'm cynical.

The whole issue of council chiefs' pay also turns up again today  with the Welsh Local Government Association predictably rushing to their defence and the unions, two thirds of who's members average £17k a year, demanding that Chief Executives are subject to the same pay assessments as the lower paid.

Arguments over excessive senior pay packages and council cuts can been seen and heard across the UK at the moment and will rumble on in Carmarthenshire over the coming months.

More Tales from the Wales Audit Office

The continuing revelations into the champagne lifestyle of those chosen to protect public money in Wales are reported in today's Western Mail . It concerns (yet again) the ex Chief Operating Officer of the Wales Audit Office, Anthony Snow who decided that the best form of transport to take him to a conference on 'how to save public money' was a £464 chauffeur-driven Mercedes. According to the article, the Welsh Assembly Public Accounts Committee have finally persuaded him to give evidence on the 23rd March. Last week the external auditors of the Wales Audit Office resigned after criticism from the same committee was expressed concerning a £1m 'black hole' in the WAO accounts.


UPDATE 14th FEB;
Just to say that I notice that when Mr Anthony Snow, (see links above) left the Wales Audit Office with a £750k 'secret' retirement package, took up the position of Chief Operating Officer at the Financial Reporting Council which is 'the UK’s independent regulator responsible for promoting confidence in corporate reporting and governance'.
Well well well!

Even More Cash for the Gardens

A local journalist has managed to squeeze an answer from the supposedly 'cash-strapped' Carmarthenshire Council as to the amount it is now dishing out to the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Bearing in mind the forthcoming frontline cuts it is quite unbelievable that the continuing bail-out will be doubled for the next three years from £30,000 per year to £60,000. 

As I said before I hope, for Wales, that the garden eventually succeeds and stands on it's own financial feet, but I wonder if there are any other tourist attractions in the county which enjoy such generous, and endless, public handouts despite failing financially, and continuously, for 11 years? It was only three weeks ago that I asked the current Director of the Garden, on the Radio Wales phone-in if a "guarantee could be given that the garden will not need bailing out again in near future with taxpayers money?" With a little laugh and a bit of PR rambling, she couldn't rule it out. Obviously not! It also looks like the annual £500,000 from the Welsh Assembly will be increasing, this follows on from yet another urgent review into the governance of this £43m 'risky project'. The Garden made much of the fact that it had a 'record breaking' 13,000 visitors in January - perhaps that was because entry was free for the entire month?

UPDATE 24th FEBRUARY;
The Welsh Assembly is giving the garden £800,000 this year, following a review which decided, surprise surprise, that it needed more public money.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-12567907

Leader Caebrwyn?..Meryl's Left Out!

Must say I was rather flattered to be chosen above Carmarthenshire Council Leader Gravell as a recipient of a Welsh Assembly email yesterday launching their 'Child Poverty Strategy for Wales' - I noticed it was sent to each of the leaders of the Welsh local authorities apart from poor Meryl, strange to see my humble email address amongst all the esteemed .govs! Anyway either the Assembly thinks this blog is a more worthy recipient and my political career has accelerated faster than I realised, or, they've dropped a clanger and of course, if M Gravell feels a little left out and wants a copy I'll forward it on... she's only has to ask...

"From: "Davies, Lisa (SJLG)" Lisa.Davies20@wales.gsi.gov.uk

To: des.hillman@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk; cllr.mel.nott@bridgend.gov.uk; lindsaywhittle@caerphilly.gov.uk; kthompson855@btinternet.com; keithe@ceredigion.gov.uk; cllr.dilwyn.roberts@conwy.gov.uk; leader@denbighshire.gov.uk; arnold.woolley@flintshire.gov.uk; business@gwynedd.gov.uk; jeff.edwards@merthyr.gov.uk; improvement@npt.gov.uk; matthew.evans@newport.gov.uk; Leader@Pembrokeshire.gov.uk; cllr.michael.jones@powys.gov.uk; Russell.Roberts@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; chris.holley@swansea.gov.uk; bobwellington@torfaen.gov.uk;
GCKemp@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk; aled.roberts@wrexham.gov.uk; peterfox@monmouthshire.gov.uk
4 Files Download All
CHILD POVERTY STRATEGY for WALES (Eng).pdf (912KB); Letter to accompany Strategy FINAL English.xml (367KB); CHILD POVERTY STRATEGY for WALES (Cymru).pdf (883KB); Letter to accompany Strategy FINAL in Welsh.xml (369KB)"

Persistent Complainants Policy Again

Following recent posts about Carmarthenshire Council's Persistent Complainants Policy, the lady I mentioned, Mrs Breckman has, as I said, been wrongly languishing on this 'policy' for over three and a half years, as has her partner who has barely picked up a pen. They are both pensioners. What is also disturbing is that it is now very clear that not only have they been wrongly labelled, and the policy was flawed and open to charges of maladministration. Hence the review.  
In addition, we now know that the council has failed on numerous occassions to carry out the required 6 monthly review on time, the most recent review being last May! They have also failed to consider new complaints raising fresh issues. These are all matters of Human Rights legislation which the council have possibly breached and I hear Mrs Breckman is pursuing a challenge.

Building Regs - Did You Know?

I was sent a copy of a letter from a resident of Llanelli, Mr Ray Jones. Apparently, despite previously printing many letters critical of Carmarthenshire Council, the local papers are becoming 'reluctant' to continue doing so. In this correspondence Mr Jones is merely trying to inform residents of the county of recent building regulations of which, it seems, most people are unaware. In fact the couple he refers to in his letter first found out about it when a letter from the council threatening legal action dropped on the doormat. Mr Jones pursued the matter on behalf of the couple, determining that the area was less than 25%, and eventually, after eight months obtained an apology and a full refund for them from the council;

To Letter Editor Llanelli Star/Evening Post;

Residents in Sandy Road, Llanelli re-plastered the front of their home to cure dampness caused by cracks in the wall, arguably caused by heavy vehicle traffic vibration.

Paying £147 for a Building Officer to inspect, he told them there was nothing that could be done to improve emissions loss through the wall and gave them permission to carry on with the original work and contractor.

The contractor knew nothing about the law change, apparently notices only went out to Builder's Merchants, Architects and the like.

The most effective way of informing everybody of the change in the law would have been through the 'Monthly Newsletter' in laymans terms.

On April 6th 2006 a new law, 'Conservation of fuel and power in Existing Dwellings' came into being in the form of an Approved Document L1B, approved by the British government, enforced in Carmarthenshire since May 1st 2009.

'Conservation of Fuel and Power in Existing Dwellings' deals with heat emission loss from homes through three thermal elements.

If you are renovating/repairing any of these three elements over 25% of it's overall surface area, you will need to apply for planning permission from the Building Control Section of Carmarthenshire County Council.

If planning permission is required you will firstly pay a fee for an Officer to inspect and grant the necessary permission. The British government want all old housing stock brought up to a standard to eliminate as much as possible, heat emission loss, yet no grants are available.

Have you paid for planning permission for work to be carried out to a thermal element in your home? Did you really need planning permission?

The Building Regulations step by step;

What is Thermal Element? - it is a surface that directly protects your home from the outside weather conditions.

How many Thermal Elements are there? - Three (the roof, the floor and the external walls)

When do you need Planning Permission? - When more than 25% of any one of these elements needs repair or renovation, double check with your council.

What do you need to do before you check with the council -

1. Measure the area in need of repair/renovation i.e External wall (excluding windows and doors)

2. Measure the total area of the Thermal Element i.e External wall (excluding windows and doors) but do not include outhouses etc.

3. Work out the area of repair as a percentage of the total area and if it is 25% or less then no planning permission is required.

4. Contact the council's Building Control Service manager and complain.

If you are not happy with the response, contact your MP and AM and ask them to look into this issue for you, you could well be entitled to a total refund.

Ray Jones

Llanelli

I have also heard from other residents, and small buiding contractors who have inadvertently fallen foul of new and all encompassing building regs, it appears now essential to contact the council, and, nine times out of ten, pay a fee, before so much as knocking in a nail.

Patronising Nonsense - Carmarthenshire Council 'Cuts Survey'

I am glad it wasn't just me who thought Carmarthenshire Council's latest attempt to 'engage' with the public was nothing more than a poor PR stunt. Today's Western Mail reports on the ridiculous survey which appeared in the local paper, a two page spread in enormous print asking for our views regarding spending cuts accompanied by the usual patronising nonsense. There are 15 questions covering 6 areas of services amounting to approx £2.5m - naturally your views (strongly agree to strongly disagree), will be completely ignored, and that's only if you can be bothered to post two sheets of newspaper through the post. I am not sure what the local paper were thinking of by even printing this. Anyhow, by trawling through recent council minutes it is clear that the decisions have already been made. It's the familiar line of closing the care homes, libraries, children's centres, etc much of which I've mentioned before.
It is shocking that this council executive will bend over backwards to help out a rugby team and yet at the same time consider cutting services to the elderly, the young and the vulnerable.
What is very worrying is that on the back of this sham consultation, Gravell and Co will try and claim the moral authority and once again democracy will die another little death in Carmarthenshire. She should go.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/01/28/council-cuts-questionnaire-criticised-91466-28069866/
There's a comment on the article, which I heartily agree with;
"Carmarthenshire County Council under Meryl Gravell, has awarded itself - its councillors and officers, some of the highest salaries and pension pots in Wales.
I suggest we go back to councillors claiming only out of pocket expenses, no monthly salaries or pension pots since most of them have outside money making interest anyway. The claim that the salaries attract younger, better qualified councillors is blatantly untrue as we still have too many of the same faces staring out of the pages of Carmarthen County Council's ego centred self publication 'Community News'.
Under Chief Executive Mark James, one of those listed among the top ten in UK earning more than the Prime Minister and appointed by Meryl Gravell, - the number of highly paid officers in middle management (those earning more than £50,000) jumped from 4 at the time, of Mark James' appointment to 49 by 2006-2007after his appointment. Their salary bill jumped from £230,000 in 1996-1997 to the staggering sum of £3,785,000 in 2006-2007. In addition, councillors salaries have added greatly to that bill.
If anything has to be cut, let it start with these over inflated, self opinionated individuals. There are far too many of them anyway. Real decision making has long become restricted to Meryl Gravell and her 'executive cabinet' with input from her CE so why do we need 70+ councillors and 40+ middle management officers cluttering up county hall and its satellite buildings? Come to that - why do we need Meryl Gravell or any of them since Mark James runs the shooting match anyway with little regard for the democratic process of decision making by the elected representatives of the local population?"

Hear Hear
http://carmarthenplanning.blogspot.com/2010/12/carmarthenshire-councils-frontline-cuts.html

Llandeilo By-Pass on the Way?

The issue of the Llandeilo by-pass happened to crop up again last week with unacceptably high levels of air pollution reported along the main street. This notorious bottleneck, crammed with heavy lorries will only be made worse with the building of the new secondary superschool with it's extra buses and cars passing through twice a day. The by-pass has been on the cards for 40 years but progress has always stumbled over land issues, the taking of trade from the main street and of course, funding hiccups from the Welsh Assembly and the Council.
Enter, Sainsburys.
Planned for a site conveniently at one end of the proposed by-pass I would not be surprised if the financial contribution to the 'community 'is a wad of cash towards the said by-pass. The 'contribution' is called Planning gain (I can think of another word) agreed during the planning process with our ever pliant planning department...This would kill two birds with one stone; beef up Sainsburys 'green' credentials by clearing the air pollution from the main street and ensuring that, in the great tradition of Tesco et al, all roads lead directly to the store without so much as passing a corner shop. Job done!

http://carmarthenplanning.blogspot.com/2011/01/sainsburys-for-llandeilo.html
http://carmarthenplanning.blogspot.com/2011/01/sainsburys-llandeiloand-new-school-site.html

Stradey Park Development

The recent news that the Welsh Assembly has decided not to call-in the 355 home Stradey development has been met with disgust by the campaigners concerned primarily with flooding and traffic issues, and of course delight by the developers, Taylor Wimpey. I should also imagine that some local residents will also be relieved to see the end to the decaying remains of this once iconic landmark of Llanelli and world rugby. The Assembly's decision actually appears to be a result of fears of a legal challenge by the developers in the form of a Judicial Review over the call-in and so they've sent it back to the Council to approve, which will now be a formality. 

To those who are aware of the whole story, it goes back to the deals struck between the rugby club which then owned the land and Carmarthenshire County Council chiefs and the development of Parc y Scarlets stadium in Pemberton which the taxpayer continues to bail out. To get the best price for Stradey it was agreed by the Council and the Welsh Assembly that, 'unusually', there was not to be any affordable housing in this huge development. 

Anyway, the debate continues;

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/betrayed-stradey-ruling/article-3134321-detail/article.html

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/01/24/stradey-decision-reason-for-a-no-91466-28042153/

http://peoplefirstwales.org/News.aspx

26th Jan;
Helen Mary Jones AM says of Assembly Minister, Jane Davidson; "I am at a loss to understand why the minister has made this decision. Back in the summer, she was very clear that any decision to build on a flood plain was a matter of more than purely local importance, and that due to the national significance of the decision, that decision should be made at a Welsh national level. She now appears to have changed her mind completely ."

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Campaigners-slam-Stradey-betrayal/article-3142113-detail/article.html



UPDATES JAN 28th;
The Planning department have lost no time in passing the Stradey application, it didn't go back to committee; (previous link didn't work so here's link to 'Applications decided' search page http://online.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/eaccess/appswithadecision.asp)
I see from the WAG website that Taylor Wimpey threatened High Court legal action against the Welsh Assembly in the form of Pre-Action Protocol letter on the 4th January. (follow link to 'Called in applications...' http://wales.gov.uk/topics/planning/developcontrol/planningcasework/?lang=en), it didn't take the Assembly long to cave in.

UPDATE FEB 1st;
I see that the campaigners are considering launching a Judicial Review and pressure is being put on Jane Davidson to fully explain her curious u-turn.
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Stradey-battle-goes-say-campaigners/article-3162118-detail/article.html

Cosy Chat (part 2)

With regards to the new secondary school site selection process referred to in my previous post, Cosy Chat?, a selection of email correspondence has come my way which confirms that there was no formal guidance or remit issued to the consultants from the Council when the process started. It is clear from the exchanges between various senior officers in the Education Department that when this issue was raised by campaigners last May, the officers were thrown into a panic to 'cobble' something together or..er..to make one up, here's a selection just to give you the gist;
Officer A; "...the remit was a stickler again last week and Rob [Director of Education] indicated that there must be something available. Do you know of anything?..."
Director of Education;"...Was a letter issued, if not a full blown specification?....I have had an assembly member in my office this morning who raised this very question and it is evident that until we provide a clear and definitive answer the question is not going to go away. Can I ask you please to get together and draft something?"

A Shambles.

Incidentally, I also notice that it was not until the consultants had decided to take the Beechwood and the old builders merchant's sites forward as the final two options that council officers suddenly decided that, in true professional style, the Ffairfach site was, and I quote, a "goer".

Cosy Chat?

Following on from Sainsburys, Llandeilo...and the New School Site , I had a response today to my Freedom of Information request for the Council's 'brief' to the consultants to select a suitable site for the new school. Given the local controversy over the selected site (at Ffairfach) many have been wondering about the whole process;

Here's the FoI response;
"I can confirm that no written instruction or brief was given, sent or otherwise provided to Atkins regarding the siting/selection of a new school site. As such, no such letter (or email) exists. Instructions were communicated verbally at meetings, however, these were not recorded or minuted"

and in full here;
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/dinefwr_schools_reform_brief_for#incoming-141574
and the costs, so far, are here; http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/55899/response/141574/attach/2/3083.pdf

I find it quite unbelievable that Council bosses gave no formal written instruction, and that the direction this whole expensive and important exercise took, was dependent upon a few cosy chats behind closed doors. I should expect this by now though shouldn't I?

To clarify, I hold the Council responsible for ensuring transparency in such matters, not Atkins.

Previous posts include;
Pantecelyn and Tregib Superschool Design - Already?
Pantecelyn and Tregib School Merger - New Site

Later post 22nd Jan;  Cosy Chat? (part 2)

UPDATE 20th JAN:
Also here; http://borthlas.blogspot.com/2011/01/formal-briefs-and-cosy-chats.html