It took me a few moments to comprehend why my porch floor was littered with envelopes and letters hours after the normal post had arrived. I though the postman had lost the plot and dumped a whole sack of mail into my porch by mistake. As I began to scoop them up and read Cllr A Halford on every one I realised that I was being petitioned over the Council’s proposal to close Argoed High School. I wondered, why me! I am not on the Life Long Learning scrutiny committee and have no responsibility for any one else’s ward. I counted them. 279 envelopes or letters, two of the letters used identical wording. The same hand had addressed the documents to me and names and addresses of the signatories were clear to see. No anonymity in this petition. I was seriously impressed as someone had taken hours to prepare what fell onto my mat. I rang Cllr Nigel Steel Mortimer, my Group Leader and the Executive member for Life Long Learning and asked if he knew what was going on. He thought that every cllr would receive the same as there was a well orchestrated campaign to protest against any …..
The Wales Audit Audit team were present at the Audit Committee meeting on 30th June. I’m not sure they will want to attend again as we bowled them a few tough questions especially on the escalating cost of the ongoing Ombudsman tribunal as £2million is now thought to be what’s been spent so far. “Did the auditors know of such heavy costs and what part were our auditors playing in protecting the public purse in the face of such huge costs?” “We are aware of the case” was the answer but this is always the problem with the Audit system. They cannot intervene until the money’s been spent! The same frustration arose when I was a member of the North Wales Police Authority when the force’s Head of Legal Service was suspended for months. I asked the District Auditor to intervene then as it was clear the case would have to be settled and Mrs Trigger would be awarded costs. I even met him in Cardiff when I was an AM but the meeting reached stalemate. He said he could not interfere. Auditors must wait till the money is spent and then report on the waste and the drain on …..
The Leader of my council( the name I dare not print for fear of further reprisals from my friends in South Wales) dismissed fears over the Coalition in the Flintshire Standard. Responding to suggestions of divisions in County Hall and a possible breakaway by some members the Leader stated that “ we are perfectly sound or solid with our without the particular group!” Cllr Fred Gillmore, who must be congratulated for his recent progress from back bencher to leader of the Alliance group and is now the County’s vice chair was also mentioned in the same newspaper. Now that Cllr Gilmore will be featuring regularly in the press from now on, may I offer a word of caution. It is he who was quoted in the Flintshire Standard in his flat denial of any infighting and “It was a typical council meeting”. “We are all determined to keep making this (Coalition) work”, he said. Hang on vice chair! More disenchanted members may feel this statement is a trifle hypocritical! It is said that you demanded that the New Independents ( the breakaway group whose Leader you yourself defeated by one vote last October) should be thrown out of the ruling …..
I switched on the radio even earlier than usual and heard President Obama announcing that special forces had killed Osama Bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan. Although it was in the middle of an American night the word had spread on Twitter and young Americans were soon dancing and rejoicing outside the White House celebrating the fact that although a decade had passed, the yanks had finally got their man. Obama got Osama! hooray! Our news networks were just recovering from wall to wall coverage of the Royal Wedding when we switchyed ro the same level of coverage of the Bin Laden’s death but why not: what evil he and his organisation has inflicted on the world. I remember very clearly where I was when the Twin Towers tragedy news broke. Even ten years on, I’m sure I will not be alone in recalling where I was. I received an email recently from a fellow blogger who encouraged me to continue doing just that. It’s always risky as I had suspected from some time that the site is scanned regularly by County Hall for new material, as the moment a blog is posted that is in any way critical of …..
I applaud Gareth Williams letter in which he raises two vitally important points. Why has the case against Cllr Patrick Heesom taken so long and why is the County Council, and as he properly points out that means US as local taxpayers, having to pick up the tab for legal fees? I cannot answer the first question but justice delayed is justice denied and since he was suspended from his Executive post in March 09, Cllr Heesom had had his special responsibility allowance removed even though nothing had been proved against him. The law of one is innocent until found guilty clearly has not been applied to Cllr Heesom who has borne the loss of good Executive remuneration with dignity & patience. I understand that he has not claimed travel and other financial entitlements for the some 23 months of his suspension. The introduction of the Public Service for Wales Ombudsman (PSWO) with his £3.5million annual budget must be one of WAG’s worst decisions as even the Labour minister who introduced the legislation on 2005 is on record of saying it is not working as had been envisaged. With that huge budget the taxpayer is entitled to ask questions of …..
Councillors support their constituents, it goes with the territory. It is not always a clear-cut situation and sometimes supporting the one against many is just not possible. As a dutiful and caring councillor, I have supported many individuals and families on various issues. Returning again as a Ewloe ward cllr in 2008, I found that Smithy Lane was still an issue with constituents that live on the lane. Tales of boy racers and lumbering lorries that then got stuck following sat-navs & had to be rescued; thus wrecking resident’s peace moved me to support anything that would improve the situation. The Highways Department with the support of the police commenced a consultation over making Smithy Lane “access only”. However, nothing is simple as the Authority received more than 33 letters plus a petition from constituents who demanded that the lane be open to through traffic. I now know that although the closure may have been favoured by an individual Executive member North Wales Police could not guarantee enforcement and any decision to proceed to closure was passed back to ward members. Furthermore, the number of reported accidents on the lane was very few, and that such as they were had …..
Together with my ex chairman, Colin Legg, having been commanded by the Lord Chamberlain to attend the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on 22nd July, we set off the day before to do just that. Set off twice in fact as to horror as I began to pack, I found a slight mark on on the jacket I was to wear. I quick sponge & I hung to dry in prominent place or so I thought? Mini cab arrived early and off we went down Aston Hill when it dawned that the jacket was still swinging on its coat hanger half way down the stairs. I’ve done this before. I must tie a knot in my hanky. Taxi turned back to my house & we still arrived at Chester station with time to spare. Which was just as well. Colin handed a sheath of tickets to the man on the gate who thumbed through the pack and told us we were short of the London bound one. We had receipt & reservation but they were not enough. Negotiations with the Virgin Help Line to India, (from the accent on a crackly line) failed to resolve the problem so we had …..
Labour Leader Aaron Shotton’s praise for former Director Susan Lewis in the local freebie surprised me. He wrote, “My personal thanks & gratitude go to Susan Lewis. I found Susan to be an excellent officer & an excellent servant to the people of Flintshire”. Is this the same Cllr Shotton who, month after month, aided by another Labour cllr, strenuously challenged Mrs Lewis at every Community and Housing meeting. Is this the same cllr who, again aided by others refused to accept one of her reports on a housing accommodation matter because she had failed to consult with members. Does he not recall how I begged these members to accept the report but my pleas fell on deaf ears. Things became so hostile as patience was now becoming lost at every meeting with the Director that last July/August; the Chief Executive quietly sent for by an officer when the attack was so ill tempered, he announced he found the atmosphere “toxic”. I warned Aaron recently that I felt a blog coming on over his amazing support for Mrs L. “I only spoke of her social services role which was fine when I was Leader”, he countered. “Housing was her problem”. …..
I’m still mulling over the result of the Ombudsman’s Tribunal and is it worth the cost of appealing? The Panel decided that I had wilfully mislead the Ombudsman’s investigation into fellow Cllr Patrick Heesom. This serious crime warranted no sanction whatsoever. Amazing – the farthing cost scenario of former day decisions to deal with having to find a person guilty in a dubiously presented case. Having put cart before horse according to my legal team by hearing my case before the major one of how the other cllr had behaved at a Head of Housing Selection Panel (which would have been the proper order of events): I was the O’s trial run. Nail me and the case against Patrick Heesom was that bit more achievable. I am really shocked that my good name has been so unfairly smeared by a wretched biased process. It seems any evidence is accepted and even letters I had written to seek clarification of what was going on, were quoted & cherry picked by the opposition barrister to show my guilt. This is just not justice. Having secured the result the Ombudsman wanted, Patrick Heesom finally received the result into his behaviour, some 17 months …..
The last weeks of wearing the Flintshire Consort’s chain with Chairman Colin Legg rushed at me and ended on a high note with three engagements sandwiched between council and constituency work. On Tuesday 27th, County Council meeting was brought forward to the morning in order to accommodate the Queen in Llandudno in the afternoon. The main item on the agenda was the Boundary Commission proposals which please no one; and never having been elected to anything apart from well paid Quangoes, three commissioners have come up with horrendous proposals. We have been pushed into a decision by 30th April. Single member wards will vanish and all this upheaval and huge wards with loss of community identity will be sacrificed to reduce elected members from 70 to 60. The cheapest and closest elected representative is under the cosh & it is the public we serve who will bear the brunt of a what can only be a far less community based, service from local cllrs who know the problems. As usual, royal protocol demanded guests arrive hours before the Queen but we watched the crowds swell and youngsters were given flags to wave. Inside too, the Venue Cymru was also full …..