Old Grumpy - Up Front

Dear voter, As readers of my Old Grumpy column, either in the Mercury or, more recently, on the Internet, will know, I have grave concerns about the way business is conducted in county hall. Firstly the council is ruled by something called the Independent Political Group (IPG) who go around at election times saying that there is no place for politics in local government.

Then, once the votes are safely in the bag, they convene a secret meeting in county hall where they all sign up for what is, to all intents and purposes a political party which holds secret group get-togethers prior to meetings of the council where the 'party line' is agreed.

It is worth noting that, proportionally, Labour councillors go against the party whip more often than the synchronised voters of the IPG.With 12 members of the IPG already elected unopposed it seems likely that this non-political, political party will again rule the roost in county hall.

That being the case, it is even more important that there is a strong opposition to hold them to account. I believe I am well qualified to fulfill that role. If I am re-elected, I promise to continue to speak out fearlessly against the abuses of power that are a routine feature of IPG rule.

Openness At County Hall
Among the issues I have bought to light was the granting of planning consent for a 2,800 sq ft (more than three times the size of a three-bed council house) "herdsman's cottage" to the Leader of the council, Cllr John Davies, even though, well before the meeting of the planning committee where the decision was made, Cllr Davies had sold the dairy cattle on which the need for an extra worker was based.

For whatever reason, Cllr Davies failed to inform the planning department of this change in circumstances. My attempt to have the planning consent rescinded on the grounds that the decision was based on false information was voted down by the IPG block vote.

Exposing Cover-ups
Exposure of the dubious expense claiming practices of Cllr Brian Hall and the way they were swept under the carpet. Cllr Hall was cleared by the council's standards committee of bringing the office of councillor into disrepute by making threats of violence against a BBC journalist after his solicitor argued, successfully, that he was acting in his private capacity at the function in St Davids, where the threats were made.

This despite the fact that I produced evidence that he had claimed travelling expenses for the journey to St Davids.In answer to my written question to full council the Leader confirmed that he had nominated Cllr Hall to be his representative at the function, though he failed to make this known to the standards committee.

Leaking Of Papers
The leaking by a senior council officer of confidential Cabinet papers to assist Milford Haven Port Authority during what was supposed to be a competitive bidding process for the site of the former Mine Depot at Blackbridge.

When questioned, the Leader claimed that these papers had been provided in order to clarify the terms and conditions of any sale, though examination of the documents shows that, other than the duration of the lease, there were no terms and conditions mentioned.

To date, I have not received a single solicitor's letter, never mind a writ. Can I take this as an indication that nobody wants to risk having the truth of these potentially libelous statements tested in the courts?

Cllr Mike Stoddart published his "manifesto" (above) on his website this week which he delivered to the constituents in his ward pre-election.

Despite the best efforts of John Davies displaying "good old Pembrokeshire politics at it's worst" by arranging the standing of ex-Leader Eric Harries against him, along with a paper Tory candidate completing an attempted pincer movement to defeat Cllr Stoddart the result displayed overwhelming support for Cllr Stoddart easily defeating the Tory candidate along with the has-been Eric Harries.

If taken as a snapshot of the whole county it shows just how much people appreciate the efforts of a whistle-blower like Cllr Stoddart and one wonders how successful and prudent our council could be with other dedicated people such as Cllr Stoddart running county hall.

Unfortunately, there seem to be far too many "professional" councillors with their snouts in the trough, people who have often made money (some out of lucrative EU subsidies apparently) and decided that an easy way to make even MORE money whilst also boosting their ego is to become a Kremlin Kronie.