Huge costs for Council Chief’s departure ‘a disgrace’.

Plaid Cymru politicians Jonathan Edwards MP and Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM have said a potential severance package at a cost of £446,000 for the Chief Executive of Carmarthenshire County Council, Mr Mark James, would be ‘a disgrace’.

Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP, Mr Edwards, said county residents “would not stand by and allow any deal that would cost them almost half a million pounds when the council is at this very moment considering cutting vital public services such as meals on wheels for the elderly.” Mr Edwards said he would expect any decision to be made by the full council in front of the live broadcast cameras where members of the public can see how Councillors vote.

His constituency colleague, Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM, reiterated his position that the departure of the chief executive should not have to cost county taxpayers’ a penny. “The Chief Executive has indicated his desire to leave the authority. If he wants to leave, then nobody is stopping him”, Mr Thomas said.

Mark James has been a controversial figure in Carmarthenshire and came under intense scrutiny last year after two independent reports in the public interest from the Wales Audit Office (WAO) determined payments made to him in lieu of pension contributions were ‘unlawful’. Similarly, the WAO Auditor determined costs paid by the council to cover a legal indemnity for Mr James to bring a libel counter-claim against a local resident to be also be ‘unlawful’. These payments and associated costs have cost Carmarthenshire ratepayers in the region of £100,000.

Criticism has also been laid at the door of the Mr James following a peer review facilitated by the Welsh Local Government Association at the end of 2014 which found the authority had been too often led by senior-officers, confirming what the local Paid Cymru politicians have always described as a lack of political leadership.

Mr James announced his intention to apply to the authority’s severance scheme back in September last year. Details have since emerged of ten options being considered by the authority in order to facilitate his departure. The potential cost to the authority for his departure ranges from zero cost if Mr James resigns, up to almost £450,000 if Mr James’ severance request is approved.

Jonathan Edwards MP has been a prominent critic of the way in which the Labour and Independent Executive Board of Carmarthenshire Council has spent taxpayers’ money unlawfully. Responding to the possibility of another of costly expenditure associated with the Chief Executive, he said:

“That saying farewell to a very controversial Chief Executive could cost county residents more than 23 times the average annual Welsh salary – an eye watering £446,000 – is a disgrace. No person, no public servant, deserves or is worth that level of cost associated with their departure from what is already a very highly paid job with a very, very favourable pension pot.

“My message to the Labour Party which runs the council is that county residents will not stand by and allow any deal that would cost almost half a million pounds when the council is at this very moment considering cutting vital public services such as meals on wheels for the elderly.

“Irrespective of which option is pursued in order for Mr James to leave the authority, I believe the decision should be brought in front of the full council, in front of the live broadcast cameras, so that residents can see exactly how each councillor votes.

“The Labour Party in Carmarthenshire has shown scant regard for taxpayers’ money in the past and has already approved unlawful expenditure worth tens of thousands of pounds. Incredibly, we’ve seen a so-called Labour Party approve a scheme which allowed a highly paid officer to avoid paying a higher level of tax. Plaid Cymru deplores these actions by Labour and we will not stand by and allow hundreds of thousands of pounds to be spent on one public servant leaving office.”

Rhodri Glyn Thomas added:

“The approval of a tax avoidance scheme for the chief executive, and the use of public money to fund his legal case against a county resident – both of which turned out to be ‘unlawful’ – has left public trust in the county council at an all-time low.

“Discussions around a cost of almost half a million pound will do absolutely nothing to restore even just a shred of trust back to county hall.

“As I have said before: the Chief Executive has indicated his desire to leave the authority. If he wants to leave then nobody is stopping him. But I believe no more public money should be paid out for his departure.

“The council leader has said the Labour Welsh Government has provided a financial settlement with cuts “worse than Thatcher”. It would therefore be a disgrace if he and his Labour and Independent colleagues on the Executive Board recommended a goodbye deal that will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds.”