A shocking question

When the new (or not so new) Labour-Independent coalition was returned in May's council elections, Kevin Madge justified increasing the size of the Executive Board to 10 members on the basis that they have such a big workload. Much was also made of the appointment of Pam Palmer, leader of the Independent faction, as board member with responsibility for rural affairs as well as Deputy Leader (in Kev's slimline, budget conscious new council we now need two deputies as well).

Since that little burst of activity, the Council has taken on the appearance of the castle in Sleeping Beauty, with almost no signs of life apart from the relentless flow of press releases from one of the turrets about dog mess and litter.

Pam's rural affairs brief consists of three objectives:

• Keep Bwcabus running
• Phone BT to ask them to increase the availability of broadband
• Something about keeping young people in the farming industry by finding them alternative employment elsewhere (I know, I don't get that either)

Now, amid all the doom and gloom and Olympimania, we have what seems (must check the small print though) to be some genuinely good news. The Welsh Government has announced a £425 million deal with BT to roll out the next generation of superfast broadband across Wales by the end of 2015.

That leaves Pam with just the buses and the young farmers.

In the Partnership Agreement between Labour and Pam's depleted Independent group, we read "we are anxious not to waste local taxpayer’s (sic) money with frivolous or perceived populist ideas", words almost certainly penned by Pam herself.


As always, Cneifiwr would like to be helpful and constructive, so he wonders whether Pam will agree to forgo part of her £31,120 p.a. special responsibility allowance to fund the filming of council meetings now that her workload has been so dramatically lightened?


Indeed, perhaps she would like to demonstrate that she really means business about not wasting taxpayers' money by giving up her SRA and seat on the Board. A move which would definitely be popular as opposed to populist.