The BBC and the South Wales Guardian are reporting that the council will hold an extraordinary meeting of the full council on 27 February to discuss the two reports from the appointed auditor.
This is just within the one month deadline set by the auditor and, unless there are further developments, it will allow Kevin Madge and the ruling Labour-Independent coalition to wave through their budget.
Kevin Madge, who has been promising full disclosure of what he says are the facts since November, says that councillors will be shown advice from QCs and other documents relating to the scandals.
The opposition Plaid group is meeting now to discuss motions of no confidence in Kevin Madge, Pam Palmer and Meryl Gravell as well as the chief executive and the acting Head of Law, Linda Rees Jones. Also on the agenda is a call for an extraordinary meeting of the council. It is unlikely that they will be satisfied with the offer of a meeting at the end of the month.
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Despite the rapidly escalating crisis, the council's Executive Board met this morning to finalise a draft budget to go before councillors on 12 February.
Both the chief executive, Mark James, and the acting Head of Law, Linda Rees Jones, were present, with no sign that Kevin Madge is even thinking about suspending them.
Key points decided were that council tax support for the elderly will continue for another year after the last minute receipt of £236,000 from the Welsh Government.
The "Extra Care" development in Llanelli will go ahead with a very questionable £7 million back-of-the-envelope funding package which will necessitate the closure of the St Paul's residential care home.
Proposals to introduce charges for school transport for over 16s were dropped, as were proposals to chop lollipop patrols, close a disabled children's respite care centre and introduce parking charges for blue badge holders. The county's youth service and the libraries get a one year reprieve. Plans to cut the flood defence programme have also been put on hold for the time being (at least until it stops raining).
Forty plus other cuts outlined in the recent budget consultation are due to go ahead.
Council tax will rise by 4.7%.
7 comments:
it just said on BBC Wales news that the Executive Board have been meeting all day to discuss the unlawful payments matters.
They may have been talking about finance but let's face it all the cuts have been decided upon by officers so nothing much to talk about.
I think there will be few arses twitching in County Hall this evening.
Carmarthenshire councillors could vote through a package of £30 million of cuts in this month that will affect almost all public services with huge job cuts also in the pipeline.
Unison Carmarthen Branch however are at the front line of a battle for jobs and the future of services in Carmarthenshire, as branch secretary Mark Evans has said: “Carmarthenshire Unison branch have put forward a no cuts proposal, there must not be any cuts in Services or Jobs. We will fight every cut and we will fight for every job!”
A public meeting, jointly hosted by Llanelli Trades Council and Unison Carmarthenshire County Branch, will listen to concerns from workers and the public, put forward a strategy to fight the cuts and get the campaign started. All welcome.
Public meeting in Llanelli in the Lliedi Suite of the Selwyn Samuel Centre at 7-00 PM on Tuesday evening 4th Feb and there will be a full Lobby of the Carmarthenshire Council at the County Hall at 8-30 am on the 12th February.
Well, payback of those unlawful payments will keep a few jobs going!
I may be wrong but young Callum seems to be positioning himself. If he has got the balls could be game on !!!
No game on after just watching him speak on Newyddion 9!
Ie - clywes i Callum yn siarad ar Radio Cymru bore 'ma, ac mae ei lygaid e ar yr etholiad sydd i ddod, dim ar gefnogi ei gyd-lafurwyr ar y cyngor.
Dyddiau difyr, Mr Cneifiwr!
Who is this man Kevin Madge? Is he real?
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