Friday 26 August 2016

Cantref - it gets worse

It has emerged that one of the directors of Wales and West Housing was also a senior employee of Campbell Tickell, a London-based management consultancy specialising in "housing, regeneration, charities and social care" that was commissioned by the Welsh Government to carry out the statutory investigation of Cantref.

Worse, the same individual was actively involved in the investigation, travelled to Newcastle Emlyn to carry out interviews with Cantref staff and co-authored a report on the investigation's findings.

It was Campbell Tickell's secret report which spooked Cantref's creditors and led to the association's hastily arranged "merger" with Wales and West. The obvious conflict of interest was registered, but only after the report was filed.

News of the stitch-up was broken last night by Adam Price, AM for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr:





 
Adam goes on to note that the Welsh Government has completely ignored the rights of Cantref's secured tenants to a statutory consultation under s.105 of the Housing Act 1985, and he asks what happened to accountability and transparency.

But it does not end there. Followers of Jac o' the North's blog may recall a very prescient post published on 29 April under the headline "Tai Cantref: Fate Decided by Labour Cronyism" which lays bare the very close links which exist between Campbell Tickell, Wales and West and the Labour Party.

Coming hard on the heels of revelations about Edwina Hart's involvement with Kancoat, the demise of Cantref offers further evidence that the Labour establishment so deeply entrenched in Welsh public life could teach even the most corrupt banana republic a thing or two.









1 comment:

Jac o' the North, said...

What I find most worrying is that there is no shame on the part of 'Welsh' Labour, or perhaps it's no fear of retribution. We seem to have reached a stage in which 'Welsh' Labour is effectively saying, 'We can do whatever we like - you can't touch us'.

If we have an administration that has put itself above the law then we live in a country without law. A dangerous example to set.