Wednesday 27 March 2013

Council Leader breached Code of Conduct


The Public Services Ombudsman has ruled that Cllr Kevin Madge breached the Councillors' Code of Conduct when he used council resources to issue the now infamous Sainsbury's press release accusing MP Jonathan Edwards and Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM of "deliberately trying to sabotage" the development of a doctor’s surgery, health centre and care home in Cross Hands and school improvements to Ysgol Maes yr Yrfa.

Having undertaken a formal investigation into the complaint against the Labour Council Leader, the Ombudsman stated the press release contained both inaccurate and misleading statements; that authority resources should not have been used; and that the council leader has “walked a very fine line”.

In the view of the Ombudsman, Councillor Madge used, or authorised others to use, the resources of the authority improperly for political purposes, although he is not recommending that any further action be taken.

Bearing in mind how libel has been at the top of the council's news agenda recently, it is ironic to say the least that Cllr Madge's press release was about as close to the textbook definition of defamation as you can get. He can count himself lucky that neither of the two Plaid politicians is likely to take the matter to court, although if they did the council leader would at least have the comfort of knowing that his court costs would be picked up by the council tax payer.

A spokesman for Mr Thomas and Mr Edwards said they welcomed the findings of the Ombudsman’s investigation into Councillor Madge’s comments and his improper use of public resources to carry out a politicised attack on them, and called for Councillor Madge to issue a full public apology.

The spokesman for Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM and Jonathan Edwards MP said:

“Nobody goes into politics expecting not to receive a couple of low blows from your opponents, especially when your main rival is the Labour party. However, at the heart of any democratic system there has to be political integrity – especially from a leader of a public authority. 

“Mr Thomas and Mr Edwards therefore welcome the findings of the Ombudsman and believe his comments vindicate entirely their complaint against the Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council.

“Given the conclusions of the Ombudsman, Councillor Madge would do well to consider whether he is surrounding himself with the right advisors. 

“In the meantime, however, he should issue a full public apology for the misuse of public resources and for his inaccurate and misleading statements.”

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Ever obliging, Cneifiwr is happy to respond to a request for a picture from Anon. Somehow, I don't think he got this tan in Garnant, do you readers?


15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where is this press release from the pso? I can find it on the website, so you probably got this off Jonathan's office. I noticed a tweet of his called labour councillors corrupt... Maybe he can apologise to labour councillors for his twitter feed lacking 'political integrity'... It's a pity there's no ombudsman for MP's

Anonymous said...

Oh dear Kev!!! What goes around comes around!
THINK before you ACT!!!!!! I guess he made an executive decision! Sorry I'm not sure if satire is acceptable ... Can the public access libel training too ????? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Mark won't be too happy with you Kev, you've just 'rained on his parade'!!

Anonymous said...

I hope if he was advised to do what he did, he exposure that person!

Anonymous said...

Like the rest of its regular readers I look forward to reading an in-depth account of it in the Carmarthen Journal.

Anonymous said...

I hope they include a photo!

Anonymous said...

Don't think he got that tan abroad either Cneifiwr!

Cneifiwr said...

Anon 15.11: Are you suggesting that he is turning into Peter Hain?

Anonymous said...

He got hon TAN in Essex visiting the cast of TOWIE!!!

He he he

Anonymous said...

What's this about Jonathan Edwards calling Labour Councillors corrupt? We'll be back in the High Court again soon.

Anonymous said...

Jonathan Edwards & Rhodri Glyn Thomas were instrumental in calling in the Sainsbury application and having lost the people in Llandeilo the chance of jobs . The mistake Kevin Madge who is not the brightest, made was using CCC facilities to tell the truth about jobs being lost . The fact is Cneifwr is that jobs were lost and Plaid reluctance to admit that they requested a call in of the application

Cneifiwr said...

Anon @ 23.56 I think you're stretching logic to its limts with aht argument. The Welsh Government would have taken in the Llandeilo application anyway because of the size of the proposed store. Also let's not forget that supermarkets don't just create jobs in market towns: they also destroy existing jobs and other busineses. Finally, let's not forget that Kevin Madge and by extension the council accused Jonathan and Rhodri of asking for the Cross Hands application to be called in - they did not.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 23:56 - Oh please not that old chestnut again! Research suggests that supermarkets destroy more jobs than they create.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2111044/Nissan-Tesco-jobs-The-economy-needs-20-000-new-shelf-stackers.html

http://www.tescopoly.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=735&Itemid=172

Cneifiwr said...

Here's what that second link has to say (if you believe the Daily Mail, good luck!):

Supermarkets destroy local jobs. Supermarket claims that new stores bring in jobs fail to consider the wider picture of independent retailer bankruptcies. A 1998 study by the National Retailer Planning Forum (NRPF) examining the employment impacts of 93 superstore openings between 1991 and 1994 found that they resulted in a net loss of more than 25,000 jobs or 276 per store opened. More information on the impact of supermarkets on jobs is available in Chapter 13 of the Competition Commission report on the power of the supermarkets.

Anonymous said...

Anon 23:56 - just wondering if you could point me in the direction as to where I can find any piece of information from the AM and/or MP in which they deny asking for the Llandeilo application to be called in?