Tuesday 1 October 2013

Pensions Scandal - The Rubber Stamp is applied

Further to a post earlier today, the mystery of when the controversial pension scheme was approved has now been solved.

A meeting of the Executive Board took place on 14 November 2011, some weeks after a similar decision was taken in Pembrokeshire. The published agenda listed various topics, including invasive non-native weeds, a financial aid package for the Scarlets and the sale of an industrial unit at Glanamman, but no mention of officer pay, let alone the pensions tax scheme.

Any members of the public who turned up for the meeting would have been asked to leave for the sale of the industrial unit and a surprise new item headed "Biennial Review - JNC Officers".

The Biennial Review was approved unanimously by the Executive Board members present (listed below). The pensions tax dodge was dealt with in a single and completely untransparent sentence:

Members also noted the impact of the changes in the HMRC Rules.

Applying their names to the stamp of approval were:

Councillor M. Gravell (Chair) and Councillors M.H. Evans, W.J.W. Evans, P.M. Hughes, P.E.M. Jones, K. Madge, P.A. Palmer, H.C. Scourfield and G.H. Wooldridge



Oh dear.

Footnote

The names listed were members of the Executive Board before the May 2012 elections. M.H.Evans (Hugh Evans, Lab) stepped down at the election, as did Clive Scourfield (Ind). Gwynne Wooldridge (Ind) was defeated at the election.

The rest are still serving councillors, and Meryl Gravell (Ind), Kevin Madge (Lab) and Pam Palmer (Ind) are still all on the Executive Board.

10 comments:

  1. As I said in comment to an earlier post. The electorate "will take no prisoners!"

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  2. Why the need to be so secretive over HMRC rules?

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  3. Anon 12.29

    Problem is the election is too far away!

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  4. I don't suppose this will feature in the Carmarthen Journal either.

    If it weren't for bloggers, these nasty little secrets would never come to light.

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  5. Why aren't members calling for the suspension of Mark James pending hopefully a police investigation?

    How much worse does his behaviour and that of other senior officers have to become before positive action is taken?

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  6. Surely, it is the elected members of the executive who are liable - Mark James is only a local government civil servant? We need to see the proper minutes of these meetings and ear the views of the exec board?

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  7. Over to you County Councillors!

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  8. This news should have made the front page of the Journal today and not a few pages in!

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  9. @ anon 13:36 - Equally responsible as they all have their heads in the trough!

    http://oggybloggyogwr.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/its-trough-at-top-for-little-piggies.html

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  10. Whether a law has been broken or not when staff are facing redundancies, no pay rises for years it is an appaling mis judgement on the part of the politicians and the CEO to allow even more money to go to the self serving Mark James.

    Where are Plaid in all this surely they should be pushing for Mark James and every councillor involved to be suspended (on minimum wage).

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Oes rhaid i fi ddweud? Dim ond synnwyr cyffredin sy ishe
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