Keeping it in the Family

One of the more intriguing discussions which took place at this week's monthly meeting of Carmarthenshire County Council concerned an abortive attempt to appoint a new Technical Services Director, whose portfolio of responsibilities includes refuse collection and roads.

In response to very strongly worded criticism by Peter Hughes Griffiths of the way in which the meeting to appoint a candidate had been handled, the council leader, Kevin Madge, told councillors that uncertainty about a possible future reorganisation of local government was the problem, while the chief executive blamed it on a political split among councillors.

It now seems that the truth was rather different.

There were three candidates on the shortlist, and the final choice was between two of these. One had extensive experience of managing the technical services department of another Welsh council and was a Welsh speaker. The other was a candidate from England with no knowledge of Welsh, although the job description stated that verbal skills in Welsh were essential (albeit with it a little get-out clause stating that the successful applicant would be sent on a course to give them very basic Welsh if they did not meet the criteria).

The Plaid and Labour members initially supported the local candidate. Unsurprisingly, Labour's Calum Higgins was absent from the meeting, although he did manage to send in an apology. It is understood that at one point a senior Labour councillor either proposed or seconded the appointment of the local man.

The senior council officers present preferred the candidate from England, however. They do not have a vote, and are supposed to be there in an advisory capacity, leaving it to elected councillors to decide. Obviously things are rather different in Carmarthenshire, and a fierce rearguard action was mounted to stop the councillors from having their way.

It was at this point that one of the senior Independents stepped in, confirming the description which has often been applied to them as the political wing of the senior officers, with a proposal to re-open the application process.

In the ensuing wrangling, the Labour councillors who had previously backed the local candidate suddenly switched sides, and voted with the Independents.

As some councillors pointed out on Wednesday, this farce cost a lot of money and did a great disservice to the candidates.

Peter Hughes Griffiths also pointed out at the council meeting that a second appointments committee set up to appoint service heads had also been ignored, with officers unilaterally appointing at least one service head recently without bothering to get the approval of elected councillors.

This point was side-stepped at the council meeting, as the chief executive wrung his hands over the politicisation of the appointments process.

Readers with long memories will recall that Carmarthenshire County Council has form when it comes to this sort of thing, and the Director of Education owes his job to the chief executive who initially used special powers to appoint him without referring the decision to councillors.

The hyper-active Head of Law and Administration is also there in an acting capacity only, although her predecessor retired nearly two years ago.