Tuesday 17 January 2012

++ Official: Ynys Môn local elections postponed to 2013 ++

Welsh Local Government Minister, Carl Sargeant, has today issued a statement saying that he WILL postpone the local elections on Ynys Môn by one year until May 2013. He further goes on to say that the Commissars Commissioners he appointed to run the council will continue in place with NO timetable for removal.

In this way he hopes to bring about the Orwellian sounding aim of "democratic renewal" on Ynys Môn by suspending the democratic process and removing any kind of democratic oversight of the Executive — possibly even beyond the delayed 2013 election.

The full statement is below.
Sargeant statement delaying Ynys Môn elections

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just another gerrymandering Commie.

Maes Llwyn said...

One or two of the 5 Commissioners will be upset at having to stay another year in difficult Anglesey, as they have bigger fish to fry, whilst the others will be quite happy to continue to take the £500 a day they get paid.
But if this delay, and the proposed boundary changes its based on, results in the removal of the Rotten 7.......I am quite happy.

Rhys Williams said...

Sorry Paul, it seems you will have to wait another year before you are elected as Councillor.

By the way the democratic process and democratic oversight of the Executive has not been suspended!!

For instance on 6 March 2012 the full council (that's them Councillors) will meet to agree the final budget for next year.

Paul Williams said...

Alex - we have had this discussion before. Regarding the approval of the budget, I have read your recent blog and disagree with you. The budget is a topic which *should* provoke fierce debate - to suggest that it is a test of cllrs maturity to see if they will roll over and accept the commissioners preferred budget is in my view not serious.

Anonymous said...

Don't lets beat about the bush. Both CS and IWJ have sold Anglesey's Democracy down the river and will both rue the day.
IWJ in particular has committed political suicide.

Anonymous said...

"IWJ in particular has committed political suicide."#

No he hasn't because he's not standing again, so he's laughing all the way.

Anonymous said...

Know he hasn't....

You may be right there, but he's certainly sent Plaid Cymru into oblivion.
Just wait and see.

Prometheuswrites said...

Alex and Paul:

I think you both have valid points.

Councillors do still retain responsibility for scrutiny.
I hope searching questions will be asked by councillors regarding the 5% rise in council tax for the coming year, which is reported as being the biggest rise of all the Welsh councils; and the reported (Daily Post) possible rise of 15% over three years.

If councillors decline to accept the budget then the charge that nothing has changed could be levelled; and the commissioners would likely remain in place.
If councillors accept the budget then the charge that they are merely complying with the commissioners could be made; along with the question of how constitutionally democratic the current arrangements are. Something along the lines of ‘damned if you do and damned if you don’t’.

I assume that a full transcript of the proceedings will be made available and would have thought that a careful reading and sensible discussions on the blogs would help us (blog readers) decide the merits of our councillors' conduct, decisions and the merits of the budget.

Given the shortfall in the WG allowance, (% increase in WG grant vs. actual % inflation of goods and services plus the reduction in council tax revenues from local taxation as local employment falls), then I would expect that the council would have difficulty in maintaining the same level of service provision. The question is what their priorities will be in service provision given that economically things are likely to take some time before ‘normal’ service is resumed.

In the meantime, before we get too polarised, does anyone know what differences the commissioners have actually made to how things get done?

kp said...

Mildly amused that some seem to think that now is the time to object to a 5% rise in council tax.

A 5% annual rise for the foreseeable future, that means annually recurring, was agreed by the council last year prior to the arrival of the commissioners.

I didn't hear too many of you squealing then. Why squeal now?

Martin Peet said...

As a Council Tax payer I want to see facilities for my extra 5%. I am sure everyone else does too. Yet again we see the short sighted unsustainable view of cutting facilities and raising taxes. Lets say that they close Amlwch swimming pool? What happens next year? Llangefni pool? Holyhead?

This Council employs 2000 monthly paid staff, 200 fortnightly paid staff and 1000 weekly paid staff, not to mention 40 councillor allowances. Cutting the staff bill and freezing pay would see a real sustainable dent being made in the deficit, keep facilities open, and even reduce the council tax rise.

I am not knocking the work that the staff do; in real terms the private sector has suffered far worse.

We need radical change not tinkering.

Anonymous said...

Its absolutely disgusting to raise council tax even by a %. We should be considering the domestic and business rate payer who has really got to manage there budgets to keep afloat at time of austerity. In the real world councils should realize that its really hard on people and for councils to ask for "more" is totally unfair.
This is the time to cut costs without doing away with essential services. Any business knows that the biggest expense on any business is the wages bill. There is doubt that local authorities have been paying themselves too much. There is no money growing tree, and out there is only hard working people trying to survive.

Un o Fon

kp said...

Oh wow, I'm beginning to get such a headache ...

Andrew said...

The Auditor General for Wales has put IoACC in intensive care because they are riddled with disease.

Andrew said...

Don't worry the cure is on the way and it will open our eyes to the real problems which will allow us to make an informed decision come Election time.

Gruntfuttocks said...

Time for you to head for Wansworth KP - and please don't slam the door as you leave the island!

Gruntfuttocks said...

Anyone know what has happened to the photon blog, KP you are an ardent supporter of his blog perhaps you can tell us.

kp said...

Gruntfuttocks, sorry, no idea about the Photon blog. Am just hoping that it will reappear soon.

As for being an 'ardent supporter', yes I am, but so too of many other blogs. If you can be bothered to write, I can be bothered to read and comment.

Democracy in motion!

mairede thomas said...

Delaying the elections til 2013 will mean that the people of Anglesey will not be able to focus attention on the wind turbine fiasco in the intense manner that an election campaign would ensure.

Some of the Councillors are listening to our concerns. However it will be more difficult for them to make the much needed changes and improvements within IoACC when their term will be running into its final year. A new Council with a new mandate and a full term ahead of it could really be radical.

Likewise the Commissioners can only hope to do a fraction of what is needed as they are simply not present at the Council often enough.

We need elections this year. The next big thing is Wylfa and assuming it goes ahead I hope plans for that development get better scrutiny than 'energy island' and turbine developments have had.

Anonymous said...

Hold on am I reading right, " some of the Councillors are listening to our concerns" the truth is that every one is concernered because none of the Councillors listened before, now the wheels have come off their gravy train, they are listening but as usual only covering their own backs and ducking responsibilities for their own pathetic failures.