New North Wales AM will not give up Conwy Council role
A new AM for North Wales has said she will not give up her role as a county councillor – but will give away over £13,000 of her earnings to charity.
Janet Haworth was drafted in by the Conservative party to take the regional seat in the Welsh Assembly, replacing Antoinette Sandbach who was elected MP for a constituency in Cheshire.
Ms Haworth, a grandmother of six, is currently juggling three political roles – as a Conwy county councillor, Llandudno town councillor and an AM, bringing home a combined pay cheque of £67,691.
Despite only having 62% attendance at Conwy meetings, the AM has said she has no intention of stepping down from any of the local roles – in case she doesn’t get reelected to the Assembly.
During an exclusive interview with the Daily Post just three weeks after she stepped into Cardiff Bay, Ms Haworth said she would be donating her £13,300 Conwy council wage to a local young persons’ charity.
Ms Haworth wouldn’t name the charity but said council officers were looking into whether she could pay the cash for her 10 months as an AM through payroll giving.
The AM, who was on a pre-booked holiday in Scilly when she was called upon to take up the seat, confirmed she was closing the Llandudno guest house she runs with her partner Dennis.
Ms Haworth said she had considered standing down from the local councils but wouldn’t be doing so just in case she didn’t get voted back into the Assembly at next year’s elections.
She said: “There is less than a year to run before we face elections here in the Welsh Assembly. There is at least another year after that of county council, so if I was not to be reelected here I would continue with my county council seat – and given this latest plan from the minister (redrawing of the local government map) it could be longer than that.
“So it didn’t make any sense to disrupt things for what is effectively 10 months.
“Now if I was to be reelected here that’s then a different scenario....yes, I would then stand down from both councils.”
Ms Haworth, who is not yet on Twitter or Facebook, defended her county council attendance record saying councillors didn’t have to attend every meeting but could “prioritise” things they are interested in – saying licensing was her main one. She said the town council was “relatively happy” about her only attending meetings such as community and tourism and full council.
Involved in politics for around 25 years, Ms Haworth said the Welsh Government needed to prioritise improvements to the rail and A55 as it was damaging and a “poor introduction” for tourists.
She also highlighted the need for more clarity to help people understand which Government was responsible for what in Wales, and called for a full independent review of the Welsh NHS to see if it was fit for purpose following the decision to place Betsi Cadwaladr into special measures.
The Welsh Local Government Association’s rules say: “An individual member is entitled to forego all or part or their basic/senior salary under the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011, but to do so must inform the proper officer of the council in writing.”
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/new-north-wales-am-not-9527857
