Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)

[SteveH]

On the face of it, this seems like a missed opportunity, especially these days ...............

Developer abandons ?60m North Wales low carbon project as site put up for sale
The firm claims the scheme could have created 200 jobs and blamed planners for it not happening

A low carbon developer has abandoned a ?60m project to build giant greenhouses in North Wales and the site has gone up for sale. Brighton-based Low Carbon Farming wanted to build two 7.6 hectare sized commercial greenhouses and a packing facility between Dwr Cymru?s Five Fords Waste-Water Treatment Works and SecAnim Abattoir, near Wrexham.

The firm said the greenhouses would have captured both waste heat and carbon emissions from the treatment works and used them to grow a claimed 40% of the tomatoes consumed in Wales.

They said at the time it had the potential to create 150 jobs and submitted a planning application in July 2020 - warning they needed it approved by September to meet a deadline to secure UK Government tariffs.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/developer-abandons-60m-north-wales-25635676

[SteveH]

Council spent over ?600k heating building that at times was only a quarter full with staff
Many Conwy Council staff based at Coed Pella are still choosing to continue to spend more time working from home

Colwyn Bay council offices cost ?639,977 in energy bills over a three-year period, despite at times being only a quarter full of staff. An application under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act revealed Coed Pella was occupied by just 25% of the staff able to work from the building during August of this year.

According to the FOI application response made to a member of the public, during August 2022 an average of just 173 staff per day went to work at Coed Pella, despite the building having a capacity of around 700 ? with most staff choosing to work from home. Conwy paid ?211,909 in energy costs in 2019/20, compared to ?226,398 in 2020/21, and ?201,670 in 2021/22.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/council-spent-over-600k-heating-25689727

[SteveH]

North Wales councillor voted in virtual meeting 'while driving car'
Cllr Andrew Wood was branded 'completely reckless' by opposition councillors

 Cllr Andrew Wood, who represents Gele and Llanddulas on Conwy Council, appeared virtually at a meeting of the council's Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee back in July.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-councillor-voted-virtual-25737207?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[BrianP]

What a stupid thing to do. On a virtual meeting while driving, and not in full control of the vehicle.

[Helig]

I should have thought that this was a criminal offence.

[SteveH]

I should have thought that this was a criminal offence.

Ombudsman investigating councillor who voted 'whilst driving

A COUNCILLOR who has made the national headlines for allegedly dialling into a virtual meeting while sitting behind the wheel of his car is is being investigated by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW).

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23197365.ombudsman-investigating-councillor-voted-whilst-driving/

[SteveH]

Cllr Andrew Wood is co-operating with the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW).

He said: "I replied in full with a clear and concise and robust answer."

Cllr Wood, who represents Gele ward on Conwy County Borough Council, said he would not be able to comment further with the probe ongoing.

Cllr Wood said: "I can tell you I have not done a Zoom meeting while driving a vehicle. The only time I have ever attended a meeting whilst in my vehicle would have been an audio meeting only."     

UK charity SCARD - Support and Care After Road Death and Injury, slammed cllr Wood and said "no one, whatever their social position or occupation is, should be so foolish and downright selfish as to take part in a meeting whilst driving".

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23201168.probe-drive-row-conwy-councillor-angers-charity/?ref=rss&IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

CONWY County Borough Council is expected to pay over ?2,500 for the hire of an inaccessible disabled toilet situated at Gwydyr car park, Llanrwst.

A Freedom of Information Request obtained by Councillor Mostyn Jones has disclosed that the Council paid up to ?171 per week between August 10 and 22 November 22 this year on a disabled loo that could not be accessed.

The ramp to the facility was not completed until mid-November despite the toilet being placed there in August, so for at least 13 weeks Conwy County Borough Council spent around ?2,223 on an inaccessible disabled portaloo.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23206853.inaccessible-disabled-toilet-costs-council-2-500/

[SteveH]

I wonder if they would make the same deals with their own money........... 

The company responsible for maintaining the stricken Menai Suspension Bridge has made ?15.4m in profits and paid out ?9.6m in dividends in the last four years. Its accounts also reveal the Welsh Government has so far paid more than ?300m for the Anglesey A55 section which has cost around half that to build and maintain.

The bridge was closed without warning in October and it is not expected to reopen ? with a 7.5 tonne weight limit ? until the end of January 2023, weather permitting. North Wales Live has examined the accounts of UK Highways A55 Ltd, which won the contract to build the expressway?s 31km Anglesey extension to Holyhead in 1998.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/a55-company-responsible-maintaining-closed-25821501?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Covid-19 support worth ?4.5bn lost to error and fraud

An estimated ?4.5bn in Covid-19 support has been lost to error and fraud since 2020, the tax authority has revealed.

The money was handed out through schemes to help households and businesses cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic.

The scale of the money lost was detailed in a letter to a committee of MPs overseeing government spending.

The letter says the estimate of ?4.5bn did not count money recovered by the UK's tax authority, HMRC.

During the pandemic the government spent billions on a package of support to keep the economy afloat when lockdown restrictions were in place.

Last year a forecast by the UK's official economic analyst, the Office for Budget Responsibility, estimated the total cost of pandemic-related rescue measures to be ?310bn.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64304428

[SteveH]

A report has criticised the avoidable haste with which the Welsh Government spent ?4.25m of taxpayer cash on a farm in an attempt to secure the future of Green Man festival. The purchase of Gilestone Farm by the Government has been mired in controversy since it emerged that the music festival plans to stay at its original site near Crickhowell.

Adrian Crompton, the auditor general for Wales, has carried out an investigation and has now raised several concerns ranging from the level of due diligence to the advice given to economy minister Vaughan Gething, who approved the deal. He found that the "haste" of the purchase was linked to a desire to use an in-year underspend.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/welsh-governments-4m-purchase-welsh-26124031

[SteveH]

Welsh Government has spent nearly ?20m on axed road projects in North Wales
The government had already forked out large amounts of funding on developing several plans

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/welsh-government-spent-nearly-20m-26248576

[Meleri]

The vote for a 9.9% rise in Conwy County Borough Council Tax was put to the vote this morning at a full Council meeting & carried. This will for Band D amount to a ?142.38 per year rise or ?2.74 per week. The option to pay over 12 months instead of 10 is now an option to spread the cost. It was mentioned Denbighshire get ?256 & Gwynedd ?175 more per person from Central Government than Conwy County, due to an outdated system used to calculate how much should be awarded. 

[Hugo]

.Thanks Meleri for posting those details. I wonder if the 9.9% increase applies to Band E and above?
I recently read this article below and wondered what constitutes an excessive increase?
"Any authority proposing an excessive increase in council tax must hold a local referendum and obtain a 'yes' vote before implementing the increase. An authority proposing an excessive increase must also make substitute calculations, based on a non-excessive council tax level.4 Jan 2023"

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05682/#:~:text=Any%20authority%20proposing%20an%20excessive,non%2Dexcessive%20council%20tax%20level.

[Meleri]

9.9% is across the board Hugo, I was just using Band D as an example. The full amount to pay per year will now be in Band D  ?1,580.53. As for the referendum that just applies to England, sadly it doesn't apply here in Wales.