Just a quick reminder that a disciplinary panel sits tomorrow at (see update) in the Port Eynon or Langland Suite of the Marriott Hotel, Swansea to hear more about how a senior council cabinet member fell foul of the Ombudsman for taking part in the appointment of ‘a close relative’ to a school governing body.
As mentioned last month, it is understood that Mary Jones, cabinet member for business improvement & efficiency will be represented at the reconvened hearing by a London-based legal firm at sizeable public expense. However, there is some confusion over whether she was acting in her cabinet role, rather than as an appointments committee member, at the time she breached the code of conduct.
We anticipate that discussions over this point and several other issues will reported in the local press following the hearing. Or is that expectation just a bit naive?
Update: We've received an anonymous comment stating that the hearing convenes at 9.15am and not 10am. (Link)
8 Comments:
The hearing is scheduled for 9.15 - not 10am.
So...... what happened?
We understand that the Adjudication Panel upheld the decision of the Ombudsman that Cllr Jones had breached the code of conduct. However, it seems that they also took into account the submissions of her brief that it was an oversight that she had remained on an appointments body which had selected her husband. Cllr Jones was censured but not suspended from office. We await to see if this is reported.
Nice to see five grand of council tax payers money well spent on legal representation for her oversight.
Unable to confirm if her representative, Peter Kieth-Lucas, was hired directly or indirectly by Swansea Council. Similarly, no indication if Cllr Jones will be reimbursed for any expenses incurred arising from the hearing. Keith-Lucas, known as 'PKL' is a former Swansea council employee and now a legal consultant.
From the minutes of the Standards Committee on 16 Oct it states that a solicitor of the council could not act for the Concillor and she would have to appoint her own independent solicitor.
The committee then granted an indemnity for representation at the hearing capped at £5,000 plus VAT.
See sections 43 and 44 here : http://www.swansea.gov.uk/media/pdf/5/i/Amended_minutes__-_16_October_2009.pdf
Councillor Jones was not censured.
The complainant was right, the Ombudsman did his job correctly - I hear it was the Chairperson of the tribunal panel who let the council tax payers down by allowing herself to be bullied and intimidated by PKL.
The tax payers should not have to continue funding this WAG QUANGO (Adjudication Panel for Wales)
Given that PKL had previously been an employee of the Local Authority, my interpretation is that he should have declared an interest and not been allowed to represent the Councillor.
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