Liberty Hall?

Continuing the theme of mayoral matters and associated costs, we see that it didn’t take Sticky Dick too long to get his sweaty mitts on the trappings of civic office.

Colleagues of Gower councillor and all-round ratbag Richard Lewis have recently been graced with a personalised missive, produced courtesy of Swansea Council, advising that he and his brood are taking up full-time residence at Swansea’s Mansion House.

It is the first time in several years that an incumbent has opted to take advantage of a convention which provides a year-long rent free tenancy in what is undeniably the city’s largest and most luxurious council house. But few are surprised at this screw-you-all decision by the bumptious Lewis who has successfully managed to pull the con over the years of portraying himself as a champion of prudent council spending whilst never missing out on any publicly funded expense that might be on offer.

What his fawning followers may not appreciate is that his determination to play at lord of the manor will add substantially to the civic budget which now has to find cash for house-keeping services, meals & provisions, electricity and a few other perks that will no doubt be claimed in full. All of this, plus the additional cost of £28,000 for recently installed new security fencing and electronically controlled gates, comes at a time when schools face closure and front line services are seeing drastic cut backs imposed by the ruling Lib Dem administration.

Little credence is given to lame sounding claims by the arch-hypocrite that the move will save on fuel costs that would be incurred in transporting him from his Gower home to civic engagements - especially as the expectation is that a long list of friends and relatives will be taking turns to enjoy a freebie accomodation at local taxpayer’s expense.

But it is Duplicitous Dick’s intention to treat the publicly owned building as his personal property which is causing the most anger. The rule in the past is that the first family reside in the self-contained upstairs apartments whilst the lower floor serves to hold meetings, training seminars and promotional events. However, sources claim that the would-be Lord Fynone has somehow managed to ban any such use during his occupancy as he does not want “any intrusion upon on his family’s privacy” – and amazingly, it seems that he is to get his way.

No figures are available on the effect of this unprecedented ban or what it will cost the council to re-arrange scheduled events or book other locations. Nevertheless, staff who have reportedly been told to “live with it” fully expect a further series of indulgences and abuses of public office to which they will also be told to turn a blind eye.

It is widely known that Lewis has plenty of form dating back to his previous ill-fated stint as deputy when wore the civic regalia to a UKIP meeting (he later stood as their candidate) and a kerfuffle when it was discovered that he had “borrowed” a council-owned garden marquee & equipment to stage a charity event in his Gower home. It was later alleged that the charity was his 2004 election fund.

Council insiders forecast stormy times and a string of complaints over the coming year as the obnoxious nurk continues in the same vein whilst delivering a flagrant two-fingers to rules intended to limit uncontrolled mayoral largesse - otherwise known as “civic hospitality”. However, they also predict that the chances of any serious intervention by council chiefs or senior councillors are very remote.

Since becoming a newly incarnated Lib Dem (having previously been both Conservative and Independent) Lewis has not been backward in telling his shabby coterie of freeloaders & freemasons that he can do pretty much as he likes under Holley’s patronage. The most disturbing aspect about this statement is that it is probably one of the few truths he has uttered in his thirty-seven years as a councillor.