City champion slams council performance

Swansea Council leader Chris Holley has got a problem – and it revolves around his so-called city centre ambassador Sticky Dick Lewis who has gone all native on him, or more likely just reverted to type.

Having got the non-job of ‘monitoring’ matters in the city’s declining retail hub soon after traders described the city centre as “dire”, he subsequently made a few half-hearted attempts to talk himself things up. But not even a consummate flannel merchant like Lewis could sustain that level of bullshit and he has since gone on record as saying the council needs to make serious improvements and clean up its own act.

Unsurprisingly, he is also claiming that plans to cut city car park charges in the run-up to Christmas are his idea although others further up the political food chain say something different.

The negative comments are clearly intended to be critical of Holley, who is supposed to have overall responsibility for the city centre. They also probably preface a move by Lewis to jump ship before the end of the year and fight next year’s elections on a resumed independent ticket. A former tory who turned independent before they chucked him out, he joined the Lib Dems a few years ago to make sure his got his elusive mayoral stint after a number of setbacks had denied him the chance.

It's noticeable that few in Calamity Hall seem to disagree with this rumour of intended flight – including several Lib Dems who appear distinctly happy at the prospect of losing someone so reliable in his unreliability.