Plan to improve Pembrokeshire County Council practice approved at extraordinary meeting today (From Western Telegraph)

Plan to improve Pembrokeshire County Council practice approved at extraordinary meeting today

2:22pm Tuesday 6th September 2011 in News

A draft plan to overhaul Pembrokeshire County Council's safeguarding children practice was approved by members today.

Only one member, Cllr Bob Kilmister, voted against the plan stating it "did not go far enough" although five others abstained.

Chief executive Bryn Parry-Jones survived a motion of no confidence put forward by Cllr Mike Stoddart at the extraordinary meeting called to discuss recent Estyn and CSSIW reports that severely criticised the authority.

Members voted 42 to 10 not to back the motion.

Council leader Cllr John Davies announced that there would be a new safeguarding cabinet role created and the member to fill the role announced in the next 48 hours.

The only member to leave his position was Cllr Danny Fellows, a member of the ruling Independent Group, who resigned from his role as chairman of the Children and Families Scrutiny Committee.

Cllr Fellows said he had raised the matter of his resignation three months ago because of increasing work commitments outside County Hall and following recent events stepped down from his post officially yesterday.

Cllr Rhys Sinnett (Plaid Cymru) will sit as interim chairman and Labour's Sue Perkins as vice chairman. But Cllr Perkins accepted the role only for the interim as she said she was not happy that the ruling party was imposing appointments that should be democratically elected.

A number of members raised questions and concerns about the ability of those identified in the reports as being part of the problems now being able to fix the situation for the future.

The point was made that a number of constitutional issues had been raised over many years but changes had not been made.

Cllr Mike Williams (Plaid Cymru) said that statements saying lessons had been learned had been made on other occasions but yet still nothing had changed.

"We're going to review and improve on past mistakes again. This has happened four or five times and nothing's changed. We all know that scrutiny is not working. Since it was set up three issues have been called in by scrutiny, three. The reason that it doesn't work is that the chairman is appointed under the patronage of the leader and no chair is going to risk the extra income provided as chairman so do as they are told," he added.

Cllr Williams also severely criticised the Chief Officers Management Board, describing it as "shadowy."

"I think it is a very good plan on the face of it but I'm afraid that those taking it forward do not inspire confidence.

"I've said before and will say it again, democracy is absolutely dead in this authority," added Cllr Williams.

"We have to make sure elected members have control of the authority. We have to face up to this and must change," added Cllr Perkins.

Cllr Kilmister, a Liberal Democrat who sits on the council as an unaffiliated member, said that the council was “simply going to be in a situation where nothing fundamental has altered.”

“Some of us have been talking about a democratic shift for four years and received short shrift,” he added.

Members voted in favour of the draft improvement plan to be put to Welsh Government ministers by September 9th 45 to one, with six abstentions.