Hawarden councillor slams Flintshire Council over transparency and cancelled meetings
A Hawarden & Mancot councillor has criticised the way Flintshire County Council is run and called for changes to what he describes as a lack of transparency.
Sam Swash, who represents Hawarden & Mancot, said in a public statement that he had become “increasingly alarmed and frankly exasperated by the way Flintshire County Council is being run”.
He claimed that in the past six months the authority had held “just three Full Council meetings” and that others had been cancelled “without consultation”.
He also said that, when asked why meetings were cancelled, the council had given “wildly different reasons depending on who is asking”.
Mr Swash further claimed that members of the ruling coalition were seeking to cap Full Council meetings at four hours during discussions not open to the public.
“Just four hours to govern an entire county,” he said. “Apparently, spending a full working day doing the job they’re elected – and paid – to do is considered unreasonable.”
He also raised concerns about public participation at meetings, alleging that public questions were being shut down and that written responses were provided instead of answers given in public.
On education, Mr Swash referred to plans to spend more than £30m on closing four schools and replacing them with what he described as a “so-called ‘super school’”.
He said 95% of respondents opposed the proposal during consultation and criticised the decision to proceed.
He added that residents would remain responsible for maintaining the building once it is constructed, while the council had warned of financial pressures and introduced council tax increases.
Mr Swash also alleged that councillors had mocked and insulted residents during planning meetings, that some had fallen asleep during debates and that votes had been taken to cut meetings short.
“I refuse to normalise this behaviour. I refuse to stay quiet about it,” he said. “And I will not allow democracy in Flintshire to be quietly dismantled behind closed doors while the residents the Council is supposed to represent are treated with utter contempt.”
Flintshire County Council’s Chief Executive, Neal Cockerton, said: “The Council is committed to openness and transparency in all of its decision-making.
“Meetings are conducted in line with our constitution and legal requirements, with agendas, reports and decisions published on our public website.
“We will continue to ensure residents can access clear and timely information about the work of the Council.”
Check live fuel prices near you before you set off.
Spotted something? Got a story? Email news (@) deeside.com
NEW: Add Deeside.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Latest News
