Now is not the time to pat ourselves on back, says Powys councillor

At a Powys County Council full council meeting, The Annual Performance Report for 2017/18 and the Wales Audit Office (WAO) Annual Improvement Report was voted through.

Council Leader, Councillor Rosemarie Harris, revealed that Powys ranked sixth when compared with the other 22 local authorities in Wales on performance indicators.

But despite this, there were still calls for her and the cabinet to resign.

Ms Harris said: “We have the public accountability measures, and we’re rated sixth out of 22 authorities in Wales.

“This means that the results are averaged out in some measures, we were first or second in Wales in some areas. In others we were in the lower quartile.

“To be sixth out of 22 is a very good result for Powys.

“The Wales Audit Office report also included the Children’s Services and that’s not as good as we would have hoped.

“But we continue to make good progress on CS.

“The report is very open and balanced and comprehensive.

Ms Harris added: “In the WAO report it says that scrutiny needs to be improved and this is being addressed.

“On the positive side we delivered five new primary schools in the Gwernyfed catchment area, adopted our LDP (local development plan) and in spite of a very difficult financial situation we spent £61 million on various improvements for our residents all across the county.

“Our next report will be against our own Vision 2025."

But Councillor David Thomas said: “I accept we will have to accept this report but that does not say that we approve it.

“To say that we are sixth out of 22 sounds fine in itself but if we look in depth at the report it’s our residents who are suffering because of failings particularly in areas that impact on the most vulnerable in Powys.

“It’s very clear that this is not a time to be patting ourselves on the back."

Mr Thomas took councillors through the report highlighting issues including those in the WAO Improvement report.

“The council is not meeting its statutory requirement in relation to statutory improvements,” read Mr Thomas from the document.

“This at best represents dismal failure and lack of leadership and the people of Powys deserve better.

“If this report belonged to a private company there would be a hint to clear the desks.

“I ask will the leader on behalf of herself and her cabinet to give due consideration to her future as the indications are that the 18/19 annual performance report will result in an even more dismal catalogue of failures.”

Ms Harris said that the cabinet could not be accused of failing Children’s Services.

Councillor Phyl Davies added: “This is not about us as a cabinet or as councillors patting ourselves on the back, our jobs far from over and will never be truly finished.

“But the fact of the matter is the 5,000 or however many who work for this authority do do a good job in every day and every way and this report shows that."

By Elgan Hearn - Local Democracy Reporter