Former Swansea Council leader Lawrence Bailey could be investigated by the Local Government Ombudsman over pornographic images allegedly found on his council laptop.
A police report on the claims has been handed to the council which has forwarded it to the ombudsman to see if the councillors' code of conduct has been broken and if any action needs to be taken.
The report follows Councillor Bailey's arrest earlier this year after claims illegal images were discovered on his laptop. After a three month probe detectives said that no charges would be pursued, but that a report on their findings would be handed to the council. If the ombudsman decides there is a case to answer he has the power to refer the matter to the council's standards committee.
It can discipline any councillor found guilty of wrongdoing and suspend them if it feels necessary.Alternatively the ombudsman can pass the matter on to the Adjudication Panel for Wales - an independent body that forms tribunals for dealing with breaches of councillors' code of conduct.
Councillor Bailey was originally arrested in May after concerns were raised about images found on his council laptop. Officers examined the laptop and seized computer equipment from the 51-year-old's Birchgrove home.He was bailed while detectives investigated the claims.
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Azzopardi said in August that the Crown Prosecution Service would not be pursuing any charges against Councillor Bailey.
He added that a report on the police's findings would be referred to Swansea Council to take any action it thought appropriate.
A spokesman for Adam Peat, the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, said that the body did not comment on ongoing investigations and would not confirm if it was looking at Councillor Bailey's case.
Councillor Bailey said today: "I have been advised to make no comment."
Tuesday, 21 November 2006
Monday, 20 November 2006
Council gets sinking feeling as pool club site loses £65,000
Swansea Council has lost out on almost £65,000 after a deal for a controversial city centre site went sour.It means the authority still has a £600,000 problem to solve.
Council bosses sub-let the former Pool Sanctuary site on The Kingsway to Klub Kaos last December.They agreed a six-month rent-free period, worth £25,000, as part of the deal.
But it has now been confirmed the council received hardly any cash from the backers, who were booted out of the site in June.
It means the authority still has to pick up the £60,000-a-year bill.
Concerns were raised over the deal when it was agreed last December.
The Post discovered that the company backing the scheme, Netech Computing, was listed as a residential address in Ipswich.
The council insisted at the time that all necessary checks had been done to protect the council - but a year on the council has missed out on 12 months of rent.
It has also still been unable to find a tenant for the site, in a busy city centre location.The then Labour-run council leased the former pool hall in May 2004 hoping to use it as the new home for an Activa gym, paying £50,000 a year for 10 years.
Two months later the new coalition running the council axed the plans and labelled the site unsuitable.Since then Swansea Council has been trying to find a way of covering the lease.
From July 2004 to September 2006, the site has cost Swansea Council £128,254.Plaid Cymru group leader Darren Price said: "It is of course worrying that the concerns that were raised by many individuals - and the local press - some time ago with regards to the suitability of the company in question have come to fruition.
"The process by which the cabinet took this decision has to be looked at.
"Officers state that the appropriate company checks were carried out but I would argue that those checks were anything but appropriate.
"The council has lost a key opportunity to recoup some of the losses that it has accrued since the decision to lease the pool sanctuary in 2004 with a knock-on effect on council services."
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "The site remains on the market and some remedial work is being done in order to improve its marketability.
"In the case of Klub Kaos the usual company searches and other financial checks were carried out. The decision to let was approved by Cabinet, based upon the advice of our specialist letting agents.
"The club did not open until January this year - after the Christmas period.
"After it continually failed to pay the rent, to protect the Council's interest, action was taken to take the property back from Klub Kaos in June 2006."
Council bosses sub-let the former Pool Sanctuary site on The Kingsway to Klub Kaos last December.They agreed a six-month rent-free period, worth £25,000, as part of the deal.
But it has now been confirmed the council received hardly any cash from the backers, who were booted out of the site in June.
It means the authority still has to pick up the £60,000-a-year bill.
Concerns were raised over the deal when it was agreed last December.
The Post discovered that the company backing the scheme, Netech Computing, was listed as a residential address in Ipswich.
The council insisted at the time that all necessary checks had been done to protect the council - but a year on the council has missed out on 12 months of rent.
It has also still been unable to find a tenant for the site, in a busy city centre location.The then Labour-run council leased the former pool hall in May 2004 hoping to use it as the new home for an Activa gym, paying £50,000 a year for 10 years.
Two months later the new coalition running the council axed the plans and labelled the site unsuitable.Since then Swansea Council has been trying to find a way of covering the lease.
From July 2004 to September 2006, the site has cost Swansea Council £128,254.Plaid Cymru group leader Darren Price said: "It is of course worrying that the concerns that were raised by many individuals - and the local press - some time ago with regards to the suitability of the company in question have come to fruition.
"The process by which the cabinet took this decision has to be looked at.
"Officers state that the appropriate company checks were carried out but I would argue that those checks were anything but appropriate.
"The council has lost a key opportunity to recoup some of the losses that it has accrued since the decision to lease the pool sanctuary in 2004 with a knock-on effect on council services."
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "The site remains on the market and some remedial work is being done in order to improve its marketability.
"In the case of Klub Kaos the usual company searches and other financial checks were carried out. The decision to let was approved by Cabinet, based upon the advice of our specialist letting agents.
"The club did not open until January this year - after the Christmas period.
"After it continually failed to pay the rent, to protect the Council's interest, action was taken to take the property back from Klub Kaos in June 2006."
Saturday, 18 November 2006
Bad advice cost Council at new stadium
Bad advice from external consultants could have led to expensive mistakes being made at Swansea's Liberty Stadium.
A series of recommendations is now set to be implemented following an audit report into the first year of the stadium.
Thousands of pounds was spent bringing in the experts who told leaders in the former Labour-run administration that catering firms should pay for the fit-out and that undersoil heating was not necessary.
However, it became apparent that no firms were willing to stump up the cash for catering equipment.
And after a Swansea City game was postponed because of a frozen pitch, club bosses recommended undersoil heating.
Swansea Council loaned Swansea Stadium Management Company £2.3 million to help pay for fixtures and fittings and also handed over £450,000 to keep SSMC afloat and to pay for undersoil heating.
The £2.3 million loan has since been written off.
Councillor Robert Francis-Davies, who was in charge of the project when Labour ran Swansea Council, said: "I was told I was getting the best advice available, the best external advice."As a councillor, you can only make a decision based on the advice you are given.
"More than £700,000 was lost in the first year of the stadium. Auditors said that figure could have been less if council directors on the stadium's management board had been given more information about stadium accounts.
The report said: "It is possible that some of the losses made by SSMC in 2005/06 could have been avoided if there had been proper management information presented to the board at an earlier stage and on an ongoing basis."
Councillor John Hague, who is also a director on StadCo's management board, said things had changed since the audit report was compiled
He said: "I am happy with information we are being given now and I am happy that the council's investment is being taken care of."
Labour group leader David Phillips said councillors needed more training before being co-opted on to boards of private companies.
He said: "The Liberty Stadium is an undoubted success and nothing will detract from that. But we should not be deflected from learning how things went wrong. I am still not convinced we have identified all the lessons we need to learn."
A series of recommendations is now set to be implemented following an audit report into the first year of the stadium.
Thousands of pounds was spent bringing in the experts who told leaders in the former Labour-run administration that catering firms should pay for the fit-out and that undersoil heating was not necessary.
However, it became apparent that no firms were willing to stump up the cash for catering equipment.
And after a Swansea City game was postponed because of a frozen pitch, club bosses recommended undersoil heating.
Swansea Council loaned Swansea Stadium Management Company £2.3 million to help pay for fixtures and fittings and also handed over £450,000 to keep SSMC afloat and to pay for undersoil heating.
The £2.3 million loan has since been written off.
Councillor Robert Francis-Davies, who was in charge of the project when Labour ran Swansea Council, said: "I was told I was getting the best advice available, the best external advice."As a councillor, you can only make a decision based on the advice you are given.
"More than £700,000 was lost in the first year of the stadium. Auditors said that figure could have been less if council directors on the stadium's management board had been given more information about stadium accounts.
The report said: "It is possible that some of the losses made by SSMC in 2005/06 could have been avoided if there had been proper management information presented to the board at an earlier stage and on an ongoing basis."
Councillor John Hague, who is also a director on StadCo's management board, said things had changed since the audit report was compiled
He said: "I am happy with information we are being given now and I am happy that the council's investment is being taken care of."
Labour group leader David Phillips said councillors needed more training before being co-opted on to boards of private companies.
He said: "The Liberty Stadium is an undoubted success and nothing will detract from that. But we should not be deflected from learning how things went wrong. I am still not convinced we have identified all the lessons we need to learn."
Wednesday, 15 November 2006
Notoriety is not deserved
Sir, once again we see councillors showing how misinformed they are (Row over plans to move kids home, Post, November 13).
They claim Blaenymaes is a notorious place, crime-ridden and not a place for a children's home.
This may have been true in the distant past. However, the truth is that it is a tight-knit community which has won awards for tackling anti-social behaviour and standing up to louts (many of whom don't live in the area) who blight our community.
Residents, together with the many agencies - such as Police Community Support Officers Constable Barry and Constable Phillips, Gwalia, the 104 Project, Spark, Councillor Gren Phillips and members of the community centre, the ARC, Blaenymaes and Portmead schools, the family centre and the community development team, to name but a few - have ensured that the vast majority of people living in the community have a reasonable quality of life.
Although I agree that looked-after children are the most vulnerable of children in society, I am sure that the professionals working at homes would ensure their safety and ensure that there, residents would not become a nuisance.
Ray Welsby, in saying that Blaenymaes is one of the most notorious areas in Great Britain, is wrong.
Perhaps he should visit a really notorious area, such as Moss Side in Manchester where gun crime and drug gangs have sadly become the norm.
Robin Lowe
Cwm Cadle, Portmead, Swansea
They claim Blaenymaes is a notorious place, crime-ridden and not a place for a children's home.
This may have been true in the distant past. However, the truth is that it is a tight-knit community which has won awards for tackling anti-social behaviour and standing up to louts (many of whom don't live in the area) who blight our community.
Residents, together with the many agencies - such as Police Community Support Officers Constable Barry and Constable Phillips, Gwalia, the 104 Project, Spark, Councillor Gren Phillips and members of the community centre, the ARC, Blaenymaes and Portmead schools, the family centre and the community development team, to name but a few - have ensured that the vast majority of people living in the community have a reasonable quality of life.
Although I agree that looked-after children are the most vulnerable of children in society, I am sure that the professionals working at homes would ensure their safety and ensure that there, residents would not become a nuisance.
Ray Welsby, in saying that Blaenymaes is one of the most notorious areas in Great Britain, is wrong.
Perhaps he should visit a really notorious area, such as Moss Side in Manchester where gun crime and drug gangs have sadly become the norm.
Robin Lowe
Cwm Cadle, Portmead, Swansea
Tuesday, 14 November 2006
Preparing centre for a big splash
This is a sneak peak inside the new-look Swansea Leisure Centre.
Three years to the day since it closed, the Post yesterday got a glimpse of how work to restore one of the UK's most popular indoor attractions is going.Work on the new water park, at the heart of the £32 million project, is beginning to take shape.
Engineers have been busy pouring concrete and shaping the new fun pools. They expect to be finished by the new year when tiling and other work can begin.
Soon after the new slides, features and attractions will be installed.A lazy river, a Master Blaster uphill waterslide, a tipping bucket, wave machine and other attractions are all planned.
Council bosses say work is on time and on budget for completion in December next year.
It is a million miles away from three years ago. On November 13, 2003, Swansea was left stunned when the council announced the centre, which had been closed for a two-week inspection, would not reopen. Public outcry followed and Labour were ousted from power in the 2004 elections.
A subsequent investigation blamed a lack of programmed maintenance for allowing the centre to deteriorate into a dangerous and hazardous condition.
It had been scheduled for demolition until February 2005 when council leader Chris Holley unveiled plans to refurbish the centre.Work to rejuvenate the building is well underway. Council bosses hope to have it up and running by early 2008.
Councillor Holley said the centre was good news for the county.
He said yesterday: "Most of the work so far has taken place in the former pool area and out of the view of the public, but the changes have been dramatic.
"During the past three months the major work such as the piling and concrete reinforcement has been completed. This puts us in a strong position to complete the refurbishment in just over 12 months' time, which is great news for the people of Swansea."
Councillor Gerald Clement, cabinet member for culture, tourism and recreation, said bringing back the centre would have knock-on effects for Swansea.
He said: "It will be a fantastic attraction for tourists and the people of Swansea.
"The new water park, with a network of rides and pools, will be among the best water-based facilities in the country. The new state-of-the- art health and fitness suites will surpass anything currently on offer in Wales.
"We are not merely refurbishing the former leisure centre, we are creating a modern destination which will breathe new life into Swansea.
"Visitors will be able to go to the refurbished leisure centre and the nearby National Waterfront Museum and then stroll along Princess Way to the city centre."
Three years to the day since it closed, the Post yesterday got a glimpse of how work to restore one of the UK's most popular indoor attractions is going.Work on the new water park, at the heart of the £32 million project, is beginning to take shape.
Engineers have been busy pouring concrete and shaping the new fun pools. They expect to be finished by the new year when tiling and other work can begin.
Soon after the new slides, features and attractions will be installed.A lazy river, a Master Blaster uphill waterslide, a tipping bucket, wave machine and other attractions are all planned.
Council bosses say work is on time and on budget for completion in December next year.
It is a million miles away from three years ago. On November 13, 2003, Swansea was left stunned when the council announced the centre, which had been closed for a two-week inspection, would not reopen. Public outcry followed and Labour were ousted from power in the 2004 elections.
A subsequent investigation blamed a lack of programmed maintenance for allowing the centre to deteriorate into a dangerous and hazardous condition.
It had been scheduled for demolition until February 2005 when council leader Chris Holley unveiled plans to refurbish the centre.Work to rejuvenate the building is well underway. Council bosses hope to have it up and running by early 2008.
Councillor Holley said the centre was good news for the county.
He said yesterday: "Most of the work so far has taken place in the former pool area and out of the view of the public, but the changes have been dramatic.
"During the past three months the major work such as the piling and concrete reinforcement has been completed. This puts us in a strong position to complete the refurbishment in just over 12 months' time, which is great news for the people of Swansea."
Councillor Gerald Clement, cabinet member for culture, tourism and recreation, said bringing back the centre would have knock-on effects for Swansea.
He said: "It will be a fantastic attraction for tourists and the people of Swansea.
"The new water park, with a network of rides and pools, will be among the best water-based facilities in the country. The new state-of-the- art health and fitness suites will surpass anything currently on offer in Wales.
"We are not merely refurbishing the former leisure centre, we are creating a modern destination which will breathe new life into Swansea.
"Visitors will be able to go to the refurbished leisure centre and the nearby National Waterfront Museum and then stroll along Princess Way to the city centre."
Action needed
It has taken just over a year for Stephen Lewis to be brought to court, convicted and sentenced for causing the death of Vicky Clement by dangerous driving (Post, November 11).
During that time, the Manselton Area Road Safety Action Group has been tirelessly campaigning for a 20mph zone to be set up to prevent yet more needless tragedies occurring.
The conviction of Stephen Lewis means that, to a certain extent, justice has been done, although members of the Manselton group would have preferred to have seen a stiffer custodial sentence and a lifetime driving ban rather than a five-year ban.
We also believe that motorists who kill pedestrians should be charged with manslaughter rather than causing death by dangerous driving.
While the process of law has taken effect, the process of making the streets of Manselton safe for children has got nowhere.
Back in April, when I addressed the council at County Hall, our call to establish a 20mph zone in Manselton received the unanimous backing of councillors.
A year after the tragedy, on September 27, we were told that the zone would be in place by the end of October. There is still no sign of work starting.How much longer do the people of Manselton have to wait? How can democratically elected councillors think they can get away with negligence on this scale? How many more serious accidents have to happen before those responsible for the highways department get off their backsides and do something positive to make our streets safe for pedestrians?
Whatever the priorities of Swansea Council may be, it is clear that road safety is not among them.
Rhodri Griffiths
Green Party Assembly Candidate South Wales West region
During that time, the Manselton Area Road Safety Action Group has been tirelessly campaigning for a 20mph zone to be set up to prevent yet more needless tragedies occurring.
The conviction of Stephen Lewis means that, to a certain extent, justice has been done, although members of the Manselton group would have preferred to have seen a stiffer custodial sentence and a lifetime driving ban rather than a five-year ban.
We also believe that motorists who kill pedestrians should be charged with manslaughter rather than causing death by dangerous driving.
While the process of law has taken effect, the process of making the streets of Manselton safe for children has got nowhere.
Back in April, when I addressed the council at County Hall, our call to establish a 20mph zone in Manselton received the unanimous backing of councillors.
A year after the tragedy, on September 27, we were told that the zone would be in place by the end of October. There is still no sign of work starting.How much longer do the people of Manselton have to wait? How can democratically elected councillors think they can get away with negligence on this scale? How many more serious accidents have to happen before those responsible for the highways department get off their backsides and do something positive to make our streets safe for pedestrians?
Whatever the priorities of Swansea Council may be, it is clear that road safety is not among them.
Rhodri Griffiths
Green Party Assembly Candidate South Wales West region
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