I Refer to the claims of Councillor Chris Holley (Leading council group under extra scrutiny, Post, January 26) that the Labour Group was offered and declined the chairmanship and vice-chairmanship of the scrutiny committee.
This is simply untrue. Mr Holley and his ward colleague Peter Black have been peddling this fallacy since June 2004.
They have been repeatedly challenged to produce evidence of this fiction and have failed to so.While Labour has been very effective in holding the Lib Dem-led administration to account, the truth is that Mr Holley and his colleagues have fought tooth and nail to resist every attempt to give their incompetent administration the greater scrutiny it needs.
Changes are now happening to bring about the "openness, transparency and democracy" that we have been denied for so long. This allows effective challenge of Cabinet decisions, which to date have all been rejected by the Lib Dem presiding officer.
David Phillips
Leader,
Labour Group
Swansea Council
