Swansea Council is right to quit while it's still (just) ahead.Its ambitious attempt to update the authority's computer systems and transfer some jobs into the hands of a private firm has staggered from one controversy to another.
Since the start, the scheme has been dogged by dispute, disbelief and dismay:
Firstly, council IT staff walked out in one of the longest running public sector strikes to hit Wales over authority plans to transfer jobs to private IT firm Capgemini.
Secondly, the cost of the two-phase scheme rocketed, from £100 million to £170 million.
Finally, estimated savings from the project were scaled back from around £50 million to £26 million, with only £7.4 million of those savings identified as achievable.
Hopefully lessons have been learned and pushing ahead with phase two - with any partner - should now be reviewed.
Pressing the pause button heralds a common sense approach from County Hall and its new chief executive, and is in marked contrast to his predecessor's head-in-the-clouds attitude to local government.
