Concern over job for Brexit Party candidate
THE Welsh Government has come under pressure from both directions after it emerged that it had employed a Ministerial adviser who was announced as a Brexit Party Parliamentary candidate.
Julie James, the Minister for Housing and Local Government, announced last month that she had appointed Kate Allsop, the former elected Mayor of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, as a political adviser to assist Merthyr Tydfil council through a period of difficulty.
But Ms Allsop’s part-time contract at £300 a day was cancelled when it emerged that she had been appointed by
Nigel Farage as the Brexit Party’s Parliamentary candidate for Mansfield.
The Welsh Government has been criticised from both sides of the political spectrum.
Former Bridgend council Labour leader Jeff Jones has said more thorough due diligence checks should have been done on Ms Allsop, who was a long-serving Conservative and then Independent councillor before being elected Mayor in 2015.
But Mark Reckless, leader of the Brexit Party group of AMs, said Ms Allsop had been treated “disgracefully” and that there were no legitimate grounds to dismiss her.
He has tabled a question calling for Ms James to make an urgent statement on the matter.
Sources have suggested the leadership of Merthyr council, is very
THE amount of money spent on the justice system in Wales has gone down by a fifth since the start of austerity, a new report has shown.
Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre has published the first comprehensive analysis of spending on the justice system at a Welsh level.
The new report, Public Spending on the Justice System for Wales, details the funding provided by both UK and Welsh governments and the scale of cuts implemented over recent years.
Total spending on the justice system for Wales in 2017-18 was almost £1.2bn, which equates to £370 per person and accounts for around 3.6% of total identifiable spending for Wales.
Police services were by far the largest area of spending (£709m), followed by spending on law courts and tribunals (£250m), and on prisons and probation (£205m).
Spending on the justice system has fallen by more than 20% since the start of austerity measures, from £1.5bn in 2009-10.
Devolved and local government funding of justice functions amounts to £442m, or 38% of total spending on the justice system. This portion of justice funding has grown in real term since 2009-10.
Guto Ifan, research associate at the Wales Governance Centre and author of the report, said: “Although considered a reserved function, the Welsh Government has charted a slightly different course on justice funding since the start of austerity, particularly in allowing council tax precepts to rise faster in Wales and allocating funding for police community support officers.
“This extra funding, however, has only partially reduced the scale of the cuts, and several areas of the justice system are showing signs of strain.”
unhappy at the Minister’s decision to sack Ms Allsop.
We spoke to Kevin O’Neill, the Independent leader of Merthyr council, as he was about to engage in a gym workout.
He said: “All I will say is that she was efficient and effective. I don’t want to comment further.”
Cllr O’Neill suggested that we contact the council’s press office for a statement.
We did, but a spokeswoman later told us: “The Minister is due to issue a statement and the Welsh Government is leading on comms.”
We asked whether the council had been told by the Welsh Government not to comment, but we did not get a response.
Sources have also told us that originally it was suggested that Merthyr council should receive assistance from a former Labour council leader from England.
That was not seen as suitable by the Independent-controlled authority.
The Local Government Association in England was then said to have nominated two male experts associated with the body’s Independent group to advise Merthyr council.
Sources said that idea was vetoed by the Welsh Government, which wanted to ensure that the team of two advisers sent in to Merthyr council was gender balanced. It was that stipulation that resulted in Ms Allsop’s appointment.
We put this scenario to the Welsh Government.
At first we were told that a statement by Ms James would be issued yesterday afternoon but when it failed to materialise by early evening asked when it would be released.
A spokesman said a statement would be issued this morning.
Ms Allsop said she had been told at one stage by a Welsh Government civil servant that her appointment would last on a part-time basis for six months.
She said that although she had been promised a service contract, she had not received one before she was sacked.
The Welsh Government has not responded to Ms Allsop’s claim that she did not receive a formal contract.
Ms Allsop is taking legal advice through the Brexit Party as to how much she should invoice the Welsh Government for.
The Welsh Government has also not explained why it was considered necessary to seek help for Merthyr council from outside Wales.
Merthyr council sought help after the Wales Audit Office said it was struggling in a number of areas.