Wellness village ‘too important’ Council is committed to project as political row goes on
CARMARTHENSHIRE Council is committed to a £200m wellness village in Llanelli, but a political row over the project continued this week.
The Delta Lakes scheme has been the subject of scrutinty after the council terminated a collaboration agreement with a private sector partner.
THE leader of Carmarthenshire Council has restated his commitment to a £200 million wellness and life science village in Llanelli, but has been accused of lying by his Labour rival.
Councillor Emlyn Dole answered questions from opposition leader, councillor Rob James, at full council about the Delta Lakes scheme, which has featured in the press after the council terminated a collaboration agreement with a private sector development partner called Sterling Health Security Holdings.
Earlier in the meeting the council’s chief executive Mark James had updated elected members on various Delta Lakes matters, including an invitation by the authority to the Wales Audit Office to review the project.
Labour’s Mr James asked the Plaid leader if the terminated collaboration agreement included more than six named, private consortium partners, as per a council press release issued in 2016. Mr Dole said no press release was issued in 2016 because the lengthy procurement process to identify a development partner began the following year.
Mr James asked if a construction company had been identified in the collaboration agreement and, if so, whether it was Vinci Construction.
He said the local business community had been “extremely patient” but were “now fearing it (the project) is starting to look like a stitch-up”.
The Plaid leader replied: “I find it very difficult to understand what part of ‘no’ my colleague does not understand.
“No, there was not; no appointments have been made, as has been explained last week and again this morning. ‘No’ is the answer. No-one has been appointed, nor any commitments made.”
Mr Dole then referred back to the procurement process which led to the collaboration agreement with Sterling Health Security Holdings and Swansea University, and said that a number of companies and city financial institutions had been brought into discussions.
Labour’s Mr James accused the leader of lying about the construction company not being contained in the collaboration agreement document, and then asked further questions about the set-up of a corporate structure to take the Delta Lakes scheme forward.
Mr Dole said: “Can I refute that entirely – it’s not in that agreement, it’s not there. I have not lied to anybody, so I would ask you to withdraw that statement.”
The Labour councillor refused, and called on Mr Dole to answer the question.
The Plaid leader said he was not able to clarify the corporate structure or any associated directors, and that further legal advice was being taken on this to ensure the Delta Lakes scheme benefited Carmarthenshire residents in the best way possible.
He added: “The executive board has agreed that delegated authority be given to officers to establish that corporate structure, and I will ensure that this is delivered.”
In answer to another question, the leader said it was the Plaid-led administration’s goal that the first phase of Delta Lakes opened in 2021, as planned.
Mr James then asked if it was time for Mr Dole “to consider his position”. Mr Dole replied: “I’m really struggling why the leader of the Labour group reverts to this constant sniping.”
He said Delta Lakes would be a transformative project for the Llanelli area and wider region and challenged the Labour leader “to support the people he was elected to represent”.
He accused the Labour group of opposing all manner of schemes in Llanelli and the county, and said: “You had your chance to change Llanelli. You did nothing but talk about it – this Plaid-led coalition is doing it.” Mr Dole also described his rival’s comments as “shameful” and “a dereliction of duty”. Independent councillor and executive board member Jane Tremlett then expressed her “absolute amazement at what has been said this morning”, and called on Mr James to withdraw his statement accusing the leader of lying. Council chairman Mansel Charles said: “Councillor James has had that opportunity, and he has refused to do so.”