Vote of no confidence is held amid youth service concerns
A VOTE of no confidence has been held against the cabinet of Cardiff council after inspectors scored the youth offending service the lowest possible rating.
Inspectors scored the youth offending service 0 out of 36, and rated every area inadequate, in a report earlier in July. The rating came as a surprise to many councillors, who criticised the cabinet for a lack of transparency.
Conservative councillors tabled a motion of no confidence in the cabinet due to the inspection report and perceived secrecy, at a full council meeting on Thursday.
Opposition leader Adrian Robson said: “We as councillors cannot have confidence that we have the full picture in other areas and services. Checks and balances we rely on – scrutiny, corporate performance, risk register, audit committee, cabinet member briefings – either do not know or are not reporting the true picture in some areas.
“For example, how safe are the looked-after children who are in our care?
“We had an intense debate around children’s safety in January, but I find it galling that we were not told of the youth offending service problems even then.
“Based on what has happened with the youth offending service, I dread what other service areas are already falling short that we do not yet know of. I only hope it is one that does not mean our residents, whether young or old, are put at risk.”
Councillors voted against the motion, with 33 in favour, 37 against, and two abstaining.
However, Liberal Democrat councillors echoed the concerns, and called for an independent investigation into what went wrong.
Councillor Rodney Berman said: “We need to be fully open and fully transparent about what has happened and what needs to be fixed. My group fears that the pandemic has at times been used as a convenient excuse by the Labour administration to shy away from cross-party scrutiny.
“Why is there so much reluctance by the Labour administration to allow democracy to function properly? For too long we have been led to believe the situation with the youth offending service was much more positive than the inspection report has laid bare.
“Quite frankly, we have had the wool pulled over our eyes – and that needs to stop.”
Over lockdown, public council meetings like scrutiny committees were first cancelled, and then began running at a reduced rate. After the inadequate inspection report, scrutiny committees will begin meeting in full again – with the children and young people scrutiny committee meeting first, on July 30.
Labour councillors criticised the motion of no confidence as “headline grabbing” and “just clickbait”.
Council leader Huw Thomas pointed to the work done since the inspection was carried out in January to overhaul and improve the service.
Cllr Thomas said: “An independent piece of work was commissioned last year to look at improvements needed in this area, the implementation of which was under way when the inspection took place, and whose conclusion the inspectors shared.
“We have not disputed HMIP’s conclusions, rather, we have sought to accelerate improvements, driven by a new independent chair, and amplified by a new strategy published earlier this month.
“Under our leadership this council has responded admirably to serve the city during the pandemic crisis.
“Yet we know we are still in the middle of it. To try and collapse the administration at this precarious time is therefore dangerously, mendaciously irresponsible.”