Carmarthenshire's Roll of Dishonour

This weekend, people will gather near monuments which, in some cases, will list the names of those who willingly and unwillingly sacrificed their lives in conflict.

Some conflicts are just. Some are a waste of lives and resources. Many of the them will have faced things that would keep any of us awake at night.

If there's one thing that would keep any of us awake at night, it's the thought of having the rug pulled from under us and losing your home and/or your possessions.

There's something perverse when it's your own government, politicians and court system doing it and allowing it to happen - not because they've cut budgets or changed policies, but out of pure spite. The truth is that sometimes the bad guys win.

Carmarthenshire's Chief Executive, Mark James, has been on a three and a half year victory parade since he won a libel claim against Carmarthenshire Planning's Jacqui Thompson, unlawfully funded by Carmarthenshire Council.

I'm not going to go over the arguments or judgement again, but the cruellest thing about this is that Jacqui was ultimately right about unlawful use of public funds (what would be known in slang terms as a "slush fund") in the form of the libel indemnity itself and a pensions deal which ultimately resulted in Pembrokeshire's then Chief Executive being dismissed.

As many of you probably know, Carmarthenshire Council/Mark James are in the process of forcing a sale of Jacqui's home. As Carmarthenshire Council stumped up the Chief Executive's legal costs they stand to be the beneficiary of anything reclaimed from the sale.

Update 2nd December 2016:

Have left court, council's charging order for £190,390 was made final. The Judge said he made the decision with "reluctance"

— Jacqui Thompson (@caebrwyn) December 2, 2016

There's increasingly very little Jacqui or anyone else can do other than hope for some sort of arrangement that allows her family to stay in their home, but that's unlikely due to the sums of money Carmarthenshire councillors authorised the Chief Executive to use. They're in so deep they have to do something to save face, even though the Wales Audit Office clearly said they shouldn't have spent the money.

A petition isn't going to get anyone anywhere as it'll take months to get through the system and AMs proved during the Fourth Assembly that they don't take the issue of abuse of executive power in local government very seriously. In fact they seem perfectly fine with it. It's even been said Mark James was approached to be the Assembly's new Chief Executive!

Carmarthenshire Council even broke the Welsh Government's own regulations in pursuing and funding the libel case on behalf of the Chief Executive. The silence from Cardiff Bay and Cathays Park has been deafening.

Either Mark James knows where the bodies are buried, or AMs don't give a toss as it's just not sexy enough for them. The next time you hear or see a Labour or Plaid Cymru AM or MP hand-wringing over cuts resulting in homelessness, remember what their respective parties are putting their names to in the Wild West.

Adam Price AM and Jonathan Edwards MP (both Plaid, Carms E. & Dinefwr) have made representations to the Council on Jacqui's behalf - so that isn't aimed at them, nor former AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas for that matter who spoke out on many occasions on this.

Unfortunately, Carmarthenshire is a law unto itself and has a track record of thumbing its nose at higher authorities due to over-defensiveness and political instability caused by three equally-influential party groups fighting to be top dog (or, more accurately, lackey-in-chief). They were given an opportunity by the WLGA to become a "New Model Council" - which they largely rejected - while they even had the cheek to question the Auditor's qualifications.

You can blame the officers/civil servants, but they can't do anything without a rubber stamp from councillors. This is an overtly political act. As a result, Jacqui wasn't only up against Mark James and his counsel, but the dozens of people listed below (not an exhaustive list) and the full force of a local authority. The focus this week is on lists of brave people, but what if you could draw up a list of invertebrate cowards and hypocrites instead?


Done In Their Name

Executive Board members (still sitting) who approved the unlawful use of public money to provide libel indemnity to Carmarthenshire Council's Chief Executive. (23rd January 2012)

• Cllr. Wyn Evans (Ind, Llanddarog)
• Cllr. Meryl Gravell (Ind, Trimsaran)
• Cllr. Pat Jones (Lab, Burry Port)
• Cllr. Kevin Madge (Lab, Garnant)
• Cllr. Pam Palmer (Ind, Abergwili)

Sitting Members of Carmarthenshire Council who voted against a motion accepting the report of the Wales Audit Office which stated categorically that awarding libel indemnity to the Chief Executive in his case against Jacqui Thompson was unlawful. By extension they set a precendent for approving the use of the full resources of a local authority against critics, contrary to the Derbyshire Ruling whereby public authorities can't sue for libel. (27^th February 2014)

• Cllr. Sue Allen (Ind, Whitland)
• Cllr. Ryan Bartlett (Lab, Betws)
• Cllr. Theressa Bowen (Ind, Llwynhendy)
• Cllr. Peter Cooper (Lab, Saron)
• Cllr. Deryk Cundy (Lab, Bynea)
• Cllr. Daff Davies (Ind, Llansteffan)
• Cllr. Ieuan Davies (Ind, Llanbydder)
• Cllr. Joseph Davies (Ind, Manordeilo & Salem)
• Cllr. Sharen (sic) Davies (Lab, Llwynhendy)
• Cllr. Terry Davies (Lab, Gorslas)
• Cllr. Tegwen Devichand (Lab, Dafen)
• Cllr. Jeff Edmunds (Lab, Bigyn)
• Cllr. Colin Evans (Lab, Pontamman)
• Cllr. Wyn Evans (Ind, Llanddarog)
• Cllr. Meryl Gravell (Ind, Trimsaran)
• Cllr. Calum Higgins (Lab, Tycroes)
• Cllr. Philip Hughes (Ind, St Clears)
• Cllr. Ivor Jackson (Ind, Llandovery)
• Cllr. Andrew James (Ind, Llangadog)
• Cllr. John James (Lab, Burry Port)
• Cllr. Anthony Jones (Lab, Llandybie)
• Cllr. Irfon Jones (Ind, Cynwyd Elfed)
• Cllr. Pat Jones (Lab, Burry Port)
• Cllr. Jim Jones (Ind, Glyn)
• Cllr. Kevin Madge (Lab, Garnant)
• Cllr. Shirley Matthews (Lab, Pembrey)
• Cllr. Giles Morgan (Ind, Swiss Valley)
• Cllr. Pam Palmer (Ind, Abergwili)
• Cllr. Hugh Richards (Ind, Felinfoel)
• Cllr. Louvain Roberts (Lab, Glanymor)
• Cllr. Hugh Shepardson (Ind, Pembrey)
• Cllr. Mair Stephens (Ind, St Ishmael)
• Cllr. Edward Thomas (Ind, Llandeilo)
• Cllr. Kim Thomas (Lab, Llanon)
• Cllr. Jane Tremlett (Ind, Laugharne Township)
• Cllr. Jan Williams (Lab, Lliedi)

Carmarthenshire Council Executive Board Members who unanimously approved pursuing Jacqui Thompson for costs, under the full knowledge this is likely to result in homelessness, unlikely to result in the local authority fully reclaiming the money and whilst knowing the indemnity was unlawfully awarded. (21^st March 2016)

• Cllr. Emlyn Dole (Plaid, Llanon)
• Cllr. Hazel Evans (Plaid, Cenarth)
• Cllr. Linda Evans (Plaid, Llanfihangel-ar-Arth)
• Cllr. Meryl Gravell (Ind, Trimsaran)
• Cllr. David Jenkins (Plaid, Glanaman)
• Cllr. Gareth Jones (Plaid, Carmarthen Town North)
• Cllr. Jim Jones (Ind, Glyn)
• Cllr. Pam Palmer (Ind, Abergwili)
• Cllr. Mair Stephens (Ind, St Ishmael)
• Cllr. Jane Tremlett (Ind, Laugharne Township)

Hypocrites: Members of Carmarthenshire Council's Executive Board who voted in favour of a motion to accept the WAO's report and remove unlawful libel indemnity cover in February 2014, but have subsequently "changed their mind".

• Cllr. Emlyn Dole (Plaid, Llanon)
• Cllr. Hazel Evans (Plaid, Cenarth)
• Cllr. Linda Evans (Plaid, Llanfihangel-ar-Arth)
• Cllr. David Jenkins (Plaid, Glanaman)
• Cllr. Gareth Jones (Plaid, Carmarthen Town North)

Next May, Wales will go to the polls to elect our 1,000+ local authority councillors and countless more town and community councillors. If you live in Carmarthenshire there's a good chance the people listed above will come knocking on your door asking for your vote.

Local authorities make different decisions to suit their areas. To get an idea of what might happen if you vote Labour, Plaid or Independent next May - regardless of where you live in Wales - you have to consider their track record when they've been in positions of power.

I'm not suggesting Bridgend is any cleaner either. Just take a look at the recent "purge" of six councillors by Labour for having an opinion on important matters. I'll have more to say on that another time.

The local elections are still six months out and a lot can happen between now and then. Nevertheless it's a good idea to consider whether you want people who've ganged up on - and are on the verge of forcibly evicting - one of their leading critics to represent you and do things in your name.

If you live in Carmarthenshire, this is being done in your name. If they can justify it happening to Jacqui, one day they could twist the law to justify it happening to you - whether that's because you've strongly disagreed with a planning decision or done something as simple as saying something "mean" on social media.

There's a reasonable chance that at some point in the future, councillors' support for the Chief Executive will be so toxic they'll be doing their best to distance themselves from it to cover their own backs. It's only right they're not given that opportunity and there's a permanent record of who issued the orders.