© South Wales Evening Post - 24 August 2005
An outspoken Independent councillor is about to jump ship and abandon the coalition which has been running Swansea Council for the past 14 months. Ray Welsby has told the so-called LIC super group - Liberal Democrat, Independent and Conservative members of the coalition - that he plans to pull out of the ruling administration.
There have been rumours of splits within the coalition for some time but this is the first public sign of cracks appearing in its armour of unity.
Councillor Welsby and fellow Independent, Audrey Clement, sensationally ousted Labour's Byron Owen and Charles White in Mynyddbach in June last year.
Asked if it was true he was now going to leave the coalition, he told the Post: "I am very seriously considering it, yes."I am staying an Independent and not joining any other party.
"I am dissatisfied with the way the coalition is being run."
Councillor Welsby said he would be making a full statement after he had taken legal advice about his position on the council. He has been at odds with the coalition over a number of issues, not least moves to transfer Swansea's stock of 14,000 council houses.
In February, the council cabinet approved plans to transfer the homes to a community housing mutual, despite Councillor Welsby's warning that there were fears among many tenants.
"I believe we should keep social housing within local government," he said at the time.
"I will never go along with getting rid of council houses. Now people have a good landlord that they can go to."
The outspoken Independent councillor was subsequently sacked as chairman of the city council's housing cabinet advisory committee.
And there were reports that he was unhappy about an apology he was said to have made after calling for heads to roll over the number of vacant council houses in the city.
A County Hall statement containing an apology to housing staff in the council is understood to have been issued before it had even been seen by Councillor Welsby.
A coalition source said the Mynyddbach member was furious at the time.
Just four months ago fellow Independent councillor Richard Lewis rubbished as ridiculous reports that coalition colleagues were falling out.
"What is important is that we, as an administration, can discuss things and have different points of view," he said.
"It is important to discuss these things and it is a load of rubbish to say there are cracks appearing in the administration."
Labour opposition group spokesman Lawrence Bailey said today it had been evident for some time that there were tensions between Ray Welsby and his colleagues.
"He obviously has very strong feelings in respect of housing and community issues, and so we respect his decision," he said.
