South Wales Evening Post - 30 December 2006
A long overdue report on the future of Swansea Bay could finally be discussed next month.
Swansea Council has commissioned expert planners White, Young and Green and asked them to look closely at the bay and the west of the city to see how it could be developed and improved.
A report was due back last summer but has been delayed.
Swansea Council has said that a report on the company's work, which cost around £70,000, is due to go to the cabinet next month before going out for public consultation.
Planners were asked to look at key areas such as St Helen's, Sketty Lane, Blackpill, Mumbles seafront and the city promenade, including the Slip Bridge abutments opposite Victoria Park.Swansea Council has dismissed talk that they have received an offer for the abutments.
The council has looked at plans to use the abutments for toilet and other facilities to allow the beach off County Hall to gain Blue Flag status but have held off any work until the White, Young and Green report has been fully digested.
A Swansea Council spokesperson said: "We have received the report from White, Young and Green.
"It has been discussed and we are now hoping to take a summary report to cabinet towards the end of January.
"We are looking to raise the profile of Swansea Bay and are aiming for public consultation to take place in the spring."
POLITICAL WEBSITE IN PORN SHOCK
South Wales Evening Post - 23 December 2006
Shocked visitors logging on to Swansea's Liberal Democrat website found links to a gay dating site and hardcore porn.
The site usually contains information about Swansea and Gower's Liberal Democrat councillors and activists. However, in recent days the site has changed and includes a search for adult websites.
Clicking on the link brings up a list of hardcore sites, including one advertising porn movies online and another offering "casual dating and sex".
Visitors to the site have reported it to the Ombudsman.
However, there was a perfectly innocent explanation according to Liberal Democrats in the city.
Assembly Member and Cwmbwrla councillor Peter May said: "We are in the process of changing our website and we haven't renewed the subscription for the site address. So the owners have put a search engine on there instead and obviously people can look up what they want on a search engine.
"We are redesigning our site and there will be a couple of weeks when we do not have any web address available.
"We will renew the subscription for this site and will be directing visitors to the new site through it."
Shocked visitors logging on to Swansea's Liberal Democrat website found links to a gay dating site and hardcore porn.
The site usually contains information about Swansea and Gower's Liberal Democrat councillors and activists. However, in recent days the site has changed and includes a search for adult websites.
Clicking on the link brings up a list of hardcore sites, including one advertising porn movies online and another offering "casual dating and sex".
Visitors to the site have reported it to the Ombudsman.
However, there was a perfectly innocent explanation according to Liberal Democrats in the city.
Assembly Member and Cwmbwrla councillor Peter May said: "We are in the process of changing our website and we haven't renewed the subscription for the site address. So the owners have put a search engine on there instead and obviously people can look up what they want on a search engine.
"We are redesigning our site and there will be a couple of weeks when we do not have any web address available.
"We will renew the subscription for this site and will be directing visitors to the new site through it."
PUBLIC HAS CHANCE TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF A LANDMARK
South Wales Evening Post - 15 December 2006
The public is being offered the chance to have a say on how they want to see Swansea's Oystermouth Castle revamped.
Council bosses are collecting the views of residents for the next two months on how they use the landmark and what they would like to see in place there.
It will be put together as part of a bid to win Heritage Lottery Funding during 2007 for a project to conserve and regenerate the castle site.
Plans include developing a new information centre at the castle entrance and creating a discovery and interpretation building within the south west service range.
Audio-visual and interactive exhibitions are also being touted, to give visitors a history of the castle. Special displays will be going up throughout the city in the next week telling people more about why the castle needs to be preserved.
Questionnaires will be handed out to city residents and a drop-in day has been pencilled at Oystermouth Library, on Saturday, January 13, between 9am and 5pm.
There will also be public displays at Oystermouth Library, Morriston Library, the Central Reference Library, St Thomas Library, County Hall and Guildhall before February.
Councillor Gerald Clement, the deputy leader of Swansea Council and cabinet member for recreation, culture and tourism, said the aim of the scheme was to give the site a new lease of life.
He said: "The Oystermouth Castle project aims to provide a visitor experience that will actively engage people through understanding, learning and enjoying the social and historical relevance of the landmark.
"The scheme will provide a catalyst for engaging with the community to generate pride and interest in the castle".
The public is being offered the chance to have a say on how they want to see Swansea's Oystermouth Castle revamped.
Council bosses are collecting the views of residents for the next two months on how they use the landmark and what they would like to see in place there.
It will be put together as part of a bid to win Heritage Lottery Funding during 2007 for a project to conserve and regenerate the castle site.
Plans include developing a new information centre at the castle entrance and creating a discovery and interpretation building within the south west service range.
Audio-visual and interactive exhibitions are also being touted, to give visitors a history of the castle. Special displays will be going up throughout the city in the next week telling people more about why the castle needs to be preserved.
Questionnaires will be handed out to city residents and a drop-in day has been pencilled at Oystermouth Library, on Saturday, January 13, between 9am and 5pm.
There will also be public displays at Oystermouth Library, Morriston Library, the Central Reference Library, St Thomas Library, County Hall and Guildhall before February.
Councillor Gerald Clement, the deputy leader of Swansea Council and cabinet member for recreation, culture and tourism, said the aim of the scheme was to give the site a new lease of life.
He said: "The Oystermouth Castle project aims to provide a visitor experience that will actively engage people through understanding, learning and enjoying the social and historical relevance of the landmark.
"The scheme will provide a catalyst for engaging with the community to generate pride and interest in the castle".
BUSES NOT WORTH IT
South Wales Evening Post - 14 December 2006
A recent issue of the Swansea Council Daily Newsletter contained an article on the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Gower being declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This coincides with the news that the council plans to destroy the most beautiful view on Swansea Bay - that through the trees at West Cross to Mumbles Lighthouse - for the benefit of bendy buses.
The development of Swansea's one bendy bus route has caused utter chaos in the city centre, robbed the city of much-needed trade and driving at least one trader out of business, while the cost to public funds has been tremendous. I assumed that bendy buses were the only choice because double deckers were no longer manufactured - until I saw a whole fleet of new double deckers on service in London. Now we learn that the council intends embarking on a piece of utter vandalism along the Mayals/West Cross stretch of the bay.
Who will benefit from this act of wanton destruction? The bus company, of course, will need fewer buses and, possibly, fewer drivers. Their profits may increase but such profits will leave Swansea and Wales. The council will "keep up with the civic Joneses". Or will it?
A recent London free newspaper announced that the next step in that metropolis will be the introduction of new environmentally-friendly double deckers!
A group which looked a the city plan some months ago noticed that the area now intended for devastation had been left blank on the council's map and wondered why this was so.It would appear now that the public was not intended to know of this plan too soon.
Our last city administration was swept out of office because of public discontent over the leisure centre. The present city administration should remember that before it embarks on a scheme which may provoke more public discontent before the next city elections in 2008.
I Rees, Parkway, Sketty
A recent issue of the Swansea Council Daily Newsletter contained an article on the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Gower being declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This coincides with the news that the council plans to destroy the most beautiful view on Swansea Bay - that through the trees at West Cross to Mumbles Lighthouse - for the benefit of bendy buses.
The development of Swansea's one bendy bus route has caused utter chaos in the city centre, robbed the city of much-needed trade and driving at least one trader out of business, while the cost to public funds has been tremendous. I assumed that bendy buses were the only choice because double deckers were no longer manufactured - until I saw a whole fleet of new double deckers on service in London. Now we learn that the council intends embarking on a piece of utter vandalism along the Mayals/West Cross stretch of the bay.
Who will benefit from this act of wanton destruction? The bus company, of course, will need fewer buses and, possibly, fewer drivers. Their profits may increase but such profits will leave Swansea and Wales. The council will "keep up with the civic Joneses". Or will it?
A recent London free newspaper announced that the next step in that metropolis will be the introduction of new environmentally-friendly double deckers!
A group which looked a the city plan some months ago noticed that the area now intended for devastation had been left blank on the council's map and wondered why this was so.It would appear now that the public was not intended to know of this plan too soon.
Our last city administration was swept out of office because of public discontent over the leisure centre. The present city administration should remember that before it embarks on a scheme which may provoke more public discontent before the next city elections in 2008.
I Rees, Parkway, Sketty
TOO SOON TO JUDGE IT SCHEME
South Wales Evening Post - 14 December 2006
Your story on the council's eGovernment scheme (Post, December 8), not only misrepresents the facts of the case, but it also misrepresents me.
Firstly, on the basis of responses from 16 members you conclude that "the majority of Swansea councillors" believe that the eGovernment scheme should not go ahead.
As a mathematical conundrum that must have been a difficult conclusion for you to reach. In actual fact, from the information supplied in your article it is clear that the majority of councillors support the council's actions to date.
Secondly, despite an extensive reply from the cabinet member for eGovernment you choose to ignore her contribution to this debate, and quote extensively from the Labour opposition leader instead. Councillor Phillips raises several ill-founded and ill-informed concerns about a scheme that he started, and which has been significantly scaled back from that envisaged by him and the previous Labour administration, despite his bizarre claim that eGovernment has become "a vehicle for funding ever more ambitious IT schemes." Perhaps Councillor Phillips would like to elucidate this statement?
Thirdly, you say that the initial costs for the two phases of eGovernment have ballooned from around £100 million to £170 million, without explaining that only phase one has been implemented and that phase two has been put on hold on the basis that it would be imprudent to proceed with it on the current costings.
That is a decision that demonstrates the administration is taking a responsible approach to this issue.Finally, you have condensed my detailed answers to your four questions into six words. I hope that, in the interests of balance, you can find the space to print in full my answers. They are:
"Unfortunately, the issue is significantly more complex than your queries suggest and may even be the wrong questions in relation to effective scrutiny of the project. It is impossible to give a yes or no answer to any of them but I will try to be succinct:
1. resource@swansea is part of an important modernisation programme designed to bring Swansea Council into the 21st Century. As well as seeking to do things more efficiently, and thus generate savings that can be reinvested in frontline services, the programme also involves replacing and upgrading key systems that would need replacing anyway, making procurement more efficient and improving access to our services for the public both online and through the civic centre project.
If it were not being carried out as we are doing it then it would be necessary to do it through some other way. The benefits that this programme will bring are not just monetary, but both in terms of the money spent on it and the improved service it will bring when it has been fully rolled out, it will be value for money for local residents.
2. On the basis of the answer I gave to question one I would vote in favour of the scheme, however you should be aware that the Local Government Act 2000 makes this a decision that can only be made by the cabinet and thus I, and other councillors, are denied a vote on it by law.
3. Whether the council should move forward with service@swansea is dependent on the affordability of this scheme and satisfactory cost benefit analysis. That point has not yet been reached.
4. It is too early to say if eGovernment has lived up to expectations. Key programmes still have to be installed and rolled out across the authority; work is still on-going in identifying all the savings from new procurement processes with many still to be properly assessed and the programme has still not been in place for a full financial year. Even the reported shortfall referred to in the Evening Post has been overtaken by this process and the year end outturn will look very different from this."
Councillor Peter Black
Welsh Liberal Democrats
Your story on the council's eGovernment scheme (Post, December 8), not only misrepresents the facts of the case, but it also misrepresents me.
Firstly, on the basis of responses from 16 members you conclude that "the majority of Swansea councillors" believe that the eGovernment scheme should not go ahead.
As a mathematical conundrum that must have been a difficult conclusion for you to reach. In actual fact, from the information supplied in your article it is clear that the majority of councillors support the council's actions to date.
Secondly, despite an extensive reply from the cabinet member for eGovernment you choose to ignore her contribution to this debate, and quote extensively from the Labour opposition leader instead. Councillor Phillips raises several ill-founded and ill-informed concerns about a scheme that he started, and which has been significantly scaled back from that envisaged by him and the previous Labour administration, despite his bizarre claim that eGovernment has become "a vehicle for funding ever more ambitious IT schemes." Perhaps Councillor Phillips would like to elucidate this statement?
Thirdly, you say that the initial costs for the two phases of eGovernment have ballooned from around £100 million to £170 million, without explaining that only phase one has been implemented and that phase two has been put on hold on the basis that it would be imprudent to proceed with it on the current costings.
That is a decision that demonstrates the administration is taking a responsible approach to this issue.Finally, you have condensed my detailed answers to your four questions into six words. I hope that, in the interests of balance, you can find the space to print in full my answers. They are:
"Unfortunately, the issue is significantly more complex than your queries suggest and may even be the wrong questions in relation to effective scrutiny of the project. It is impossible to give a yes or no answer to any of them but I will try to be succinct:
1. resource@swansea is part of an important modernisation programme designed to bring Swansea Council into the 21st Century. As well as seeking to do things more efficiently, and thus generate savings that can be reinvested in frontline services, the programme also involves replacing and upgrading key systems that would need replacing anyway, making procurement more efficient and improving access to our services for the public both online and through the civic centre project.
If it were not being carried out as we are doing it then it would be necessary to do it through some other way. The benefits that this programme will bring are not just monetary, but both in terms of the money spent on it and the improved service it will bring when it has been fully rolled out, it will be value for money for local residents.
2. On the basis of the answer I gave to question one I would vote in favour of the scheme, however you should be aware that the Local Government Act 2000 makes this a decision that can only be made by the cabinet and thus I, and other councillors, are denied a vote on it by law.
3. Whether the council should move forward with service@swansea is dependent on the affordability of this scheme and satisfactory cost benefit analysis. That point has not yet been reached.
4. It is too early to say if eGovernment has lived up to expectations. Key programmes still have to be installed and rolled out across the authority; work is still on-going in identifying all the savings from new procurement processes with many still to be properly assessed and the programme has still not been in place for a full financial year. Even the reported shortfall referred to in the Evening Post has been overtaken by this process and the year end outturn will look very different from this."
Councillor Peter Black
Welsh Liberal Democrats
'CUTBACKS' ON SCHOOL SPENDING
South Wales Evening Post - 11 December 2006
Swansea Council has been accused of cutting the amount it is spending on education.T
he National Association of Head Teachers Cymru has said that the council is one of 18 Welsh local authorities spending less this year compared to last.
Figures released by the union show that education spending in Swansea has fallen by 1.7 per cent when compared with 2005/06.
Anna Brychan, director of NAHT Cymru, said: "These figures will make grim reading for many of our members across Wales."
Swansea Council has been accused of cutting the amount it is spending on education.T
he National Association of Head Teachers Cymru has said that the council is one of 18 Welsh local authorities spending less this year compared to last.
Figures released by the union show that education spending in Swansea has fallen by 1.7 per cent when compared with 2005/06.
Anna Brychan, director of NAHT Cymru, said: "These figures will make grim reading for many of our members across Wales."
LONG WAIT AT BUS STOP TO SEE BENDY BENEFITS IN CITY
Editor's Opinion - South Wales Evening Post - 9 December 2006
Let's put this as kindly as we can. Swansea Council has a public relations problem with its Metro bus.
All the work done on The Kingsway to get the city centre ready for the bendy bus had already left the project more than slightly overdrawn at the bank of public opinion. It won't help that there is such a big gap between the preparation and the delivery - the first Metros will not run before 2008. That's a long time for people to grumble without the benefit of discovering if the thing actually works.
The bus went on a trial run this week, and the hostile reaction on our website showed what an uphill struggle the council faces to win people round in the meantime.
Not even the old PR ploy of celebrity endorsements worked: a couple of Ospreys players had a free ride from the Liberty Stadium to County Hall: "The only time any of the Ospreys will ever be seen on public transport" according to Jaxx, while Peter wondered why the buses needed publicity stunts if they were such a great idea.
In town, they may turn out to be very good at moving large numbers of people around comparatively quickly. But I suspect there are growing doubts, even in the corridors of County Hall, about the wisdom of extending the route as far west as Mumbles.
Leave aside the ongoing argument about when it gets to Oystermouth, whether it can turn around to come back again, which strikes me as a more or less fundamental requirement for a circular service. It now turns out that, to get there in the first place, it will need a dedicated bus lane along the grassy foreshore to West Cross. A couple of brave people have suggested that, if it reduces traffic congestion on the Mumbles Road, it will be an environmental outrage worth paying. The rest has been uproar.
And still there would be the problem of getting the bus along the rest of the route to Oystermouth, along a particularly narrow and winding part of Mumbles Road. Just as well this bus is bendy.
All of which leads me to suspect that sometime soon there will be an announcement that journey's end for the Metro will be a lot closer to the city. The problem with that, of course, is that a project designed to reduce traffic congestion is a bit limited if it does not go to where a large part of the city's population lives.
Let's put this as kindly as we can. Swansea Council has a public relations problem with its Metro bus.
All the work done on The Kingsway to get the city centre ready for the bendy bus had already left the project more than slightly overdrawn at the bank of public opinion. It won't help that there is such a big gap between the preparation and the delivery - the first Metros will not run before 2008. That's a long time for people to grumble without the benefit of discovering if the thing actually works.
The bus went on a trial run this week, and the hostile reaction on our website showed what an uphill struggle the council faces to win people round in the meantime.
Not even the old PR ploy of celebrity endorsements worked: a couple of Ospreys players had a free ride from the Liberty Stadium to County Hall: "The only time any of the Ospreys will ever be seen on public transport" according to Jaxx, while Peter wondered why the buses needed publicity stunts if they were such a great idea.
In town, they may turn out to be very good at moving large numbers of people around comparatively quickly. But I suspect there are growing doubts, even in the corridors of County Hall, about the wisdom of extending the route as far west as Mumbles.
Leave aside the ongoing argument about when it gets to Oystermouth, whether it can turn around to come back again, which strikes me as a more or less fundamental requirement for a circular service. It now turns out that, to get there in the first place, it will need a dedicated bus lane along the grassy foreshore to West Cross. A couple of brave people have suggested that, if it reduces traffic congestion on the Mumbles Road, it will be an environmental outrage worth paying. The rest has been uproar.
And still there would be the problem of getting the bus along the rest of the route to Oystermouth, along a particularly narrow and winding part of Mumbles Road. Just as well this bus is bendy.
All of which leads me to suspect that sometime soon there will be an announcement that journey's end for the Metro will be a lot closer to the city. The problem with that, of course, is that a project designed to reduce traffic congestion is a bit limited if it does not go to where a large part of the city's population lives.
AM CANDIDATE URGES BENDY BUS RETHINK
South Wales Evening Post - 9 December 2006
A Welsh Assembly candidate has called for a rethink on proposals to dig up part of Swansea's foreshore for the new bendy bus scheme.
Swansea West Conservative candidate, Harri Lloyd-Davies, has urged Swansea Council to review its proposals for the route, which would see a section of the Blackpill to West Cross green park transformed into a bus lane.
Mr Lloyd-Davies said: "I cannot see how churning up a beautiful stretch of Swansea Bay can be justified in terms of providing just a few hundred yards of bus lane.
"I would question whether the environmental damage caused to the promenade can be justified."
He said he hoped Conservative councillors would take up his campaign at County Hall.
"I would hope the council will see sense and reconsider whether the StreetCar needs to run down Mumbles Road to Oystermouth at all," he added.
A Welsh Assembly candidate has called for a rethink on proposals to dig up part of Swansea's foreshore for the new bendy bus scheme.
Swansea West Conservative candidate, Harri Lloyd-Davies, has urged Swansea Council to review its proposals for the route, which would see a section of the Blackpill to West Cross green park transformed into a bus lane.
Mr Lloyd-Davies said: "I cannot see how churning up a beautiful stretch of Swansea Bay can be justified in terms of providing just a few hundred yards of bus lane.
"I would question whether the environmental damage caused to the promenade can be justified."
He said he hoped Conservative councillors would take up his campaign at County Hall.
"I would hope the council will see sense and reconsider whether the StreetCar needs to run down Mumbles Road to Oystermouth at all," he added.
COUNCILLOR CLEARED IN PROBE
South Wales Evening Post - 9 December 2006
A Swansea councillor has been cleared of breaking council rules after an investigation carried out by the Local Government Ombudsman.
Penllergaer Councillor Wendy Fitzgerald has been told there is no case to answer after she was reported to ombudsman Adam Peat over an alleged breach of rules.
She was accused of a breaking the council code of conduct over the award of a £1 million pound contract.
Councillor Ray Welsby reported the deal, saying that Councillor Fitzgerald knew the successful bidder, and should have declared an interest in the deal.
However, Mr Peat said: "It is clear that the tender evaluation was concluded by the time Councillor Fitzgerald had been elected to sit on the council.
"Crucially, when she presented the report to cabinet following her appointment as the cabinet member for social services, she would not have been aware of the identity of the successful tenderer due to the anonymisation of the report," he added.
Swansea Council's legal team advised Councillor Welsby not to report the matter because Councillor Fitzgerald had not been involved in the tendering process.
She agreed that the case should never have gone to the ombudsman.
She said: "The whole thing was a lot of nonsense, but this is the way Councillor Welsby works.
"If you make an accusation, you should make sure you have your facts right. 'You should also listen to the advice you are given by professionals."
A Swansea councillor has been cleared of breaking council rules after an investigation carried out by the Local Government Ombudsman.
Penllergaer Councillor Wendy Fitzgerald has been told there is no case to answer after she was reported to ombudsman Adam Peat over an alleged breach of rules.
She was accused of a breaking the council code of conduct over the award of a £1 million pound contract.
Councillor Ray Welsby reported the deal, saying that Councillor Fitzgerald knew the successful bidder, and should have declared an interest in the deal.
However, Mr Peat said: "It is clear that the tender evaluation was concluded by the time Councillor Fitzgerald had been elected to sit on the council.
"Crucially, when she presented the report to cabinet following her appointment as the cabinet member for social services, she would not have been aware of the identity of the successful tenderer due to the anonymisation of the report," he added.
Swansea Council's legal team advised Councillor Welsby not to report the matter because Councillor Fitzgerald had not been involved in the tendering process.
She agreed that the case should never have gone to the ombudsman.
She said: "The whole thing was a lot of nonsense, but this is the way Councillor Welsby works.
"If you make an accusation, you should make sure you have your facts right. 'You should also listen to the advice you are given by professionals."
COUNCIL WILL NOT REVEAL COURT COSTS
South Wales Evening Post - 8 December 2006
Swansea Council is refusing to reveal how much it has cost to chase recycling rubbish martyr Michael Reeves (pictured) through the courts.
It prosecuted Mr Reeves after a single sheet of paper with his name and address was found in his green glass recycling bag.
After five court appearances he was finally hit with a £100 fine and ordered to pay Swansea Council £100 in costs, though the true figure is expected to be much higher.
But the council has blocked an Evening Post Freedom of Information request asking for the bill.
It argues that the case is still ongoing as Mr Reeves is appealing against the Swansea Magistrates Court decision and releasing the information would prejudice proceedings.
Mr Reeves, who works as an Evening Post sports journalist, said he failed to see how revealing the sum could affect the outcome of the trial.
He said: "I am surprised that they haven't been able to release the figure of what this case has cost the council so far.
"Hopefully, when it is all over, they will be able to reveal just how much this has cost the people of Swansea who can then decide if it was worth it."
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "Michael Reeves has lodged an appeal against his conviction to the Crown Court.
"Consequently, the authority is not in a position to quantify costs due to the ongoing nature of the legal proceedings. "
Swansea Council is refusing to reveal how much it has cost to chase recycling rubbish martyr Michael Reeves (pictured) through the courts.
It prosecuted Mr Reeves after a single sheet of paper with his name and address was found in his green glass recycling bag.
After five court appearances he was finally hit with a £100 fine and ordered to pay Swansea Council £100 in costs, though the true figure is expected to be much higher.
But the council has blocked an Evening Post Freedom of Information request asking for the bill.
It argues that the case is still ongoing as Mr Reeves is appealing against the Swansea Magistrates Court decision and releasing the information would prejudice proceedings.
Mr Reeves, who works as an Evening Post sports journalist, said he failed to see how revealing the sum could affect the outcome of the trial.
He said: "I am surprised that they haven't been able to release the figure of what this case has cost the council so far.
"Hopefully, when it is all over, they will be able to reveal just how much this has cost the people of Swansea who can then decide if it was worth it."
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "Michael Reeves has lodged an appeal against his conviction to the Crown Court.
"Consequently, the authority is not in a position to quantify costs due to the ongoing nature of the legal proceedings. "
DOGGED BY CONTROVERSY AND STRIKES
South Wales Evening Post - 8 December 2006
Swansea Council's controversial £83 million IT contract with Capgemini was signed last December with just five members of Swansea Council's cabinet present.
None of the cabinet's three Independent councillors turned up for it and Swansea Council's 62 other members did not get to vote on the matter.
The eGovernment scheme has been dogged by controversy since it was announced.
Council IT staff walked out because of the plans, in one of the longest-running public sector strikes in Welsh history.
The architect of the scheme, Swansea Council's former chief executive Tim Thorogood, quit his job before contracts were signed.
The acting chief executive Bob Carter signed the contracts, and he has now retired. Last month the Post revealed that the scheme was likely to miss first-year savings targets by more than 70 per cent.
Now, councillors have agreed an external review of the scheme should be carried out. Auditors will report back on the deal in six months.
A second phase, Service @ Swansea, has been postponed amid fears over spiralling costs.
The Evening Post wanted to know whether other elected members supported the scheme.
However, just 15 of the county's 72 councillors responded individually to the four questions we posed about the scheme.
Here are the questions we asked:Do you think resource @ swansea represents value for money for residents in the county? (yes/no/don't know)
Would you have voted in favour of implementing resource @ swansea if you were given the chance? (yes/no/don't know)
Should Swansea Council move forward with the service @ swansea stage of the IT scheme? (yes/no/don't know)
Has the eGovernment programme lived up to expectations? (yes/no/don't know)
Swansea Council's controversial £83 million IT contract with Capgemini was signed last December with just five members of Swansea Council's cabinet present.
None of the cabinet's three Independent councillors turned up for it and Swansea Council's 62 other members did not get to vote on the matter.
The eGovernment scheme has been dogged by controversy since it was announced.
Council IT staff walked out because of the plans, in one of the longest-running public sector strikes in Welsh history.
The architect of the scheme, Swansea Council's former chief executive Tim Thorogood, quit his job before contracts were signed.
The acting chief executive Bob Carter signed the contracts, and he has now retired. Last month the Post revealed that the scheme was likely to miss first-year savings targets by more than 70 per cent.
Now, councillors have agreed an external review of the scheme should be carried out. Auditors will report back on the deal in six months.
A second phase, Service @ Swansea, has been postponed amid fears over spiralling costs.
The Evening Post wanted to know whether other elected members supported the scheme.
However, just 15 of the county's 72 councillors responded individually to the four questions we posed about the scheme.
Here are the questions we asked:Do you think resource @ swansea represents value for money for residents in the county? (yes/no/don't know)
Would you have voted in favour of implementing resource @ swansea if you were given the chance? (yes/no/don't know)
Should Swansea Council move forward with the service @ swansea stage of the IT scheme? (yes/no/don't know)
Has the eGovernment programme lived up to expectations? (yes/no/don't know)
CALLS FOR RETHINK AS IT SCHEME FAILS TO DELIVER
South Wales Evening Post - 8 December 2006
The majority of Swansea councillors believe a controversial £83 million IT scheme is not delivering.
Taxpayers are picking up the tab for the eGovernment programme which replaced the council's out-of-date computer systems.
The first phase of the programme, known as resource@swansea, has been running for almost a year.
The second phase, which is designed to improve services to residents, has been postponed indefinitely because of spiralling costs.
While most councillors agree that the outdated computer systems needed replacing, many are worried by the rising cost.
Today an Evening Post survey of every member of the council shows the majority would not have voted to implement the system in its current form.
The project has been on the cards for years, but initial costs for the two phases ballooned from around £100 million to near £170 million.
A number of councillors responded to the questions we asked individually, but most left it to group leaders.
Labour leader David Phillips responded on behalf of his party.
Councillor Mary Jones gave a response from the Liberal Independent Conservative coalition.
However Councillor Jones, who is the cabinet member with responsibility for the project, failed to answer the four questions directly.
Instead she gave an overview of the scheme.Councillor Phillips did answer the questions.
When asked "Does the scheme represent value for money for residents in Swansea?", he said: "No, not at the moment.
"It could do, if properly managed, but there is too big a question mark against the validity of negotiations prior to contract signing and that it has developed into a vehicle for funding ever-more ambitious IT schemes."
Councillor Phillips added that the Labour group agreed that a new IT system was needed, but would have preferred a less expensive option.
"There is no argument that systems needed upgrading.
"But this has to be at an affordable price and realisable pace, completing one job before starting on the next.
"Currently the overall price seems excessive and its reach overambitious."
Councillor Phillips said the second phase of the scheme, service@swansea, should not go ahead.
He said: "The problems with resource@swansea, which should be the easier project to implement, should signal extreme caution, if not stop.
"This phase is consuming financial resources rather than releasing them back into services.
"The service@swansea element was designed to give residents a one-stop shop and phone line for information and services at the council.
Councillor Phillips added that the first phase had failed to live up to expectations.
"So far virtually no benefits have been felt by the people of Swansea," said Councillor Phillips.
"Indeed, far from releasing resources to improve services, it has sucked them in, leading to cuts.
"The longer it goes on, the more it seems to meet the dire warnings of ICT staff when they went on strike."
Plaid Group leader Darren Price said: "Since the decision by cabinet to outsource the IT service was taken, we have seen significant increases in costs associated with the scheme.
"I believe that the total cost for both phases now stands at around £170 million - an increase of £70 million from the original estimate.
"I have raised this a number of times at council, only to be told that all is well with the project."
The majority of Swansea councillors believe a controversial £83 million IT scheme is not delivering.
Taxpayers are picking up the tab for the eGovernment programme which replaced the council's out-of-date computer systems.
The first phase of the programme, known as resource@swansea, has been running for almost a year.
The second phase, which is designed to improve services to residents, has been postponed indefinitely because of spiralling costs.
While most councillors agree that the outdated computer systems needed replacing, many are worried by the rising cost.
Today an Evening Post survey of every member of the council shows the majority would not have voted to implement the system in its current form.
The project has been on the cards for years, but initial costs for the two phases ballooned from around £100 million to near £170 million.
A number of councillors responded to the questions we asked individually, but most left it to group leaders.
Labour leader David Phillips responded on behalf of his party.
Councillor Mary Jones gave a response from the Liberal Independent Conservative coalition.
However Councillor Jones, who is the cabinet member with responsibility for the project, failed to answer the four questions directly.
Instead she gave an overview of the scheme.Councillor Phillips did answer the questions.
When asked "Does the scheme represent value for money for residents in Swansea?", he said: "No, not at the moment.
"It could do, if properly managed, but there is too big a question mark against the validity of negotiations prior to contract signing and that it has developed into a vehicle for funding ever-more ambitious IT schemes."
Councillor Phillips added that the Labour group agreed that a new IT system was needed, but would have preferred a less expensive option.
"There is no argument that systems needed upgrading.
"But this has to be at an affordable price and realisable pace, completing one job before starting on the next.
"Currently the overall price seems excessive and its reach overambitious."
Councillor Phillips said the second phase of the scheme, service@swansea, should not go ahead.
He said: "The problems with resource@swansea, which should be the easier project to implement, should signal extreme caution, if not stop.
"This phase is consuming financial resources rather than releasing them back into services.
"The service@swansea element was designed to give residents a one-stop shop and phone line for information and services at the council.
Councillor Phillips added that the first phase had failed to live up to expectations.
"So far virtually no benefits have been felt by the people of Swansea," said Councillor Phillips.
"Indeed, far from releasing resources to improve services, it has sucked them in, leading to cuts.
"The longer it goes on, the more it seems to meet the dire warnings of ICT staff when they went on strike."
Plaid Group leader Darren Price said: "Since the decision by cabinet to outsource the IT service was taken, we have seen significant increases in costs associated with the scheme.
"I believe that the total cost for both phases now stands at around £170 million - an increase of £70 million from the original estimate.
"I have raised this a number of times at council, only to be told that all is well with the project."
