South Wales Evening Post - 31 March 2007
Editorial Opinion
When Katherine Jenkins steps out for her concert at Margam Park in July, she will be in the middle of one of the region's best tourist attractions. I'm waiting to see Neath Port Talbot council's revamped plan for the park. Their original scheme included a national photography centre in the historic castle.
From Port Talbot to Carmarthen, the region has lots of attractions. But are they all working together to attract visitors? We are often guilty of being too parochial in our approach.
An economic report on my desk this week stressed the need to accept the concept of "city regions" as a locomotive of economic growth.
That means leaders in places like Neath and Llanelli accepting that the future prosperity of their towns is inextricably linked to Swansea's development, however unnatural that may be for them.
BENDY BUS SCHEME UNDER SCRUTINY
South Wales Evening Post - 31 March 2007
Swansea councillors are to look at progress being made on the controversial bendy bus scheme.
Members of the Environ- ment Scrutiny Committee will meet on Monday to discuss the project.
The scheme, which uses 18.7 metre hinged buses, is designed to ease traffic congestion in the city.
A report to councillors on the committee highlights "difficult decisions" that need to be made with regards to funding. Swansea Council was given £8.2355 million from the Welsh Assembly in this year's transport grant. It had asked for £15,546, and wanted to use the majority of the money for the bendy bus system and to revamp the Quadrant bus centre.
The size of the grant could mean delays or cuts to the project.
Swansea councillors are to look at progress being made on the controversial bendy bus scheme.
Members of the Environ- ment Scrutiny Committee will meet on Monday to discuss the project.
The scheme, which uses 18.7 metre hinged buses, is designed to ease traffic congestion in the city.
A report to councillors on the committee highlights "difficult decisions" that need to be made with regards to funding. Swansea Council was given £8.2355 million from the Welsh Assembly in this year's transport grant. It had asked for £15,546, and wanted to use the majority of the money for the bendy bus system and to revamp the Quadrant bus centre.
The size of the grant could mean delays or cuts to the project.
NO U-TURN ON COUNCILLOR'S MAYORAL SNUB
South Wales Evening Post - 30 March 2007
A bid to make outspoken councillor Ioan Richard Swansea's next Lord Mayor has been dropped.
Swansea Council leader Chris Holley had planned to table a motion at a meeting on Monday calling for another vote over the nomination for the coming year.
But it's claimed the bid has been blown out of the water by Labour and Conservative leaders who are said to have been planning on voting against the motion.
Councillor Holley is now having to retract the motion rather than face an embarrassing defeat.
Councillor Richard has labelled the saga the "dirtiest of politics".
It is the second time that Labour councillors and Conservative group leader Rene Kinzett have scuppered Councillor Richard's bid for the high profile civic role.
The Mawr councillor has served as deputy Lord Mayor for the past 11 months and council protocol would usually see him take on the full role the following year.
But opposition councillors defeated his nomination last month opting instead for Councillor Susan Waller.
A special council meeting was planned for Monday to look again at the issue but Swansea Council has now confirmed that it has been cancelled.
Councillor Holley was hoping to force another vote on Monday but has now dumped the move.
He said: "I was disappointed that Councillor Ioan Richard was not elected Lord Mayor for the coming year, however, that was right for council to decide.
"I am pleased that we have now found a way forward which will preserve the integrity of the office of Lord Mayor and maintain the dignity of the election process for that office.
"I look forward to Councillor Sue Waller's year as Lord Mayor as I know she will carry out her duties magnificently."
Councillor Richard said he was disappointed that the motion had fallen.
He said: "It was not my decision to pull out. In fact I was looking forward to the vote on Monday.
"However, I realise I was in a no win situation when the leader of the Conservatives declared that the majority of his group were now going to vote with Labour's block vote against me.
"The last few weeks have been extremely stressful for my wife and myself. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us, especially my own Mawr ward constituents who have supported me tremendously for so many years.
"They feel very insulted by this political bullying. I emphasise again that I have never ever been found guilty of any breach of conduct, this is just politics at its very dirtiest."
Councillor Kinzett said that the Monday meeting was highly controversial and could set a dangerous precedent in revisiting a council decision so soon.
He said: "There was never any conspiracy to deny Councillor Richard his place, and any suggestion by him of deals between opposition parties to block him are total fantasies.
"The only deals done were those agreed by the leader of the council.
"It was Chris Holley who decided to cancel the meeting and it was his proposal to which the leaders of the other parties agreed."
Plaid leader Darren Price added: "We want to see a working group set up to look at this complicated Lord Mayor situation and ensure that the longest serving councillors, including Ioan Richard, are rewarded."
A bid to make outspoken councillor Ioan Richard Swansea's next Lord Mayor has been dropped.
Swansea Council leader Chris Holley had planned to table a motion at a meeting on Monday calling for another vote over the nomination for the coming year.
But it's claimed the bid has been blown out of the water by Labour and Conservative leaders who are said to have been planning on voting against the motion.
Councillor Holley is now having to retract the motion rather than face an embarrassing defeat.
Councillor Richard has labelled the saga the "dirtiest of politics".
It is the second time that Labour councillors and Conservative group leader Rene Kinzett have scuppered Councillor Richard's bid for the high profile civic role.
The Mawr councillor has served as deputy Lord Mayor for the past 11 months and council protocol would usually see him take on the full role the following year.
But opposition councillors defeated his nomination last month opting instead for Councillor Susan Waller.
A special council meeting was planned for Monday to look again at the issue but Swansea Council has now confirmed that it has been cancelled.
Councillor Holley was hoping to force another vote on Monday but has now dumped the move.
He said: "I was disappointed that Councillor Ioan Richard was not elected Lord Mayor for the coming year, however, that was right for council to decide.
"I am pleased that we have now found a way forward which will preserve the integrity of the office of Lord Mayor and maintain the dignity of the election process for that office.
"I look forward to Councillor Sue Waller's year as Lord Mayor as I know she will carry out her duties magnificently."
Councillor Richard said he was disappointed that the motion had fallen.
He said: "It was not my decision to pull out. In fact I was looking forward to the vote on Monday.
"However, I realise I was in a no win situation when the leader of the Conservatives declared that the majority of his group were now going to vote with Labour's block vote against me.
"The last few weeks have been extremely stressful for my wife and myself. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us, especially my own Mawr ward constituents who have supported me tremendously for so many years.
"They feel very insulted by this political bullying. I emphasise again that I have never ever been found guilty of any breach of conduct, this is just politics at its very dirtiest."
Councillor Kinzett said that the Monday meeting was highly controversial and could set a dangerous precedent in revisiting a council decision so soon.
He said: "There was never any conspiracy to deny Councillor Richard his place, and any suggestion by him of deals between opposition parties to block him are total fantasies.
"The only deals done were those agreed by the leader of the council.
"It was Chris Holley who decided to cancel the meeting and it was his proposal to which the leaders of the other parties agreed."
Plaid leader Darren Price added: "We want to see a working group set up to look at this complicated Lord Mayor situation and ensure that the longest serving councillors, including Ioan Richard, are rewarded."
SAVINGS TOP HIT LIST IN IT SCRUTINY
South Wales Evening Post - 24 March 2007
A group of Swansea councillors have begun an investigation into why a controversial new IT system is not delivering.
Swansea Council was promised savings of around £26 million when it signed a deal with Swansea based IT firm Capgemini in January 2006.
However just a few months into the deal it became clear that savings targets were not being met.
Members of Swansea Council's Performance Scrutiny Board will spend the next five months hearing from senior council staff involved in the project to see why. Capgemini staff will also give evidence.
The contract with Capgemini is worth £83 million to the IT firm. It is supplying a new computer system and software package and as part of the deal it outlined huge savings for Swansea Council.
A year after the deal was signed just over £6 million of the savings have been found, and the council's deputy chief executive Michelle Morris admitted that meeting some targets would be "extremely challenging".
However she added that work was still going on to identify areas to make savings.
She said: "We realise the problems we have got. We are working through the project and there are things we can do to try to meet this amount, or certainly improve the situation."A
system to increase Swansea's buying power, known as Strategic Sourcing, was expected to save more than £17 million for taxpayers over the 10-year deal. However Mrs Morris revealed that less than £1.5 million would be saved.
Strategic Sourcing was not part of Swansea Council's original plans for its eGovernment scheme and chairman of the scrutiny board Councillor Rene Kinzett said he was worried by the performance.
He said: "It is like a black hole. Were we oversold?
"We have to ask if we looked at Strategic Sourcing in the same robust way that we looked at the other elements."
Vice chairman of the committee Councillor Mark Child also expressed his concerns.
He said: "Clearly if we envisaged savings of this scale it must have helped sway Swansea Council to chose Capgemini.
"Without these £17 million savings nothing else adds up.
"Even if they do extremely well to identify savings they are miles behind.
"How on earth they think they will get those targets I have no idea.
"I can see that everyone is doing their best to meet them, but the question has to be why were such ridiculous targets set in the first place?"
A group of Swansea councillors have begun an investigation into why a controversial new IT system is not delivering.
Swansea Council was promised savings of around £26 million when it signed a deal with Swansea based IT firm Capgemini in January 2006.
However just a few months into the deal it became clear that savings targets were not being met.
Members of Swansea Council's Performance Scrutiny Board will spend the next five months hearing from senior council staff involved in the project to see why. Capgemini staff will also give evidence.
The contract with Capgemini is worth £83 million to the IT firm. It is supplying a new computer system and software package and as part of the deal it outlined huge savings for Swansea Council.
A year after the deal was signed just over £6 million of the savings have been found, and the council's deputy chief executive Michelle Morris admitted that meeting some targets would be "extremely challenging".
However she added that work was still going on to identify areas to make savings.
She said: "We realise the problems we have got. We are working through the project and there are things we can do to try to meet this amount, or certainly improve the situation."A
system to increase Swansea's buying power, known as Strategic Sourcing, was expected to save more than £17 million for taxpayers over the 10-year deal. However Mrs Morris revealed that less than £1.5 million would be saved.
Strategic Sourcing was not part of Swansea Council's original plans for its eGovernment scheme and chairman of the scrutiny board Councillor Rene Kinzett said he was worried by the performance.
He said: "It is like a black hole. Were we oversold?
"We have to ask if we looked at Strategic Sourcing in the same robust way that we looked at the other elements."
Vice chairman of the committee Councillor Mark Child also expressed his concerns.
He said: "Clearly if we envisaged savings of this scale it must have helped sway Swansea Council to chose Capgemini.
"Without these £17 million savings nothing else adds up.
"Even if they do extremely well to identify savings they are miles behind.
"How on earth they think they will get those targets I have no idea.
"I can see that everyone is doing their best to meet them, but the question has to be why were such ridiculous targets set in the first place?"
WE ELECTED YOU TO GOVERN, SO PUT PLANS INTO ACTION
South Wales Evening Post - 24 March 2007
Once we were a city of artists' impressions. Now we are a city of strategies.
Swansea has a host of them, including separate (but hopefully joined-up) plans for the city centre, the riverside and the bay. It was the last of these that was back in the news this week.
The consultants who came up with the plan to develop the area from County Hall to Mumbles Pier will be trying to sell their vision of the future to council leaders next month.
After that, wait for it, the plans will go out for public consultation.
Announcing this, council leader Chris Holley said: "It (the plan) has got a lot of terrific ideas but it's important that everyone gets the chance to have their say on what's being suggested."
At the risk of finding myself the only person in step on parade, can I ask why we have to be consulted so much?
I have this old-fashioned idea of how democracy should work; we elect someone to govern; they get on with it, which includes making major decisions on our behalf; if we don't like what they do, we kick them out next time and give another lot the chance to do things better.
I don't want to be governed by a group of people who feel the need to keep asking for my approval for everything they do.
If Councillor Holley and his administration think the plans are so terrific, he should put them into action.
What happens if half the people consulted say the plan is wonderful, and the other half say it's a pile of pants?It's no way to run a ship.
Once we were a city of artists' impressions. Now we are a city of strategies.
Swansea has a host of them, including separate (but hopefully joined-up) plans for the city centre, the riverside and the bay. It was the last of these that was back in the news this week.
The consultants who came up with the plan to develop the area from County Hall to Mumbles Pier will be trying to sell their vision of the future to council leaders next month.
After that, wait for it, the plans will go out for public consultation.
Announcing this, council leader Chris Holley said: "It (the plan) has got a lot of terrific ideas but it's important that everyone gets the chance to have their say on what's being suggested."
At the risk of finding myself the only person in step on parade, can I ask why we have to be consulted so much?
I have this old-fashioned idea of how democracy should work; we elect someone to govern; they get on with it, which includes making major decisions on our behalf; if we don't like what they do, we kick them out next time and give another lot the chance to do things better.
I don't want to be governed by a group of people who feel the need to keep asking for my approval for everything they do.
If Councillor Holley and his administration think the plans are so terrific, he should put them into action.
What happens if half the people consulted say the plan is wonderful, and the other half say it's a pile of pants?It's no way to run a ship.
PEOPLE POWER IS FORCING RETHINK
South Wales Evening Post - 24 March 2007
A shock move could be about to hand Swansea's mayoral chains to outspoken councillor, Ioan Richard.
People power looks to have forced a rethink among Swansea councillors.
City leader Chris Holley wants Councillor Richard to be named Swansea Lord Mayor.
Just two weeks ago he lost out on the high-profile civil role after Labour councillors voted against him.
He failed to win enough support to secure the post because of opposition from Labour councillors, Conservative leader Rene Kinzett and a number of abstentions.
The defeat cleared the way for Councillor Susan Waller to secure the nomination. But that could now all be about to change.
Councillor Holley said: "It is a terrible shame that some councillors decided not to support his nomination at the last meeting. But since that time, there has been a public backlash against that decision. Many people cannot understand why some councillors did not vote for Ioan Richard."
Councillor Holley is hoping the independent Mawr councillor can win enough support this time around.
The highly unusual move is understood to have been approved by the council's legal team.
It would overturn the last vote that saw Councillor Richard ousted and Councillor Susan Waller selected as Lord Mayor for 2007/08.
The motion will be tabled at the next meeting of the council on Tuesday, April 2.
Councillor Richard has spent the last year serving as deputy Lord Mayor.
Council protocol would normally see him become Lord Mayor the following year but opposition members voted against his nomination.
Councillor Holley is hoping to overturn that vote.
He said: "I am tabling a motion on behalf of the Swansea administration which will seek to reinstate Ioan Richard as Lord Mayor for the coming year.
"Ioan has been deputy Lord Mayor during the past year and has been an overwhelming success in that role.
"He has been a great ambassador for Swansea and has taken on the role with terrific enthusiasm and a great sense of duty.
"I was disappointed by the actions of some councillors and it was a sad day for Swansea and the office of the Lord Mayor.
"I hope councillors have had time to reflect on that vote and they will now have another opportunity to vote on April 2.
"I would urge councillors to consider Ioan Richard's record as Deputy Lord Mayor and to respect the agreed protocols for electing the Lord Mayor."
A shock move could be about to hand Swansea's mayoral chains to outspoken councillor, Ioan Richard.
People power looks to have forced a rethink among Swansea councillors.
City leader Chris Holley wants Councillor Richard to be named Swansea Lord Mayor.
Just two weeks ago he lost out on the high-profile civil role after Labour councillors voted against him.
He failed to win enough support to secure the post because of opposition from Labour councillors, Conservative leader Rene Kinzett and a number of abstentions.
The defeat cleared the way for Councillor Susan Waller to secure the nomination. But that could now all be about to change.
Councillor Holley said: "It is a terrible shame that some councillors decided not to support his nomination at the last meeting. But since that time, there has been a public backlash against that decision. Many people cannot understand why some councillors did not vote for Ioan Richard."
Councillor Holley is hoping the independent Mawr councillor can win enough support this time around.
The highly unusual move is understood to have been approved by the council's legal team.
It would overturn the last vote that saw Councillor Richard ousted and Councillor Susan Waller selected as Lord Mayor for 2007/08.
The motion will be tabled at the next meeting of the council on Tuesday, April 2.
Councillor Richard has spent the last year serving as deputy Lord Mayor.
Council protocol would normally see him become Lord Mayor the following year but opposition members voted against his nomination.
Councillor Holley is hoping to overturn that vote.
He said: "I am tabling a motion on behalf of the Swansea administration which will seek to reinstate Ioan Richard as Lord Mayor for the coming year.
"Ioan has been deputy Lord Mayor during the past year and has been an overwhelming success in that role.
"He has been a great ambassador for Swansea and has taken on the role with terrific enthusiasm and a great sense of duty.
"I was disappointed by the actions of some councillors and it was a sad day for Swansea and the office of the Lord Mayor.
"I hope councillors have had time to reflect on that vote and they will now have another opportunity to vote on April 2.
"I would urge councillors to consider Ioan Richard's record as Deputy Lord Mayor and to respect the agreed protocols for electing the Lord Mayor."
COUNCILLORS 'IN THE DARK' OVER SCHEME'S RISKS
South Wales Evening Post - 20 March 2007
Swansea Council has been attacked for a lack of information and confusion over its multi-million pound eGovernment programme.
Councillor Rene Kinzett, chairman of the eGov working group, has criticised officers for not keeping members updated on the scheme.
He pointed out that councillors learned of financial risks and claims for extra cash by the council's eGov partner, Capgemini, through an annual report.
Councillor Kinzett said the lack of information was one of the reasons for confusion over issues such as cost.
He said: "In these circumstances, where information is given out on a less than timely basis and where members are kept in the dark and given half the picture, is it any surprise that the media print stories which may not be entirely accurate?
"When the information coming out of County Hall is less than the whole truth, who can blame the news reporters?"
Swansea Council said councillors were kept in the loop in a number of ways, including regular briefings for Councillor Mary Jones, cabinet member for Top Performance and eGovernment.
A council source said a recent briefing on eGovernment was badly attended.
But Councillor Kinzett said he and his colleagues were frequently left in the dark on the progress of the scheme.
He said that in September the eGov working party was told that it was on course to meet a key target for the implementation of a new payroll system, but it emerged that during the same week officers were working on the assumption that the target would be missed.
Capgemini has submitted a claim to Swansea Council for increased costs because of the delay, with both sides discussing a way forward.
Councillor Kinzett said: "I find it incredible that members found out about the potential action via a budget report and not via a briefing from the responsible officers.
"I was led to believe by the cabinet member that she did not know about the failure to hit the February delivery time, itself several months after the original planned going live date, until a matter of days before the target was missed."
Councillor Mary Jones was not available for comment.
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "Councillors are being kept informed of progress on the eGovernment programme in a variety of ways.
"The cabinet member for eGovernment and Top Performance receives regular briefings at weekly one-to-one updates and Cabinet receives regular updates.
"The eGovernment member working group is updated at its monthly meetings.
"The Performance Scrutiny Board has included eGovernment as part of its work programme and receives reports as requested.
"Further briefings are arranged on request.
"eGovernment is a complex programme and developments can occur between one committee meeting and the next, and we continue to improve ways to keep members updated."
SPIRALLING COSTS FORCE COUNCIL RETHINK
Related article - S.Wales Evening Post 20 March 2007
Swansea Council is in the midst of its 10-year eGovernment programme.
The council brought in IT firm Capgemini to deliver it.
It was a two phase project.
The first (resource@ swansea) was to update council computer systems for things like payroll, while the second mailto:(service@swansea)was supposed to create a one-stop shop for council queries on things like council tax bills and housing issues.
The cost of the scheme has spiralled since its inception with a figure of £170 million for both phases mentioned at one stage.
The programme is expected to make efficiency savings and improve the way Swansea Council operates.
The Capgemini contract for the first phase is worth £83 million with the council paying a further £16 million in charges and costs, putting the total cost at £99 million.
Capgemini has now been dropped from the second stage and a new contact centre system - which is being used at Cardiff Council - is being lined up at a fraction of the cost.
However, this will not be the one-stop shop that the council first envisioned
Swansea Council has been attacked for a lack of information and confusion over its multi-million pound eGovernment programme.
Councillor Rene Kinzett, chairman of the eGov working group, has criticised officers for not keeping members updated on the scheme.
He pointed out that councillors learned of financial risks and claims for extra cash by the council's eGov partner, Capgemini, through an annual report.
Councillor Kinzett said the lack of information was one of the reasons for confusion over issues such as cost.
He said: "In these circumstances, where information is given out on a less than timely basis and where members are kept in the dark and given half the picture, is it any surprise that the media print stories which may not be entirely accurate?
"When the information coming out of County Hall is less than the whole truth, who can blame the news reporters?"
Swansea Council said councillors were kept in the loop in a number of ways, including regular briefings for Councillor Mary Jones, cabinet member for Top Performance and eGovernment.
A council source said a recent briefing on eGovernment was badly attended.
But Councillor Kinzett said he and his colleagues were frequently left in the dark on the progress of the scheme.
He said that in September the eGov working party was told that it was on course to meet a key target for the implementation of a new payroll system, but it emerged that during the same week officers were working on the assumption that the target would be missed.
Capgemini has submitted a claim to Swansea Council for increased costs because of the delay, with both sides discussing a way forward.
Councillor Kinzett said: "I find it incredible that members found out about the potential action via a budget report and not via a briefing from the responsible officers.
"I was led to believe by the cabinet member that she did not know about the failure to hit the February delivery time, itself several months after the original planned going live date, until a matter of days before the target was missed."
Councillor Mary Jones was not available for comment.
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "Councillors are being kept informed of progress on the eGovernment programme in a variety of ways.
"The cabinet member for eGovernment and Top Performance receives regular briefings at weekly one-to-one updates and Cabinet receives regular updates.
"The eGovernment member working group is updated at its monthly meetings.
"The Performance Scrutiny Board has included eGovernment as part of its work programme and receives reports as requested.
"Further briefings are arranged on request.
"eGovernment is a complex programme and developments can occur between one committee meeting and the next, and we continue to improve ways to keep members updated."
SPIRALLING COSTS FORCE COUNCIL RETHINK
Related article - S.Wales Evening Post 20 March 2007
Swansea Council is in the midst of its 10-year eGovernment programme.
The council brought in IT firm Capgemini to deliver it.
It was a two phase project.
The first (resource@ swansea) was to update council computer systems for things like payroll, while the second mailto:(service@swansea)was supposed to create a one-stop shop for council queries on things like council tax bills and housing issues.
The cost of the scheme has spiralled since its inception with a figure of £170 million for both phases mentioned at one stage.
The programme is expected to make efficiency savings and improve the way Swansea Council operates.
The Capgemini contract for the first phase is worth £83 million with the council paying a further £16 million in charges and costs, putting the total cost at £99 million.
Capgemini has now been dropped from the second stage and a new contact centre system - which is being used at Cardiff Council - is being lined up at a fraction of the cost.
However, this will not be the one-stop shop that the council first envisioned
COUNCIL'S £18M SHORTFALL PROBED
South Wales Evening Post - 19 March 2007
A Top-level probe will investigate why Swansea Council's much-vaunted new computer system has left the authority with a £18 million savings deficit.
Senior city councillors and officers will take part in the four-month inquiry, which is expected to get underway this week.
It will look into why the new multi-million pound IT system, part of the authority's eGovernment project, has failed to save anywhere near as much money as was originally predicted.
Private IT firm Capgemini signed the £83 million contract to replace the council's ageing computer network in January last year.
Other charges and costs will put the total cost of the work at nearer £99 million.
When the scheme was announced, residents were told it was phase one of a scheme that would pave the way for a new, hi-tech call centre.
Savings from the first phase were to be used to help develop the second.
But less than £8 million of a projected £26 million of savings have so far been identified as achievable, and the call centre plan has now been ditched.
This week, the council's performance scrutiny board is to launch an official probe into why the estimated savings at the beginning of the project differed so wildly from those at the end.
Senior council officers and cabinet members, as well as Capgemini representatives and other experts, will be asked to give evidence about what went wrong.
Swansea Council announced last month that controversial plans for the second phase of the work - mailto:Service@Swansea- had been dropped, along with its high-profile partner Capgemini.
The authority wanted to create a one-stop shop and call centre, paid for using savings from phase one.
But as costs spiralled, that plan was ditched.
Now the city will now use a much cheaper option, adopting a customer system already used in Cardiff.
A report into the phase one savings shortfall, complete with conclusions and any recommendations, should be ready by mid July.
Board members will this week be asked to agree the purpose, scope and timescale of the investigation.
A report to members reads: "The board was concerned about the difference between the budgeted figures and those signed off."
A Top-level probe will investigate why Swansea Council's much-vaunted new computer system has left the authority with a £18 million savings deficit.
Senior city councillors and officers will take part in the four-month inquiry, which is expected to get underway this week.
It will look into why the new multi-million pound IT system, part of the authority's eGovernment project, has failed to save anywhere near as much money as was originally predicted.
Private IT firm Capgemini signed the £83 million contract to replace the council's ageing computer network in January last year.
Other charges and costs will put the total cost of the work at nearer £99 million.
When the scheme was announced, residents were told it was phase one of a scheme that would pave the way for a new, hi-tech call centre.
Savings from the first phase were to be used to help develop the second.
But less than £8 million of a projected £26 million of savings have so far been identified as achievable, and the call centre plan has now been ditched.
This week, the council's performance scrutiny board is to launch an official probe into why the estimated savings at the beginning of the project differed so wildly from those at the end.
Senior council officers and cabinet members, as well as Capgemini representatives and other experts, will be asked to give evidence about what went wrong.
Swansea Council announced last month that controversial plans for the second phase of the work - mailto:Service@Swansea- had been dropped, along with its high-profile partner Capgemini.
The authority wanted to create a one-stop shop and call centre, paid for using savings from phase one.
But as costs spiralled, that plan was ditched.
Now the city will now use a much cheaper option, adopting a customer system already used in Cardiff.
A report into the phase one savings shortfall, complete with conclusions and any recommendations, should be ready by mid July.
Board members will this week be asked to agree the purpose, scope and timescale of the investigation.
A report to members reads: "The board was concerned about the difference between the budgeted figures and those signed off."
BUS STATION PLANS FACE FUNDS BLOW
South Wales Evening Post - 19 March 2007
The long-awaited multi-million pound overhaul of the grotty Quadrant bus station is likely to take a back seat yet again, Swansea Council chiefs have admitted.
The disappointing news comes after the authority picked up a 2007/8 transport grant of just £8.6 million of the £15.5 million it had asked for from the Assembly.
It means the council has to make some tough decisions about where to spend the cash, with projects already underway expected to get priority.
The revamp plans, first announced in 2003, have already been put back several times.
Reena Owen, the authority's environment director, said: "The £8.6 million grant will allow us to complete a number of important schemes which are already underway.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't give us enough money to be confident to go ahead with the Quadrant bus station at the beginning of the financial year.
"Improvements to the city's park and ride facilities are going ahead, with the new sidings bridge over Fabian Way and new Landore express bus route planned, along with other smaller projects.
But city leaders will have to decide how to use the remaining cash, with both the new £5.75 million Quadrant bus station and improvements for the Morriston stage of the bendy bus scheme in the running.
Mrs Owen said talks were being held with the private sector about investing in the station redevelopment. First Bus has already said it is prepared to talk about becoming involved.
She said European funding was also being looked at, as a way of attracting the 20 per cent of private money Enterprise Minister Andrew Davies has said he wants to see injected into the scheme.
Swansea Council has already done a deal for the land needed for the revamp, and gained the necessary planning permission.
Mrs Owen said: "The redevelopment of Quadrant bus station remains a priority.
"We now need to work with the private sector and the Welsh Assembly Government to get the funding in place."
Environment cabinet member John Hague said: "We have allocated the funding to schemes which have already started. We have contractors on site and this funding will ensure we complete these schemes as planned. It is not a case of choosing schemes ahead of the bus station.
"We cannot use all of the funding for the bus station, because it would mean contractors being pulled off site, external funding for these schemes being lost and the council having to pay back grants.
"The most sensible thing is to now press ahead and finish the schemes we've started, while at the same time seeking additional funding for the new bus station."
The long-awaited multi-million pound overhaul of the grotty Quadrant bus station is likely to take a back seat yet again, Swansea Council chiefs have admitted.
The disappointing news comes after the authority picked up a 2007/8 transport grant of just £8.6 million of the £15.5 million it had asked for from the Assembly.
It means the council has to make some tough decisions about where to spend the cash, with projects already underway expected to get priority.
The revamp plans, first announced in 2003, have already been put back several times.
Reena Owen, the authority's environment director, said: "The £8.6 million grant will allow us to complete a number of important schemes which are already underway.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't give us enough money to be confident to go ahead with the Quadrant bus station at the beginning of the financial year.
"Improvements to the city's park and ride facilities are going ahead, with the new sidings bridge over Fabian Way and new Landore express bus route planned, along with other smaller projects.
But city leaders will have to decide how to use the remaining cash, with both the new £5.75 million Quadrant bus station and improvements for the Morriston stage of the bendy bus scheme in the running.
Mrs Owen said talks were being held with the private sector about investing in the station redevelopment. First Bus has already said it is prepared to talk about becoming involved.
She said European funding was also being looked at, as a way of attracting the 20 per cent of private money Enterprise Minister Andrew Davies has said he wants to see injected into the scheme.
Swansea Council has already done a deal for the land needed for the revamp, and gained the necessary planning permission.
Mrs Owen said: "The redevelopment of Quadrant bus station remains a priority.
"We now need to work with the private sector and the Welsh Assembly Government to get the funding in place."
Environment cabinet member John Hague said: "We have allocated the funding to schemes which have already started. We have contractors on site and this funding will ensure we complete these schemes as planned. It is not a case of choosing schemes ahead of the bus station.
"We cannot use all of the funding for the bus station, because it would mean contractors being pulled off site, external funding for these schemes being lost and the council having to pay back grants.
"The most sensible thing is to now press ahead and finish the schemes we've started, while at the same time seeking additional funding for the new bus station."
DREAM THAT TURNED TO A PR DISASTER
South Wales Evening Post - 17 March 2007
Council reporter ROB GREEN looks back at the saga of Swansea Council's eGovernment programme, Service@Swansea.
Imagine a future where the world is a better place and all your problems can be solved with just one phone call.
Not so long ago that did not seem so far-fetched. More than two years ago we were promised just such a thing - at least when it came to problems with Swansea Council.
Whether it was bin bags left uncollected, pot holes in the road, rats rummaging in back lanes or street lights staying on throughout the day - one call would have done it all (at least for four out of five problems).
Now Swansea Council leaders have dropped plans for a call centre, dropped mailto:Service@Swanseaand ditched its high-profile partner from the hugely reduced second phase of its eGovernment programme.
mailto:Service@Swanseawas supposed to bring about the end of frustrating phone calls where council "customers" were passed from one department to another with no one accepting responsibility. Simply by calling one number we would have been put through to a highly trained operative who could have dealt with our problem there and then - at least for 80 per cent of calls.
Council leaders are no longer promising quite the same level of service. Although, according to them, that is good news for the people of Swansea because it means less money will be spent.
When the decision to drop mailto:Service@Swanseawas taken earlier this year a council press release was sent out saying: "Swansea Council's Cabinet has agreed a commitment that will mean access to council services are going to be better than ever in 2007 thanks to key initiatives taking shape later this year."
Services may be improved by the opening of the face-to-face contact centre at the civic hall, but it is not what was promised when it was launched. Council leaders failed to acknowledge the monumental U-turn of dropping its all-singing, all-dancing call centre.
In fact there was no mention of it in the press release, which included quotes from council leader Chris Holley and councillor Mary Jones, who is in charge of the eGovernment project.
Both have been fully behind the idea of a call centre in the past.
Just weeks after being elected leader of Swansea Council Chris Holley said: "We are fully committed to the Council's programme of improving performance and customer access to services. We will drive forward the Council's Top Performance and mailto:Service@Swanseainitiatives which will transform the way we work and improve public access to services.
"We will establish a new contact centre in the city centre by the end of 2006 that will ensure by 2008 that 80 per cent of all customer inquiries will be resolved during the first contact with the Council."
True to his word a lucrative deal was signed with IT firm Capgemini to replace the council's ageing computer network. That contract is worth £83 million to Capgemini over the next 10 years, and the council is paying a further £16 million in other charges and costs, putting the total cost of phase one at £99 million.
When it was signed in January last year residents were told it was phase one of a scheme that would pave the way for the call centre. Just a month before pen was put to paper a council press release said: "It means that phase two of the eGovernment programme, mailto:Service@Swansea,can continue to be developed and introduced as the 10-year programme rolls out."
At one point the total cost of the call centre and replacing the IT system was put at £109 million and council leaders stressed that £26 million would be recouped from efficiency savings.
And, as BBC's Watchdog programme warns: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."
So far more than £7 million of savings have been signed off as achievable, meaning financial experts are still searching for the other £18 million.
The council's auditors have warned that it could be a struggle to find the rest of the savings.
In a letter to the council in January of this year PricewaterhouseCoopers said: "To date, £7 million of these savings have been agreed as realisable by the council and Capgemini.
"Ongoing discussions are taking place between the two parties to agree the next phase of realisable savings, however there is a significant risk the full amount of anticipated savings will not be realised."
Just a month before the deal was signed Cabinet Member for eGovernment Councillor Jones assured residents that things were fine.
She said: "From a legal point of view consultants have looked at the deal making sure that it is a good deal."
Things moved quickly after the deal was signed in January 2006 and within days a figure of £170 million was quoted as the total cost for phase one and two.
Although there was no official confirmation of the figure, there was no denial and it has since been accepted as true.
So within days the cost of setting up and running a call centre had risen from around £9 million to over £70 million.
The Evening Post reported on mounting concerns over the spiralling cost and called for phase two to be put on hold. Unions and opposition councillors claimed the scheme was out of hand and the eGovernment programme needed to be reined in.
However, senior councillors remained convinced it was on track and repeatedly said that phase one was on target to make £26 million savings and that the call centre was on its way.
Twelve months later the council has officially dropped Capgemini from the second phase of the project and has significantly scaled back the project. Instead of a made-to-measure solution, a system that has been in use by Cardiff Council for the past six years is likely to be bought in.
Just £200,000 has been set aside for the software which should be in place by summer. Now residents will have to physically go to Swansea's revamped civic centre at Council Hall to get the hep they need.
E-mail and internet will also be available, but residents will not get an instant response.
Even this drastically reduced alternative to mailto:Service@Swanseahas been presented as good news for the city, and if it saves tens of millions of pounds then it possibly is. However, it does not mask that eGovernment has been a series of public relations disasters.
At the outset of the proposals the council's IT staff staged the longest walkout in Welsh public-sector history over plans to have their jobs transferred to Capgemini. The architect of the project, former Chief Executive Tim Thorogood, left the council under a cloud before the deal was signed. Costs spiralled and savings shrank leaving mailto:Service@Swanseaas an impossible dream.
Swansea is now hoping for a more realistic solution to its customer service problems and Councillor Jones is hoping that this one really will be value for money.
Council reporter ROB GREEN looks back at the saga of Swansea Council's eGovernment programme, Service@Swansea.
Imagine a future where the world is a better place and all your problems can be solved with just one phone call.
Not so long ago that did not seem so far-fetched. More than two years ago we were promised just such a thing - at least when it came to problems with Swansea Council.
Whether it was bin bags left uncollected, pot holes in the road, rats rummaging in back lanes or street lights staying on throughout the day - one call would have done it all (at least for four out of five problems).
Now Swansea Council leaders have dropped plans for a call centre, dropped mailto:Service@Swanseaand ditched its high-profile partner from the hugely reduced second phase of its eGovernment programme.
mailto:Service@Swanseawas supposed to bring about the end of frustrating phone calls where council "customers" were passed from one department to another with no one accepting responsibility. Simply by calling one number we would have been put through to a highly trained operative who could have dealt with our problem there and then - at least for 80 per cent of calls.
Council leaders are no longer promising quite the same level of service. Although, according to them, that is good news for the people of Swansea because it means less money will be spent.
When the decision to drop mailto:Service@Swanseawas taken earlier this year a council press release was sent out saying: "Swansea Council's Cabinet has agreed a commitment that will mean access to council services are going to be better than ever in 2007 thanks to key initiatives taking shape later this year."
Services may be improved by the opening of the face-to-face contact centre at the civic hall, but it is not what was promised when it was launched. Council leaders failed to acknowledge the monumental U-turn of dropping its all-singing, all-dancing call centre.
In fact there was no mention of it in the press release, which included quotes from council leader Chris Holley and councillor Mary Jones, who is in charge of the eGovernment project.
Both have been fully behind the idea of a call centre in the past.
Just weeks after being elected leader of Swansea Council Chris Holley said: "We are fully committed to the Council's programme of improving performance and customer access to services. We will drive forward the Council's Top Performance and mailto:Service@Swanseainitiatives which will transform the way we work and improve public access to services.
"We will establish a new contact centre in the city centre by the end of 2006 that will ensure by 2008 that 80 per cent of all customer inquiries will be resolved during the first contact with the Council."
True to his word a lucrative deal was signed with IT firm Capgemini to replace the council's ageing computer network. That contract is worth £83 million to Capgemini over the next 10 years, and the council is paying a further £16 million in other charges and costs, putting the total cost of phase one at £99 million.
When it was signed in January last year residents were told it was phase one of a scheme that would pave the way for the call centre. Just a month before pen was put to paper a council press release said: "It means that phase two of the eGovernment programme, mailto:Service@Swansea,can continue to be developed and introduced as the 10-year programme rolls out."
At one point the total cost of the call centre and replacing the IT system was put at £109 million and council leaders stressed that £26 million would be recouped from efficiency savings.
And, as BBC's Watchdog programme warns: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."
So far more than £7 million of savings have been signed off as achievable, meaning financial experts are still searching for the other £18 million.
The council's auditors have warned that it could be a struggle to find the rest of the savings.
In a letter to the council in January of this year PricewaterhouseCoopers said: "To date, £7 million of these savings have been agreed as realisable by the council and Capgemini.
"Ongoing discussions are taking place between the two parties to agree the next phase of realisable savings, however there is a significant risk the full amount of anticipated savings will not be realised."
Just a month before the deal was signed Cabinet Member for eGovernment Councillor Jones assured residents that things were fine.
She said: "From a legal point of view consultants have looked at the deal making sure that it is a good deal."
Things moved quickly after the deal was signed in January 2006 and within days a figure of £170 million was quoted as the total cost for phase one and two.
Although there was no official confirmation of the figure, there was no denial and it has since been accepted as true.
So within days the cost of setting up and running a call centre had risen from around £9 million to over £70 million.
The Evening Post reported on mounting concerns over the spiralling cost and called for phase two to be put on hold. Unions and opposition councillors claimed the scheme was out of hand and the eGovernment programme needed to be reined in.
However, senior councillors remained convinced it was on track and repeatedly said that phase one was on target to make £26 million savings and that the call centre was on its way.
Twelve months later the council has officially dropped Capgemini from the second phase of the project and has significantly scaled back the project. Instead of a made-to-measure solution, a system that has been in use by Cardiff Council for the past six years is likely to be bought in.
Just £200,000 has been set aside for the software which should be in place by summer. Now residents will have to physically go to Swansea's revamped civic centre at Council Hall to get the hep they need.
E-mail and internet will also be available, but residents will not get an instant response.
Even this drastically reduced alternative to mailto:Service@Swanseahas been presented as good news for the city, and if it saves tens of millions of pounds then it possibly is. However, it does not mask that eGovernment has been a series of public relations disasters.
At the outset of the proposals the council's IT staff staged the longest walkout in Welsh public-sector history over plans to have their jobs transferred to Capgemini. The architect of the project, former Chief Executive Tim Thorogood, left the council under a cloud before the deal was signed. Costs spiralled and savings shrank leaving mailto:Service@Swanseaas an impossible dream.
Swansea is now hoping for a more realistic solution to its customer service problems and Councillor Jones is hoping that this one really will be value for money.
WHERE ARE THE WARDENS?
South Wales Evening Post - 16 March 2007
Reading your article in Friday's Post about drivers parking on the newly laid paving stones on Princess Way made me and, I am sure, a lot of Swansea's taxpayers see red.
Why, oh why, are these selfish people allowed to get away with it? Some £2.8 million spent and for what - a car park - unbelievable. I passed there this very morning (Monday, March 12) and there they were still parking on these lovely new slabs.
It is disgraceful. Where are the police - oh yes, in the police station - and where are the so-called parking wardens or the so-called Swansea rangers?I could go on and on but nobody seems to care.I ask you, £2.8 million - what a waste? Why don't they fine these selfish people and make them pay for the cleaning of the slabs?
This city is going to the dogs, why spend money when nobody cares, why employ wardens when they do not do the job they are paid for?
If the police and wardens refuse to do their jobs, I suggest the council puts railings or posts to stop these petrol litter louts from defacing what could be a wonderful new walkway for Swansea's pedestrians and visitors alike.
The sooner these selfish vandals get their comeuppance, the better.
Mrs T Thomas, William Street, Swansea
Reading your article in Friday's Post about drivers parking on the newly laid paving stones on Princess Way made me and, I am sure, a lot of Swansea's taxpayers see red.
Why, oh why, are these selfish people allowed to get away with it? Some £2.8 million spent and for what - a car park - unbelievable. I passed there this very morning (Monday, March 12) and there they were still parking on these lovely new slabs.
It is disgraceful. Where are the police - oh yes, in the police station - and where are the so-called parking wardens or the so-called Swansea rangers?I could go on and on but nobody seems to care.I ask you, £2.8 million - what a waste? Why don't they fine these selfish people and make them pay for the cleaning of the slabs?
This city is going to the dogs, why spend money when nobody cares, why employ wardens when they do not do the job they are paid for?
If the police and wardens refuse to do their jobs, I suggest the council puts railings or posts to stop these petrol litter louts from defacing what could be a wonderful new walkway for Swansea's pedestrians and visitors alike.
The sooner these selfish vandals get their comeuppance, the better.
Mrs T Thomas, William Street, Swansea
COUNCIL HAS LET US DOWN
South Wales Evening Post - 14 March 2007
As a number of the Manselton Road Safety Group, I feel totally let down and angered by our Lib Dem representatives, who have utterly disregarded our serious concerns regarding the safety measures for our road. Only a few council members were very helpful, and they have been previously thanked by our group.
This has been nothing but a total waste of time, effort and money for all concerned, it was cut and dried (the proposals) and turned into a charade. The fight continues until we get the safety of Manselton Road implemented, by the residents input, not of the council's - they don't live on this road, we do!
Angela Carrieri, Manselton Road, Swansea
As a number of the Manselton Road Safety Group, I feel totally let down and angered by our Lib Dem representatives, who have utterly disregarded our serious concerns regarding the safety measures for our road. Only a few council members were very helpful, and they have been previously thanked by our group.
This has been nothing but a total waste of time, effort and money for all concerned, it was cut and dried (the proposals) and turned into a charade. The fight continues until we get the safety of Manselton Road implemented, by the residents input, not of the council's - they don't live on this road, we do!
Angela Carrieri, Manselton Road, Swansea
'GET ON WITH BUS REVAMP'
South Wales Evening Post - 14 March 2007
Swansea Council has been urged to get on with the much-needed revamp of the Quadrant bus station as soon as possible.
Assembly Member for South West Wales Dai Lloyd called for work to begin on the project after Swansea Council won an £8.23 million Assembly grant for transport improvements in the city.
He said it was now time to stop all the talk and start the work.
"The people of Swansea have been told time and time again that the redevelopment of the Quadrant is just around the corner," he said.
"Yet we see no real progress.
"Surely, the fact that this planning application has been approved, coupled with the news that the Labour Assembly Government has finally put some money forward means that people should not have to wait that much longer.
"There has been much talk, but little action on this issue. It is time to get on with the job so that Swansea can finally boast a transport hub that a regional capital can be proud of. The current third rate facility simply will not do."
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "The council's number one priority for future projects is the redevelopment of the Quadrant Bus Station."
Swansea Council has been urged to get on with the much-needed revamp of the Quadrant bus station as soon as possible.
Assembly Member for South West Wales Dai Lloyd called for work to begin on the project after Swansea Council won an £8.23 million Assembly grant for transport improvements in the city.
He said it was now time to stop all the talk and start the work.
"The people of Swansea have been told time and time again that the redevelopment of the Quadrant is just around the corner," he said.
"Yet we see no real progress.
"Surely, the fact that this planning application has been approved, coupled with the news that the Labour Assembly Government has finally put some money forward means that people should not have to wait that much longer.
"There has been much talk, but little action on this issue. It is time to get on with the job so that Swansea can finally boast a transport hub that a regional capital can be proud of. The current third rate facility simply will not do."
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "The council's number one priority for future projects is the redevelopment of the Quadrant Bus Station."
LEADERS WON'T SAY WHY IOAN WAS DITCHED
South Wales Evening Post - 14 March 2007
Opposition leaders are refusing to say why they dumped councillor Ioan Richard as Swansea's next Lord Mayor.
Labour leader David Phillips and his Conservative counterpart Rene Kinzett were asked why they blocked the Mawr councillor's nomination.
Councillor Phillips stressed that his party had voted freely, but both he and Councillor Kinzett did not give a reason for voting against Councillor Richard's nomination.
Councillor Richard is Deputy Lord Mayor, and was next in line to take over from current Lord Mayor Chris Holley in May.
He has spent the past 12 months as deputy, and under council protocol was expected to take over the top job.
However, he was snubbed after failing to win enough support from fellow councillors when the vote was taken last week, with Lib Dem councillor Susan Waller winning the nomination.
Labour councillors voted against Councillor Richard and the Plaid group abstained from the vote.
Now a Labour group insider has said they did nothing wrong, and if more of Councillor Richard's own side had turned up for the vote, he would have been elected Lord Mayor.
The insider said: "For whatever reasons, the members of the Labour group did not back Councillor Richard for Lord Mayor. When he was appointed Deputy Lord Mayor, we did not support that either.
"Councillor Richard's own group knew we would not be supporting him before the vote took place. There had been plenty of discussions with the council leader.
"However, when it came to the vote, there were just 25 of us present, so it is down to the administration members not turning up. If Councillor Richard wants to know why this happened, I think he needs to look at his own side."
Councillor Richard said he put the snub down to a clash of personalities.
He said: "I want to make it clear that I have never been found guilty of anything that should have prevented me from taking up the post.
"If someone doesn't like me, then they are entitled to that opinion. But if people are insinuating that I was unfit for the role because of any other reason, then that is absolutely not true."
Councillors can be barred from the role if they have been found guilty inany civil or criminal cases, or if the local government ombudsman has found against them. However, Councillor Richard has a clean record.
Current Lord Mayor, Councillor Holley, said that a number of councillors had given assurances to support Councillor Richard and had not followed that through.
He said: "I think they need to look at their consciences and ask themselves if they have done the right thing."
However, Labour group leader David Phillips said: "I cannot speak for my colleagues and say why they voted the way they did."
Conservative group leader Rene Kinzett also voted against Councillor Richard's appointment.
He said: "Swansea councillors unanimously elected Susan Waller as Lord Mayor. Councillor Waller's exemplary service to the community has been justly rewarded by her election as first citizen of our city and county.
"The election of a Lord Mayor by his or her peers is an important tradition. The unanimous election of Councillor Waller shows the huge regard in which she is held by her fellow councillors."
Shameful Act
Related Editorial
Labour and Conservative councillors broke with protocol when they voted against Deputy Lord Mayor Ioan Richard becoming the city's next Lord Mayor.
The leaders of both political groups on the council chose to ignore our request to explain their actions.
The attempt by one Labour councillor to blame the coalition for failing to drum up enough support for Councillor Richard is a pathetic smokescreen and earns our contempt.
Shame on him, and the others involved in this spiteful episode.
Opposition leaders are refusing to say why they dumped councillor Ioan Richard as Swansea's next Lord Mayor.
Labour leader David Phillips and his Conservative counterpart Rene Kinzett were asked why they blocked the Mawr councillor's nomination.
Councillor Phillips stressed that his party had voted freely, but both he and Councillor Kinzett did not give a reason for voting against Councillor Richard's nomination.
Councillor Richard is Deputy Lord Mayor, and was next in line to take over from current Lord Mayor Chris Holley in May.
He has spent the past 12 months as deputy, and under council protocol was expected to take over the top job.
However, he was snubbed after failing to win enough support from fellow councillors when the vote was taken last week, with Lib Dem councillor Susan Waller winning the nomination.
Labour councillors voted against Councillor Richard and the Plaid group abstained from the vote.
Now a Labour group insider has said they did nothing wrong, and if more of Councillor Richard's own side had turned up for the vote, he would have been elected Lord Mayor.
The insider said: "For whatever reasons, the members of the Labour group did not back Councillor Richard for Lord Mayor. When he was appointed Deputy Lord Mayor, we did not support that either.
"Councillor Richard's own group knew we would not be supporting him before the vote took place. There had been plenty of discussions with the council leader.
"However, when it came to the vote, there were just 25 of us present, so it is down to the administration members not turning up. If Councillor Richard wants to know why this happened, I think he needs to look at his own side."
Councillor Richard said he put the snub down to a clash of personalities.
He said: "I want to make it clear that I have never been found guilty of anything that should have prevented me from taking up the post.
"If someone doesn't like me, then they are entitled to that opinion. But if people are insinuating that I was unfit for the role because of any other reason, then that is absolutely not true."
Councillors can be barred from the role if they have been found guilty inany civil or criminal cases, or if the local government ombudsman has found against them. However, Councillor Richard has a clean record.
Current Lord Mayor, Councillor Holley, said that a number of councillors had given assurances to support Councillor Richard and had not followed that through.
He said: "I think they need to look at their consciences and ask themselves if they have done the right thing."
However, Labour group leader David Phillips said: "I cannot speak for my colleagues and say why they voted the way they did."
Conservative group leader Rene Kinzett also voted against Councillor Richard's appointment.
He said: "Swansea councillors unanimously elected Susan Waller as Lord Mayor. Councillor Waller's exemplary service to the community has been justly rewarded by her election as first citizen of our city and county.
"The election of a Lord Mayor by his or her peers is an important tradition. The unanimous election of Councillor Waller shows the huge regard in which she is held by her fellow councillors."
Shameful Act
Related Editorial
Labour and Conservative councillors broke with protocol when they voted against Deputy Lord Mayor Ioan Richard becoming the city's next Lord Mayor.
The leaders of both political groups on the council chose to ignore our request to explain their actions.
The attempt by one Labour councillor to blame the coalition for failing to drum up enough support for Councillor Richard is a pathetic smokescreen and earns our contempt.
Shame on him, and the others involved in this spiteful episode.
BACK TO THE BAD OLD DAYS
South Wales Evening Post - 13 March 2007
As a resident of Mawr Ward, I am extremely angry about the insult to the people of Mawr from councillors in Swansea who have gone against protocol, by which the deputy Lord Mayor becomes Lord Mayor and have refused to confirm our representative in post.
Mawr has consistently returned Ioan Richard (an Independent) as representative for the last 20 years or so, and he has done an excellent job as county councillor, keeping in touch with his constituents and being effective in attending to the needs of people in difficulties. He would have been an excellent Lord Mayor.
What I find most objectionable is the way the Labour councillor for Clydach and Pontarddulais voted against him. The areas north of the M4, transferred to Swansea from West Glamorgan when the county boundaries were last changed, have traditionally been mutually supportive of each other. It seems those councillors are prepared to put party politics before local issues.
Neither does there seem to be any honour in the way matters have been conducted. When the coalition came into a majority following the last local elections, they respected the protocol of the succession of the then deputy Lord Mayor, even though she was not a member of their group. The coalition lost power only a few weeks ago, when some councillors inexplicably switched allegiances. The current break with protocol is also not fair on the new Lord Mayor this coming year, who will not have had an introductory year as deputy to acclimatise herself to the post.
It seems we are back to the bad old days of Labour running the council like a club with benefits for members and friends only. Any ideas of mutual support and progression through consensus are abandoned.
As we have all seen in a wider political field, it is not good for the electorate when one party gets to expect to be returned to power election after election.
J C Moseley, Lluest Bach, Craigcefnparc
As a resident of Mawr Ward, I am extremely angry about the insult to the people of Mawr from councillors in Swansea who have gone against protocol, by which the deputy Lord Mayor becomes Lord Mayor and have refused to confirm our representative in post.
Mawr has consistently returned Ioan Richard (an Independent) as representative for the last 20 years or so, and he has done an excellent job as county councillor, keeping in touch with his constituents and being effective in attending to the needs of people in difficulties. He would have been an excellent Lord Mayor.
What I find most objectionable is the way the Labour councillor for Clydach and Pontarddulais voted against him. The areas north of the M4, transferred to Swansea from West Glamorgan when the county boundaries were last changed, have traditionally been mutually supportive of each other. It seems those councillors are prepared to put party politics before local issues.
Neither does there seem to be any honour in the way matters have been conducted. When the coalition came into a majority following the last local elections, they respected the protocol of the succession of the then deputy Lord Mayor, even though she was not a member of their group. The coalition lost power only a few weeks ago, when some councillors inexplicably switched allegiances. The current break with protocol is also not fair on the new Lord Mayor this coming year, who will not have had an introductory year as deputy to acclimatise herself to the post.
It seems we are back to the bad old days of Labour running the council like a club with benefits for members and friends only. Any ideas of mutual support and progression through consensus are abandoned.
As we have all seen in a wider political field, it is not good for the electorate when one party gets to expect to be returned to power election after election.
J C Moseley, Lluest Bach, Craigcefnparc
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT STRUGGLING
South Wales Evening Post - 12 March 2007
Swansea Council's education department is struggling to meet performance targets.
While the council is hitting 63 per cent of its targets, the education department has managed to hit just 36 per cent. It means almost two thirds of education targets are being missed.
Performance indicators are used by the council to check it is doing its job properly. Every department has a number of targets to meet - from the time it takes to carry out emergency repairs to council houses, to the number of pupils expelled from schools.
There are a total 127 indicators that are updated every three months. The latest figures show that the total number of indicators being hit has fallen by three per cent on the previous figures.
The council's director of education, Richard Parry, said the poor performance was likely to pick up.
He said: "The current term results appear to be generally poorer than recent outcome, but experience has shown that as most of these are reported annually, the impact of differences in each term iron themselves out in the annual reporting."
Other departments show improvements and Swansea Council officials have welcomed better performances for the environment department. The latest figures show the worst graffiti in the city is being cleaned up within seven days and almost nine in ten abandoned cars are removed within 24 hours.
The time taken to fix faulty street lights is also improving, according to the latest figures.
Mary Jones, cabinet member for top performance, said: "The news on how the council is prioritising effort to make our streets feel cleaner and safer by banishing graffiti, damaged pavements and abandoned cars as quickly as possible will be welcomed by residents.
"It's a testimony to the hard work of council staff who clearly take pride in doing a good job for their communities."
Swansea Council's education department is struggling to meet performance targets.
While the council is hitting 63 per cent of its targets, the education department has managed to hit just 36 per cent. It means almost two thirds of education targets are being missed.
Performance indicators are used by the council to check it is doing its job properly. Every department has a number of targets to meet - from the time it takes to carry out emergency repairs to council houses, to the number of pupils expelled from schools.
There are a total 127 indicators that are updated every three months. The latest figures show that the total number of indicators being hit has fallen by three per cent on the previous figures.
The council's director of education, Richard Parry, said the poor performance was likely to pick up.
He said: "The current term results appear to be generally poorer than recent outcome, but experience has shown that as most of these are reported annually, the impact of differences in each term iron themselves out in the annual reporting."
Other departments show improvements and Swansea Council officials have welcomed better performances for the environment department. The latest figures show the worst graffiti in the city is being cleaned up within seven days and almost nine in ten abandoned cars are removed within 24 hours.
The time taken to fix faulty street lights is also improving, according to the latest figures.
Mary Jones, cabinet member for top performance, said: "The news on how the council is prioritising effort to make our streets feel cleaner and safer by banishing graffiti, damaged pavements and abandoned cars as quickly as possible will be welcomed by residents.
"It's a testimony to the hard work of council staff who clearly take pride in doing a good job for their communities."
COUNCIL STAFF COULD LOSE PARKING PERK
South Wales Evening Post - 12 March 2007
Hundreds of council staff could be stripped of their free parking permits under proposals to reduce traffic in Swansea.
While thousands of commuters have been encouraged to use one of the city's three park and ride schemes, councillors and staff are handed city centre parking worth more than £1,300 a year. Around 800 permits are handed out each year, but staff could soon face the loss of their tax-free perk as part of a council-wide travel plan.
Charges for parking spots at County Hall and the Guild Hall could be introduced, although any fees would be well below market rates. Top earners at Swansea Council would be asked to pay just £200, while the lowest paid would have to stump up £100 per year.
Swansea's head of transportation Anthony O'Sullivan said: "The fact that things are changing around us means the impetus to have a working travel plan has increased. Most noticeably there's a significant parking problem around the Guildhall.
"At County Hall we're aware that the changes to create the civic centre will bring increased pressure on parking. We are expecting a couple of thousand visitors every day and the builders of Meridian Quay say that at the peak of construction they will have 350 people on site.
"We have agreed to lease 80 parking spaces in Paxton Street car park to them. There has been a need for us to bring a travel plan forward very quickly.
"We have Park and Ride on three approaches to the city and we're encouraging that for commuters and staff."
Paxton Street Car park has been identified as a prime site for redevelopment and could go altogether. Mr O'Sullivan is keen to have any travel plan in place before it is sold off.
More than 1,000 council staff have already registered for a car sharing scheme.
Mr O'Sullivan said staff could expect unlimited bus travel in the county for around £10 a week after a deal was negotiated with First Cymru.
Hundreds of council staff could be stripped of their free parking permits under proposals to reduce traffic in Swansea.
While thousands of commuters have been encouraged to use one of the city's three park and ride schemes, councillors and staff are handed city centre parking worth more than £1,300 a year. Around 800 permits are handed out each year, but staff could soon face the loss of their tax-free perk as part of a council-wide travel plan.
Charges for parking spots at County Hall and the Guild Hall could be introduced, although any fees would be well below market rates. Top earners at Swansea Council would be asked to pay just £200, while the lowest paid would have to stump up £100 per year.
Swansea's head of transportation Anthony O'Sullivan said: "The fact that things are changing around us means the impetus to have a working travel plan has increased. Most noticeably there's a significant parking problem around the Guildhall.
"At County Hall we're aware that the changes to create the civic centre will bring increased pressure on parking. We are expecting a couple of thousand visitors every day and the builders of Meridian Quay say that at the peak of construction they will have 350 people on site.
"We have agreed to lease 80 parking spaces in Paxton Street car park to them. There has been a need for us to bring a travel plan forward very quickly.
"We have Park and Ride on three approaches to the city and we're encouraging that for commuters and staff."
Paxton Street Car park has been identified as a prime site for redevelopment and could go altogether. Mr O'Sullivan is keen to have any travel plan in place before it is sold off.
More than 1,000 council staff have already registered for a car sharing scheme.
Mr O'Sullivan said staff could expect unlimited bus travel in the county for around £10 a week after a deal was negotiated with First Cymru.
MAYORAL SNUB LEAVES DEPUTY 'EMBARRASSED'
South Wales Evening Post - 10 March 2007
Deputy Lord Mayor of Swansea Ioan Richard has admitted he feels insulted and embarrassed after fellow councillors blocked him from becoming the city's next Lord Mayor.
Councillor Richard had been next in line for the position after spending the last 12 months as Lord Mayor Chris Holley's deputy.
Council protocol says the deputy should follow the Lord Mayor into the role unless there are serious reasons not to.But he has now missed out in favour of a fellow councillor.
Council protocol says: "When a councillor is elected to the position of Deputy Lord Mayor, then that person would become Lord Mayor the following year."
However, the code adds that councillors should decide whether a candidate is appropriate for the role.
Councillors were told this meant breaking the law or the council's code of conduct.
Councillor Richard said: "I have an unblemished record. I have never been found guilty of anything, not even taking a library book back late."
Councillor Richard had been backed for the role by members of Swansea's ruling coalition and three members of the Conservative Party.
But he lost the ballot by two votes. Sue Waller, from Newton, will take over instead.
Councillor Richard has served as a councillor for more than 21 years and is one of the most senior councillors not to have held the position of Lord Mayor.
He said: "It is very embarrassing for me and my family, and the community I represent. It's an insult to my constituents as well. I think it is just the politics of spite."
Councillor Richard's nomination for Deputy Lord Mayor 12 months ago was also opposed by Labour councillors, but he managed to gain enough support to be voted in.
His bid to become Lord Mayor is thought to have been hit by an email he sent to colleagues earlier this year calling for trench warfare after proposals to change the heads of council committees. He has since apologised and claims the email is being used as an excuse.
Council leader and current Lord Mayor, Chris Holley, said he was very unhappy at how the vote had gone.
"I'm extremely disappointed. We had assurances from many people that they were going to vote for him, and in the end they just didn't.
"I think they need to look at their consciences and ask themselves if they have done the right thing.
"Councillor Richard and his wife have been exemplary representatives of Swansea during his last 12 months as Deputy Lord Mayor.
"They have acquitted themselves very well and have been let down.
"It is a sad turn events and doesn't make Swansea councillors look very good."
Deputy Lord Mayor of Swansea Ioan Richard has admitted he feels insulted and embarrassed after fellow councillors blocked him from becoming the city's next Lord Mayor.
Councillor Richard had been next in line for the position after spending the last 12 months as Lord Mayor Chris Holley's deputy.
Council protocol says the deputy should follow the Lord Mayor into the role unless there are serious reasons not to.But he has now missed out in favour of a fellow councillor.
Council protocol says: "When a councillor is elected to the position of Deputy Lord Mayor, then that person would become Lord Mayor the following year."
However, the code adds that councillors should decide whether a candidate is appropriate for the role.
Councillors were told this meant breaking the law or the council's code of conduct.
Councillor Richard said: "I have an unblemished record. I have never been found guilty of anything, not even taking a library book back late."
Councillor Richard had been backed for the role by members of Swansea's ruling coalition and three members of the Conservative Party.
But he lost the ballot by two votes. Sue Waller, from Newton, will take over instead.
Councillor Richard has served as a councillor for more than 21 years and is one of the most senior councillors not to have held the position of Lord Mayor.
He said: "It is very embarrassing for me and my family, and the community I represent. It's an insult to my constituents as well. I think it is just the politics of spite."
Councillor Richard's nomination for Deputy Lord Mayor 12 months ago was also opposed by Labour councillors, but he managed to gain enough support to be voted in.
His bid to become Lord Mayor is thought to have been hit by an email he sent to colleagues earlier this year calling for trench warfare after proposals to change the heads of council committees. He has since apologised and claims the email is being used as an excuse.
Council leader and current Lord Mayor, Chris Holley, said he was very unhappy at how the vote had gone.
"I'm extremely disappointed. We had assurances from many people that they were going to vote for him, and in the end they just didn't.
"I think they need to look at their consciences and ask themselves if they have done the right thing.
"Councillor Richard and his wife have been exemplary representatives of Swansea during his last 12 months as Deputy Lord Mayor.
"They have acquitted themselves very well and have been let down.
"It is a sad turn events and doesn't make Swansea councillors look very good."
DEPUTY MAYOR'S COUNCIL SNUB
South Wales Evening Post - 9 March 2007
Swansea Councillors have dumped Deputy Lord Mayor Ioan Richard from the role of Lord Mayor for the coming year.
Councillor Richard had been set to be elected Lord Mayor by his fellow councillors last night. In a break from protocol he did not win enough support to take over from the current Lord Mayor, Council Leader Chris Holley.
A nomination for Councillor Richard Lewis also failed to gain support, and councillors instead voted for Councillor Susan Waller.
Councillor Gareth Sullivan was elected as the Deputy Lord Mayor.
Council protocol says that the Deputy Lord Mayor should take over from the Lord Mayor after 12 months in the position. However, there had been widespread unrest among a number of opposition councillors following an email sent by Councillor Ioan Richard calling for trench warfare over plans to change the chairmanships of committees.
Councillor Richard later apologised to his council colleagues, and resigned from his position as chairman of the licensing committee.
When the vote came at a full council meeting it was defeated by 30 to 28 as Labour and Conservative members voted against his nomination. A second vote for Councillor Richard Lewis also fell when just four members of the council backed him.
Councillor Rene Kinzett, who voted against Councillor Richard, said a compromise deal had been on the table, but in the end nothing could be agreed.
He said: "The leaders of the groups met with the leader of the council to make it known there was unease with the candidates put forward."
In the end Councillor Waller received a unanimous vote to take over as Lord Mayor. She was nominated as the next longest serving member of the council.
Councillor Waller, who is a member of the ruling coalition at Swansea Council with Councillor Richard, said: "This should be a happy occasion, but instead it's a very sad one."
Swansea Councillors have dumped Deputy Lord Mayor Ioan Richard from the role of Lord Mayor for the coming year.
Councillor Richard had been set to be elected Lord Mayor by his fellow councillors last night. In a break from protocol he did not win enough support to take over from the current Lord Mayor, Council Leader Chris Holley.
A nomination for Councillor Richard Lewis also failed to gain support, and councillors instead voted for Councillor Susan Waller.
Councillor Gareth Sullivan was elected as the Deputy Lord Mayor.
Council protocol says that the Deputy Lord Mayor should take over from the Lord Mayor after 12 months in the position. However, there had been widespread unrest among a number of opposition councillors following an email sent by Councillor Ioan Richard calling for trench warfare over plans to change the chairmanships of committees.
Councillor Richard later apologised to his council colleagues, and resigned from his position as chairman of the licensing committee.
When the vote came at a full council meeting it was defeated by 30 to 28 as Labour and Conservative members voted against his nomination. A second vote for Councillor Richard Lewis also fell when just four members of the council backed him.
Councillor Rene Kinzett, who voted against Councillor Richard, said a compromise deal had been on the table, but in the end nothing could be agreed.
He said: "The leaders of the groups met with the leader of the council to make it known there was unease with the candidates put forward."
In the end Councillor Waller received a unanimous vote to take over as Lord Mayor. She was nominated as the next longest serving member of the council.
Councillor Waller, who is a member of the ruling coalition at Swansea Council with Councillor Richard, said: "This should be a happy occasion, but instead it's a very sad one."
CAPGEMINI AND COUNCIL
South Wales Evening Post - 8 March 2007
In the Evening Post of March 2 we reported (IT outfit sues over £170m axed project) that Capgemini, the council's chosen provider for its eGovernment programme, was suing Swansea Council. In fact, Capgemini is not suing the council. The current cost of the eGovernment project is £99 million. We apologise for the error.
In the Evening Post of March 2 we reported (IT outfit sues over £170m axed project) that Capgemini, the council's chosen provider for its eGovernment programme, was suing Swansea Council. In fact, Capgemini is not suing the council. The current cost of the eGovernment project is £99 million. We apologise for the error.
Council 'connects' with Swansea for service
South Wales Echo - 7 March 2007
Wales' two biggest cities are putting aside traditional rivalries to develop a customer service system for Swansea.
Council executives in West Wales have turned to Cardiff for help in developing a cutting-edge service based on the capital's highly successful Connect to Cardiff (C2C).
Under the deal Cardiff would provide the computer hardware and software for Swansea's own contact centre, which is scheduled to be up and running later this year.
It already has a similar agreement with Blaenau Gwent council and also works with local health chiefs, South Wales Police and the Department of Trade and Industry.
Assistant chief executive of Swansea council, said: 'There may be rivalries on the sporting field between Cardiff and Swansea but there is far more co-operation in other areas.'
Councillor Mark Stephens, Cardiff's executive member for finance, said the council already provided a similar service to Blaenau Gwent council.
Wales' two biggest cities are putting aside traditional rivalries to develop a customer service system for Swansea.
Council executives in West Wales have turned to Cardiff for help in developing a cutting-edge service based on the capital's highly successful Connect to Cardiff (C2C).
Under the deal Cardiff would provide the computer hardware and software for Swansea's own contact centre, which is scheduled to be up and running later this year.
It already has a similar agreement with Blaenau Gwent council and also works with local health chiefs, South Wales Police and the Department of Trade and Industry.
Assistant chief executive of Swansea council, said: 'There may be rivalries on the sporting field between Cardiff and Swansea but there is far more co-operation in other areas.'
Councillor Mark Stephens, Cardiff's executive member for finance, said the council already provided a similar service to Blaenau Gwent council.
LITTER-STREWN ROAD 'DRIVES OUT TOURISTS'
South Wales Evening Post - 7 March 2007
Anti-litter campaigners say Swansea's messy approach roads could be damaging to the city's efforts to build a reputation as a first-class tourist destination.
They say first impressions count and Swansea is letting itself down with litter-strewn roads.
Drivers coming into the city along its main eastern approach at Fabian Way pass empty crisp packets, drink bottles and other rubbish in the central reservation. The mess is building daily.
Now Keep Wales Tidy bosses say the messy gateway could be damaging the city's image.
Wynne Williams said: "Litter is a quality indicator of a city and visitors to Swansea will draw their own conclusions about it from the state of Fabian Way.
"It is a well-known fact that visitors and potential investors are influenced by the amount of litter and graffiti in a place. It is something that leaves a lasting impression."
Keep Wales Tidy runs campaigns to improve tourism across the country, as well as trying to persuade drivers not to drop rubbish from their windows.
Mr Williams said: "People in cars are more likely to litter, because they do not have to see the consequences.
"They can drop some litter and as soon as they let go of it, it is behind them.
"The other problem with drivers, or people in cars, is that it is very difficult to prosecute.
"We would like to see the police and councils taking this more seriously.
"Anyone who sees someone dropping litter from a car should take down the number and report it to the police."
Drivers who drop litter can be fined up to £2,500.
The Fabian Way comments are part of a growing tide of complaints about litter in the city.
A spokesman for Swansea Council said the central reservation could only be cleaned once every two months to minimise traffic disruption.
He added: "Swansea Council works very hard to minimise the blight of littering in our communities.
"It is important that residents and visitors play their part by not dropping litter in the first place. Dropping litter is also a safety issue, particularly if it is being dropped by motorists from their cars, and the council urges people to stop doing it.
"Fabian Way is cleaned regularly by the council. The pavement area is litter-picked once a week. The gutters are mechanically swept every fortnight.
"Grassed areas on the central reservation are cleaned every eight weeks to minimise traffic disruption caused by the need to close a lane in each direction to allow the work to be carried out safely."
Anti-litter campaigners say Swansea's messy approach roads could be damaging to the city's efforts to build a reputation as a first-class tourist destination.
They say first impressions count and Swansea is letting itself down with litter-strewn roads.
Drivers coming into the city along its main eastern approach at Fabian Way pass empty crisp packets, drink bottles and other rubbish in the central reservation. The mess is building daily.
Now Keep Wales Tidy bosses say the messy gateway could be damaging the city's image.
Wynne Williams said: "Litter is a quality indicator of a city and visitors to Swansea will draw their own conclusions about it from the state of Fabian Way.
"It is a well-known fact that visitors and potential investors are influenced by the amount of litter and graffiti in a place. It is something that leaves a lasting impression."
Keep Wales Tidy runs campaigns to improve tourism across the country, as well as trying to persuade drivers not to drop rubbish from their windows.
Mr Williams said: "People in cars are more likely to litter, because they do not have to see the consequences.
"They can drop some litter and as soon as they let go of it, it is behind them.
"The other problem with drivers, or people in cars, is that it is very difficult to prosecute.
"We would like to see the police and councils taking this more seriously.
"Anyone who sees someone dropping litter from a car should take down the number and report it to the police."
Drivers who drop litter can be fined up to £2,500.
The Fabian Way comments are part of a growing tide of complaints about litter in the city.
A spokesman for Swansea Council said the central reservation could only be cleaned once every two months to minimise traffic disruption.
He added: "Swansea Council works very hard to minimise the blight of littering in our communities.
"It is important that residents and visitors play their part by not dropping litter in the first place. Dropping litter is also a safety issue, particularly if it is being dropped by motorists from their cars, and the council urges people to stop doing it.
"Fabian Way is cleaned regularly by the council. The pavement area is litter-picked once a week. The gutters are mechanically swept every fortnight.
"Grassed areas on the central reservation are cleaned every eight weeks to minimise traffic disruption caused by the need to close a lane in each direction to allow the work to be carried out safely."
MORE DELAYS FOR STATION REVAMP?
South Wales Evening Post - 5 March 2007
Long-awaited plans to revamp Swansea's ugly Quadrant bus station (pictured) could be delayed again.
The £5.75 million scheme is set to win Swansea Council approval tomorrow but it could still not get off the drawing board because of a lack of cash.
Swansea Council had asked for £15.5 million from the Assembly for transport schemes, but has only received £8.23 million.
That money will be used to pay for schemes such as the controversial bendy bus project, safe routes to school schemes and park and ride improvements.
Of the total, £3.8 million has been given specifically for projects such as the Landore express bus route, improvements to High Street station and the new Quadrant bus station.
This figure was less than half the £8.2 million the council was hoping for.
It is not yet clear exactly how the cash will be shared out among the various projects.
But the Quadrant scheme could be in jeopardy.
It includes a new 23-bay bus station, a new road layout on to Westway, a taxi rank, a travel and information centre, improved office and toilet facilities, a covered walkway and three food and drink shops.
Shoppers and bus travellers have been complaining for more than a decade about the state of the station, and many plans to overhaul the facility, varying in cost from £75,000 to £3.1 million, have had to be shelved.
The application has been recommended for approval when councillors meet to discuss it in the council chamber at county hall tomorrow at 2pm.
A council spokesman said: "The council's number one priority for future projects is the redevelopment of the Quadrant Bus Station
"Major improvement schemes that have commenced using transport grant funding are the main priority the following year when the grant application process is finalised.
"Existing projects in progress include Fforestfach park and ride, the Sidings bridge over Fabian Way, Swansea Metro and improvements to junction 45 of the M4."
Swansea West AM and Enterprise Minister Andrew Davies said the cash should allow Swansea Council to push forward with the Quadrant bus station scheme.
He said: "I have made it clear to Swansea Council that I expect there to be a significant private sector investment in the bus station redevelopment.
"I raised this in my recent meeting with Moir Lockhead, chief executive of the First Group, which runs the local bus company, First Bus, and following my suggestion the company is now looking at investing in this development."
Bus user Wendy Evans of Gorseinon said: "The bus station desperately needs a revamp. It's dirty and smelly and I hate being there after dark."
Your Views
Yet again the revamp of this disgraceful Quardrant Bus Station has been pushed under the carpet. You want to get visitors into Swansea then do something about the bus station has many people arrive by coach Ifor one will not come to Swansea on a bus or bring my visitors there either until its revamped I will stay away.
Welsh Dragon, Port Talbot
Replacement of our third world bus station should be this administration's number one priority. No more money should be wasted on the ludicrous and costly bendy bus scheme. Swansea's long suffering public transport users deserve better.
Ruth James, Treboeth
As I said before, if the people making the decisions had to spend twenty minutes every working day sitting or standing in the Quadrant station then they would soon put its refurbishment at the top of their list.
Jonathan, Uplands
we dont have a decent bus service and nobody cares. I cant get into Swansea or get home without having a taxi. andnow they want to cut down on those as well. it is much easier to go to Neath.
Marion, Birchgrove
How many times does it need to be said before council bosses listen to the people BENDY BUSES ARE NOT OUR PRIORITY. We never asked for them or voted for them. We want a decent bus station.
Tamsin, Swansea
What is the point of supposedly spending millions on a new retail centre for Swansea if public transport is not a priority. All Swansea Council ever seems to produce is artist's impressions.
Malcom, Morriston
Long-awaited plans to revamp Swansea's ugly Quadrant bus station (pictured) could be delayed again.
The £5.75 million scheme is set to win Swansea Council approval tomorrow but it could still not get off the drawing board because of a lack of cash.
Swansea Council had asked for £15.5 million from the Assembly for transport schemes, but has only received £8.23 million.
That money will be used to pay for schemes such as the controversial bendy bus project, safe routes to school schemes and park and ride improvements.
Of the total, £3.8 million has been given specifically for projects such as the Landore express bus route, improvements to High Street station and the new Quadrant bus station.
This figure was less than half the £8.2 million the council was hoping for.
It is not yet clear exactly how the cash will be shared out among the various projects.
But the Quadrant scheme could be in jeopardy.
It includes a new 23-bay bus station, a new road layout on to Westway, a taxi rank, a travel and information centre, improved office and toilet facilities, a covered walkway and three food and drink shops.
Shoppers and bus travellers have been complaining for more than a decade about the state of the station, and many plans to overhaul the facility, varying in cost from £75,000 to £3.1 million, have had to be shelved.
The application has been recommended for approval when councillors meet to discuss it in the council chamber at county hall tomorrow at 2pm.
A council spokesman said: "The council's number one priority for future projects is the redevelopment of the Quadrant Bus Station
"Major improvement schemes that have commenced using transport grant funding are the main priority the following year when the grant application process is finalised.
"Existing projects in progress include Fforestfach park and ride, the Sidings bridge over Fabian Way, Swansea Metro and improvements to junction 45 of the M4."
Swansea West AM and Enterprise Minister Andrew Davies said the cash should allow Swansea Council to push forward with the Quadrant bus station scheme.
He said: "I have made it clear to Swansea Council that I expect there to be a significant private sector investment in the bus station redevelopment.
"I raised this in my recent meeting with Moir Lockhead, chief executive of the First Group, which runs the local bus company, First Bus, and following my suggestion the company is now looking at investing in this development."
Bus user Wendy Evans of Gorseinon said: "The bus station desperately needs a revamp. It's dirty and smelly and I hate being there after dark."
Your Views
Yet again the revamp of this disgraceful Quardrant Bus Station has been pushed under the carpet. You want to get visitors into Swansea then do something about the bus station has many people arrive by coach Ifor one will not come to Swansea on a bus or bring my visitors there either until its revamped I will stay away.
Welsh Dragon, Port Talbot
Replacement of our third world bus station should be this administration's number one priority. No more money should be wasted on the ludicrous and costly bendy bus scheme. Swansea's long suffering public transport users deserve better.
Ruth James, Treboeth
As I said before, if the people making the decisions had to spend twenty minutes every working day sitting or standing in the Quadrant station then they would soon put its refurbishment at the top of their list.
Jonathan, Uplands
we dont have a decent bus service and nobody cares. I cant get into Swansea or get home without having a taxi. andnow they want to cut down on those as well. it is much easier to go to Neath.
Marion, Birchgrove
How many times does it need to be said before council bosses listen to the people BENDY BUSES ARE NOT OUR PRIORITY. We never asked for them or voted for them. We want a decent bus station.
Tamsin, Swansea
What is the point of supposedly spending millions on a new retail centre for Swansea if public transport is not a priority. All Swansea Council ever seems to produce is artist's impressions.
Malcom, Morriston
Power Struggle
S.Wales Evening Post Editorial - 3 March 2007
Swansea's ruling coalition now holds only 31 seats on the 74-member council. So what does this latest defection say about the balance of power at County Hall?
The latest councillor to jump ship, Rob Speht, says he is not aligning himself with any party. He wants to remain a Liberal Democrat, but voting according to his conscience rather than the party whip. So, if push comes to shove, what will be his priority - his conscience, or the future of the Lib Dem-dominated administration.
Councillor Speht blames his dissatisfaction on the cabinet system. He says it concentrates power in the centre and excludes non-cabinet members from the decision-making process.
Such criticism was made of the cabinet system during the previous Labour administration.
The system was introduced for speed decision-making, but this has not worked as effectively as was hoped. And surely the quality of the decisions made is what really counts in the long run.
Swansea's ruling coalition now holds only 31 seats on the 74-member council. So what does this latest defection say about the balance of power at County Hall?
The latest councillor to jump ship, Rob Speht, says he is not aligning himself with any party. He wants to remain a Liberal Democrat, but voting according to his conscience rather than the party whip. So, if push comes to shove, what will be his priority - his conscience, or the future of the Lib Dem-dominated administration.
Councillor Speht blames his dissatisfaction on the cabinet system. He says it concentrates power in the centre and excludes non-cabinet members from the decision-making process.
Such criticism was made of the cabinet system during the previous Labour administration.
The system was introduced for speed decision-making, but this has not worked as effectively as was hoped. And surely the quality of the decisions made is what really counts in the long run.
BLOW FOR COUNCIL AS LIBDEM JUMPS SHIP
South Wales Evening Post - 3 March 2007
Swansea's ruling coalition has been struck a further blow with another member jumping ship.
Landore councillor Rob Speht has left the ruling group and set himself up as the only Liberal Democrat-registered councillor on the council.
He blamed a lack of inclusion in decision-making as the main reason behind the move.
Councillor Speht dismissed claims he was simply unhappy at not being selected to stand as a Swansea East candidate in May's Assembly elections, adding that he had not even put himself forward for selection.
He said: "I don't want to go into the detail really, but as of Thursday I am now registered on the council as a Welsh Liberal Democrat.
"All the other Lib Dems and Independents are all registered as Swansea Administration and I have withdrawn from the administration.
"There is only me as a Welsh Liberal Democrat so in council terms I'm unaligned.
"I shall vote according to my conscience. The people of Landore voted for me as a Liberal Democrat."
Councillor Speht's move has shifted the balance of power again, giving the ruling coalition just 31 seats on Swansea's 74- member council.
Labour now have one more seat than the administration, with Plaid and the Conservatives having five and three respectively.
The balance of Swansea Council has shifted a number of times in recent months.
It started with the Conservative group's decision to withdraw from the coalition.A number of defections followed in either direction, with the Lib Dem-led coalition managing to retain control.
But Mr Speht, who is a shareholder in Energytech Ltd, WindTech Cymru Ltd, Melyn Gwynt Ltd and Fresh Approach To Ltd, said that he had become disappointed in recent months.
He said: "Increasingly people who are not cabinet members are not included.
"We're not really included in a wider sense, there's no collective decision- making.
"It is not as structured as I'd like it to be. I've been out of the loop for the past couple of months."
Councillor Chris Holley, leader of Swansea Council, said: "I am disappointed by the decision.
"But he has made his mind up, and that is what he wants to do."
Swansea's ruling coalition has been struck a further blow with another member jumping ship.
Landore councillor Rob Speht has left the ruling group and set himself up as the only Liberal Democrat-registered councillor on the council.
He blamed a lack of inclusion in decision-making as the main reason behind the move.
Councillor Speht dismissed claims he was simply unhappy at not being selected to stand as a Swansea East candidate in May's Assembly elections, adding that he had not even put himself forward for selection.
He said: "I don't want to go into the detail really, but as of Thursday I am now registered on the council as a Welsh Liberal Democrat.
"All the other Lib Dems and Independents are all registered as Swansea Administration and I have withdrawn from the administration.
"There is only me as a Welsh Liberal Democrat so in council terms I'm unaligned.
"I shall vote according to my conscience. The people of Landore voted for me as a Liberal Democrat."
Councillor Speht's move has shifted the balance of power again, giving the ruling coalition just 31 seats on Swansea's 74- member council.
Labour now have one more seat than the administration, with Plaid and the Conservatives having five and three respectively.
The balance of Swansea Council has shifted a number of times in recent months.
It started with the Conservative group's decision to withdraw from the coalition.A number of defections followed in either direction, with the Lib Dem-led coalition managing to retain control.
But Mr Speht, who is a shareholder in Energytech Ltd, WindTech Cymru Ltd, Melyn Gwynt Ltd and Fresh Approach To Ltd, said that he had become disappointed in recent months.
He said: "Increasingly people who are not cabinet members are not included.
"We're not really included in a wider sense, there's no collective decision- making.
"It is not as structured as I'd like it to be. I've been out of the loop for the past couple of months."
Councillor Chris Holley, leader of Swansea Council, said: "I am disappointed by the decision.
"But he has made his mind up, and that is what he wants to do."
SERVICE@SWANSEA IS TOTAL SHAMBLES
South Wales Evening Post - 3 March 2007
So now we know: Swansea Council's response to the collapse of its grandiose plan for a revolutionary IT system is - to change the name of the project.
"We are dropping the name Service@Swansea," cabinet member for eGovernment Mary Jones has announced.
"The new system will not be called that and we have three alternatives that we are looking at."
I may be wrong, but I have a sneaky feeling that changing the name outside the one-stop shop is not going to be enough to salvage this shambles.
The whole sorry saga of the council's fumbling adventure in the fairytale world of eGovernment has dragged wearily on for so long, it may be instructive to remind ourselves of the story so far.
We begin, dear reader, with the optimistic announcement in July 2004 of plans for a new one-stop shop, email and telephone service. We were promised that, by 2006, we would be enjoying the benefits of a new call centre where, no doubt with a sprinkling of magic dust, 80 per cent of our council inquiries would be resolved.
There was more. Satellite centres would be rolled out to communities like Morriston, Penlan and Bonymaen, where people could pop in on their way home from work to request services or pay bills.
There would be a cost attached to all of this, of course, but we were assured that savings, made by reducing duplication and improving efficiency, would be ploughed back into other services.
By July 2005, a 150-seat call centre would be based at a revamped County Hall.
But by the end of that year, the call centre had still not appeared and we were told it was no longer part of the first phase of the council's plans.
A new website and automated complaints handling service was also suddenly on the back burner.
The warnings that something was rotten in Service@Swansea began to grow louder.
"The council will be paying millions to have the same people sat at the same desks in County Hall providing the same service but through a private company," one source told this newspaper.
"Nothing else is affordable."
As the old year ended and 2006 came in, contract discussions with that private company, Capgemini, stalled, delaying the introduction of the new computer system needed to back up Service@Swansea .
At this vital stage, the main architect of the scheme, council chief executive Tim Thorogood, departed from the scene after a planning row over his Gower home.
By then, the estimated cost of the project had soared to £170 million. The council had gone cap in hand to the Assembly to ask for a loan of £14 million, amid growing concern that the scheme had turned into a black hole that was sucking staff and resources out of other services.
By April that year, it was revealed that the final cost was still unknown, and plans for the second phase of the project were scaled down dramatically. The call centre, which had been at the heart of the original project, was now under threat because of spiralling costs.
Despite these funding fears, Capgemini was insisting "there is still a business case for Service@Swansea" . Not with Capgemini, there wasn't. The council scrapped their involvement.
The estimated savings were scaled back from up to £50 million to £26 million. Even then, only £7.4 million had been identified thus far.Finally the council bit the bullet. Its multi-million project was dropped in favour of buying a £1 million software package from Cardiff Council.
There will be no call centre; instead, we are told we will have to "rely" on face-to-face meetings with staff at the County Hall customer centre. So, it's not all bad news then.
And as for that change of name: how about OffTheShelf@Cardiff?
So now we know: Swansea Council's response to the collapse of its grandiose plan for a revolutionary IT system is - to change the name of the project.
"We are dropping the name Service@Swansea," cabinet member for eGovernment Mary Jones has announced.
"The new system will not be called that and we have three alternatives that we are looking at."
I may be wrong, but I have a sneaky feeling that changing the name outside the one-stop shop is not going to be enough to salvage this shambles.
The whole sorry saga of the council's fumbling adventure in the fairytale world of eGovernment has dragged wearily on for so long, it may be instructive to remind ourselves of the story so far.
We begin, dear reader, with the optimistic announcement in July 2004 of plans for a new one-stop shop, email and telephone service. We were promised that, by 2006, we would be enjoying the benefits of a new call centre where, no doubt with a sprinkling of magic dust, 80 per cent of our council inquiries would be resolved.
There was more. Satellite centres would be rolled out to communities like Morriston, Penlan and Bonymaen, where people could pop in on their way home from work to request services or pay bills.
There would be a cost attached to all of this, of course, but we were assured that savings, made by reducing duplication and improving efficiency, would be ploughed back into other services.
By July 2005, a 150-seat call centre would be based at a revamped County Hall.
But by the end of that year, the call centre had still not appeared and we were told it was no longer part of the first phase of the council's plans.
A new website and automated complaints handling service was also suddenly on the back burner.
The warnings that something was rotten in Service@Swansea began to grow louder.
"The council will be paying millions to have the same people sat at the same desks in County Hall providing the same service but through a private company," one source told this newspaper.
"Nothing else is affordable."
As the old year ended and 2006 came in, contract discussions with that private company, Capgemini, stalled, delaying the introduction of the new computer system needed to back up Service@Swansea .
At this vital stage, the main architect of the scheme, council chief executive Tim Thorogood, departed from the scene after a planning row over his Gower home.
By then, the estimated cost of the project had soared to £170 million. The council had gone cap in hand to the Assembly to ask for a loan of £14 million, amid growing concern that the scheme had turned into a black hole that was sucking staff and resources out of other services.
By April that year, it was revealed that the final cost was still unknown, and plans for the second phase of the project were scaled down dramatically. The call centre, which had been at the heart of the original project, was now under threat because of spiralling costs.
Despite these funding fears, Capgemini was insisting "there is still a business case for Service@Swansea" . Not with Capgemini, there wasn't. The council scrapped their involvement.
The estimated savings were scaled back from up to £50 million to £26 million. Even then, only £7.4 million had been identified thus far.Finally the council bit the bullet. Its multi-million project was dropped in favour of buying a £1 million software package from Cardiff Council.
There will be no call centre; instead, we are told we will have to "rely" on face-to-face meetings with staff at the County Hall customer centre. So, it's not all bad news then.
And as for that change of name: how about OffTheShelf@Cardiff?
DOES MY VOTE COUNT?
South Wales Evening Post - 2 March 2007
Within a few months, I feel sure that anguished politicians will be quoted in the media expressing concerns that fewer and fewer people are turning out to vote at elections.
Today I read an announcement that the second phase of Service@Swansea, a scheme that has been repeatedly applauded in the Swansea Leader newspaper, has been scrapped.
Instead, the council will be linking up to a call centre in Cardiff to handle local complaints.
When I made inquiries to the council, I learned that no committee decision based on consultation with staff or stakeholders has actually been made. No report has been published and the matter was not on the agenda at last week's cabinet meeting.
In short, someone in office, in what I understand is an administration without an elected majority, has just decided that this is what will happen. There will not be a debate or discussion on whether this is the correct move or represents value for money.
When my voting cards arrive for the next council election, I will be ripping them up.
C Soloman, Gwydr Crescent, Uplands, Swansea
Within a few months, I feel sure that anguished politicians will be quoted in the media expressing concerns that fewer and fewer people are turning out to vote at elections.
Today I read an announcement that the second phase of Service@Swansea, a scheme that has been repeatedly applauded in the Swansea Leader newspaper, has been scrapped.
Instead, the council will be linking up to a call centre in Cardiff to handle local complaints.
When I made inquiries to the council, I learned that no committee decision based on consultation with staff or stakeholders has actually been made. No report has been published and the matter was not on the agenda at last week's cabinet meeting.
In short, someone in office, in what I understand is an administration without an elected majority, has just decided that this is what will happen. There will not be a debate or discussion on whether this is the correct move or represents value for money.
When my voting cards arrive for the next council election, I will be ripping them up.
C Soloman, Gwydr Crescent, Uplands, Swansea
IT OUTFIT SUES OVER £170M AXED PROJECT
South Wales Evening Post - 2 March 2007
Swansea Council is being sued by the IT firm it brought in to revolutionise its computer systems.
Capgemini, the company asked to deliver the council's £170 million eGovernment project, has submitted a claim against the council.
It is reportedly looking for extra cash because of delays implementing a new payroll system.
It is understood the row could result in a "significant financial impact" on council funds.
The two sides are believed to be pointing the finger at one another over the delays.
It is the latest chapter in the controversial scheme, and comes just weeks after the council dismissed the possibility of any penalty charges for dropping the second phase.
Service@Swansea would have seen an all-singing, all-dancing, one-stop shop for council queries set up.
But councillors axed the scheme because of spiralling costs.
Instead they are expected to buy a system used by Cardiff Council for less than £1 million - a fraction of the £83 million bill for Service@Swansea
But the new service will not have a call centre with residents having to deal with council staff face to face instead.
The whole Service@Swansea saga has been an embarrassment to council officers who failed to heed warnings given by council staff when they took strike action against the plans in 2004.
Councillor Rene Kinzett, who chairs the council's eGovernment working party, said the exact cost of the claim was not known but insisted promised saving levels had not been achieved.
He said: "We don't know the full story, there are claims and counter-claims.
"We, as councillors, are stuck in the middle, being kept in the dark. It would be in the several tens of thousands, it would be a significant amount."
The council is still working with Capgemini to deliver the first phase of the eGovernment project but Councillor Kinzett is concerned about the relationship.
He said: "What is the atmosphere like? What is the working environment like if they are throwing lawsuits at each other?
"And what happened about this being a launchpad for the rest of Wales?"
Capgemini declined to comment on the claim on grounds of client confidentiality.
The project was highlighted in the budget as a financial risk.
A report said: "Delay in implementing new systems has resulted in a claim for additional payments by the contractor.
Your Views
I saw first hand how this administration works when they tried to close Dylan Thomas school. They had an idea but did not understand the issues or listen to facts. No-one had a clue about the total costs or how the money would be found. I believe that exactly the same poor judgement has been involved in Service@Swansea. those responsible shoudl resign or be kicked out of office.
Peter, Swansea
I think that Chris Holley and his cabinet should seriously consider if they are doing Swansea any good. They did not expect to be in office before the last election and they are either not listening to advice or else making it up as they go along. All the spin in the world is not going to hide a basic lack of substance. We know from Ioan Richard's e-mail that it was only the money that put them in charge.
Jackie Pritchard, Swansea
How on earth do our Council manage to get themselves into situations like these? What really worries me is that the same local authority has the cheek to be offering debt advice to people!
Kim, UplandsI am told that two people who signed off the Service@Swansea contacts, Bob Carter and Tim Thorogood, no longer work for Swansea Council. How convenient!
Francis, Swansea
Didnt I read that only five councillors were involved in the contract? Well let them foot the bill. I am fed up of seeing my council tax and parking charges going up to pay for their incompetence.
Clive, Marina
This whole thing gets worse every time I read about it. They keep claiming to be an improving council but I see very littl evidnce of it. Perhaps they should have less people writing press releases and more cleaning the streets.
Anthony Evans, Swansea
As usual when Local Government deals with big business there's two things to remeber. There no such thing as a free lunch. Wait for the pain once the Honey moon period is over. Whats this all going to costs the hard pressed Council Tax payer AGAIN !!!
Kevin, Clydach
The only risk to the Swansea council tax payer is this Lib Dem Administration which is run by a bunch of incompetent dimwits.
voter, Swansea
Swansea Council is being sued by the IT firm it brought in to revolutionise its computer systems.
Capgemini, the company asked to deliver the council's £170 million eGovernment project, has submitted a claim against the council.
It is reportedly looking for extra cash because of delays implementing a new payroll system.
It is understood the row could result in a "significant financial impact" on council funds.
The two sides are believed to be pointing the finger at one another over the delays.
It is the latest chapter in the controversial scheme, and comes just weeks after the council dismissed the possibility of any penalty charges for dropping the second phase.
Service@Swansea would have seen an all-singing, all-dancing, one-stop shop for council queries set up.
But councillors axed the scheme because of spiralling costs.
Instead they are expected to buy a system used by Cardiff Council for less than £1 million - a fraction of the £83 million bill for Service@Swansea
But the new service will not have a call centre with residents having to deal with council staff face to face instead.
The whole Service@Swansea saga has been an embarrassment to council officers who failed to heed warnings given by council staff when they took strike action against the plans in 2004.
Councillor Rene Kinzett, who chairs the council's eGovernment working party, said the exact cost of the claim was not known but insisted promised saving levels had not been achieved.
He said: "We don't know the full story, there are claims and counter-claims.
"We, as councillors, are stuck in the middle, being kept in the dark. It would be in the several tens of thousands, it would be a significant amount."
The council is still working with Capgemini to deliver the first phase of the eGovernment project but Councillor Kinzett is concerned about the relationship.
He said: "What is the atmosphere like? What is the working environment like if they are throwing lawsuits at each other?
"And what happened about this being a launchpad for the rest of Wales?"
Capgemini declined to comment on the claim on grounds of client confidentiality.
The project was highlighted in the budget as a financial risk.
A report said: "Delay in implementing new systems has resulted in a claim for additional payments by the contractor.
Your Views
I saw first hand how this administration works when they tried to close Dylan Thomas school. They had an idea but did not understand the issues or listen to facts. No-one had a clue about the total costs or how the money would be found. I believe that exactly the same poor judgement has been involved in Service@Swansea. those responsible shoudl resign or be kicked out of office.
Peter, Swansea
I think that Chris Holley and his cabinet should seriously consider if they are doing Swansea any good. They did not expect to be in office before the last election and they are either not listening to advice or else making it up as they go along. All the spin in the world is not going to hide a basic lack of substance. We know from Ioan Richard's e-mail that it was only the money that put them in charge.
Jackie Pritchard, Swansea
How on earth do our Council manage to get themselves into situations like these? What really worries me is that the same local authority has the cheek to be offering debt advice to people!
Kim, UplandsI am told that two people who signed off the Service@Swansea contacts, Bob Carter and Tim Thorogood, no longer work for Swansea Council. How convenient!
Francis, Swansea
Didnt I read that only five councillors were involved in the contract? Well let them foot the bill. I am fed up of seeing my council tax and parking charges going up to pay for their incompetence.
Clive, Marina
This whole thing gets worse every time I read about it. They keep claiming to be an improving council but I see very littl evidnce of it. Perhaps they should have less people writing press releases and more cleaning the streets.
Anthony Evans, Swansea
As usual when Local Government deals with big business there's two things to remeber. There no such thing as a free lunch. Wait for the pain once the Honey moon period is over. Whats this all going to costs the hard pressed Council Tax payer AGAIN !!!
Kevin, Clydach
The only risk to the Swansea council tax payer is this Lib Dem Administration which is run by a bunch of incompetent dimwits.
voter, Swansea
CARE FOR ELDERLY SECOND AFTER EDUCATION IN COST
South Wales Evening Post - 1 March 2007
The cost of looking after older people in Swansea is the biggest single drain on council resources after schools.
This year the council will spend almost £30 million on services to care for older people in the city. It represents a huge slice of the council's £350 million budget.
With £150 million of that going on education and schools it means spending on older people in the county accounts for almost 15 per cent of the remainder of the budget.
It is a growing problem for councils across the country as people are living longer.
Cabinet member for social services Councillor Wendy Fitzgerald, said: "Adult services elsewhere in Wales and England are having huge problems, with many councils facing large shortfalls. In Swansea we have managed to keep a lid on spending."
The number of elderly people has risen dramatically in the past 50 years. Figures show a five-fold increase in people aged over 85. More than a fifth of Swansea's population are officially pensioners.
Councillor Fitzgerald said: "In Swansea, we know our population is getting older and we will need to find better ways of looking after older people. There is a need to improve the way we deliver service to older people, and that includes looking at pooling resources with other organisations."
The total bill for social services for next year is £82 million, £35 million is spent on the environment, including street cleaning and rubbish collection. More than £18 million is spent on culture, recreation and tourism, and another £16 million is spent by the Top- performance and eGovernment department.
Elsewhere the council has set aside around £380 million for large-scale projects.
This includes £2.4 million on city centre redevelopment, £8.6 million on the civic centre conversion at County Hall and around £10 million on improvements to schools and special education services in the county.
Council house improvements will cost £7 million, £3.5 million has been set aside for improvements to the Guildhall which has a total repair bill of around £30 million. Brynmill Park will get a £1.3 million makeover, and £20 million will be used to complete refurbishments to Swansea Leisure Centre.
It all adds up to a 3.5 percent increase on council tax bills. The average across Wales has been estimated at 4.7 per cent.
Council Leader Chris Holley said: "Big capital projects are decisions made a couple of years ago. Once they have been agreed we know it needs to be paid for, and the cost is worked into future budgets.
"The biggest shock, and something that is very hard to absorb, has been the state of the Guildhall. An unexpected repair bill of around £30 million for one of the most iconic buildings in Wales then that is very difficult to cope with."
The cost of looking after older people in Swansea is the biggest single drain on council resources after schools.
This year the council will spend almost £30 million on services to care for older people in the city. It represents a huge slice of the council's £350 million budget.
With £150 million of that going on education and schools it means spending on older people in the county accounts for almost 15 per cent of the remainder of the budget.
It is a growing problem for councils across the country as people are living longer.
Cabinet member for social services Councillor Wendy Fitzgerald, said: "Adult services elsewhere in Wales and England are having huge problems, with many councils facing large shortfalls. In Swansea we have managed to keep a lid on spending."
The number of elderly people has risen dramatically in the past 50 years. Figures show a five-fold increase in people aged over 85. More than a fifth of Swansea's population are officially pensioners.
Councillor Fitzgerald said: "In Swansea, we know our population is getting older and we will need to find better ways of looking after older people. There is a need to improve the way we deliver service to older people, and that includes looking at pooling resources with other organisations."
The total bill for social services for next year is £82 million, £35 million is spent on the environment, including street cleaning and rubbish collection. More than £18 million is spent on culture, recreation and tourism, and another £16 million is spent by the Top- performance and eGovernment department.
Elsewhere the council has set aside around £380 million for large-scale projects.
This includes £2.4 million on city centre redevelopment, £8.6 million on the civic centre conversion at County Hall and around £10 million on improvements to schools and special education services in the county.
Council house improvements will cost £7 million, £3.5 million has been set aside for improvements to the Guildhall which has a total repair bill of around £30 million. Brynmill Park will get a £1.3 million makeover, and £20 million will be used to complete refurbishments to Swansea Leisure Centre.
It all adds up to a 3.5 percent increase on council tax bills. The average across Wales has been estimated at 4.7 per cent.
Council Leader Chris Holley said: "Big capital projects are decisions made a couple of years ago. Once they have been agreed we know it needs to be paid for, and the cost is worked into future budgets.
"The biggest shock, and something that is very hard to absorb, has been the state of the Guildhall. An unexpected repair bill of around £30 million for one of the most iconic buildings in Wales then that is very difficult to cope with."
BNP LEADER TO CAMPAIGN ON STREETS OF CITY
South Wales Evening Post - 1 March 2007
The leader of the far-right British National Party has launched a bid to represent Swansea in the Welsh Assembly.
The BNP has confirmed that its controversial leader Nick Griffin is to stand as a candidate for South Wales West in May's Assembly elections.
The constituency includes Swansea, Gower, Neath and Aberavon. Mr Griffin is one of 20 BNP candidates across Wales to contest seats in the forthcoming election.
Mr Griffin is the BNP's second candidate for South Wales West, meaning he would only represent the constituency if the party's first nomination were elected, but was then unable to take the seat. The strategy means he is unlikely to represent the city even if the BNP are elected for South Wales West.
But it will see the party's highest-profile member campaigning on Swansea's streets in the build-up to the elections.
Mr Griffin, who lives in Welshpool, told the Post: "I get on very well with Swansea people, and they were looking for people to stand.
"I live in Wales so I am local, but not as specifically local as others, which is why I am the second name. But I will be in the area campaigning.
"We simply can't tell how well we will do, but we are hopeful of one or two seats."
Mr Griffin last stood for election in Keighley, West Yorkshire, during the General Election of 2005, where he polled 4,240 votes, just over nine per cent of the votes cast. More recently, he appeared at Leeds Crown Court where he was cleared of charges of incitement to racial hatred, following a BBC documentary in which he was recorded as declaring Islam was a wicked and vicious faith.
His candidature has led anti-fascist campaigner and Plaid candidate Ian Titherington to call on mainstream political parties to unite in a challenge to the BNP.
Mr Titherington said: "The BNP and their leader have no hope of being elected in May. Their strategy is to raise their profile before the Welsh council elections in 2008. Yet between now and May 3, I dread to think how much intimidation they will create within the minority communities of Wales.
"Whatever differences I have with the other legitimate parties standing this May, I will gladly work with them to expose the racist agenda of this vile organisation."
His stance has been dismissed by Mr Griffin however. "It does not surprise us," he said.
"One key reason people should send the BNP to Cardiff is because other parties are the same on core issues."
The BNP's first-name candidate for South Wales West is Clive Bennett.
The leader of the far-right British National Party has launched a bid to represent Swansea in the Welsh Assembly.
The BNP has confirmed that its controversial leader Nick Griffin is to stand as a candidate for South Wales West in May's Assembly elections.
The constituency includes Swansea, Gower, Neath and Aberavon. Mr Griffin is one of 20 BNP candidates across Wales to contest seats in the forthcoming election.
Mr Griffin is the BNP's second candidate for South Wales West, meaning he would only represent the constituency if the party's first nomination were elected, but was then unable to take the seat. The strategy means he is unlikely to represent the city even if the BNP are elected for South Wales West.
But it will see the party's highest-profile member campaigning on Swansea's streets in the build-up to the elections.
Mr Griffin, who lives in Welshpool, told the Post: "I get on very well with Swansea people, and they were looking for people to stand.
"I live in Wales so I am local, but not as specifically local as others, which is why I am the second name. But I will be in the area campaigning.
"We simply can't tell how well we will do, but we are hopeful of one or two seats."
Mr Griffin last stood for election in Keighley, West Yorkshire, during the General Election of 2005, where he polled 4,240 votes, just over nine per cent of the votes cast. More recently, he appeared at Leeds Crown Court where he was cleared of charges of incitement to racial hatred, following a BBC documentary in which he was recorded as declaring Islam was a wicked and vicious faith.
His candidature has led anti-fascist campaigner and Plaid candidate Ian Titherington to call on mainstream political parties to unite in a challenge to the BNP.
Mr Titherington said: "The BNP and their leader have no hope of being elected in May. Their strategy is to raise their profile before the Welsh council elections in 2008. Yet between now and May 3, I dread to think how much intimidation they will create within the minority communities of Wales.
"Whatever differences I have with the other legitimate parties standing this May, I will gladly work with them to expose the racist agenda of this vile organisation."
His stance has been dismissed by Mr Griffin however. "It does not surprise us," he said.
"One key reason people should send the BNP to Cardiff is because other parties are the same on core issues."
The BNP's first-name candidate for South Wales West is Clive Bennett.
COUNCILLOR'S APOLOGY IN EMAIL ROW
South Wales Evening Post - 1 March 2007
A Swansea councillor has offered his "humble" apologies over a leaked email to colleagues.
Councillor Ioan Richard told councillors he was sorry if an email he sent calling for "trench warfare" had caused any offence or embarrassment
The email was sent to fellow councillors after an agreement was reached to hand over the chairmanships and vice- chairmanships of scrutiny boards to members of opposition parties.
Under the plans Councillor Richard would have been ousted from his position as chairman of the council's licensing committee.
He wrote to fellow councillors saying: "TRENCH WARFARE - are you up for it? I am seriously in favour of it!"
He went on to outline a plan to make the appointment of chairmen and vice positions to be voted for at every meeting.
He said: "This has enormous implications of inconvenience to Labour, Tories and Plaid. It means they will have to muster up a majority at every committee.
"If not we take the chair and vice-chair back for a three- or four-week cycle. If we succeed only once in five goes we will get 20 per cent of their special responsibility allowance - eg 20 per cent of a chair's £9,000 is £1,800 - an amount not to be scoffed at, and it will really inconvenience the other lot and annoy them enormously.
"They have several members in serious ill-health; one globetrotter on local government business; one the ombudsman may soon suspend; several who cannot get time off work for every meeting; some who are just lazy; others who may be on holiday; some who may need to go on private business, for example a family funeral; others may just be late in a traffic jam or just temporarily sick with nasty flu bout."
However, Councillor Richard was forced to make a public apology ahead of a full council meeting to discuss the budget.
He said: "This is in respect to an email I recently sent to colleagues which was somehow published.
"If that has caused offence or embarrassment I would like to humbly apologise."
A Swansea councillor has offered his "humble" apologies over a leaked email to colleagues.
Councillor Ioan Richard told councillors he was sorry if an email he sent calling for "trench warfare" had caused any offence or embarrassment
The email was sent to fellow councillors after an agreement was reached to hand over the chairmanships and vice- chairmanships of scrutiny boards to members of opposition parties.
Under the plans Councillor Richard would have been ousted from his position as chairman of the council's licensing committee.
He wrote to fellow councillors saying: "TRENCH WARFARE - are you up for it? I am seriously in favour of it!"
He went on to outline a plan to make the appointment of chairmen and vice positions to be voted for at every meeting.
He said: "This has enormous implications of inconvenience to Labour, Tories and Plaid. It means they will have to muster up a majority at every committee.
"If not we take the chair and vice-chair back for a three- or four-week cycle. If we succeed only once in five goes we will get 20 per cent of their special responsibility allowance - eg 20 per cent of a chair's £9,000 is £1,800 - an amount not to be scoffed at, and it will really inconvenience the other lot and annoy them enormously.
"They have several members in serious ill-health; one globetrotter on local government business; one the ombudsman may soon suspend; several who cannot get time off work for every meeting; some who are just lazy; others who may be on holiday; some who may need to go on private business, for example a family funeral; others may just be late in a traffic jam or just temporarily sick with nasty flu bout."
However, Councillor Richard was forced to make a public apology ahead of a full council meeting to discuss the budget.
He said: "This is in respect to an email I recently sent to colleagues which was somehow published.
"If that has caused offence or embarrassment I would like to humbly apologise."
