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
