South Wales Evening Post - 23 April 2007
Two senior Swansea councillors have refused to stand down over a highly critical report into the council's IT programme.
Labour group leader David Phillips called for councillors John Newbury and Mary Jones (pictured) to resign from the ruling cabinet group.
He said the pair were so closely linked to the whole process that the buck must stop with them.
However, both refused to go, and council leader Chris Holley said now was not the time for political responsibility.
He said: "When we took control of this council we saw that we had to modernise. We went forward with that and we took advice from everyone you could possibly think of.
"Questions were asked about suitability, about costs, about the benefits - everything we could have possibly asked."
The resignation calls were prompted by a damning report into failures in the council's IT procurement. The £83 million deal with Capgemini is failing to deliver millions of pounds of savings.
The report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PWC) said not enough was done to check those figures before the deal was done.
It also highlighted serious concerns over the flow of information between cabinet members and senior managers.
Councillors have agreed to hold an internal inquiry into the role of senior officers to see if any should face disciplinary action.
"There is a lot of blame in the PWC report, but it is not pointed at anyone," said Councillor Holley.
"This report is a snapshot - not a particularly good snapshot, I'll admit that. There have been problems and there are political concerns, but they are for the future."
Opposition leaders backed plans for an internal inquiry, but added there needed to be political responsibility.
Cabinet members claimed they were not properly advised, but Plaid, Labour and Conservative group leaders say they did not ask the right questions.
Cabinet members admitted to knowing about letters from senior directors.
Councillor Philips said: "The responsibility for this debacle has to be equally shared between the authority's officers and the cabinet members. Putting this all on the officers is unfair and just won't do.
"Councillor Holley must now take political responsibility and sack the two cabinet members responsible."
Plaid leader Darren Price said: "We have complained about this programme only to be told we did not understand it.
"Now we need to know who knew what and when, and I do feel people need to be held to account."
Councillor Mary Jones, the cabinet member for top.performance and Service@Swansea, said the report did not say the scheme was a failure and that auditors had not said not to proceed.
She said that attacks by rival councillors were the worst she had faced in 30 years.
Councillor Jones said: "What happened on Thursday was a vociferous and vicious attack on me by some Labour and Conservative councillors trying to make political gain.
"I endured approximately two hours of sustained questioning followed by at least 45 minutes of speeches decrying me and others.
"We, as the previous opposition, did not act in this way when the leisure centre was closed.
"The continuous negative attitude is demoralising to staff who have worked extremely hard to deliver the programme.
"I will not be bullied by some councillors whose only aim is their own self-benefit."
