HOLLEY ISSUES CHALLENGE OVER FREE TICKETS ROW

South Wales Evening Post - 6 February 2008

Swansea Council leader Chris Holley has thrown down the gauntlet to a fellow councillor to put up or shut up on alleged misuse of Liberty Stadium tickets by elected members.

He made the challenge as a number of other councillors came forward to say they have never used free stadium tickets for themselves or their families.

Councillors Ioan Richard and Mike Hedges contacted the Post yesterday after Mynyddbach councillor Ray Welsby claimed that council members were using tickets meant to go to deserving community groups for themselves and their families.

Now Councillor Holley has waded into the row and challenged Councillor Welsby to name names.

He said: "I am fed up with these sweeping statements without anything to back them up.

"I would like Councillor Welsby to come forward with names.

"If he can't do that, I demand he apologises to the other 71 councillors.

"For him to make sweeping statements like this is disgraceful.

"I know of one councillor who has never had a ticket, and he has been condemned.

"I am sure there are many other cases like that."

Mawr councillor Mr Richard and Councillor Hedges, who represents Morriston ward, had earlier contacted the Post to clear their names.

Councillor Hedges said: "When councillor Ray Welsby makes such comments, he besmirches all councillors.

"For the record, I have received tickets which I have given to the committee of Morriston Rugby Club for a rugby match and to the committee of the junior section of Ynystawe for a soccer match. The next tickets I get will be given to the committee of Morriston Memorial Hall.

"The number taken by myself or given to relatives is none."

Councillor Richard added: "I have had free tickets - I gave them all, every single one, to worthy children and they were children outside of my ward, so I cannot be accused of giving them away for votes.

"Nobody in my family or circle of friends, not even myself, has been to the stadium on this allocation."

Mynyddbach councillor Mr Welsby could not be contacted by email or phone yesterday, but he did send a message to the Post website stating that he had acted to protect an abuse of taxpayers' money which he claimed totalled £35,000 a year.

However, a council spokesman denied any public money was used to buy the tickets.

He said: "There is no charge to the council for these tickets.

"A record is kept which shows how many of these tickets are allocated to any particular match, and to which councillors they are allocated. Councillors' allocations are recorded on their hospitality register, which is a public record.

"However, information about those who accept tickets from councillors is personal to those individuals, and cannot be disclosed."