NEWPORT city councillors have accused the Welsh Government of hypocrisy for proposing to introduce fixed terms for councillors when they do not apply to AMs and MPs.
Councillors passionately discussed their response to the Welsh Government white paper on the reorganisation of local government in Wales on Tuesday and said while they agree in principle with proposals, there are a number of concerns.
Power to Local People, overseen by local government minister Leighton Andrews, sets out the Welsh Government’s vision for the future of local government in Wales.
In its response Newport City Council said that term limits are “un-democratic” and could be considered ageist.
Mr Andrews has not yet formally set a term limit, but he has said that it could be five terms – 25 years – for councillors and 10 years for leaders.
Labour councillor Miqdad Al-Nuaimi disagreed that the number of councillors should be reduced, saying that councillors are the “first layer of engagement” between residents and their representatives.
“They don’t hesitate to contact us when they need advice or to complain about something,” he said. “I think that should be taken into consideration."
Labour councillors Mark Whitcutt and Chris Evans accused the Welsh Government of hypocrisy over term limits, as they do not apply to any other Welsh institution.
Cllr Evans added that it is also “gross hypocrisy” for the Assembly to call for more AMs on higher salaries.
Some councillors took a stronger view, calling for the Welsh Assembly and Government to be scrapped altogether.
Independent councillor Kevin Whitehead said: “If we had a referendum today, the Welsh Government will be a thing of the past. It remains a very expensive White Elephant.”
Conservative leader David Fouweather said he would “abolish the Assembly tomorrow” and agreed that bigger wards and fewer councillors would mean more work, adding it would be impossible for that to be done in a part-time role.
The council also responded that it does not support that the role of leaders, cabinet members, chief executives and members is defined in legislation, feeling that it should be left to individual councils to establish individual job descriptions based on their own constitutions.
Council leader Bob Bright summed up: “We know that change is coming, we’re just making these points to Leighton Andrews to ask him to look at these urgently."
He read a report from the council’s Fairness Commission which said it had serious concerns over the public consultation as it would provoke answers that favoured the Welsh Government’s proposals.
The council’s response, along with the Fairness Commission report and comments from the legal officer over ageism claims, were submitted to the Welsh Government.
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