IT’S ONLY to be expected that now Labour controls Caerphilly council, Plaid Cymru will take every opportunity to criticise our administration, this is the natural role of any political opposition.

However, even though we made a mistake over chief officer pay, and we have apologised for it, it is in fact Plaid Cymru who should be careful about throwing proverbial stones. Having read the Caerphilly County Borough Council Annual Improvement Report published by the Wales Audit Office this month, it becomes immediately and unequivocally apparent that Plaid presided over a continuous downward spiral of services within the council.

Part two of the report clearly states that between 2011 and 2012, there were ‘signs of declining performance’ and that performance in improving services was mixed and it (the council) ‘has been slow to address some key priority areas’. Importantly, the report acknowledges that between 2010 and 2012, there was a significant and above-average increase in complaints to the Local Authority Ombudsman. This decline was happening while Plaid was in control and before we took over the council in May 2012. Since May 2012 the Audit Report recognises that the council is improving across many key service areas. This is after we took control of the council. Cllr Kevin Dawson Fair View Blackwood