LABOUR CALL FOR APOLOGY FROM COUNCIL LEADER
6 March 2006
Swansea Council leader Chris Holley has been told to apologise over the Thorogate affair by Labour rivals.
They claim Councillor Holley should have intervened when he first learned of planning issues regarding former chief executive Tim Thorogood's Rhossili home in October and read the £120,000 a year top officer the riot act.
Councillor Holley said Labour had far more to apologise for, pointing to the huge building repair bill the city is facing, and insists he did everything properly and acted swiftly once an official complaint was lodged in December.
He said: "The issue in October was dealt with by a planning committee which is open to public scrutiny. That committee dealt with the retrospective planning permission.
"There was no comment made to myself either from the monitoring officer or the head of human resources about the matter."
Councillor Holley said that when a complaint was made against Mr Thorogood in December and he was informed by the monitoring officer and head of human resources of the situation it was dealt with straight away.
He said: "I instructed them to make sure that everything they were doing was legal and above board and they approached me the following day which resulted, within an hour, of the chief executive being asked to leave the building."
Councillor Phillips believes that he is partially responsible for the action taken which is grossly incorrect and he has claimed that nothing happened until he intervened which has also proven to be incorrect."
Mr Thorogood has left the council in a £60,000 deal last month after facing an investigation into the row over a garage he built at his home.
Labour leader David Phillips believes Councillor Holley should have acted much sooner after a leaked report confirmed he was aware of the issue in October.
He said: "The report makes it clear that he knew something was wrong two months before an official complaint was lodged. As leader of the council he should have got Tim Thorogood in his office and read him the riot act there and then.
"Chris Holley was telling people that they should have been delighted with the £60,000 pay off and that it represented value for money. I believe that he now owes them an apology and a more truthful explanation about his involvement."
Swansea Council leader Chris Holley has been told to apologise over the Thorogate affair by Labour rivals.
They claim Councillor Holley should have intervened when he first learned of planning issues regarding former chief executive Tim Thorogood's Rhossili home in October and read the £120,000 a year top officer the riot act.
Councillor Holley said Labour had far more to apologise for, pointing to the huge building repair bill the city is facing, and insists he did everything properly and acted swiftly once an official complaint was lodged in December.
He said: "The issue in October was dealt with by a planning committee which is open to public scrutiny. That committee dealt with the retrospective planning permission.
"There was no comment made to myself either from the monitoring officer or the head of human resources about the matter."
Councillor Holley said that when a complaint was made against Mr Thorogood in December and he was informed by the monitoring officer and head of human resources of the situation it was dealt with straight away.
He said: "I instructed them to make sure that everything they were doing was legal and above board and they approached me the following day which resulted, within an hour, of the chief executive being asked to leave the building."
Councillor Phillips believes that he is partially responsible for the action taken which is grossly incorrect and he has claimed that nothing happened until he intervened which has also proven to be incorrect."
Mr Thorogood has left the council in a £60,000 deal last month after facing an investigation into the row over a garage he built at his home.
Labour leader David Phillips believes Councillor Holley should have acted much sooner after a leaked report confirmed he was aware of the issue in October.
He said: "The report makes it clear that he knew something was wrong two months before an official complaint was lodged. As leader of the council he should have got Tim Thorogood in his office and read him the riot act there and then.
"Chris Holley was telling people that they should have been delighted with the £60,000 pay off and that it represented value for money. I believe that he now owes them an apology and a more truthful explanation about his involvement."
posted by Commentator at 8:32 AM
<< Home