THE Gwynedd Council Independent Group is calling on the council’s Cabinet to do more to help local businesses and ensure that jobs are protected.

The group believes the local authority should be doing more to help local businesses supply them with goods such as meat, bread and milk produce to ensure that local businesses are supported. At the group’s recent meeting, several examples were give of local firms losing council contracts to larger businesses which leads to job losses.

Amongst the examples was a Gwynedd butcher who had to lay off five of his staff after losing a school contract to a firm in Clwyd.

Cllr Mandy Williams Davies, Cabinet member and portfolio member for the economy on Gwynedd Council said there were rules surrounding the supply of goods in the county they had to comply with.

The Independent group members argued that the council needs to put quality before prices and to ensure that local businesses benefited which they say is within the rules.

Independent group leader Cllr Roy Owen said: “We had a full debate on the tendering and supply process and then Plaid Cymru told us at the full council that they were favouring local businesses. Well, local businesses do not agree with Plaid Cymru from the information we as a group are being told.

“I now want a full and frank meeting with the portfolio member of the economy, Cllr Mandy Williams Davies and Cllr Mair Rowlands, who is now on the Cabinet, to explain to us what is actually happening on the ground.”

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