Madam,

Re Pricewaterhouse Coopers consultants. I doubt that there are many in Ceredigion who feel comfortable about some of the decisions taken by Ceredigion County Council leaders in recent months to make savings in the budget.

That this is no easy task for them is a given. But it is one which they are either voluntarily (in the case of elected councillors) or as part of their job (in the case of paid employees) are required to do. Amongst the latter we have some highly paid individuals – a chief executive earning £108,000, a deputy chief executive at £98,000, three strategic directors with salaries totalling £279,000 and nine heads of services with total wages of £621,000 - a grand total of over £1.1m (plus their pension contributions).

So it is only reasonable that any council taxpayer should be able to question and get answers on how effective they are in their roles. After all it is we who actually pay for them.

So when we have such an extremely controversial decision taken by the council to enter into a contract with the largest professional services firm in the world, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, and which to date has been paid £1,988,212 in fees, it is surely only fair and reasonable that those who stump up such a large sum have a right to see exactly where the money has gone and for what?

But ‘no!’ our council will not allow it. They are prepared to hide behind a ‘Refusal Notice’ under Sections 40(2) and 43(2) of The Freedom of Information Act 2000.

I asked the council to provide me with a copy of the agreement, how much had been paid to PwC to date and list the amounts by subject. I was appalled at their response.

Of the 14 pages of the agreement sent to me, no less than five pages were completely redacted, and a further total of 141 lines likewise. (“Redacted” is normally the phrase used by the Secret Service or the Government or politicians to hide the information they don’t want you to see!)I don’t consider that acceptable.

The council is claiming that this information is exempt from disclosure as it “may be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of the Council and PwC”. That will be challenged through the Information Commissioner.

But behind this lies the worrying thought that there are obviously some within the council who believe that is beyond the capabilities of employees, and indeed elected members, to identify potential savings within their own departments, so much so that they are prepared to hand over £2m to a third party to tell us what to do.

Well I for one do not accept that that could be the case, and one has to wonder were the staff given the chance?

I hope people will remember that when it comes to the elections next year.

Yours etc,

Peter Boyle, Abergwesyn Road, Tregaron.

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