Strategic political neutrality?

It has been a long week, and the after effects of the election have begun to kick in – aching legs, tiredness, the desire to stay in bed and throw the alarm clock across the room.

I do hope that Christian Hanagan has recovered – after all being Head of PR and Strategy is a tough job and needs someone on the ball with a new Council in place.

He was at the verification on Thursday night until gone midnight and then back again for the count on Friday.

I am not altogether sure what his status there was.  He is after all an officer of the Authority and as such supposed to be politically neutral, at least outwardly.  But he was there with the Labour party as one of their team.  Making sure his mother, Councillor Eudine Hanagan, was ok

I do hope that at the very least he booked time off to be there and wasn’t carrying out his political activities on taxpayers’ time. 

What are we paying the PR department for?

It seems we are paying Christian Hanagan Head of PR and Strategy at RCT CBC a tidy sum to churn out not only endless Labour propaganda but endless repeats of Labour propaganda.

A department that costs over a MILLION POUNDS  a year in staff salaries alone and this is the level of press release we get.  (Please note this is attributed to RCT CBC, the link to their site.  Wouldn’t want them to go un-attributed.)

“Thanks to representations by its local Councillors, Tonyrefail town centre is the latest area to benefit from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s £10m Highways Investment Scheme.”

Now when they did the roads in Trallwn where was the mention of local Councillors then?  Or the regeneration scheme in Pontypridd?  Why the difference?  Oh, of course they are not Labour wards.

Presumably Mr Hanagan wants to make sure he keeps in with his dear mother – make sure he is in the will, or perhaps she just does a terrific Sunday roast!   Because of course she is none other than Tonyrefail Councillor and Cabinet Member Eudine Hanagan.  She is pictured alongside Russell Roberts and Bob McDonald.

But to really rub salt in and emphasize just how much they are extracting the urine take a look at this

Yes, the RCT CBC website again.  And yes the same photo and even the same opening paragraph.   Three months ago.

“Thanks to representations by its local Councillors, Tonyrefail town centre is the latest area to benefit from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s £10m Highways Investment Scheme.”

I know RCT are trying to up its recycling rate but this is ridiculous.  And just in case you miss it on the Council web site then you can see the same story and picture on the Tonyrefail Labour party site.  Work is obviously cracking on apace.

Taxpayers’ money being spent for their benefit.  What was that again about hypocritical parasites?

Labour Cabinet Member faces possible 6 month suspension

A meeting of the RCT Council Standards Committee was held at Clydach Vale on

Thursday, 12 January 2012.

It all appears to have passed very quietly and without comment which is odd considering that the subject of the meeting was a Labour Cabinet Member.  Eudine Hanagan in fact the Cabinet member for Education.

The meeting was admittedly only the initial meeting on the subject – following a referral from the Public Services Ombudsman. 

As the minutes state

“The Committee had to determine, either, that there was no evidence of any failure to comply with the Code of Conduct or that the County Borough Councillor concerned, should be given the opportunity to make representations either orally or in writing in respect of the findings of the investigation and any allegation that she had failed or may have failed to comply with the Member’s Code of Conduct.”

Now there are no details given of what offence Cllr Hanagan is alleged to have committed, but the fact that the Ombudsman has investigated and decided to refer it suggest that he at least is satisfied that there is cause for concern.

A further meeting will now be called where she will be invited to give evidence.

“Following consideration of the contents of Ombudsman’s report, it was RESOLVED that County Borough Councillor Eudine Hanagan as the person who is the subject of the investigation, should be given the opportunity to make representations either, orally or in writing, in respect of the findings of the investigation and any allegation that she has failed or may have failed to comply with the Code of Conduct.”

No date is given for that meeting but one would hope that the Monitoring Officer will see to it that is it convened with all due haste.  After all there is an election coming up and the Standards Committee have the authority to suspend her for up to 6 months.

I wonder how her son, the Head of Public Relations and Strategy will spin that one.