A coalition of Councillors committed to good governance and principled

Leadership
We are committed to resolving the deep rooted problems caused by a failure of stable
principled political leadership within Anglesey once and for all. We are a group of
Councillors committed to the future of Anglesey as an Independent Council .We believe
that by our statements below, and by our actions, we have the strength and willingness
to take the steps necessary to secure that.
This Authority has been bedeviled with problems since its inception in 1996, a sad fact
is that many of the problems and weaknesses in governance terms that have regularly
featured in the press and media are directly attributable to a few members who are
unwilling to change their behavior and style. They are still members of this authority and
despite efforts to change their thinking through training and development are
persistently undertaking inappropriate behavior. It is these Councillors who have
brought the Authority to its knees through intervention and continue to display a blatant
disregard for proper governance. We will challenge them to renounce their inappropriate
behavior.
We would seek the support of the silent majority of Councillors who up until now have
remained loyal to their groups to consider whether they want to be responsible for the
loss of sovereignty of Anglesey County Council. It is time to consider what the
electorate of Anglesey wish to happen to its elected Council and for members to
consider the future of our staff.
We need Councillors who can truthfully meet the requirements of the Nolan Principles to
join together and form a new alliance of members to try and persuade the Minister to
minimize the additional intervention that recent behavior will inevitably produce
In creating this new alliance, none of us will do so on any promises of patronage,
positions, special responsibility allowances or power. We believe that this is the only
prospect of avoiding greater ministerial intervention or the effective closure of Anglesey
County Council as a sovereign body'
We understand that as Councillors we have collectively lost the trust and confidence of
our staff. We make a public statement today that we will provide stable strong and
principled leadership for this Council and we will not tolerate members who undermine
the essential trust and confidence there needs to be between Councillors and staff.
Our manifesto for security and stability
Last year we received a report on protocols that suggested we should base our actions
as Councillors on the” 7 principles of public life” from the Committee on Standards in
Public Life. They are:
 Selflessness
Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They
should not do so in order to gain financial or other benefits for themselves, their
family or their friends.
Integrity
Holders of Public Office should not place themselves under any financial or other
obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence
them in the performance of their official duties
Objectivity
In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding
contracts or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public
office should make choices on merit.
Accountability
Holders of Public Office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the
public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their
office.
Openness
Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and
actions they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict
information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.
Honesty.
Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to
their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that
protects the public interest.
Leadership
Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by
leadership and example.
We would suggest that one concept underpins all of them. It is “Trust”. Without trust
any system however well designed and however well meaning will not work well or even
at all.
The consequences of not following the aforementioned principles were clearly
articulated by the Minister in his statement to the Assembly on Thursday 17th February
2011 when he referred to “manoeuvering for personal and group advantage “and
“making hollow promises”
Our Policies:
We recognise that as a relatively small authority Anglesey has to work closely
with others to ensure it can provide high quality services. We wholeheartedly
support the Scoping study on closer working relationships with Gwynedd and will
make decisions on the results of that study based on what is good for the people
and economy of the island, not what is good for our own personal, or our political,
advantage.
However, we are very firmly committed to the continued existence of Anglesey as
a separate and sovereign authority. Sharing and working together for us means
neither a merger nor a 'take over'.
Homes for Elderly People - we are passionate supporters of the highest quality of
care for our older people. It is our public duty to explore all options for the most
effective provision of that care and will do so without prejudice or favour. We
also commit to effective and open engagement with service users and their
families etc.
There is a clear need for the school system on the island to be reviewed speedily
and openly, and recognise that people have strong feelings about these issues.
We will only succeed in bringing our education provision up to the best possible
standards if we are open, honest, straightforward and above all fair. We will act
with integrity in these matters and will not shirk from tough decisions (we will
show that councillors can lead by example).
Nothing can be achieved as a council without the goodwill, support and hard
work of our employees at all levels. We commit to an active policy of staff
engagement in the decision making process, free from fear of victimisation or
bullying, whilst always maintaining the appropriate distinction in role between
councillors and council employees. To ensure this is effective we will establish,
in consultation with trade unions and others, a 'Staff Forum' where issues can be
discussed openly.
The budgetary situation facing the island is challenging. We wish to be
accountable for ensuring we deliver the best possible value for money that we
can (a balance always between what is possible and what is desirable) and
commit to an open and gimmick free budget process.
We understand the difficult financial pressures the public sector faces and indeed
the challenges our staff face in terms of their pay and conditions. We will reduce
special responsibility allowances by 25% and the basic allowance by 10% with
immediate effect. All the money thus saved will be directed in to a fund to
support the economic regeneration of the island.
We accept that there needs to be continuity and public confidence and trust as
we go forward. All appointments to the Executive of the Council shall be made
solely on merit and experience in order to re-establish the confidence of the
electorate, the staff and the Welsh Assembly Government. We shall hold a
secret ballot amongst all members of the coalition for the election of a Leader
and Deputy Leader. It will then be for them to form a Cabinet and explain their
decisions to the coalition.
We will also include in the 2011/12 budget , provision of £30,000 to help promote
democratic renewal in Anglesey and encourage a new generation of committed
principled councillors to come forward in the 2012 elections. We commit to
discussing with the Welsh Assembly Government and the Electoral Commission
how an energetic campaign may best be delivered.
We note that Councillors in Anglesey are often accused of being parochial. We
ask the Minister to consider commissioning via the boundary commission, a
study of electoral arrangements in Anglesey with a view to assessing whether for
example a small reduction in the number of councillors together with the creation
of multi-member wards may strengthen democracy by ensuring that all seats are
fully contested and that a less parochial approach can be taken.
Within the limits possible for the established political parties, the coalition commit
to work together to ensure that any election results in 2012 continue to deliver a
strong broad grouping of councillors committed to moving the Council forward
beyond 2012. We fully accept that if we fail that the Minister will appoint
Commissioners and would need to consider abolition of the Council.

We want to be held accountable by the people of Anglesey for our decisions, our
behaviour in public office and our integrity. We accept that often well-meaning
attempts to move the Council forward have not been entirely successful because
not enough of us have, until now, been ready to stand firm against the past.
However, we have now acted decisively and we hope the Minister will find it
possible to give us time to demonstrate our good intent.
We call upon all members of the Council to irrevocably change the way we do
politics in this Council. However, this does not mean that we can draw a line
under what has gone before and pretend it didn't happen. Our employees, the
Minister and the people of Anglesey will judge our commitments to integrity,
honesty, accountability and leadership, partly by how we behave towards each
other and how we manage unacceptable behaviour. Any councillor joining the
coalition and not upholding these principles, and/or reverting to the 'winner takes
all' and personality politics which created this situation will be asked to leave. If
they fail to do so they may be dismissed from the coalition after due process.