Councils vote - 'golden goodbyes'

Councillors in Merthyr are the latest to reject the scheme

Two more councils have voted on whether to implement the controversial "golden goodbyes" payment for long serving councillors.

Neath Port Talbot council decided on Wednesday by 21 votes to 10 to adopt the one-off severance payment, but Merthyr Tydfil council became the seventh Welsh local authority to reject the scheme.

It means that seven out of 11 local authorities who have voted on the issue so far have said no to the possible £20,000 pay-offs.

Under the past service awards scheme, which was voted through the Welsh assembly last week, councillors with 16 years or more service have the option of being paid not to stand in next year's local elections.

Only Labour backed the policy in the Welsh assembly, however.

This is something that nobody in Wales wants apart from those who might benefit and the 30 Labour AMs who voted for it Tory AM Glyn Davies

First Minister Rhodri Morgan says the Welsh Assembly Government had never intended to force any councils to implement the scheme.

But opposition politicians are now calling on them to drop the whole idea.

On Tuesday, Denbighshire, Anglesey and Powys councils joined Caerphilly and Wrexham councils, who rejected the assembly government's proposal on Monday.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council became the first to reject the plan last week.

Before Neath Port Talbot, just three of Wales' 22 local authorities voted to accept the scheme - Vale of Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire and Torfaen.

'Role of councillors'

Conservative local government spokesman Glyn Davies said the scheme was "immoral".

He said: "This is something that nobody in Wales wants apart from those who might benefit and the 30 Labour AMs who voted for it."

But the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) defended the scheme.

In a statement, it said: "It is now clearly a matter for individual local authorities to exercise local choice on whether or not they implement this scheme.

"Those who have vilified long-standing public servants as undeserving of such an award should perhaps reflect more carefully on the role of local councillors in regenerating their communities."

All of Wales' councils will meet individually to decide on whether to adopt the policy.

In councils which do implement it, long-serving members have until 20 November to decide whether or not to accept the payment and retire at the next local government elections in May or June next year.

However, critics claim the one-off initiative for the 2004 council elections is flawed as there is nothing to prevent councillors who take the money from standing again.