Councillor hits back at chief exec's 'lecture' on authority's financial woes

A COUNCILLOR told Denbighshire Council's retiring chief executive she didn't need a “lecture” on why the authority was financially “struggling”.

- By RICHARD EVANS Local Democracy Reporter

Denbighshire Council announced yesterday its chief executive Graham Boase is set to retire in January.

Before this, the chief executive had showed his irritation at rumblings in the chamber that the authority was underperforming.

Mr Boase delivered a four-minute speech one councillor later dubbed a “lecture” on how tough the council's financial predicament was, citing its invisible successes and “excellent” schools.

Mr Boase’s delivery formed part of a debate on a self-assessment report, highlighting where the council was succeeding and failing, with various areas scored in red or green, depending on whether targets were met.

Citing a stakeholder survey that the council report said was a UK trend, the papers stated: “Not unique to our council is declining trust and satisfaction with democracy and public services generally.”

The report added: “Public trust and satisfaction in democracy and services is declining, emphasising the need for improved communication and engagement.”

Mr Boase said: “Can I come in on that point that says DCC is well behind where it should be, and that certain services are struggling?

“Well, I’m not sure we are well behind. We've had other reports that have told us we're a good-performing authority within the context that we have to work.

“Certain services are struggling. I'll quote from a recent report that’s saying, without significant further investment, local government is unsustainable in Wales.