Two hundred people attended a protest at County Hall

A PROTEST by local union members at Pembrokeshire County Council has been held at County Hall, Haverfordwest. The unions say they are protesting at leadership under Mr Parry-Jones, the chief executive.

The unions are also calling for the council CEO to be suspended while Gloucester police investigate his pension arrangements.

Unison branch secretary Vic Dennis told The Herald: “We organised a ballot very quickly, as a result of the reopening of the police investigation, and within a week we got over a 50% return on the ballot, during a peak holiday period, and 98% of those that returned said they had no confidence in the chief officer of this council.”

He added: “We want the county council to deal with what’s happening at the top fairly and equitably, the same as all our members who come to work every day, We expect fairness. We’re not looking for special treatment.”

Around two hundred people took part in the protest. A number of councillors were present  including, Cllrs Paul Miller, Jonathan Nutting, Reg Owens, Rhys Sinnet, Alison Lee, Gwilym Price, Tony Wilcox and Stephen Joseph.

Asked why he was out supporting the protest, Cllr Tony Wilcox said: “I’m out here with a few hundred people because it’s time for a change. It seems hard to believe that a guy, who is in complete control of everything, can be responsible for nothing at all when it goes wrong.”

He added: “The very least he should do is stand down voluntarily until such as time as the enquiry has run its course. The Carmarthen chief executive did stand down but ours never did and he’s not going to now, he’s just completely immune and out of touch with everything. This is Pembrokeshire sadly; it’s not a nice place to be. We’re losing staff left right and centre for all sorts of reasons”.

Cllr Gwilym Price told The Herald: “I feel very strongly that Bryn Parry-Jones should have been listening to the people a long time ago and listening to us councillors that he has the moral duty to stand aside whilst he’s being investigated and that he should pay back the money.

“At a time of austerity when our people, our workers, who work very hard, had to lose money, anything up to £5000, it’s a bit obscene for him to collect all that money and have a huge amount of money to defend his position which we fought was really untenable.

“Most of all, this is my opportunity to say what I really feel about the people who are supporting him, these are elected members, I’m an elected member and I hope that I’m honest enough to represent my constituents, but as long as we have the IPG group who are like nodding donkeys, who will support the Bryn Parry-Jones’ of this world, then he is sitting pretty.

“He’s got a little cocoon around him, he tells them what to say and they say it and they vote that way and I find that disgusting. I have as much disgust for those for keeping him there as I do for the man who is taking this money”.

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