Commenting on the publication of a Wales Audit Office report, which concludes that Caerphilly County Borough Council acted unlawfully in determining pay for senior officers, Janet Finch-Saunders AM, Shadow Minister for Local Government, said:

“This is a scathing report, which highlights the scandalous goings-on in Caerphilly Council which saw senior executives involved in setting their own rates of pay.

“This report highlights a catalogue of contraventions of basic laws designed to protect the taxpayer from conflicts of interest and abuse of public money.

“No one should be able to dip their hand into the public purse and decide how much the generous taxpayer should pay for their services.

“These were already well-paid senior executives at Caerphilly Council awarding themselves bumper pay increases at a time when many lower-paid council workers and hard-pressed taxpayers in Caerphilly were facing a freeze in their own salary.

“There are major lessons to be learnt, which should be shared with all local authorities to ensure no such scandal can happen again.”