Ticket to ride

Whatever the truth of Ray Welsby's claims about the mass misuse of freebies at Swansea's Liberty Stadium, we could not help but notice that what prompted his complaint was his own inability to put his hands on free tickets. We only have his word as to how exactly he would have distributed those tickets if he had got them.

The other distinctive feature of this so-called scandal is the fact that a detailed protocol for the Liberty Stadium has not been put to council yet because of the reluctance of the Labour Group Leader to agree it. He has said that he is not happy about councillors being involved in ticket allocations. Unfortunately, for David Phillips he is in a minority on this matter within his own group. Councillors of all parties receive tickets for distribution to needy members of their community, but many of these take the Labour whip. Their presence at matches is often much in evidence.

Another smoking gun for Labour

We are indebted to the Evening Post for underlining the real story behind the audit report into the Liberty Stadium:

Thousands of pounds was spent bringing in the experts who told leaders in the former Labour-run administration that catering firms should pay for the fit-out and that undersoil heating was not necessary.

However, it became apparent that no firms were willing to stump up the cash for catering equipment.

And after a Swansea City game was postponed because of a frozen pitch, club bosses recommended undersoil heating.

These cock-ups took place on the watch of the same cabinet members who oversaw the rundown and eventual closure of the Leisure Centre. The result was that the new Administration had to step in to ensure the stadium's future by fitting out the catering facilities and installing the undersoil heating.

It was Swansea taxpayers who ended up paying for this because Labour had failed to include them in the original plans. Many other short cuts were taken as well, not least with the highway arrangements. The Swansea Administration also had to sort out the management structure of the stadium as well.

Labour often seek to portray the present Administration as incompetent however all the evidence lies with view that it was their mismanagement that left the Council in such a mess and that we have been left to pick up the pieces and put them back together again.