North Wales council claims top transparency record despite £3.2m unused depot row

Richard Evans – Local democracy reporter

The leader of a north Wales has said the authority is probably the most transparent in Wales – despite fresh political tensions over a £3.2m bill for an HGV depot that has never been used.

The statement came during a heated debate at May’s Conwy County Council cabinet meeting, where members were asked to approve the Annual Governance Statement for 2025–26.

The self-assessment report sets out how the authority believes it is meeting standards of accountability, financial control, and transparency.

The statement is produced in line with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) guidelines.

The statement says the council is “responsible for ensuring that our business is conducted in accordance with the law and proper standards; and that public money is safeguarded and properly accounted for, being used economically, efficiently, and effectively”.

While cabinet members endorsed both the report and the authority’s performance, backbenchers raised long-running concerns over the Mochdre “Shed” – the unfit-for-purpose HGV depot costing the council millions.

In February, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed the authority has spent at least £3,243,687 on the facility since taking on the contract in May 2016 – despite it never being used for its intended purpose.

The bill continues to increase month by month and includes £2,233,330 on rent and £703,735 on “specialist consultants” – with hidden costs remaining unknown.

The council says the depot’s floor is unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles, but it remains tied into a 35-year lease running until 2031.

The authority is currently locked in a legal dispute over payments connected to the site.

Caution

Abergele councillor Paul Luckock raised the issue at the Coed Pella meeting, challenging the cabinet’s opinion that the council was efficient and transparent and arguing there should be more public scrutiny to build “community trust”.

He said: “Now I’ve got two or three areas of the council’s work where I personally feel we’ve got governance wrong. I mean, the obvious one is Mochdre Business (Commerce) Park. Because we’ve had 10 years…”

Council leader Cllr Julie Fallon then interrupted Cllr Luckock, but Cllr Luckock said: “No, I’m not going to say anything. I’m not going to say anything that’s going to happen.”

Cllr Fallon then interrupted Cllr Luckock cautioning him against discussing legal matters.

The leader said: “I am the chair of this meeting, and if I feel that you are going on too long or straying into areas that are not appropriate for this discussion right now, then I will say it, so just be careful.

“You are very aware of why it is not appropriate to constantly raise this, and I’m concerned that this is in part because you are wanting to create headlines, and that’s not what this is about right now.”

Headlines

Cllr Luckock denied he was looking for headlines and argued the matter hadn’t come before the governance and audit scrutiny committee in any “coherent form”.

Cllr Fallon again interrupted, telling him she had told him “when this process will take place” and insisted it couldn’t be discussed “because it is under legal privilege”. She added it wasn’t “an excuse” but about doing things at “the appropriate time”.

Cllr Luckock argued: “But there’s never an appropriate time, and it has been going on 10 years.” Cllr Fallon then told him to move on to his other points.

Cllr Luckock then suggested the Mochdre HGV Depot should have been included in the report. “There are other areas where public resources in my view are not being used economically effectively and efficiently and ethically, and I will continue to, through the audit and governance committee, raise those concerns about those areas… but I think not to even acknowledge in this report these issues, it makes the residents of our local authority so…”

Cllr Luckock added that people only had to Google the information. Cllr Fallon said: “But Paul (Cllr Luckock) this is in your opinion. You can say that, but that’s in your opinion.

“As far as I am concerned, having done this for many, many years, having worked with numerous authorities for years, I think we are probably the most open and transparent local authority in Wales.”

She added: “I think the information that we share, and it was very clear from the PPA, goes over and above what the majority of local authorities share, so I disagree with the comments that you are making. You really need to be clear that’s in your opinion. That’s not factual information. That’s your opinion.”

Cllr Fallon then said she was “not trying to stifle debate” and added she and the chief executive would be going out on a public roadshow for an open Q&A with residents. Cllr Chris Cater had also said earlier in the debate that the council was “heavily audited” and the public could have “real confidence” in its systems.

But opposition criticism continued when Cllr David Carr joined the debate online and challenged the council’s record on FOI requests. Cllr Carr cited Audit Wales figures, claiming 54% of FOI requests were not met on time.

“That’s not very transparent, is it?” he said. “We are not the most transparent authority in Wales. We are probably the worst, actually.” Cllr Fallon responded: “That’s in your opinion.”

The leader then blamed FOI response delays on staff capacity pressures. She also suggested that the volume of FOI requests had increased due to the use of AI in drafting submissions.

Cllr Carr then said: “When you go to scrutiny committee, you go on for about 15 or 20 minutes.” The conversation got repeatedly heated and inaudible, with Cllr Fallon saying, “That’s enough” and Cllr Carr responding, “You don’t really want any opposition.”

Cllr Carr then attempted to continue, but his microphone was switched off as he spoke. Cllr Dilwyn Roberts proposed councillors backed the Annual Governance Statement, which was seconded by Cllr Chris Cater, and approved by cabinet.