Welsh council chamber breaks into row over unused depot

Richard Evans, Local democracy reporter

A heated exchange broke out at a Conwy County Council scrutiny meeting yesterday (2 February) as councillors clashed over the long-running cost of an unused Mochdre HGV depot.

The row occurred during the authority’s finance and resources overview and scrutiny committee, held at the council’s Coed Pella headquarters in Colwyn Bay.

The hybrid meeting was not available online until late in the day due to technical issues.

Councillors raised concerns about the former Mochdre depot, at the Mochdre Commerce Park, which the council has been paying around £20,000 a month for since 2016.

The depot’s floor is unsuitable to sufficiently accommodate HGVs, yet the council is locked into the 35-year lease until 2031 – when the agreement can be broken. The council remains locked in a legal battle over the payments.

Cllr Gareth Jones brought up the matter, asking for an update, but he was told by the council’s head of finance Amanda Hughes that councillors would be updated “as and when” information was available.

Tensions escalated when Cllr David Carr attempted to speak, but officers and the meeting’s chairwoman attempted to silence him due to legal issues.

The Old Colwyn councillor shouted over chairwoman Cllr Cheryl Carlisle, demanding the chance to comment on what he called “a bad contract” and insisting residents were concerned about the ongoing expense.

“Can you not interrupt me? I’m an elected county councillor,” said Cllr Carr.

“I don’t want to be interrupted. You let Cllr Fallon (Leader Cllr Julie Fallon) speak to defend what’s going on, but I think residents are extremely concerned at the constant expense, and they want action.

“They want this brought to an end, and they can’t have it brought to an end because we never discuss it. I’m not happy that I’m interrupted, and that Cllr Fallon, who is not even a member of this committee, is allowed to give that point of view.”

Cllr Paul Luckock also criticised the council’s approach, branding it an “as and when” strategy and highlighting the length of the delay

“As and when we will report to you is not really acceptable,” he said, criticising the lack of information.

“I know we are the defendant in this case, but in that situation I think it’s reasonable for councillors to use their agency to ask the question: have we got a court date; have we got a date when an outcome is going to be achieved?

“Because ‘as and when’ as a strategy I don’t think is acceptable to our residents who want a resolution to this one way or the other,” he said. Cllr Luckock added that the “debacle” has now dragged on for nearly ten years.

Monitoring officer Ceri Williams said the council could not provide a detailed update at this stage.

She confirmed officers would report back once more information became available, but no timeline could be given for a resolution.

Council leader Cllr Julie Fallon said she shared councillors’ concerns but stressed that ongoing legal proceedings limited what could be disclosed.

She noted that court processes were outside the council’s control and that waiting times across family, magistrates, and crown courts were unpredictable.

“A lot is beyond our control. It is not a case of trying to hide anything, not wanting to share information,” she said.

“Believe me, I want this to be done as much as anybody does, and the minute we are in a position to share that, I can absolutely guarantee you that will happen, but we can’t dictate how long some of these things take and how long it will be before the courts come back to us.”

The leader added: “There is nothing being hidden. It is just a case of process, and yes, it is incredibly frustrating it takes as long as it does, but that’s the world we live in and the judicial system we have.”

The Mochdre depot has been repeatedly scrutinised in recent years, with councillors questioning why the council remains financially committed to the site.

Conwy took on the contract for the purpose-built Mochdre “shed” in May 2016.

Should Conwy continue to honour the rent payments until 2031, the total expenditure on the depot would reach around £3.6m.

Meanwhile, the council has increased council tax by around 30% in three years while slashing services – with another increase expected this year. Initially leased from Conygar Investment Company PLC, R.R Sea Strand Limited now serves as the landlords.

The facility was used for storing pandemic-related equipment and even prepared as an emergency temporary morgue during the height of the COVID crisis but has been largely left unused.