Janet Finch-Saunders, Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy, is deeply shocked by the enormous waste of council taxpayers' money resulting from the Mochdre HGV Depot scandal.
A HGV depot that cannot house trucks is costing Conwy taxpayers nearly a quarter of a million a year. Originally intended to store the Council's HGV fleet, the depot's flooring isn't strong enough for heavy goods vehicles.
Now tied into a 35-year lease at Mochdre Commerce Park, which started in 2016, the Council has already spent around £2 million. The earliest opportunity to break the lease is in 2031, by which time the total cost will reach approximately £3.6 million.
Conwy Council’s Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee met yesterday to discuss the issue but opted to keep the proceedings a secret, citing ongoing negotiations with the landlord as the reason.
Commenting on the news Janet said:
“This has been going on now for over 8 years. No progress has been made with the negotiations, meaning that millions of pounds that should be spent on Conwy’s social care, education and upkeeping of facilities has been poured down the drain.
“Given the utter incompetence here by Conwy Council and the resulting waste of money, to argue against making the meeting public is simply shirking the Council’s responsibility to us, the public, who pay their bills.
“I have also requested through an FOI the amount being spent on business rates for the site – which I expect to be an additional enormous sum of money.
“This is absolutely in the public interest, and clearly Conwy Council do not understand how much of a scandal this is. They must be open and transparent about the current discussions regarding the site given the vast sums of money involved in this disgrace.
“It is shameful that the Council can waste this money and then ask us to cough up more. They have raised council tax by nearly 20% over the last two years whilst cutting front-line service budgets by 10%.
“Enough is enough. Conwy Council is hiding behind protocol and bureaucracy to save themselves from the embarrassment of this scandal and I will not stand for it.”
ENDS
Mae Janet Finch-Saunders, Aelod o’r Senedd dros Aberconwy, wedi ei syfrdanu gan wastraff enfawr arian trethdalwyr gan y cyngor sydd wedi digwydd yn sgil sgandal Depo HGV Mochdre.
Mae depo HGV nad yw’n gallu storio tryciau yn costio bron i chwarter miliwn y flwyddyn i drethdalwyr Conwy. Y bwriad gwreiddiol oedd storio fflyd HGV y Cyngor yno, ond dyw llawr y depo ddim yn ddigon cryf ar gyfer cerbydau nwyddau trwm.
Mae’r Cyngor wedi ymrwymo i les 35 mlynedd ym Mharc Masnach Mochdre, a ddechreuodd yn 2016, ac mae eisoes wedi gwario tua £2 filiwn. Daw’r cyfle cyntaf i dorri'r les yn 2031, ac erbyn hynny bydd cyfanswm y gost tua £3.6 miliwn.
Cyfarfu Pwyllgor Trosolwg a Chraffu Cyllid ac Adnoddau Cyngor Conwy ddoe i drafod y mater ond dewisodd gadw'r trafodion yn gyfrinachol, gan nodi trafodaethau parhaus gyda'r landlord fel y rheswm dros hynny.
Wrth sôn am y newyddion dywedodd Janet:
"Mae hyn wedi bod yn digwydd ers dros 8 mlynedd. Nid oes cynnydd wedi'i wneud yn y trafodaethau, sy'n golygu bod miliynau o bunnoedd y dylid eu gwario ar ofal cymdeithasol, addysg a chynnal cyfleusterau Conwy wedi'u tywallt i lawr y draen.
"O ystyried anghymhwysedd llwyr Cyngor Conwy a'r gwastraff arian sy'n deillio o hynny, mae gwrthod cynnal y cyfarfod yn gyhoeddus yn fater o wrthod ysgwyddo eu cyfrifoldeb gan y Cyngor i ni, y cyhoedd, sy'n talu eu biliau.
"Rwyf hefyd wedi gofyn drwy gais Rhyddid Gwybodaeth am y swm sy'n cael ei wario ar ardrethi busnes ar gyfer y safle - ac rwy'n disgwyl y bydd yn swm enfawr ychwanegol o arian.
"Mae hyn er budd y cyhoedd yn llwyr, ac yn amlwg dyw Cyngor Conwy ddim yn deall faint o sgandal yw hyn. Rhaid iddyn nhw fod yn agored ac yn dryloyw ynghylch y trafodaethau cyfredol ynghylch y safle o ystyried y symiau enfawr o arian sy'n gysylltiedig â'r gwarth hwn.
"Mae'n gywilyddus bod y Cyngor yn gallu gwastraffu'r arian yma ac yna gofyn i ni dalu mwy. Maen nhw wedi codi’r dreth gyngor bron i 20% dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf yn ogystal â thorri cyllidebau gwasanaethau rheng flaen 10%.
"Mae'r cyfan yn ormod. Mae Cyngor Conwy yn cuddio tu ôl i brotocol a biwrocratiaeth er mwyn achub eu hunain rhag cywilydd y gwarth hwn a dydw i ddim am dderbyn hynny."
DIWEDD
