Sir,

I read with interest the contribution from Ken Fryer last week and would offer the following observations:

Mr. Fryer certainly has a problem with the county council, and I agree with most of his concerns. I would however plead with him to use a more selective brush when applying the criticism.

The council regime is run by combination of pseudo so-called independent councillors in conjunction with a cabal of unelected senior officers, who show scant concern for democratic accountability.

As was pointed out in Mike Stoddard's letter last week, following the intervention of the Welsh Government, after the utterly damning Estyn report on education and children's services in Pembrokeshire, this group who were elected without any manifesto are slowly being held to account.

Interestingly, one or two of them are looking with trepidation at their leaking ship, and are getting a little restless.

As Clr. Stoddart pointed out, in his letter of last week, we, who are not part of the ruling group, have put forward time and time again proposals to improve transparency and accountability within the authority, only to witness the so-called independents block vote down these initiatives each time.

The only reason for the slight change we are now seeing is because they presently have not only the Welsh Government breathing down their necks, but a Ministerial Board chaired by a High Court judge that is carrying out a detailed investigation into their failures.

Mr. Fryer is quite right to be sceptical about the leader of council's messages. After all, this is the same person who, following receipt of the Estyn report, said that the investigation was a ploy by the Government to 'get' an independent authority.

Despite the utterly damning report, not a single cabinet member has fallen on his sword, indeed the cabinet member who had responsibility for children, young people and learning, sails on being paid his full salary (£28,229), despite having been stripped of a large part of his cabinet portfolio.

There has been a failure to hold this regime to account, and I accept some of the blame for this, but as I have found to my personal cost, if a member has the temerity to pursue their role and try to bring openness and transparency to this authority, there will be attempts to silence them, in my case the threat of legal action, and in Mike Stoddard's case a report to the Ombudsman.

This is democracy at work in Pembrokeshire!

Michael Williams,

Harding Street,

Tenby