The leader of Carmarthenshire Council has accused Conservative Party members of "hijacking and misusing" a meeting's public questions slot for political purposes. Darren Price said three questions asked at a cabinet meeting were a "co-ordinated decision" by the Conservative Party to try to create a platform for themselves after they had "failed spectacularly" at the ballot box at last year's council elections.
The Plaid Cymru leader repeatedly used the word "hijacking" and launched a wider attack on the Conservative Party. The three questioners were Havard Hughes, Charlie Evans and Tara-Jane Sutcliffe. Mr Evans said he had asked his question politely, that he was a member of the public, a council taxpayer and that Cllr Price was his county councillor. He said it greatly concerned him that Cllr Price "seems to be opening the door to restricting members of the public to asking questions based on their party political affiliation".
Mr Evans had asked Cllr Price if the council had a preferred site option for a new Hywel Dda University Health Board hospital in the west of Carmarthenshire. Two of the proposed sites are in the Whitland area and one is in St Clears. The question included a line about a "severe downgrading of services" at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen which residents were "strongly opposed to".
