Ceredigion Council Faces Calls for Workplace Culture Review

Someone wants a cultural review of Ceredigion Council. It would be like the fire service’s recent review. That fire service review found bullying. Many staff called it a “boys club.”

During a meeting, Cllr Marc Davies brought this up. He spoke about the council’s fire service levy. Davies thinks the council also needs a review. He wants it to check for similar issues.

Council leader Bryan Davies asked for specifics. What is the problem Davies wants to investigate? Davies didn’t name a specific problem. The leader wondered why Davies wanted the review.

Eifion Evans, a chief executive, also spoke. He said many groups inspected them in 2024. Estyn, CIW, Audit Wales, and WLGA reviewed them. All suggested the council runs smoothly.

Evans asked Davies to state his concerns. Davies clarified it should be a general look. He cited other fire service investigations as context. There weren’t specific MAWWFS accusations. Evans said any probe needs evidence.

He questioned what the prior audits missed. He asked Davies to explain what triggered this request. He emphasized the repeated requests for an investigation.

The fire service review was a staff survey. It was designed to reveal their internal culture. Other reviews check processes, not culture as directly.

The cabinet agreed on a £5.836 million levy for the fire service. This is a 7.3% increase. They also want the fire chief to attend a meeting. It relates to their internal review findings.