Legal challenge to bridge row (From Free Press Series)

Legal challenge to bridge row

A COUNCILLOR is mounting a legal challenge over Monmouthshire council's refusal to publish a damning report into the handling of the Monnow Bridge building project.

County councillor Graham Down says he will call for a judicial review into the legal basis for not publishing the report if the council refuse to lift the gag preventing councillors speaking publicly about its content.

The Free Press exclusively revealed last week that an investigation by auditors and councillors had taken place into a £1.2m overspend on the Monnow Bridge project.

The investigation found there was no reason why the scheme - originally budgeted to cost £1.4m but which rose to a cost of £2.6m - could not have been put back into the 2004/5 year to help cut cost.

Cllr Graham Down chaired the working group of councillors who investigated the over spend and produced the report.

He says the Monnow Bridge project was badly handled, but councillors are being gagged to prevent details of the report becoming publicly known.

He said: "The only basis for keeping the report under wraps is if it is considered 'likely' that particular employees could be identified by anyone reading the report.

"The report was very carefully written so that individual officers and employees of the council could not be identified.

"I met my solicitors on Friday, and they agree with my interpretation of the law. I have now challenged the council to lift the gag, and allow us to speak openly.

"If not then I shall be meeting my solicitors again later this week with a view to considering taking the matter to a judicial review."

Monmouthshire council had been due to hold a confidential debate on the matter at a full council meeting on Thursday (April 29).

Councillors have now been told they will have a chance to discuss the report behind closed doors at a special meeting on May 19.

Monmouth AM David Davies is demanding Monmouthshire council publish the report immediately and has threatened to raise the matter in the Assembly next week.

However, Monmouthshire's acting chief executive Colin Berg says he is appalled the confidential report was leaked to the press and has vowed to dig out the mole responsible.

Cllr Down said: "This whole fiasco is holding the county council up to ridicule. By acting in the way they have, suppressing the report and delaying a debate, it's obvious that there is something to hide.

"Whilst I am not allowed to say anything about what's in the report, I can say that anyone reaching that conclusion would be dead right."