Dear editor, There is a blast from the past in County Hall these past few days regarding the adverse performance reports from the Welsh Government and its education inspectors on PCCs education policies and practices.

The journalistic opinions in the Western Mail circa 1996/7 warned the public about the new unified local authorities future administrations and practices. The words used were: ‘Secrecy with control and lack of full council debate in the decision making process’.

The cabinet system was the favoured choice of the county councils’ elected members, especially the so-called Independent members. Rev Bob Morgan, a well-known socialist member of the clergy in south Wales, who came to Pembrokeshire late in life, was very outspoken about the roles of chief executives and directors of departments at that time.

The accountability and responsibilities of senior civil servants was the main theme of his concerns and he was very brave in saying that chief executives of local authorities would have no direct responsibility to the tax payer within the new civil service structures and legislation.

This concentrated mixture of all the issues and practices during the past 15 years of local government has not only confused the average citizen, but has also caused fundamental divisions between the major political parties. The call for resignations is not only premature but ill advised because the average citizen is not aware of the contractual obligations between the elected members and the senior civil servants.

Who is qualified to say that a county councillor or a civil servant is guilty of mal-practice or mal-administration? Where or what is the evidence in these cases? Are the children in schools at risk now or have they already been victims of the education systems?

We should rest our case until we have been given more transparent information by our county and community councillors as there is a tendency for politicians and bureaucrats to settle ‘old scores’ when new opportunities arise.

John Davies Johnston