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‘I know Aled is a man of integrity’ says new leader

Published date: 23 May 2011 |
Published by: Staff reporter

 

THE two men now in charge of Wrexham Council have given their full backing to the authority’s former leader who is at the centre of a police investigation into the circumstances surrounding his election to the Welsh Assembly.


Earlier this week Aled Roberts was disqualified from taking up the North Wales seat he won for the Liberal Democrats at the recent election when it was discovered that, at the time of his election, he was still a member of the Valuation Tribunal for Wales.


A complaint from Wales MEP John Bufton has sparked an investigation by North Wales Police.


Following the election, Cllr Roberts stood down from the leadership of the council and, last Wednesday, his place was taken by veteran Liberal Democrat member for Little Acton, Ron Davies, with Johnstown Independent councillor, David Bithell, becoming deputy leader.


In an exclusive interview with the Leader, both men voiced their strong support for Cllr Roberts.


Cllr Davies said: “I am very disappointed at what is happening to him. I had mixed feelings when he left the leadership but I believe he will make a superb ambassador for North Wales in Cardiff.


“The present situation is down to a technicality and is political. The sooner this is resolved the better. I give my wholehearted support to Aled.”


Cllr Bithell added: “I have worked with Aled for seven years and know he is a man of integrity.


“It is clear that what he is said to have done wasn’t done on purpose because he is very professional in what he does.


“It would be tragic for North Wales if he wasn’t able to take his seat in the Assembly.”


lTHE deputy leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats has defended former Wrexham Council Leader Aled Roberts.


Roger Williams said Mr Roberts and fellow Lib-Dem member John Dixon had paid the price for misinformation on the assembly website.

Mr Williams said he hoped a motion to reinstate both the disqualified AMs would be passed.

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  1. Posted by: a cahill at 09:28 on 23 May 2011 Report

    Oh dear...if ever I'm charged with an offence I'll just blame the Website/Internet...Sorry M'Lud despite my profession I just couldn't understand the plain English Jargon used....bit of a thicko whens it comes to technology....sorry and all that...should reall have got someone from the Leader Forum to help me

  2. Posted by: tommy at 10:56 on 23 May 2011 Report

    Pass the sick bag...especially for Dave Bithells comments.What happened to Bithells socialist pretensions that he had when he got in on the forward wales ticket??.

  3. Posted by: tommy at 11:08 on 23 May 2011 Report

    The fact is that only 3 people in every hundred voted for him and he can't even suss out extremely simple rules doesn't really inspire.Also the fact that those replacing him are making sycophantic bleatings doesn't inspire either.What a shower.

  4. Posted by: InMyOpinion at 11:27 on 23 May 2011 Report

    Our new council leader has got it wrong, it was Kirsty Williams fault, as well as Aled Roberts, they knew before the election the rule was there and questioned it.stop trying to make excuses for them. they cocked up, not Bufton

  5. Posted by: penanjong at 11:30 on 23 May 2011 Report

    Surely, 'as a man of integrity' he should accept that he has breached the rules and accordingly gracefully withdraw. Forcing through his own agendas in Wrexham is annoying enough, at least lets try and have democracy in the Assembly

  6. Posted by: InMyOpinion at 11:38 on 23 May 2011 Report

    The problem is the rule would not have been broken if the Lib/Dem Party leader had informed Roberts that he needed to resign first, she sat on the meeting discussing the matter last year, so she knew of the problem, may be she didn't like those standing?

  7. Posted by: InMyOpinion at 12:09 on 23 May 2011 Report

    Aled Roberts, the man who belives his democracy is better than everyone elses, the man who (with other Cllrs) decided the people of Wrexham know nothing. roll on next years elections, where the LIB/Dems will be reduced to ZERO.

  8. Posted by: liberty1 at 12:21 on 23 May 2011 Report

    I am surprised he didnt go for one of these super injunctions that are popular with ex international footballers at the moment , the man is so full of himself ,as most politicians are these days , and they all look after each other no matter which party they are with.

  9. Posted by: InMyOpinion at 12:32 on 23 May 2011 Report

    It proves they have no respect for the people or the way in which they are elected. and they are the first to whinge when they cock ip up, scrap the Welsh Government and give it back to London.

  10. Posted by: InMyOpinion at 14:07 on 23 May 2011 Report

    Misinformation on a website? is that the same misinformation as Wrexham council website, where it still says Cllr Roberts is still leader? put your own house in order before blaming others about misinformation, not giving the populus a chance for a proper referendum on City status, the list is endless, talk about hypocrites!!!

  11. Posted by: tommy at 14:34 on 23 May 2011 Report

    It's worrying when the new Leader Cllr Davies refers to Aled Roberts breaking the law as a "technicality".Obviously if this his view then this duffer should be kicked out of office as well for making such no-brainer statements.If the assembly passes a motion to reinstate Roberts then they are effectively rubber stamping breaking the law...how the people of wales will respond is anyone guess but I think many will be regretting voting to give them greater powers.

  12. Posted by: Democracy at 15:14 on 23 May 2011 Report

    You would think that some of those who have commented on here have never made an honest mistake. At worst, this is all that Aled Roberts has done. As far as being given wrong information, well if you are given the wrong map you will find yourself in the wrong place. Give Aled his seat back and let`s make sure this never happens again!!!

  13. Posted by: InMyOpinion at 15:27 on 23 May 2011 Report

    The law is the law, ignorance is no excuse, even if you are a politician who treats democracy with contempt.

  14. Posted by: Democracy at 15:39 on 23 May 2011 Report

    I am a great advocate of naming and shaming out of touch politicians who in some instances are corrupt. However, there seems to be a vendetta here against Aled Roberts. If people are determined to "nail" him then find something really bad that he may have done. The judgmental attitude by some on here are on par with that of religious fanatics!!!

  15. Posted by: InMyOpinion at 16:05 on 23 May 2011 Report

    I would have said the same if it had been any politician, the problem is if you fail to uphold the law that governs politicians, then whats the point of voting? it seems strange that Mr Roberts was not informed of the update by his party leader Kisty Williams who spoke on the subject, she knew of the change.

  16. Posted by: wonderwho at 16:32 on 23 May 2011 Report

    Lets face it if he had been voted in as a labour candidate it would have been glossed over but if they can push for a bye election the labour can put all the big guns in to win the seat and get there overall majority, that's what politics is all about.

  17. Posted by: Ieuan at 17:02 on 23 May 2011 Report

    All this hooha is a load of nonsense.. Its only a simple technical breach so all this reaction is beyond comprehension. The sooner he gets back to Cardiff the better for all of us. Except for you whingers who have always been faultless. You really are pathetic.

  18. Posted by: Democracy at 17:17 on 23 May 2011 Report

    To permanently disqualify Aled Roberts would be an affront to democracy. His name may not have appeared on the ballot but it was no secret in Wrexham that he was top of the Lib Dem list. To throw him out and replace him with Eleanor Burnham is showing contempt for the electorate. There are probably many who voted Lib Dem who wouldn`t have dreamed of doing so if Eleanor Burnham had been top of the list.

  19. Posted by: tommy at 17:33 on 23 May 2011 Report

    Ieuan and Democracy,the affront to democracy is that this bloke got in with just 3 people out of every hundred voting for him.If you can interpret that as fair and democratic then you would both probably feel more at home a Fascist germany than in modern wales.The reality is this man had neither the mandate or morality to be a represenatitive of the people..period.

  20. Posted by: Ieuan at 17:55 on 23 May 2011 Report

    tommy I question your logic and arithmetic. No basis whatsoever for your argument. Oh except of course, that you don't like the gentleman.

  21. Posted by: greenflyer at 18:29 on 23 May 2011 Report

    democracy if you think this was aleds first offence of being naive (otherwise known as stupid)ask him about the school closure meeting in rhos .....

  22. Posted by: tommy at 19:21 on 23 May 2011 Report

    Ieuan ..the math is simple 5.9% of the vote with a 47% turnout...work it out,my logic is sound...in no way does this constitute a mandate .Do I like the gentleman?..I have never met him,but just look at his record and his political allegiance,the fact that he never left the libdems when they turned into toiries speaks volumes.

  23. Posted by: Democracy at 19:28 on 23 May 2011 Report

    I think he does have a mandate. North Wales has 13 seats in the Assembly. Let`s look at the North Wales result :- LAB 32% (5 seats), CON 27% (4 seats), PC 21% (3 seats), LD 6% (1 seat). That`s democracy at work.

  24. Posted by: Democracy at 19:32 on 23 May 2011 Report

    I don`t know the details of his involvement in the school closures in Rhos. But if his conduct was so inappropriate then why didn`t the Ombudsman or Standards Committee suspend him as a councillor?

  25. Posted by: InMyOpinion at 19:53 on 23 May 2011 Report

    It wasn't just a school in Rhos either, ask the people of Rhostyllen about his views on democracy and truth, with his false promises and lies. and the strange phone call to the council office to remove electoral information from public view, only to be thwarted by vigilant voters.

  26. Posted by: Democracy at 21:22 on 23 May 2011 Report

    I don`t expect my elected representatives to be perfect, in fact I`d be disturbed if they were. I just want representatives who can relate to their community and their constituents and admit they are wrong when they make mistakes. From what I can see, Aled Roberts` weakness is that he admits it when he gets something wrong. That is probably why he is in this mess. More devious self-centred politicians would arrogantly try to spin their way out of this or deflect the issue.

  27. Posted by: tommy at 21:38 on 23 May 2011 Report

    ...apart form that he is a diamond geezer :) :) :)

  28. Posted by: zyfile13 at 22:12 on 23 May 2011 Report

    Root canal surgery - now there's a treat for the uninitiated. You certainly feel a "moribund lost soul" both in anticipation and during execution of that dental delight - as well as being relieved of a large amount of money for the displeasure. Water boarding has nothing on this as a source of discomfort?

  29. Posted by: a cahill at 09:34 on 24 May 2011 Report

    What ever happened to the much publicised Lib Dem promise to clean up politics and make it squeaky clean...not a lot of it to be seen either here in Wrexham or on a national level, why don't the LibDems come clean and admit that when it comes to politics, they are all in it together, as for whinge wasn't it the LibDems who maned about Phil Woolas for breaching the electoral rules

  30. Posted by: Democracy at 09:49 on 24 May 2011 Report

    The key point in all of this has been missed. What did Aled Roberts have to gain by staying as a member of the Validation Tribunal? If someone can give a reasonable answer to that then I may change my view. Why put yourself through the rigours of election knowing that there is a ticking bomb with you.

  31. Posted by: Boycs at 10:29 on 24 May 2011 Report

    Tommy, is there anybody you do like?

  32. Posted by: Democracy at 10:46 on 24 May 2011 Report

    If Mr.Roberts had simply kept quiet when this came to light and written a letter of resignation to the Validation Tribunal, he` d probably have got away with this. But he did the honourable thing and came clean about this mistake and now he is being punished. This is just another incentive to other politicians to tell lies to protect their cushy careers!!!

  33. Posted by: InMyOpinion at 11:31 on 24 May 2011 Report

    I belive Aled Roberts was testing the system and was hoping all parties would say yes, he knew through Kirsty Williams that his possition was iffy, but the Libdems thought they would walk in. Kirsty Williams sat on the meeting that put 'Validation Tribunal' on that list.Labour Knew that too thats why they refused to give in.

  34. Posted by: Democracy at 11:55 on 24 May 2011 Report

    Is testing the system worth losing everything he`s worked for? He even resigned as a council leader due to being elected. Now he could be left with the nothing (politically). All that just to check how watertight the system was. Makes no sense to me!

  35. Posted by: a cahill at 14:53 on 24 May 2011 Report

    If he had written a letter he would have got away with this...a very pertinent statement...considering the lies and broken promises of the party....Wrexham with a 36% turnout of voters gives a clear indication of the lack of trust in politicians who it seems can't even understand the rules and are willing to disregard them on the off chance, he has to go otherwise what is the point in democracy or voting

  36. Posted by: Democracy at 15:39 on 24 May 2011 Report

    Yes he could very well have got away with it. I`m not saying not that is what he should have done, but this is evidence that honesty doesn`t pay. From what I have read this information was sent by the electoral commission. If you cannot trust them to send you the correct information then who can you trust.

  37. Posted by: Democracy at 15:43 on 24 May 2011 Report

    I think democracy would be damaged if he isn`t allowed to take his seat. If he wasn`t eligible then to stand then the voters should have been told. It will be an affront to democracy if Eleanor Burnham is allowed to take the seat. The Lib Dem vote could have decreased if she was number 1. If this happens then I think UKIP and Plaid should contest the election result as they may have been robbed of this seat.

  38. Posted by: liberty1 at 20:36 on 24 May 2011 Report

    Boy " I am a graduate " ( my a**e ) , making a comment relating to an article with the word " integrity " in it? mind you he would make a good politician , he has all the quals required , shifty , liar , slimy , deceitful , spineless , bet he could not provide written prove of any HE quals.

  39. Posted by: a cahill at 07:47 on 25 May 2011 Report

    Therein lies the nub of the problem...a Council Leader...supposedly fulfilling a full time role and being paid for it...was also sitting on Boards that could have led him into a position of conflict of interest....how many voters were aware of participation in groups that have little to do with the governance of Wrexham

  40. Posted by: tommy at 16:35 on 25 May 2011 Report

    Hi Boyc...I quite like Fred Bloggs :)

  41. Posted by: liberty1 at 20:38 on 25 May 2011 Report

    Boy " I am a graduate " , still hiding under your stone .

  42. Posted by: ghjghjhgk at 02:51 on 26 May 2011 Report

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  43. Posted by: Your Opinion Etc at 09:24 on 26 May 2011 Report

    It is clear that some peoples OPINIONS are politically motivated..to say the least. If you care to enlighten us as to the situation re Rhostyllen, some facts may help.I doubt you would provide them though, as your head is so far up your a-se its untrue.

  44. Posted by: tommy at 11:09 on 26 May 2011 Report

    Hi In your opinion, I am not too sure what went down but the group who were against the Trust's development of erddig held a referendum in Rhostyllen,the village directly effected by the development.I believe Wrexham council pulled out every trick in the book to prevent this from happeneing despite the fact that it was an entirely legitimate exercise.Perhaps one of the anti group could come on here and explain what happened.

  45. Posted by: fsdfsfgsg at 03:02 on 27 May 2011 Report

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  46. Posted by: InMyOpinion at 16:34 on 31 May 2011 Report

    rhostyllen.com has all the answers, you can read everything there is on this subject.

 

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