The leader of the opposition party at Cardiff council has criticised the administration for failing to put enough items on the agenda.
Conservative leader David Walker said at last night's meeting of the full council said there was no "substantive business" up for consultation and better use could have been made of councillors' time.
Speaking in the meeting he said:
"It costs a lot of money to get us all here. Please consider bringing draft reports for us to consider before they go further."
Walker asked the Lord Mayor Keith Hyde to extend the time allocated to questions on transport and travel in the city, but his request was denied.
He also tabled a question asking for more draft reports to come to the full council – such as the recent waste management strategy – being prepared for the New Year.
But executive member for environment, Margaret Jones, said the new waste strategy – which decides how our rubbish is collected in Cardiff – will not be brought to full council. She said:
"It's an executive decision so it will not be going to the council in January but we are going to have three days where members can come to appraise what we are doing on the strategy."
Councillor Simon Wakefield, who chairs the environment scrutiny committee said scrutiny was adequate in holding the council's executive decisions to account. But Walker said certain reports which are likely to affect every ward in Cardiff such as this one, ought to be brought to the full council. He said:
"I want to ask the leader of the council how much this meeting has cost today. Will he not support me in bringing the waste management strategy and changes to this coming before they become decided upon. The scrutiny committees don't include everybody. I want to ask the leader to give us something substantive to consider."
But leader of the council Rodney Berman said the Local Government Act allowed the executive to take certain decisions without bringing them before the full council. He also attacked Walker for the number of times he attended the executive business meetings, which as a leader of the opposition he has a right to attend. Berman said: "We are bound by legislation and it says we can decided on this."
Still no decision on London-Swansea electrification
Independent councillor Adrian Robson questioned council leader Rodney Berman on the next steps of the stalled plans for the electrification of the London-Swansea main line. He asked what the impact on Cardiff would be if the plans are scrapped.
Berman said:
"The Great Western Partnership is continuing efforts to secure a positive outcome for south Wales and the south-east of England. Predictably, there are rumours and counter-rumours about what decision the UK government will take. However, the latest intelligence revived by the council is that no definitive position has been taken on this matter, and ongoing representations are being made to officials and ministers in Whitehall about the importance of the link to south Wales."
Council asked not to foot bill for Christmas market
The executive last night received criticism for footing a £90,000 bill for the rents of Christmas market stallholders in the city centre.
In a reply, executive member for economic development Neil McEvoy said:
"The Christmas Market stalls in High Street form part of the wider Winter Wonderland programme, which also includes Christmas Market stalls which are located in St John Street/Working Street.
"In view of the footfall differences between High Street and St John/Working Street, the council agreed to provide £40,000 of financial support to the market operator, CraftFolk, to help attract and retain stall holders in the High Street area.
"The operator has subsequently passed the benefit on the stall holders in the form of rent relief. The council is also seeking to purchase the Christmas Market stalls to enable all year round use of the stalls across the city centre and Cardiff Bay for a range of events that support the development of the Welsh craft sector."
McEvoy said footfall has been low on High Street. Independent councillor Adrian Robson said visitors need incentives to visit St Mary Street and High Street to keep traders businesses afloat, or else the city centre runs the risk of becoming a "ghost town". He said:
"Next year the market will need bailing out by the council – but next year lets put the money to putting on events instead to encourage people to visit this part of the city."
Councillors in the meeting also questioned the executive on the use of signs as advertising in their wards, the number of grit bins available in Rhiwbina, and the new residents parking policy being written for 14 January.
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