USE OF PUBLIC MONEY TO FUND DEFAMATION PROCEEDINGS BY PUBLIC OFFICIALS

That this House notes the recent libel case in which the Chief Executive of Carmarthenshire County Council brought defamation proceedings against a county resident; further notes that the Chief Executive's costs were indemnified by the local authority to instigate the legal proceedings contrary to guidance from both the Welsh and UK governments; considers that the authority's action creates a worrying precedent in the future scrutiny of local government; agrees with the sentiments of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who stated that indemnities to local authority members and officers should be a shield and not a sword; believes it is in the public interest to know the exact costs paid by Carmarthenshire County Council for the case; and further believes that greater clarity is needed from both Welsh and UK governments regarding the use of taxpayers' money by local government in defamation matters.