QUESTIONS have been asked in the Welsh Assembly about the ongoing Caerphilly council pay scandal.

Caerphilly County Borough Council's chief executive Anthony O’Sullivan was suspended on full pay in March 2013, following allegations of misconduct, along with deputy chief executive Nigel Barnett and head of legal services Daniel Perkins.

The charges against the three officers were dismissed before a trial, and last year the council agreed pay-outs of £171,000 and £127,000 for Mr Barnett and Mr Perkins respectively, but has been unable to reach and agreement with Mr O’Sullivan, and the matter has been referred to a Welsh Government-appointed official. And this week the council is due to set aside another £193,000, taking the total bill so far to £3.6 million.

And, speaking in the Assembly this week, South Wales East AM Steffan Lewis raised questions over the scandal.

Saying the cost was "being borne by local people themselves through no fault of their own", he said the money "could be put to use for local services, perhaps to keep a local leisure centre that is currently under threat open".

Addressing leader of the house Julie James, he asked: "Can we have a statement from the cabinet secretary for local government (Alun Davies) on what a local authority has to do, how incompetent it has to be, before it is put into special measures?"

Ms James replied: "I know that the cabinet secretary is aware of the situation with Caerphilly council, which has been highlighted just very recently, in terms of the ongoing matter with regards to the senior staff there."