TOUGH QUESTIONS FOR TWO COUNCILLORS OVER FREEBIE CHINA TRIP

South Wales Evening Post - 21 February 2006

Two Swansea councillors are being investigated over last year's freebie trip to China. It has now emerged that a second city councillor was on the jaunt with Councillor John Newbury.

The Post has learnt that Councillor Gareth Sullivan (pictured), the cabinet member for economic development, was also on the trip.

Last month the Post asked whether Councillor Newbury, the cabinet member for finance, had gone on the visit to Nantong with officers.

A council spokesman said that no officers had accompanied Councillor Newbury but made no mention of Councillor Sullivan.

It has now emerged that both cabinet members were on the trip which visited the Mega City Development conference in Nantong, and that Councillor Sullivan recently logged gifts from the event on the councillors' hospitality register.

A spokesman for the Lib-Dem, Independent, Conservative coalition had said the trip was a political one and paid for by the Nantong government.A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "This was a civic visit. Councillors Sullivan and Newbury went at the request of the council leader."

It is understood that Labour councillors have reported the matter to the ombudsman.

Plaid Cymru group leader Darren Price said more information was needed on the trip.

He said: "In light of the somewhat patchy information with regards to the Chinese trip I think that it is only right that the leader of the council clarifies who were the official council delegates, how they were chosen and what was the objective of the trip, and whether, if any, public funds were used and how much.

"We also need to know how the trip has benefited the people of Swansea."Surely the purpose of any foreign expedition by councillors is to bring about positive change to the city?

"Councillor Gareth Sullivan said: "I have already written to the ombudsman making it clear that I attended, along with Councillor John Newbury, an official civic visit to China in October 2005. Contrary to the inaccurate claims by Labour, I did not mislead council over the visit.

"Labour asked for details of any visits by members and officers to China in order to develop economic links. They were given full details of all recent visits designed to develop economic links. The civic visit I attended was not designed to develop economic links with China."

A spokesman for the ombudsman said they did not comment on individual cases or investigations.