Visit Wales Waste Your Cash!

Public servents should be guardians of the public purse, right?

But, we all know that they are not, yeah?

On the 26th October I notified Vaughan Gething's Visit Wales that I had reached the end of the road and if they did not engage with me I would be seeking reperations via the courts service. I advised the following:

I advise immediate response to this email as I am not minded to allow for you stating that emails were not received, that staff were on holiday etc. and will proceed any court actions by the end of this week. In the first instance please respond by email BUT I am prepared to engage over the phone or face to face if you will seek a sensible resolution in this matter.

They acknowledged reciept and then... nothing... After a week I contacted again by email and by phone, to the legal department and to senior staff members within Visit Wales. No movement and so on the 12th November I sent of the claim form to the Court Service.

I then received this, on the 16th November:

If you have already issued legal proceedings or you are still planning on doing so we will respond to those

To which, outraged at what will be a totally unnecessary waste of public money, I responded thus:

Proceedings have begun and I must say I am not surprised at your slow response and actual disdain for those complaining about your mismanagement and effective refusal to engage appropriately. However, I think most would be surprised by you effectively not engaging and allowing a matter to go straight to court.

It is your remit to care for the public purse and in this you should have done everything possible to avoid court proceedings. Organising a face to face meeting perhaps? I tried on many occasions to seek dialogue and I extended my deadline on several occasions, to accommodate you and to allow for sense to prevail. 

But of course sense has never prevailed at Visit Wales or indeed the Welsh Gov. 

So it's see you in court, although, and here I am still reaching out, you have an opportunity to act. I have given Jon Munro (Visit Wales) my expectations from Visit Wales and would be open, whilst a court date is not set, to seek resolution without the need for costly and wasteful third party mediation or judgements. 

Your shout!

Do you think the Welsh Government will be able to act outside of the courts service? I am not hopeful and it is likely I will see those from Visit Wales in court in Cardiff for a small claim designed not for reperation but to see justice done. I'll keep you posted!

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