Mark James

Mark James, Chief Executive to Carmarthenshire County Council has yet again made it into the news. This time, as the Western Mail (15th August) reports, he has been criticised by a government financial watchdog over the estimated cost of a Sports Arena in his previous job as Chief Executive of Boston Borough Council.

It’s reported that the stadium cost approximately £2 million more than estimated. As a result, the Council was forced to loan the £2 million and £1.5 million on top of the £3 million it has already promised in grant aid to fund the construction of the Princes Royal Sports Arena in Boston. In addition to this, the estimated income of the Arena in the first year was grossly overestimated.

The real problem is that Mark James is currently heading the ‘cartel’ that is behind the funding and construction of the new Llanelli Scarlets stadium in Pemberton. Although our situation is different, this news does raise some serious questions. With Llanelli RFC, the company behind the Llanelli Scarlets rugby region currently under such heavy debt, it is difficult to see where any extra finance will come from if it is needed.

If the new stadium does require extra money to be finished, it will be very difficult for the Council to refuse a loan or to put extra money towards the project after such a large initial investment. Although Llanelli has a proud rugby heritage, it will be difficult to accept sharp increases in Council Tax to help bridge any gap in building costs.