THE Vale Council has confessed to a communication breakdown after only one resident attended a quiz the cabinet event and councillors abandoned the session.

Vale resident Ian Perry said he had travelled to St Athan to attend the meeting – which had been advertised on a poster together with a similar event held in Penarth in March.

Mr Perry said: “The success of the community meetings held by Alun Cairns MP, at the end of last year, demonstrates that many people are interested in local affairs and are eager to attend public meetings. So it is clear that when this week's Vale Council Community Cabinet meeting, held in St Athan on Monday at 6pm, attracted no members of the public except me, something is wrong with how the council engages with the public.

The Community Cabinet meeting in St Athan was abandoned after 30 minutes, rewarding the cabinet for their failure by allowing them home 90 minutes early - whilst the public picked up the costs associated with the meeting.

The council generally doesn't advertise these community meetings on its website, on social media, on notice boards or in the local press, with a few exceptions such as March’s meeting in Penarth.

He added: “The Community Cabinet meetings are held, according to the council’s website, due to a "vow to make local decision-making more transparent and inclusive." It would seem that the cabinet has failed to achieve its goal.

A Vale Council spokesman said: “The session was designed to offer the local community the opportunity to quiz cabinet members on local issues. The event was promoted locally with posters and flyers. The lack of attendance was disappointing and the way in which these events are promoted will be reviewed.”