Plaid Cymru is calling for a full review of Caerphilly Council’s purchasing policies with a view to more money being spent locally.
The appeal from Councillor Charlotte Bishop, leader of the Plaid Cymru group on Caerphilly Council, comes following figures released by the Welsh Government showing that the authority only spends 25% of its £319m procurement bill on goods and services within the county borough.
A total of 35% of the council’s procurement was spent by the authority outside Wales in 2024-25.
Councillor Charlotte Bishop said: “We need to be asking whether we can do more to keep taxpayers’ money working for Caerphilly — supporting local businesses, local jobs and our local economy.
“Value for money has to be at the heart of public procurement, but we also need to ask whether the current system is delivering the best possible value for Caerphilly taxpayers.
“If the same contractors are repeatedly receiving council work, are we doing enough to properly test the market and give other businesses — particularly local and Welsh businesses — a genuine opportunity to compete?” asked Councillor Charlotte Bishop.
She went on: “I’m not suggesting that contracts should simply be handed to local companies because they are local, or that we compromise on quality or value for money. Quite the opposite.
“A full review of how contracts are awarded is needed, how often the market is retested, whether existing arrangements continue to provide the best value and whether more opportunities could be opened up to local businesses.
“If we can get better competition, better value and keep more of that money circulating within Caerphilly and Wales, surely that is something worth looking at.”
The figures show £208.6 million was spent within Wales, but only £79.6 million was spent within Caerphilly itself. That means there is a significant amount of public money being spent beyond the county.
“I want to see Caerphilly Council review its procurement arrangements and identify where we can legitimately do more to support our local economy, without compromising value for money.
“We must ensure every pound we spend as a council is spent as well as possible for the benefit of Caerphilly taxpayers and businesses in particular which benefits our communities,” Councillor Charlotte Bishop.