There are no apologies for the victims of the pedophile boss

The leader of Cyngor Gwynedd has refused to apologize to the victims of Neil Foden.

It comes after further allegations were made about the ex-director and pedophile who was jailed for 17 years for sexually abusing four children in North Wales between 2019 and 2023.

Dyfrig Siencyn said he does not support calls by senior members of his party for a public inquiry into the council’s processes.

However, Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville-Roberts said she has an “obligation and need” to examine her child safeguarding processes in order to restore public trust.

In an interview with Newyddion S4C, Mr Siencyn refused to apologize on behalf of the council to the victims, despite further allegations being made since Foden was jailed.

He said: “We need to tackle this early and quickly and I think the Children’s Practices Review is the best way to do that.

“A public inquiry would take years. But if there is a public inquiry, if that decision is made, we will welcome it.”

But he acknowledged there are questions to be answered, saying he is “confident those questions will be answered” and all the evidence presented.

He added: “There is total agreement about the need to find out what went wrong and whether something within our processes failed.

“There is no question about the need to get to the bottom of this problem and we will leave no stone unturned to find those answers.”

Siencyn said “independent reviews have been completed and our cabinet will discuss the need for any kind of investigation into any process that needs to be looked at.”

According to Liz Saville-Roberts, Cyngor Gwynedd has a duty of care to children and should be subject to an independent review.

The Welsh Government said it was awaiting the conclusion of the review of child practice already underway before deciding on any further action.

Cyngor Gwynedd, or Gwynedd council, said it is contributing fully to the review and that an independent review was needed to understand what went wrong.

The call for a review adds to growing demand for a full public inquiry, which would compel witnesses to contribute to the process.

Foden, 66, was jailed for 17 years for abusing four children between 2019 and 2023, but the BBC Wales Investigates program recently reported new allegations which mean his abuse could have spanned 40 years.

During the court case, it emerged that senior staff had raised concerns about Foden’s “close relationship” with the teenage girls in 2019, warning he could be at risk of prosecution.

The concerns were shared with Cyngor Gwynedd but the decision was made not to carry out a formal investigation.

The court case heard from Cyngor Gwynedd’s former head of education, Garem Jackson.

He claimed he had informed a senior safeguarding officer of the concerns but was advised that a formal investigation was not required as no official complaint had been made.

BBC Wales understands that four members of staff were part of the decision not to investigate.

Three of them are still employed by Cyngor Gwynedd.

Jackson said safeguarding was a “key priority” and it was standard practice to speak to the appropriate officer and follow their advice if any concerns arose.

Mrs Saville Roberts said: “I believe very strongly that we have a duty of care to the children who are in the Gwynedd education system at the moment – ​​Ysgol Friars and other schools, their parents and their communities.

“Therefore, Cyngor Gwynedd has a duty to commission a review of its current child protection processes and for it to be an independent review.

“As a group of councillors, we have called for an independent review. I hope Cyngor Gwynedd’s leadership will act on this group demand for an independent review.”

Ms Saville Roberts refused to defend or support Cyngor Gwynedd’s leadership and the way it has handled the situation, after being asked to clarify its position.

She said: “I have a duty to act on behalf of the public. I want the public to have confidence in the council and I’m looking for evidence to prove that now.”

The MP also asked that the former director’s pension be withdrawn.

“I and a number of North West MPs support the teachers’ union NASUWT who are putting pressure on the Education Minister at Westminster, because they are responsible for pensions and withdrawing Neil Foden’s public pension,” he said.

“If his crimes have undermined public confidence in a public service, there is room to question whether he can lose his pension. I think it is an absolutely necessary step.”

The UK and Welsh governments and the council have been contacted, but it is still unclear who is responsible for deciding the future of Foden’s pension.