Cardiff lawyer joins Welsh ombudsman

Nicole Maley reports

CARDIFF City council lawyer Geoff Jones has left local authority legal services to take up a post with the Local Government Ombudsman's office in Wales.

Jones, who qualified as a solicitor with the council in 1988, started as an investigator with the Bridgend office last month.

Jones says he took the job - which involves investigating complaints and deciding whether the office has the jurisdiction to act - to extend his knowledge of local authority law and to gain a wider range of skills.

"The major motivation was to learn about different things, not just to see how things are done in Cardiff," says Jones.

"This gives me a chance to see different types of work and also to see how other local authorities operate in Wales.

"It's important if you work for a local authority not to know just about your own area," he says.