Scrap the Welsh Assembly and Wales Office says Conservative Councillor

We are well used to people in the Conservative Party calling for the National Assembly for Wales to be abolished, it was even part of UKIP’s Welsh manifesto, but there is also a call to scrap the Wales Office from a well known Conservative Councillor.

Cllr Harry Phibbs on ConservativeHome in response to yesterday's Welsh Conservative Manifesto launch in Prestatyn said :-

‘Generally we can expect to do rather better in a General Election than in the Welsh Assembly. Conservatives are naturally hostile to the waste and bureaucracy of superfluous layers of Government. So some feel the way to show their contempt for the Welsh Assembly is not too taking part in elections to it. Back in 1997 when the referendum was held on setting up the Assembly, the Conservatives were the only Party campaigning for a No vote and came within a whisker of success - the No Vote was 49.7%.

Some money could be saved by abolishing the Wales Office (which has administration costs of 3.2 million and since the advent of the Assembly has diddly squat to do.)

But I would favour radical localism. The option of real devolution of abolishing the Welsh Assembly (as well as the Wales Office) and handing its powers down to the local councils. Not to mention its £14 billion budget which includes £361 million for "Central Services and Administration" plus £48 million for the Assembly Commission - "the corporate body for the Assembly" which all goes on ensuring the talking shop is suitably lavish. £13.6 million goes on Members Salaries and Allowances - it makes Westminster MPs sound cheap.

I wonder if the Welsh Conservatives knew about this article in advance and what Nick Bourne and Cheryl Gillan make of it?Any source