A busy week
my feet haven't touched the ground this week, and i will honestly be glad to get to the end of this week to have some rest
i was totally taken by surprise on Monday when i came out of a meeting having been promoted to explain the full story i think i must outline some of the background.
I'm one of the five Carmarthenshire members of the mid and west wales fire authority management committee as an elected member for Carmarthen County Council
From the link above you will see there's 25 elected members from the six county councils that the fire service covers, recently two of the long standing Labour councillors from Swansea, after a dispute within the labour group walked and became non affiliated independent councillors,
One of theses councillors was the labour group leader for the labour councillors within the whole fire authority, because they were no longer in the labour group within swansea city council, swansea authority had to replace them with two new labour councillors, each of the authorities elects members on a political balance, and Carmarthen County Council has Two plaid Cymru, Two Independents and One Labour Councillor, which is yours truly me.
Well on Monday gone there was a full fire authority committee meeting and in the group meeting prior to start of this meeting, I was nominated and asked to stand as the Labour Group Leader, which really took me by surprise as I wasn't expecting to receive this position and I was totally honoured by this vote of confidence
Anyway the meeting went smooth and it was a special day today, because straight after the meeting the authority were giving the elected members a demonstration on some of the most modern and newest fire engines that they have recently taken delivery of, and fire officers run through all the equipment that these new tenders are carrying explaining the difference and modifications in the equipment that these tenders carry
We were having a discussion about the boats that the authority uses on river rescues and during floods, when unrehearsed or planned and the fire alarm sounded and all the fire team rushed off to attend the pending emergency which left our demonstration cut short.
With the display cut short, I popped over to county hall in carmarthen to check my pigeon holes and my emails in the council, which I add was only a flying visit because at 2.45pm I was on the road sharing a lift with two fellow councillors, to attend a conference for the Authority in North Wales,
At 6.15pm without any drama's we were unpacking the car in the Quay Hotel Car Park in Conwy North Wales
This was my first Fire Authority Conference and there would be all Three Welsh Authorities represented so I wasn't sure what to expect, but to be all honest I fully enjoyed it and I learnt a lot about the Authority and the challenges that they all face,
The speakers all delivered an excellent presentation with lots of humours slides to break the ice and one of the speakers included a quiz thrown into is powerslide presentation to keep us on our toes, and i was a split second too late, on the Pink Floyd..... Dark Side of the Moon Album Cover, with one of the North Wales representative beating me by about a hundredth of a second.
Anyway even though the boys in work have been ribbing me about going on a jolly and I will add they were aware of my pending trip because I had to swap some shifts, so that I could attend this trip, and I must say there's no peace for the wicked because due to modern technology you can never escape or relax,
During the lunch break I switched my mobile phone on and it never stopped vibrating for a considerable time alerting me to missed calls and answer phone messages, my phone had been red hot,
There had been an incident in the village back at home which I've written about on numerous occasions in my blog and in my weekly Llanelli Star Column, At first from one of the messages I was visualising horrific scenes, as all the caller said there's been another accident outside 101, 103 Heol y Parc, What am i going to do about it? but after some calls I was releaved that no one was hurt.
A car with two young ladies in came speeding down the road and lost control hitting a hedge and some walls, this has been a known blackspot in the village, with the three houses on this location suffering 9 garden walls knocked down in the last five or six years,
in fact only last year when we had a site meeting, as the community councillors and our MP Nia Griffith discussed the safety issue with the local highway officers a fire engine, two ambulances and three police cars passed us to attend a road traffic accident on the very same road, below is a photo taken in 2006
But very fortunately on this occasion only the car suffered damage there was no injury or damage to the garden walls, Unfortunately for me most of my dinner was taken up returning calls and speaking to officers to chase up the partnership time scales of the traffic calming scheme, that Llanedi Community Council has taken up with the County Council to address this issue.
Huw Jones the Council Surveyor has promised to update us next week at the community council, plus John Mcenvoy has returned my call but I haven't been able to pin him down as he's been in meetings most of the last few days and I'm just as guilty.
On this issue I now hope that the county will pull its finger out and deliver the traffic calming scheme that they have drawn up.
On Tuesday Evening I arrived home late and I was back into the travelling mode on Wednesday morning only this time I was using the public transport,
I jumped on the Train in Pontarddulais to travel to Llandrindod Wells. I'm also on the management committee of the Heart of the Wales Forum and we meet every three months, as the line travels through numerous county council unitary authorities it rotates locations and this meeting was the time of Powys to be hosts
Any way I was ready for the event on Wednesday and two coincidence occurred as if to order, the first was the Pontarddulais Station, I confess I haven't walked onto the station platform for a considerable amount of time, because when I arrived I was shocked at the poor condition of the station platform, but there was a glimmer of hope?
Five minutes after I arrived the local partnership team arrived consisting of Two Swansea City Council officers and several volunteers and I was told that the school children were also coming but the Train arrived on time I must add before the local school arrived. But I was on the platform long enough to have a chat with officers, involved in the scheme to improve the Pontarddulais platform.
The activity on the platform was the first coincidence the second came later in the day. I was disappointed because I was expecting Gwyneth Thomas the Plaid councillor from Llangennech to be on the train but she never turned up so we put her appologies in to the meeting,
Carmarthen County Council has three councillors representing them on the forum all three of us live with train stations in our ward or very close, Although Pontartddulais Station is ten yards on the wrong side of the boundary having spend all my childhood days living in Pontarddulais I was volunteered as the Labour representative for the county council.
So the first stretch of the journey I sat on my own, but I was soon joined by Ieuan the Independent councillor from Llandeilo, as we travelled up through most of the railway stations having a good old chat I noticed just how run down the Pontarddulais station had been left to fall into, most of the stations had good clean level platforms and many were well dressed with pretty flower baskets
We soon arrived at our stop and we were on time again for arrival according to the train time table but we were almost two hours early for the meeting so I took the time to walk around the town of Llandrindod Wells and I ended up on the lake side admiring the ducks and swans,
Whilst I also had the opportunity to read lots of the tourist information boards around the town, one of the fellow members who also joined the train had got off with Ieuan and I went to the museum and recommended that I should pay it a visit on the next occasion we hold the meeting in Powys
Below is the outside of the county hall, and it was very impressive inside, but i never took any photos
Anyway the second occassion that you could not have planned to perfection, we were talking about the free concessionary tickets for the senior citizen rail travellers and the need for a second carriage as often the single carriage is at full capacity and the need for a fifth service currently there are four a day and the officers in the meeting on their lap tops read out an Assembly bulletin press release that was made yesterday
When I got home I too had recieved the same information so I will end todays entry on that note with the Assembly press release
Free rail pilot schemes to continue
The Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government has announced that its free rail pilot scheme will continue on the Borderlands and Conwy Valley Lines, and restart for the Winter on the Heart of Wales and Cambrian Coast Lines.
Cerdyn Cymru pass holders will continue to benefit from free rail travel on the Conwy Valley Line between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno, and on the Welsh section of the Wrexham – Bidston Line. The first scheme is open to cardholders from the counties of Conwy and Gwynedd, the second those from Flintshire and Wrexham.
The Cambrian Coast scheme reopens on the 4th October 2009 for eligible Gwynedd pass holders, and also on the Heart of Wales Line for eligible Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Powys passholders. The scheme will continue until the end of September 2010 on the Borderlands and Conwy Valley Lines, and until Friday 26th March 2010 on the Heart of Wales and Cambrian Coast Lines.
Because of a high level of anticipated demand on the Heart of Wales Line, a two car train will also be provided for a limited period prior to Easter.
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£38m to transform Swansea Waterfront
A £38 million plus project to transform and revitalise Swansea's city centre and its unique waterfront has been given the go-ahead for Convergence funding, the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government has announced today.
The funding package includes £28 million from the Welsh Assembly Government, including £20 million from the EU’s Convergence European Regional Development Fund and funding from other sources. The massive investment will see the city benefit from its designation as a Strategic Regeneration Area and will help drive forward the ambitious City Centre Strategic Framework – the blue print designed to regenerate the city centre, maximise the potential of Swansea’s waterfront and link the city centre to the bay.
The latest investment follows the approval of £5 million of Convergence funding and £5 million from the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government towards a £11 million scheme to replace the existing Quadrant bus station with a modern, high quality facility to cater for both buses and coaches, including Swansea Metro vehicles. Work on the bus station is already underway and when complete will offer improved access into Swansea and assist in the regeneration of the city centre and the wider region.
The key elements of The Waterfront City initiative are:
- Boulevard - the creation of a high quality European style Boulevard involving major works to the Oystermouth Road, Victoria Road and Quay Parade corridor, improved links between the city centre and waterfront with enhancement of the public realm including landscaping, footpaths, cycleways, street furniture and public art.
- The boulevard will eventually extend from the Tawe Road bridge to the Civic Centre.
- Property Development Fund – Developing employment opportunities by providing gap funding for the construction of new offices and major refurbishment of existing offices in the city centre.
- Building Enhancement Programme – it will complement an initiative launched last year by the Assembly Government and Council to provide grants to improve the exterior of buildings and shopfronts across the city centre.
- City Centre Improvements – it will extend the programme of environmental works that has been undertaken in the city centre to include streets adjacent to work already completed
- Waterfront projects – funding will be targeted at public realm improvements in three key waterfront locations on the riverbank and seafront promenade, between the Tawe Bridges and the Civic Centre.
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Two more POs benefit from £4.5million Post Office Diversification Fund
Two more post offices in south Wales are to benefit from the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government’s Post Office Diversification Fund, it was announced today.
A total of £18,043 in revenue funding has been awarded to Aberbargoed and Rhigos Post Offices to support the retail businesses. This funding will allow the post offices to create 1 full time and 3 part time jobs in their communities. This latest funding brings the number of post offices in Wales to have received a share of the £4.5m, three-year fund to sixty-five. Support for sixty three post offices was announced in July this year.
The Welsh Assembly Government is also currently inviting applications for a second round of the Post Office Diversification Fund which closes on 30 October 2009. The fund is open to every post office in Wales and can be used to make improvements to post offices, provide more diverse services to the community and to make the businesses more sustainable. Sub-postmasters and mistresses can apply for up to £20,000 capital funding and up to £15,000 revenue support.
Projects under development in post offices include internet services, cafés, a bakery, a butcher’s shop, financial service centres. Twenty-one of these post offices have also received up to £15,000 in revenue funding to employ new staff or increase staff hours to provide more services and extend opening hours.
Further information about the Post Office Diversification Fund can be obtained by emailing PODF@wales.gsi.gov.uk, by telephoning 01685 729612 or by clicking here.
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