Communication, Communication, Communication

It's a re-hash of Tony Blair's old mantra that is the focal point of this week's edition of our local paper here in Cardigan.

The Tivy Side reports fairly in today's paper and on its website here, on a public meeting that I organised and chaired last Thursday between housing association Tai Ceredigion and local residents regarding a potential development of 6 single bedroom flats in the Maes-Yr-Haf area of town.

As the article states, it was an angry meeting that faced senior officers of Tai Ceredigion last week in the Bethania Chapel vestry here in town. It dealt with the twin issues of the plans to build these 6 flats and also Tai Ceredigion's closure of a well used local path adjacent to the development site just days earlier, despite my protestations to them to leave it open until the meeting at the very least so that they could hear the views of local residents on the matter.

In my 7+ years as a Councillor, it was one of the most challenging meetings that I have had to chair because of the understandable frustrations that were felt by residents who disagreed with Tai Ceredigion's concept of consultation on both of these issues. Anger was expressed at the lack of consultation in general and also, some of those who had had discussions on the issue of the footpath closure refuted the statements that Tai Ceredigion stated that they had made. I therefore organised Thursday's meeting to give the community an opportunity to air its feelings and it did so without hesitation. There was no point having a short half hour meeting so instead we went on for two hours. I hope that I gave everyone ample opportunity to have their say during that time to those making the decisions.

Today's Tivy Side editorial dealt with the twin issues covered in the meeting and concluded with this statement:

"Communication is more about listening than it is about talking. Tai Ceredigion is very good at putting out its spin in smart press releases throught its consultant PR company, particularly about how much it 'consults' with people. But it is engagement with the community and listening to their views that really counts. That's real, effective public relations".

The community are gathering together to launch a potential legal challenge to the closure of the footpath.

In the meantime, the planning application for the adjacent build is being submitted this week and the community will have 21 days to respond with its views to Neuadd Cyngor Ceredigion, Planning Department, Penmorfa, Aberaeron, Ceredigion, UK, SA46 0PA. I'll be writing a letter to the Tivy Side later this week with the details once I know the application number.

Cardigan Street Racing (featuring the 2011 Welsh National Criterium Championship)

It's been a glorious day in Cardigan.

The town centre today hosted its 2nd annual Welsh National Criterium Championship as a part of a day of Cardigan Street Racing.

We've had hundreds of locals and tourists in the centre of town watching up and coming youngsters and top quality street racers strutting their stuff in an ubber competitive environment.

See below some photos of the event that I took from around the challenging town centre circuit during the course of the afternoon.

It's been a good day for Cardigan. Well done to the competitors for putting on such a great show for us and to the event organisers Velo Teifi who have expertly organised and put together in advance a full programme of races and to the marshalls on the day today for ensuring that the safety of the competitors and the public has been at the forefront of their minds.

Finally, thank you to Mr Blue Sky for bringing the weather to make it a crackin' day out for the whole family.

Planning Application Success for the Highbury

I was pleased to be able to convince my Ceredigion County Council colleagues on the Planning Committee this week to support the application made by the Highbury Guest House in the middle of Cardigan for disabled parking and access.

The Highbury is a popular local business in town and particularly on a Sunday when its fantastic Sunday Lunch Carverys (I should know, I've tried them often enough!) are booked out week after week. So this application will support a local business and will do so by giving a boost to those who require disabled access.

History
The problem we have is that the building is listed as it stands on the location of the old 18th century Cardigan gaol and despite the worthy merits of the application, the planning officers recommended refusal for an application that would open up the front wall to alllow room for two disabled parking bays and a disabled ramp up from the street level to the ground level of the building.

Cardigan's Highbury Guest House

Indeed, under the Council's relatively new system of delegated powers, they have the right along as long as the local member is in agreement, to refuse an application without it needing to go to full committee. As the local member for Pendre, I therefore received a call a few weeks ago from the planning case officer asking for my permission to allow them to throw the application out on the grounds that the building was listed and that changes would be out of step with a conservation area.

Full Planning Committee
I refused the request and asked for it to come to full committee which is how it ended up doing so this past Wednesday. As a historian, I'm happy with the design put forward by the applicants of retaining the original front wall fabic by re-instating it alongside the new proposed parking area. I said as much on Wednesday.

I also noted that there were no objections whatsoever for the application. No objections from the Highways Department to the new access point, no objections from the Town Council and no objections from any local residents.

I also picked up on some glaring errors in the planning report that presented the application to full committee. It mentioned that there was ample parking spaces in car parks at Market St and off North Road and that there was a bus stop outside the property. I had to made the point that all 3 were factually incorrect! Indeed, there is no Market St in Cardigan! I think the report meant the car park at Greenfield Square behind the Guildhall. There is also no car park off North Road but the Fairfield Car Park does lie at the end of Napier St which comes off North Road and whilst it may be possible to hail a bus from the Highbury area of Pendre depending on the bus driver, there is no designated bus stop there - as one who regularly uses the buses, I should know!

Success - but now for CADW
With this support for a local business and for improved disability access in town, as well as picking up on needlesss and self-defeating errors in the planning report, I managed to convince the voting members on the committee to oppose the recommendation and to suppot the application unanimously which was highly pleasing.

But that isn't the end of the matter. Althought the Council now support the application, because it is a listed building, it must now go forward to CADW (the Welsh National Trust if you like) for their support. They could still turn it down but I hope that they will see sense and support this application for the reasons that I have stated above.

Will common sense prevail? We will see. But for now, positive progress at least.

A Blog Re-Vamp (Version #2) - Comments Welcome

As I mentioned last week, I have re-vamped my blog front page after 11 months and over 100,000 pageviews after I started blogging properly last September.

Yesterday I made the initial changes by making changes to the content. I've done so by making a push on promoting local businesses and organisations in Cardigan and also more widely throughout Ceredigion in the hope that I can give them some free publicity. I have done so so by placing prominently their web links on the front page.

Today I have re-vamped in its entirety, the design of the blog to move away fromt the standard blogger template which was beginning to grate with me. I've gone with a light blue background and a chequered flag image to signify my passion and that of my father before me, to motorsport. The new template has also got clearly defined sections which better seperate the core content to the links and buttons down the right hand-side.

I've also widened the width of the blog as I was getting increasingly frustrated at what I felt was its 'clunky' nature with some posts and their photos or video clips too large for the space afforded to the core content. That has now hopefully been rectified by this change.

Finally, following on from the masthead design used by Alex Folkes which I've always liked, I have somehow by hook or by crook managed to do the same with mine with a photo of a younger me aged 3 or 4 to remind myself that life is for the living and that for as long as we are young at heart, nothing should phase us in the challenges that lie ahead. Thank you to Alex who gave me some helpful advice on doing so.

I would be interested to hear what visitors to my blog think of the changes. Is it more user friendly and is it easy to read? All constructive views will be greatly welcomed!

In the meantime, as I stated yesterday, if there are any other businesses or organisations in Cardigan or throughout the county (or indeed Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire!) that would like to add their website link to my blog, then please don't hesitate to contact me and I will add them also!

Thank you for reading.

A Blog Re-Vamp (Version #1)

As I mentioned last week, I have re-vamped my blog front page after 11 months and over 100,000 pageviews after I started blogging properly last September.

I've made a push on promoting local businesses and organisations in Cardigan and also more widely throughout Ceredigion in the hope that I can give them some free publicity.

I had intended to do so as attractive and eye-catching 'buttons' but short of having the html coding for every site, I have failed to decipher how I can do so just with the website addresses so for now, they will be placed prominently on my blog front page as links. If you know how to do so as buttons, please do get in touch!

In the meantime, if there are any other businesses or organisations in Cardigan or throughout the county (or indeed Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire!) that would like to add their website link to my blog, then please don't hesitate to contact me and I will add them also!

Give Me Your Money! Helping Cardigan's RNLI

I've spent an enjoyable 3 hours today with the local RNLI branch and their fundraising buckets at Cardigan's Tesco supermarket.

With thanks to Richard Fletcher for
taking the photo!

I've helped them before as I also do with the local Royal British Legion Branch every year selling red poppies. It's so easy because everyone knows what both the RNLI and the British Legion do and how important they are to us here in our coastal community.

Nowadays of course we're not allowed to rattle the buckets or even to entice people over to us. We are expected to stand still and wait for people to come over to volunteer their donation to us. Over a 3 hour stretch, that's a lot of time of standing around hoping that Tesco customers come over with a donation! The fact then that the Lifeboat tabard tells them exactly who we are however is a great help and the response today was great.

My problem mind, if you can call it that, is that I know too many people in Cardigan. I've therefore been known to call out to anyone I know even at a distance and lure them over and today was no exception!

Still, if it means more money goes into the boxes to support this wonderful and critical local service, then who's complaining? It also gave me an opportunity to chat to loads of local people who I know and as anyone who knows me will testify, I like to chat!

So all in all, it has been a grand old day!

The Glorious Teifi River

It's been a lovely afternoon in the growing warmth of the west Wales sunshine.

I've been down in the so-called 'Somerfield' Car Park (it's now the Co-op) down alongside the Teifi River, fly-postering cars with flyers to remind everyone that the Car Park will be closed this coming Friday evening and Saturday for the annual Cardigan River & Food Festival.

As well as leaving the photographed flyers under the windscreen wipers of parked vehicles, I also put up posters to remind car park users of the same.

It was a glorious location to spend a few hours this afternoon with the view down the river and towards the estuary with the leisure boats bobbling along on the river and the village of St Dogmaels in the background. It's a picture of serenity that lightens the heart.

It reminds me just how lucky I am to live here on the western coast. As much as I enjoy my visits to the larger cities of Cardiff and London for example, there's nothing quite like coming home to the west.

Cardigan Cenotaph TLC

I may be a bit of a pedant at times but then I like to see things in their rightful place.

I therefore saw something catch my eye when I walked past Cardigan's Cenotaph a few weeks ago and noticed that one of the small border pillars that encompasses it was out of sync. It was so much so that it was almost falling onto the pavement and as a part of a link-chain boundary fence around our monument to the fallen, could eventually have pulled the rest down with it.

I therefore contacted the Highways section of the County Council and within a short space of time, they have re-set the pillar back into place and on checking it out as pictured, found it to be as soild as a rock which was pleasing.

Cardigan takes its responsibilities to our servicemen and women very seriously and be it Anzac Day, Armed Forces Day or Remembrance Sunday, the town always pays its respects to those that gave their lives for our today with great solemnity.

It is therefore only right that our own monument to them is kept in good condition and whilst it may only be a small thing, I'm glad that this small anomoly was rectified.

Napier St Flood Alleviation Improvements

I was contacted recently by residents living in Cardigan's Napier St concerned about flooding incidents in the street which was not being dealt with adequately by the highways infrastructure there.

At the new flood alleviation culvert in Napier St

As it happens, Ceredigion County Council had begun streetwork improvements and residents queried whether as a part of that work, a better flood alleviation system could be introduced to deal with the river of water that comes down to Napier St from Napier Gardens in times of heavy downfalls.

I got onto the Highways Department as a result and requested satisfactory alterations and they duly and very helpfully obliged. As the above photo shows, a new and sizeable culvert has been introduced underneath the road to deal with any excess water that will arise from such future occurrences.

Residents have responded positively to the works and to the fact that after much complaining without success, a resolution was found so swiftly once they had contacted me with their concerns.

A Splendid Cardigan Show!

It's been a great day.

I've spent the day at Cardigan Agricultural Show and in the many years that I have attended the show, it has probably been the best that I can recall.

It was the 157th Cardigan Show since it was formed in 1854 and in its day it was I gather the biggest one day show in Wales. My grandfather J.R.Lewis I'm told was a previous President of the Show and was an avid competitor. Over the years my family have continued our proud association by competing regularly with our Shire Horses in his memory. It was therefore a great personal privelage for me to be the Patron of the Show two years ago in 2009 when I was the Mayor of Cardigan.

It remains a big event and today I felt was the best that I have experienced.

Traditionally held on the last Wednesday in July, the sun was shining today and we had a wonderful view looking down from our high vantage point towards the estuary and Cardigan Island. There was a great crowd to visit a large number of stalls, the exhibitions and of course to watch the competitions. I was attending today as the Vice-Chair of Ceredigion County Council and was therefore invited for the second time to have lunch with the President -this year, local insurance broker Delwyn Griffiths. I also spent time accompanying Mark Williams MP around the show and in the afternoon, my Alyson joined us! We called in to see my mum who was in charge of the CADAMM (Cardigan and District Agricultural and Maritime Museum) stand - it's always felt like a family affair to me such is our association with the show!

When I was Mayor in 2009, we had to contend with heavy and muddy ground after torrential rain on the eve of the show - to such an extent that many vehcicles had to be towed out! Not today however as the sun shone down on us righteous people of Cardigan and district and helped ensure that the atmosphere throughout was positive and enthusiastic.

A big well done and thanks to the Show Committee for planning, co-ordinating and executing a fine event once more.

Roll on Cardigan Show 2012!

JPR Williams, Heavenly Singing & Mindless Vandalism

Go back to 1176 and you will find that the first ever Welsh Eisteddfod was held in Cardigan Castle under the auspices of the Lord Rhys.

It is quite apt then that one of the biggest of the modern Eisteddfods in the west Wales region is Cardigan's Gwyl Fawr Aberteifi which has a long and proud 59 year tradition which helps make it so.

Heavenly Singing
Last night I had a very enjoyable time at the final evening of Gwyl Fawr Aberteifi 2011 where I could endulge myself in my love of Welsh music and in particular, Welsh choral music.

Because I am without hesitation, first and foremost, a Choir man. I adore listening to the Choir competitions more than I do the recitations or the solo singing performances (although I do greatly enjoy these as well). In the Gwyl Fawr, there are 4 choir competitions - for the youth, for women, for men and for a mixed choir. The winner of each then go toe-to-toe for the 'Choir of the Festival' trophy which is the one they all want to win.

Give me a choice and I will always go for the Male Voice Choir. There is something that calls out to my Welsh soul when I hear one in full flow and last night, it was a pleasure to listen to the 4 Male Voice Choirs that had come to compete and indeed had travelled some distance to do so.

JPR in his Welsh 70's pomp

Côr Meibion Y Machlud had travelled up from south Wales and amongst its ranks on stage last night was 1970s Welsh rugby wizard, JPR Williams giving it his all as was his way on the rubgy pitch. However, on this occasion, he and they came last!

In third were Côr Meibion Clwb Rygbi Treforys (Morriston RFC Male Voice Choir) who brought a staggering 60 members all the way up from Swansea to compete.

Côr Meibion Taf from Cardiff came a very respectable second but the clear and straightforward winners last night for me were our very own Côr Ar Ol Tri who were a good distance better than their south Walian rivals. Their win proved very popular in the hall as can be expected but unfortunately however, the overall Festival Choir award was given to the Ladies Choir Côr Merched Canna from Cardiff - never mind, better luck next year Côr Ar Ol Tri!

Mindless Vandalism
The evening certainly perked me up after the great anger and frustration that swept over me the evening before when I received a 'phone call from our CAB Bureau Manager at 10.15pm on Friday evening notifying me that there had been an act of mindless vandalism at the Bureau for the second time this year.

I broke off from watching The Kennedys and made my way down to the Bureau as Trustee Board Co-Chair to find that a brick had been thrown at one of the paines of glass at the front of the building. One of the local residents who always keeps an eye out for us, spotted this damage on his way back from the Gwyl Fawr on that evening and called our Bureau Manager.

We waited for the police to arrive and once they were gone, we cleaned up and made our ways home at about 11.30pm.

What greatly frustrates me is that someone decided to target the CAB - an organisation that exists to help people and to do good in society. Why, of all places in the world, target the Citizens Advice Bureau? I find it incredulous. As I've said, this is the second such incident in recent months - the last time a large plank of wood was forced through re-inforced windows and made a much greater mess than what we witnessed this Friday evening.

But whilst that original act was perpetrated in the early hours of the morning, this most recent mindless act occurred sometime between 6.30pm and 9.30pm - in summer time daylight hours. I just can't fathom and undestand the mentality here in doing what was done and at a time when they could so easily have been seen. Do these people have no shame? Well, they certainly are shameful in their actions.

So over the course of the weekend, I've seen to some degrees both the worst and the best of our area but I'm glad that it was the former that was followed by the latter because it at least means that I move into a new week in better heart than would've been the case had it have been the other way around.

Cardigan's Tesco Extension Approved - But at what cost?

After all of the arguing and claim and counter-claim, this current round in Cardigan's Supermarket Wars came to an end yesterday in Ceredigion County Council's monthly Planning Committee meeting.

I've already gone into some depth about the background between the feud between Tesco and the new Sainsbury's store here and here. Sainsbury's finally got their permission last month after years of paralysis on the controversial Bath House site.

Well yesterday, having withdrawn their original plan for a huge extension to their current store alongside the by-pass to the north of the town, Cardigan's Tesco narrowly won approval on a smaller plan to extend their current store despite objections from the Town Council and concerns from local traders on Cardigan'a High St.

I spoke up against the extension in-line with the comments of the Town Council. Having agreed to the new build for Sainsbury's, I didn't feel that there was any need to give an extension to Tesco. There will now be, as well as Aldi and the Co-op in town, plenty of competition. Adding to the amount of non-food conveniance goods that Tescos can sell would I feel, only be to the detriment of the town centre.

The feeling I garnered as the debate unfolded in the Council Chamber yesterday morning was that Tesco for once would end up losing this battle. There were committee members (I, not being a member of the planning committee didn't have a vote but was allowed to speak) from both sides of the chamber speaking against the need to expand so I felt it would fall comfortably. I was therefore rather stunned I must admit when the vote ended with 11 in favour, 9 against and with 2 abstentions.

So Tesco, against the odds I would say, have got their extension. It's akin to going 2 goals down in their fight against Sainsbury's but somehow managing to conjur up an injury-time equaliser.

In the meantime, whilst they fight it out between themselves, I worry for the town centre traders and the impact that this larger out-of-town Tescos will have on them.

After 8 long years...Cardigan's Tesco Junction is...OPEN!

Yes folks, for the first time since it was closed 'temporarily' to south bound traffic in 2003, Cardigan's 'Tesco' Junction at the northern end of the town's by-pass is open at long last.


At the Junction with Mark Williams MP
and Town Councillor Nicky Charlton-Lewis

After years of procrastinating by successive Welsh Assembly Governments, it has quietly been opened today by the contractors with no fanfare, 2 months later than planned. It has re-opened with traffic lights which whilst it wasn't my ideal solution of a roundabout, it's certainly a lot better than the lego set of blocks that have been stationed there for the best part of a decade.

To the 1,500 + people who signed my 'Open Our Junction' petition in 2008 and which I personally delivered to the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, thank you.

The entire community deserves great praise for showing its fighting spirit when faced against the odds of an intrasigent Welsh Assembly Government on this issue. The Town Council, the County Council, the local Chamber of Trade, local AMs, our local MP Mark Williams and most importantly, local residents have battled and battled to win the day and today, we've done it!

Cardigan's northern-most entrance is open for business once more and in being so, so is Cardigan's local economy.

I'll say it one more time. Cardigan's Tesco Junction is open.

At last.

A Cardigan Fit for Jeans

Saturday's Western Mail ran this article about the revival that we here in Cardigan are about to witness in the jeans industry.


Local pioneers
David and Clare Hieatt

David Hieatt, the founder of the howies brand, is looking to tap into the skills of the area by employing at this initial stage, 5 skilled machinists to produce the premium Hiut Jeans denim which he plans to sell at around £150-£200 each and which will be aimed at top markets in London and Japan. He aims to open his new factory in Parc Teifi in July.

The skill base is there because it was barely a decade ago that the Dewhurst factory in Cardigan closed down and with it, went 400 jobs. It was a hammer blow to the local economy and it's taken time for it to recover.

Cardigan's old Dewhurst Factory

As I was quoted as saying in the Western Mail article, this is great news for Cardigan. The talent is there and is waiting to be untapped and it will be great to know that jeans are being produced here in Cardigan once more. It will also be a much needed extra shot in the arm for our local economy and in these challenging times, is a development that is to be greatly welcomed.

As David himself said: "It will be a tiny start-up but Levis started small too!"

Quite right David! Good luck to you in this excellent new venture.

A 'Green Light to Go' for Cardigan's Bath-House Sainsbury's Development

The on-going saga surrounding the controversial commercial development in the Bath-House area of Cardigan is coming to a conclusion.

As I mentioned in my blog here back in February, the tit-for-tat supermarket war between Sainsbury’s, who are seeking to move into the Bath-House development, and the current Tesco’s store at the top of town has prolonged the issue. Indeed, a late letter sent in by Tesco tried to thwart today's discussion once more as they requested a further deferral so that this Sainsbury's application could be dealt with in tandem with one of their own.

Thankfully, the committee saw sense today to wave away that plea and made a decision on the application in front of it this morning on its own merit.

As I mentioned in that blog post in February, I raised two specific concerns and I raised them again this morning:

"I raised my concerns regarding the proposed petrol station and the Environment Agency's concern about how its sub-surface tanks may have an adverse impact on the water course in the River Mwldan. I also raised my concern of the proposed 65% food retail / 35% non-food retail split in the store when the Town Council called for a 80% / 20% split to limit the effect felt by the High St non-food retailers"

Concerns Placated, Concerns Remain
Today, Ceredigion County Council’s Planning Committee dealt with the application once more and I was pleased to see that the Environment Agency Wales objections have now been removed. This is because Sainsbury's have for the time being, removed the petrol pump station from the application. They had an opportunity to move it to another part of the development so as to placate the Environment Agency's concerns but instead decided to remove it completely at this stage. This doesn't preclude them from putting a new application in, in the future for a petrol pump station so this may well only be a delay on their part with this.

But what it meant is that the Environment Agency have, with conditions, given their approval and this is to be welcomed.

My second point that I raised in February's meeting however has not been allayed. The proposed food and non-food split for the new supermarket remains at 65% and 35% and not the more reasonable split proposed by the Town Council of 80%-20%. I raised the concern of the Town Council and of local High St traders to this in this morning's meeting as a larger percentage of non-food retail in the new Sainsbury's could have a more detrimental impact on the town centre. Unfortunately however, whilst these concerns were noted, the 65%-35% split remains.

Green Light to Go for Bath-House and Sainsbury's

So, when it came to the vote, after years of debate and discussions and disagreement and after meetings after meetings after meetings, it was agreed by those voting members of the committee (as I'm not a member of the Planning Committee, I didn't have a vote) this morning, to support the recommendation of giving the planning officers the powers to approve the application once final conditions have been confirmed.

Indeed, the recommendation was supported unanimously.

So after years of debate and disagreement in town about this controversial plan, today, May 11th 2011 would seem to me to be the day when Bath-House was given the 'green light to go'. I still have concerns regarding the development as mentioned above so I will be keeping a keen eye on developments over the weeks and months ahead.

Election Day & Rudyard Kipling

It's early election day morning and I will soon be out on the door-steps of Cardigan delivering the faithful 'Good Morning' leaflet with supporters in the town.

Tonight, I'll be attending the count and I am now more than versed in the 'count night' etiquette. My first major election count was for the corresponding Welsh Assembly election in 2003. I've since attended every election count in Ceredigion apart from for the 2009 European elections (I wanted a rest from the count so I could stay in and watch the election results come in on TV for the first time since 2001!).

I've won a few and I've lost a few. I was there when we won the Westminster seat from Plaid Cymru in 2005 and again when we increased our 219 majority to one of 8,324 in 2010. I was obviously there when I was first elected to Ceredigion County Council with a majority of 18 in 2004 and again when I was re-elected in 2008 with 86% of the vote.

I've also been there when we've fallen short - in the 2003 and 2007 Welsh Assembly elections in particular.

Tonight, I'll be hoping to see us overturn that Welsh Assembly run as we have had a great campaign with a great candidate in Elizabeth Evans so I am genuinely hopeful for a good result.

But I've been on the winning side and the losing side enough times now to realise that when it comes to election counts, there's one man who epitomised the mindset that is required on entering the counting hall more aptly than anyone else.

As Rudyard Kipling eloguently put it in 'If',

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same"

Because at the end of the day this is just an election and win or lose, life carries on.

I felt that very profoundly yesterday when I took a break from campaigning to lead a commemorative dedication ceremony in remembrance of Lance Sgt Dave Greenhalgh who lost his life in Afghanistan during my Mayoral year in February 2010. Yesterday, the community of Cardigan, his friends and family and the British Legion dedicated a bench in his memory in Victoria Gardens, in the shadow of our Cenotaph. It was a simple and yet moving ceremony. The Legion had 4 proud standards present and after the 2 minute silence and the Kohima Epitaph, I led the civic element of the ceremony and invited Dave's friends and family to speak in his memory. At the end, both I as the then Mayor and our current Mayor Cllr Mair Morris, whose Mayoral charity for this year takes in the 'Help for Heroes' fund, officially unveiled the bench by lifting the Union Jack from it to show to all, Adrian Lewis' wonderful work in putting together this wonderful bench.

So after a moving ceremony as that which I helped lead yeaterday, it does put everything into perspective.

I will be out campaigning today to do my very best to ensure that our fantastic candidate Elizabeth Evans has the best opportunity of being returned as the new Assembly Member for Ceredigion over the next 24 hours but an event such as that which was held in Cardigan yesterday, instills in you great humility.

So having found myself at both ends of an election result, I know how it feels to win and how it feels to lose. But then there's no greater loss than the sacrifice of giving your life for your country.

So whatever the result over the next few 24 hours, it'll be the people who will have spoken and it will be their result that we supporters of all colours will have to abide by. As politicians, we like to feel that we are doing our best to move our country and our communities forward. But there are those on the battlefield who are doing the same but the result of which, can be very different.

So I will go about my duties today with a great sense of gratitude for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our tomorrow and for the very democracy in which we now ask local residents to participate.

HLF Approve £4.7m grant to restore Cardigan Castle - Birthplace of the Welsh Eisteddfod

Today is a bloody good day for Cardigan, Wales and for anyone who values Welsh culture.

Cardigan Castle in 2014?





For today it was officially announced that the Heritage Lottery Fund have given their approval to a £4.7m grant application submitted by Cadwgan Building Preservation Trust on behalf of Cardigan Castle.

This is absolutely brilliant news for the castle and for us all here in the town. It is the moment when a great campaign to bring our historic castle back into full, open, public use, crossed the rubicon from being one of hope to one of expectancy.

A Potted History
Cardigan is a Welsh castle built in stone in 1171 - built by the native population and not by the Norman occupiers. It is a castle that, in 1176, witnessed a feast of celebration as poets and musicians competed for a chair at Lord Rhys's table.

As recorded in Brut y Tywysogion...

"...at Christmas in that year, the Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd held court in splendour at Cardigan, in the castle. And he set two kinds of contests there: one between bards and poets, another between harpists and crowders and pipers and various classes of music craft. And he had two chairs set for the victors. And he honoured those with ample gifts".

It was the first incarnation of our modern day Eisteddfod. After the final Norman conquest of the castle during the 1240s, the castle was reconstructed. Two towers, a new keep and the town wall were all built to create the stronghold, the ruins of which are visible to visitors today. A peaceful four centuries however came to an abrupt end when Oliver Cromwell took it upon himself to storm the battlements. The castle was uninhabitable from then on until the 19th century, when it breathed a new lease of life as it was converted into a residence with Castle Green House built inside the walls and incorporating the North Tower. A pill box was built overlooking Cardigan Bridge during WWII but the castle fell into disrepair after its final private owner Barbara Wood failed to keep up with the maintenance required on such an old and vast site. After threatening a CPO, the castle was sold to Ceredigion County Council in 2003 and it's re-emergance into the public consciousness moved into top gear from then until the present day.

Cardigan Castle and me
As I've previously blogged here, as a historian, Cardigan Castle has always been a special place for me.

As I said in that post back in September...


"I can remember as a child crossing the old bridge and always wondering what lay behind those great walls. Never in a million years could I have thought that I would one day become Mayor of Cardigan and donate my Mayoral Fund donations to the Cardigan Castle Fund. If current plans being pursued by local Building Preservation Trust Cadwgan are successful, then the castle could well be totally renovated and open to the public by 2014".

Well, they were indeed precient words because that final sentence is now a great step closer to becoming a reality.


Cardigan Castle as I have always known it



"...the end of the beginning".

But it hasn't been easy. After the Council bought the castle back in 2003 after a campaign led by the local Tivy Side Advertiser, it entered into discussions regarding the future 'end use' of the castle. It was at this stage that I became directly involved in the development of this story having been elected to the County Council in 2004.

I sat in many a meeting that dealt with the 'next steps' in bringing the castle into full public use. A viable, sustainable 'end use' was required with which to bid for grant funding. I can well recall the Keen Report which the authority spent a good deal of money on but which came up with no credible plan. We then had the Peter Lord proposal of housing a new Welsh Museum of Art in the castle. I recall a passionate public meeting in the town (which public meeting in Cardigan isn't passionate?!) to discuss the options in which I as a local member was sitting on the 'top table'. It was chaired by then County Council leader Dai Lloyd Evans and local residents didn't hold back from giving their opinions.

It eventually became clear that the County Council had gone as far as they could with the castle and when Cadwgan Building Preservation Trust requested the opportunity to take charge of this ambitious project, it was a welcomed change of direction. Since then, around 2007, they have put together financially sustainable options that have been welcomed by local residents. Along with their partners, they have worked with great patience to put forward a detailed bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for what is a £9.2m scheme.


Castle Green House

It was important as a part of their detailed bid that they could evidence public support for their bid. It was with great pride therefore that during my Mayoral year between 2009-2010, my Mayoral charity was the Castle Fund.

I felt that I needed to give them this support because if their bid proved unsuccessful in this difficult economic climate where grants are drying up, it would probably mean the moth-balling of the Cardigan Castle project for a generation.

You can imagine by sheer delight therefore, after years of increasing hope but nagging uncertainty, when I heard last Wednesday morning that we'd got the full grant request of £4.7m! But it was embargoed until today so I can only give my sentiments today! But it is wonderful news. This now means that we're half-way to raising the £9m+ necessary to making our dream a reality.

But this is only a work-in-progress. The remaining money is still required but this positive news will I am sure, act as a magnet to draw down the match-funding required to bring us to our financial goal. It is now more than feasible that works on the site could begin before the end of this year and the 2014 completion date is still a very much hoped for reality. Seeing the removal of those awful stanchions will be a good start!

As Jann Tucker, the Chair of the Cadwgan Building Preservation Trust, in quoting Churchill said at today's official announcement in the castle:

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning".

It is indeed. There's much work ahead of us but the light at the end of the tunnel has just got that big bit brighter.

Ceredigion Community Council Raises its Council Tax (Band D) Rate by 600%

It's true, I couldn't make it up.

As reported on the front page of the southern edition of this week's Cambrian News, Dyffryn Arth Community Council have increased its precept 6 fold this year from £5,000 to £30,000 in one, fail incredible swoop.

Dyffryn Arth is a rural community council in mid-Ceredigion to the immediate north of Aberaeron - taking in villages such as Aberarth, Pennant and Nebo. The residents from this community council area will have had quite a shock when their annual council tax demand arrived in the post this month from Ceredigion County Council.

It shows that for 2011/12, as well as the overall increase in the community council's precept, the Band D rate will now stand at £57.31 per each resident tax payer. This compared to a 2010/11 figure of just £9.54. That's an increase of 600.7%! Absolutely staggering.

Legal Fees
Why, in the middle of a downturn, this incredulous increase? Well, as reported in the Cambrian News this week, as can be read here, it has been blamed by community councillors on a legal case which they lost and for which they must now pay. The Council decided to go to a tribunal to contest the sale of a piece of land which they believed had been bequeathed to the community council, to a private individual. They lost the case and having decided to cut their losses from appealing the decision, they decided to increase their precept in one-go to pay off the antipicpated legal costs of around £25,000.

Second Highest Band D Tax Rate in Ceredigion
It's quite stagerring in it's own right but when you compare it to the 50 other Town and Community Councils in Ceredigion, the scale of the rise is given an even greater perspective.

Because as this table shows, in 2010/11, Dyffryn Arth's Band D rate was just £9.54. This made it one of only 7 Town or Community Councils in Ceredigion to have a rate of under £10 and made it the 5th cheapest overall out of 51 (the cheapest being Lledrod Community Council at just £3.54 per each resident tax payer!).

Well, the 2011/12 table (which is not yet on-line) shows a new world. It's a world where the residents of Dyffryn Arth have now gone from paying the 5th lowest Band D Tax in Ceredigion out of 51 to paying the 2nd highest - beaten only by Aberystwyth!

It is, when you look at the figures, quite incredible. The residents of Dyffryn Arth will be paying from April 1st this year, £57.31 each instead of £9.54. Only Aberystwyth, with a precept of £240,000, has an understandably higher Band D rate at £69.43. The residents of Dyffryn Arth are therefore set to pay more than the residents of Ceredigion's major towns namely Lampeter (£47.89), Aberaeron (£45.82), Cardigan (£44.48), Aberporth (£36.80), Tregaron (£29.00), Llandysul (£27.29) and Borth (£24.22). Only 4 community councils have this year got a rate of under £10.

What it all means is that the community council of Dyffryn Arth now has at £30,000, a bigger precept than larger Ceredigion conurbations such as Tregaron (£15,000), New Quay (£12,428) and Llanbadarn Fawr (£29,866). Incredibly, it falls only slightly shy of its big brother neighbour in Aberaeron on £33,390

It has gone from having the 35th, up to the 7th highest precept of the 51 Town and Community Councils in the county.

As a Cardigan Town Councillor and formerly as an Aberystwyth Town Councillor, I have already sat through 7 discussions over the years regarding the setting of the annual precept and the Council Tax Band D rate. During the majority of these, there have often been Councillors who have called for a freeze in the rates. I on the other hand along with a majority on most occasions, have regularly called for a small but reasonable increase. This year in Cardigan Town Council for example, we decided on an increase of 2%. My reasoning for this is that it allows the precept to rise steadily over the years so when we have a major project or repairs work to undertake to our properties, the money will be there. Better a slow and gradual increase year-on-year in my book than holding firm and then when an emergency comes along, one large hike comes around the corner and gives a shock to the system of every resident who we have been elected to represent.

Double Trouble
Unfortunately for the residents of Dyffryn Arth, they've suffered the double shock of a mamouth hike in their rates in one year and at the same time know that they are not going to see the benefits of it in the services that they receive from their local council. No, as is often the way, it'll be the legal profession who'll be laughing all the way to the bank in this case.

It goes to show the great care that is required, even at a community council level, of controlling the budgets for which they are responsible and of the decisions that are made. The decision made by those Councillors who serve on Dyffryn Arth Council to take their land ownership fight to a tribunal, with all of the legal risks and costs that that would entail, now looks like a grave one indeed - particularly for those residents in that parish who will now have to foot the bill. I'm sure that those Councillors will now have to face the wrath of their electorate.

They'll be doing so soon too - the next Council elections are in 12 months time in May 2012.

Anarchy in Ceredigion

That's what there may well be if Dyfed-Powys Police withdraw their traffic wardens from patrol in the coming months as they've said they will do.

That was the message coming out from this morning's Ceredigion County Council Cabinet meeting from a number of Councillors from across the chamber - including myself.

De-Criminalisation of Parking
This issue arose in the discussion on the merits or otherwise of Ceredigion County Council taking over the responsibility of parking enforcement from the police by de-criminalising parking and making it a civil matter.

This Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) has some potentially great benefits. One is that it will increase the number of enforcement officers from the current 3 Traffic Wardens that cover the entirety of Ceredigion to 8 and the money from parking fines that will be collected would go back to the Council and can be re-used for local highways priorities whereas the current fines from parking tickets simply go straight to central government.

Neighbouring authorities in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire already operate this CPE model and Powys will be going ‘live’ with it on April 1st. Ceredigion’s decision today to support the principle of adopting this system will make us the 12th out of 22 authorities in Wales to work under this civil scheme.

Anarchy in Ceredigion?
The concerns raised today were in relation to the intervening period between Dyfed-Powys Police’s withdrawal of their enforcement at the end of May and the commencement of the Council’s enforcement which will not come into being for at least 12 months (what with the need to consult and receive the consent of the Welsh Assembly Government).

We were told that the Chief Constable does have powers to ensure that there is coverage in such an interregnum and I requested in the meeting today that the Council continues its dialogue with him to ensure that there is enforcement coverage in the period up to when the County Council officially takes control.

Otherwise, as stated with concern by myself and colleagues from across the chamber, there may well be anarchy in Ceredigion where there will be no enforcement of parking at all. Imagine that? A scenario in Aberystwyth or in Cardigan where we have plenty of parking problems as it is, or in Lampeter where people will park where they like and for however long a length of time they like in the knowledge that no-one will enforce the traffic regulations against them.

This can not be allowed to happen and a partnership approach must be ensured between the Council and the police to guarantee that this 12 or so month void is filled.

Progress
But thankfully, the vote today by Cabinet, after what I am told by my Plaid Cymru colleague Alun Williams (who represents Aberystwyth’s Bronglais Ward) has been at least a 13 year wait, agreed in principle that we finally go down this path.

The Labour member for Lampeter Hag Harris, who sits on the Cabinet did joke at the end of the discussion that it was rather far fetched for a number of us to speak of anarchy – the Sex Pistols he said, it wasn’t! But I reminded him afterwards that the definition of anarchy is disorder or lawlessness and that is what would prevail if the unpalatable situation mentioned above were to come into effect in the months ahead.

Here’s hoping that common sense will prevail and that it won’t. But in the meantime I welcome today’s decision and look forward to the hoped for implementation of the CPE during the course of 2012.

It is with great relief that I don't have to resign

As I mentioned in a blog post here a fortnight ago, I've had a real conundrum to deal with, with regards to the Cardigan Primary School planning application.

The issue as stated previously is that whilst I sit on the Governing Body of the school, the plans and the impact of the new entrance onto Pont-Y-Cleifion in particular, have aroused concerns from local residents. As their local Councillor, it is my duty to represent those concerns at the necessary level. However, as a Council appointed member of the primary school's governing body, I have had a clear conflict of interest.

Dispensation Granted
Well, thankfully, the planning committee deferred the application to give me time to seek dispensatrion from the Standards Committee to speak at the meeting next month and in the meantime, sought a site inspection panel to meet on-site next week to further look into the application.

This is the first time in 7 years on the Council in which I have felt obliged to go in front of the Standards Committee to request the dispensation to speak. Not doing so would mean that I wouldn't be able to fulfill the basic task of being an elected Councillor - representing the views of local residents in my ward.

So the Standards Committee met this morning and I attended to give my take on this complicated predicament. I'm pleased to report that they granted me my request of speaking in both the site inspection panel meeting next Monday and in any subsequent planning committee meetings that deliberate on this issue for the next 12 months.

It would've been a sad day for local democracy had the standards committee decided otherwise and forced me to resign from the governing body to do my job. But thankfully, it hasn't come to that. Today's decision means that I can do my job of representing local views whilst retaining my place on the Governing Body of Cardigan Primary School.