It has emerged this week that First Cymru buses are pulling out from the provision of a number of services in Carmarthenshire. The company has the contract from Carmarthenshire County Council following a tender process, but are now saying that they are withdrawing from the contract, and that the council will have to make other arrangements with another company.
Among the services affected by the company’s decision is the service to Glynderi, Tanerdy. Ward Cllr, Peter Hughes Griffiths has expressed his dismay at the situation.
“The county council’s officers are working to try and find another company willing to take over the contract,” said Cllr Hughes Griffiths. “I know that people who have difficulty getting out have come to rely on this service and others like it, and I very much hope that the council will be able to find an alternative supplier.”
But Cllr Hughes Griffiths had some harsh criticism for the company and for the system which allows them to withdraw services like this. “It is unacceptable,” he said, “that a company can tender for a service, win the contract and then simply walk away. They bid for the contract, under which they receive public money to provide a service. But it seems that they can simply tear up the contract at any time of their choosing.”
Saturday, 17 October 2009
Monday, 12 October 2009
Short termism
One of Plaid’s councillors in Carmarthenshire has expressed his concern over what he described as a ‘very short term view’ being taken over staffing in a vital department. Cllr David Jenkins was responding to information that the Procurement section has been undermanned for at least 9 months.
Cllr Jenkins said, “The procurement section has done a superb job over the past few years in reducing the council’s costs, and has beaten the target which was set for it. But we were told recently that savings had been made by keeping one post unfilled for 9 months and another filled on only a part time basis for three months. Whilst it is true that leaving these posts unfilled does save the council some money in the short term, a properly staffed section can save the council even more in the longer term. I believe that it is short-sighted in the extreme not to fully staff this department in order to ensure larger and more genuine savings for the council over the longer term.”
Cllr Jenkins said, “The procurement section has done a superb job over the past few years in reducing the council’s costs, and has beaten the target which was set for it. But we were told recently that savings had been made by keeping one post unfilled for 9 months and another filled on only a part time basis for three months. Whilst it is true that leaving these posts unfilled does save the council some money in the short term, a properly staffed section can save the council even more in the longer term. I believe that it is short-sighted in the extreme not to fully staff this department in order to ensure larger and more genuine savings for the council over the longer term.”
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Call for rethink on school sale proceeds
Carmarthenshire County Council's Executive Board have been urged to think again after they refused to make any contribution from the proceeds of selling Llanarthne's former school to the local Community Association. The school has been closed under the council's Modernising Education Porgramme, and the county gave the local community an opportunity to put together a business plan for community use. The response from the local community has been that they already have a hall, but would like to extend it further rather than take on the additional building, so they asked instead for a contribution from the sale proceeds. This was unanimously refused by the Council's Executive Board - one of whose members is the local Independent Party councillor, Wyn Evans.
Plaid Cymru's group leader, Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths has called for a rethink. Cllr Hughes Griffiths said, "I believe that the request from the Community Association should have received more sympathetic consideration from the council. Far too many villages have lost their schools under the council's programme, and this can often be a serious blow to the community. It is right and proper that the community should have some direct benefit from the sale of former schools, to help the community to recover form the loss and to find other ways of strengthening community activity. The executive board decided to help the community find alternative sources of finance, and this is a reasonable first step, but I believe that the council should be prepared to reconsider the application if necessary to make up any deficit in funding from those other sources."
Plaid Cymru's group leader, Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths has called for a rethink. Cllr Hughes Griffiths said, "I believe that the request from the Community Association should have received more sympathetic consideration from the council. Far too many villages have lost their schools under the council's programme, and this can often be a serious blow to the community. It is right and proper that the community should have some direct benefit from the sale of former schools, to help the community to recover form the loss and to find other ways of strengthening community activity. The executive board decided to help the community find alternative sources of finance, and this is a reasonable first step, but I believe that the council should be prepared to reconsider the application if necessary to make up any deficit in funding from those other sources."
Monday, 5 October 2009
More questions raised over Carmarthenshire TV
Local Plaid politicans have raised further questions about the use of taxpayers' money to fund a television station on the internet in Carmarthenshire. The proposal has been agreed by the county council's Executive Board, led by Cllr Meryl Gravell, and by the Local Service Partnership, both of which have agreed to provide substantial amounts of money from public funds. The County Council has agreed to pay up to £30,000, not counting the time cost of officers which is likely to be substantial, and the Local Service Partnership Board has agreed to pay £10,000. The total cost has not been declared publicly, but the county council have claimed that most of the funding is coming from the Assembly Government. It is understood that other public bodies are also expected to decide to make substantial further contributions to the total cost.
The proposal to launch such a channel came from a private company based in the county who approached the various public bodies with the idea, after some councils in England launched similar schemes. Kent County Council, for instance, launched a trial service which cost a total of £1.2 million for the first two years, and a further £400,000 for the third year. Questions have now been raised by Plaid Councillors about the way in which the proposal has been developed.
Plaid's leader on the council, Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, wrote to the Assistant Chief Executive asking why a formal tendering process had not been followed. He said, "For almost everything the council does, we have to go through a formal tendering process, so that a range of suppliers have an opportunity to offer their services, and so that the council can obtain best value for money. Yet, in this case, it seemed to me that there had been no attempt to ascertain whether there are other companies which could provide the service. The impression given was that the contract had simply been awarded to the first company which suggested the idea. I am pleased to hear that this impression is in fact completely erroneous. Although one particular company approached the council suggesting the idea, I have been reassured that, should all the relevant bodies decide to go ahead with the scheme in principle, there will then be a competitive process to decide which company is awarded the contract.
“We as a group think that the whole idea is badly flawed, and is a waste of taxpayers' money; but if the council is determined to get involved in this scheme, they should, at the very least, follow their own normal processes of competitive tendering. Apart from anything else, that gives us all a further opportunity to try and prevent the council from participating in this scheme. And one key question which should be answered, but has not been answered to date, is what the total cost of this scheme is, to be paid from public funds, from all the different bodies involved."
Questions have also been raised about the funding from the Welsh Assembly Government. Nerys Evans, Plaid's regional AM for the area said that she would be raising questions with the Assembly Government on this matter. "At a time when there are likely to be cuts in local government spending, it seems very strange to me," said Ms Evans, "that the Assembly Government should be diverting funds from front line services into a television service. I am asking the relevant ministers how much money is being provided, which budgets it is being taken from, and how the contracts will be awarded."
The proposal to launch such a channel came from a private company based in the county who approached the various public bodies with the idea, after some councils in England launched similar schemes. Kent County Council, for instance, launched a trial service which cost a total of £1.2 million for the first two years, and a further £400,000 for the third year. Questions have now been raised by Plaid Councillors about the way in which the proposal has been developed.
Plaid's leader on the council, Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, wrote to the Assistant Chief Executive asking why a formal tendering process had not been followed. He said, "For almost everything the council does, we have to go through a formal tendering process, so that a range of suppliers have an opportunity to offer their services, and so that the council can obtain best value for money. Yet, in this case, it seemed to me that there had been no attempt to ascertain whether there are other companies which could provide the service. The impression given was that the contract had simply been awarded to the first company which suggested the idea. I am pleased to hear that this impression is in fact completely erroneous. Although one particular company approached the council suggesting the idea, I have been reassured that, should all the relevant bodies decide to go ahead with the scheme in principle, there will then be a competitive process to decide which company is awarded the contract.
“We as a group think that the whole idea is badly flawed, and is a waste of taxpayers' money; but if the council is determined to get involved in this scheme, they should, at the very least, follow their own normal processes of competitive tendering. Apart from anything else, that gives us all a further opportunity to try and prevent the council from participating in this scheme. And one key question which should be answered, but has not been answered to date, is what the total cost of this scheme is, to be paid from public funds, from all the different bodies involved."
Questions have also been raised about the funding from the Welsh Assembly Government. Nerys Evans, Plaid's regional AM for the area said that she would be raising questions with the Assembly Government on this matter. "At a time when there are likely to be cuts in local government spending, it seems very strange to me," said Ms Evans, "that the Assembly Government should be diverting funds from front line services into a television service. I am asking the relevant ministers how much money is being provided, which budgets it is being taken from, and how the contracts will be awarded."
Friday, 2 October 2009
Glanymôr needs ignored
The needs of the Glanymor area of Llanelli are being ignored according to local Plaid councillor, Winston Lemon. Cllr Lemon said, "The people of Glanymor are fed up of hearing year after year that Glanymor is the most deprived Ward in Carmarthenshire, when acres and acres of ex-industrial land are being reclaimed for private housing, as factories and other buildings are closing down, leading to the loss of real jobs in the area. I am constantly being approached by local tax payers who are amazed at the number of office blocks being built.
"Far too many Council properties are left empty, only to deteriorate and add to costs because of repairs to damage caused by vandalism, Also there are some properties that are used for fly tipping. I am also concerned about the plan to put a school on Crown Park as 98% of residents stongly object to the plan. Not only would it take away the people's treasured leisure facilities it will also add to the problems with the drainage and sewerage which is causing major concern not only in Glanymor, but all along the Estuary.
Cllr Lemon ended by saying, "It is about time the private developers took a back seat and let the public see some of their hard earned cash put back into their local communities."
"Far too many Council properties are left empty, only to deteriorate and add to costs because of repairs to damage caused by vandalism, Also there are some properties that are used for fly tipping. I am also concerned about the plan to put a school on Crown Park as 98% of residents stongly object to the plan. Not only would it take away the people's treasured leisure facilities it will also add to the problems with the drainage and sewerage which is causing major concern not only in Glanymor, but all along the Estuary.
Cllr Lemon ended by saying, "It is about time the private developers took a back seat and let the public see some of their hard earned cash put back into their local communities."
Friday, 25 September 2009
Call for kerbside glass collections
A call has been made for Carmarthenshire County Council to introduce kerbside collections of glass for recycling. Cllr Alan Speake, one of Plaid’s representatives in Carmarthen, said, “The council is doing a lot to recycle from the kerbside, but glass is currently excluded. The council blame health and safety considerations, but other councils can and do collect glass bottles and jars etc.
“Although the council is willing to introduce more glass collection sites when sites can be found, there are some people who find it difficult to get their glass to collection sites, particularly elderly people and those without transport. The council is quite rightly keen to increase the level of recycling, but I believe that they are missing a trick by not doing more to help people recycle glass. This would make life much easier for the county’s elderly and disabled residents.”
“Although the council is willing to introduce more glass collection sites when sites can be found, there are some people who find it difficult to get their glass to collection sites, particularly elderly people and those without transport. The council is quite rightly keen to increase the level of recycling, but I believe that they are missing a trick by not doing more to help people recycle glass. This would make life much easier for the county’s elderly and disabled residents.”
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Welcome for school decision
The decision by Carmarthenshire Council not to close Ysgol Caeo has been welcomed by the local community. Governors, parents and staff are all delighted at the decision after a lengthy period of uncertainty. The county councillor for the ward, Plaid’s Cllr Eirwyn Williams, said, “I congratulate the Council’s executive board for realising at last the sense of what I have been saying for many years, namely that it is wrong to close small schools before building the new area schools to replace them.
“It is completely unacceptable to disperse children to a number of other schools, rather than giving them the chance to grow up together as members of the same community. I hope that the authority will now set about providing a new area school and that in the meantime the education department will give the school all necessary assistance to continue to provide a high quality education to the children.”
Cllr Williams also noted that the decision was in line with what Plaid has been calling for for months, saying “We have consistently argued for a moratorium on the closure of small schools, and on this occasion, the Executive Board have taken the right decision.”
“It is completely unacceptable to disperse children to a number of other schools, rather than giving them the chance to grow up together as members of the same community. I hope that the authority will now set about providing a new area school and that in the meantime the education department will give the school all necessary assistance to continue to provide a high quality education to the children.”
Cllr Williams also noted that the decision was in line with what Plaid has been calling for for months, saying “We have consistently argued for a moratorium on the closure of small schools, and on this occasion, the Executive Board have taken the right decision.”
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