84% in Ceredigion back new organ donation law

An opinion poll has found that 84% of residents in Ceredigion back presumed consent for organ donation, the highest percentage in Wales. 

The Welsh Government is planning to introduce a law to change the way organs are donated. If passed, the new law would presume people in Wales want to donate their organs when they die, unless they choose to opt out by taking their names off the register. The poll, conducted by ICM for BBC Wales, showed that overall support  for the law in Wales was 63%. 

Ceredigion's Assembly Member Elin Jones, says about the poll: 

“I welcome this show of support for a system of presumed consent for organ donation. It’s no surprise that the Welsh Government’s own consultation on the issue encountered strong support for a ‘soft opt out’ system.

“More and more people are waiting for transplants every year and as things stand too many people are dying while on the waiting list and it would be wrong not to act.

“Under the current system there are large numbers of people who would like to be organ donors but are not actually registered. Moving to an opt-out system will ensure that the number of people who donate increases and a number of lives are no longer needlessly lost. The system doesn’t take the right of the individual to decide – if a person does not want to donate their organs they can simply opt out."

Another question in the poll showed that 69% of people in Ceredigion back the new 5p charge on plastic bags, the seventh highest in Wales, with overall support at 64%.

Interestingly, both polls showed showed that Welsh speakers were more likely to support the measures than non-Welsh speakers.

Aberystwyth comes to Cardiff

As someone who, in my day job, works as a nurse for Hywel Dda Health Board, I’m unable to comment too much on the major demonstration in support of Ysbyty Bronglais outside the Assembly building in Cardiff this week.

But it shouldn’t pass without comment that 860 people (official police figure) were at the event and that this was the second biggest demonstration at the Senedd since the Assembly was formed. 

Not that these people all came from Aberystwyth. The mayors of Llanidloes, Tywyn, Machynlleth and Dolgellau were all there with large contingents from their towns, emphasising the importance of Bronglais to a wide catchment area in Mid-Wales, much of which falls outside the boundary of Hywel Dda. More pictures of the demonstration can be seen here.

Blog posts by Betsan Powys and Gareth Hughes show that the demonstration has succeeded in bringing Bronglais, and its strategic position in the health geography of Wales, to the attention of serious journalists more used to operating within the Cardiff Bay bubble.

Hywel Dda Health Board’s position is that there are no plans to downgrade Ysbyty Bronglais and that whilst their Clinical Services Strategy may lead to some adjustments to services, they will maintain Bronglais as one of four major hospitals within the Health Board’s area. They cite the £38 million extension currently being built to the hospital – the Board’s biggest capital investment - as testament to that. Carwyn Jones, Welsh Government First Minister, this week backed that stance.

However a local group of mainly retired clinicians, known as the Aber group, disagree and the attendance at the demonstration, coupled with the 547 who attended a public meeting in Penparcau last month, shows they have succeeded massively in convincing local people that the Clinical Services Strategy presents a genuine threat to the hospital’s viability.

Time will tell. But this week’s demonstration shows that any changes in the services provided by Bronglais will be subject to the most rigorous of public scrutiny.


Update:
Blog post on another demonstration at the Assembly, this week in support of Llanelli Hospital. 

Backbenchers win small concessions but Day Centre campaign is losing the war

After a full Council debate lasting most of the day, backbench Ceredigion councillors this week finally won three minor concessions in the continuing controversy over the future of Park Avenue Day Centre in Aberystwyth.  

The Council Cabinet have already taken a decision to re-locate the Day Centre to the ‘lower ground floor’ of the Old Town Hall in order to make room for the proposed Mill Street development. The issue has been the subject of a vigorous campaign to maintain the current Day Centre.

The small concessions won on Thursday were:

*  Guaranteed ‘ownership’ of a second room for the Day Centre on the lower ground floor of the Old Town Hall

*  Consideration of a canopy over the entrance / patio

*  A review of the suitability of the new centre in 12 months.

Nine councillors, including this one, had earlier voted for an immediate review of other options as a location and venue for the Centre after the Council's Social Services Committee had expressed dismay at the cramped accommodation on the new site during a tour on Wednesday. That vote was lost by 14 votes to nine with five abstentions.

A council legal officer told the meeting that the decision to close the current Day Centre in Park Avenue was "irrevocable".

The photo shows the unfinished dining area in the new Day Centre. More photos of the old town hall conversion, including the new town library which will occupy most of the building, can be seen here

78% back Aberystwyth bandstand upgrade

78% of people support the idea of a new or re-furbished bandstand on Aberystwyth Promenade – that was the key result of the public consultation on 6^th December. 

The project to improve the Bandstand received the highest support amongst the various ideas on offer at the exhibition. Whilst there was no firm view on exactly how it should be improved, the consultation report says:

“There was widespread agreement that the building, whether re-built or re-furbished, should take advantage of sea views and provide a more attractive and welcoming appearance”.

People were clear that it should not be demolished in favour of some form of public art. 

The second most popular project at the exhibition was ‘Street Improvements’. The consultation report says:

“This particular project appears to have a high level of support particularly in relation to providing outdoor areas along the promenade for eating and drinking - there was a lot of recognition that these would be fairly easy to implement in the short term and have the potential to make a positive difference to the number of people spending time on the promenade, The majority also agreed that the priority area (Marine Terrace) would benefit from regular crossing places that would make it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross the road.”

The consultation results were as follows:

The first figure is those who 'agree or strongly agree' that the issue should be prioritised, the second figure is those who disagree or strongly disagree'. The rest expressed no preference.

Bandstand 78% - 8%

Street Improvements  68% - 6%

Paddling Pool  62% - 2%

Street Furniture  56% - 14%

Public Art  52% - 24%

Aberystwyth’s Promenade Project is receiving Welsh Government  Regeneration Area funding under in a bid to improve the town's economy. The most popular elements of the project will be prioritised and be the subject of further consultation.

I can send the full survey report to anyone who e-mails me at alunw@ceredigion.gov.uk

Plaid's Leadership Election comes to Aberystwyth

Plaid Cymru's Leadership Election comes to Aberystwyth on February 15th with a hustings at the Morlan at 7pm. Pictured are the four candidates, L to R: Simon Thomas, Elin Jones, Leanne Wood and Dafydd Elis Thomas. 

The Morlan hustings is one of eight to be held around Wales and is open to all Plaid members, 1,563 of whom have joined the party in the last four months. After the hustings have taken place, all members will be sent a postal vote and asked to rank the  candidates from 1 to 4. The votes of the last candidate are then redistributed according to their second preference and so on until one candidate has over 50%. This ensures the winner has broad support across the party. 

Whichever party you support, the leadership of Plaid Cymru is a key position in Welsh politics. My feeling is that all four candidates would take Plaid forward. The winner will be announced on March 15th.

Update:
Leanne Wood will be holding a campaign meeting in the Cwps in Aberystwyth (corner of Northgate St and Llanbadarn Rd) at 6.30pm on Tuesday 14th Feb.

Update 2 (6/2/12):
Simon Thomas has pulled out of the contest and will support Elin Jones.  If she wins, she will nominate Simon as Deputy Leader.

Mill Street - The Debate

There are many different strands to the debate about the development of Mill Street car park in Aberystwyth. The plans by Ceredigion Council entail building a multi-storey car park alongside Tesco and Marks & Spencer shops. The scheme entails the demolition of Park Avenue Day Centre - to be replaced by a much smaller Day Centre in the Town Hall - plus the Drill Hall and the 13 houses in Glyndwr Road. Below are all arguments I’ve heard from different people, which just happen to fit into ten on either side.

 No to the development

1/  There was no consultation with either the general public or Day Centre users before the decision on Mill Street was made. The Council has no right to make a far reaching decision like this without public consultation.

2/  Tesco rips off farmers and is a Trojan horse that is destroying towns around the country. There are 450 local campaigns against Tesco listed on the Tescopoly website, including 37 in Wales. They should be opposed everywhere.

3/  Aberystwyth doesn’t need any more supermarkets - we’ve got too many already (Co-op, Morrison’s, CK’s, Lidl, Iceland, Spar)

4/  More chain stores will turn Aber into a clone town, the same as everywhere else, and take business from our small traders that give the town its character.

5/  A multi-storey car park will look ugly and will bring more cars to the town when we should be trying to cut traffic and encouraging public transport instead.

6/  The new Day Centre in the Town Hall is much smaller and less inviting than the current one. If they have to pull the old one down they should replace like for like, which they are clearly not. No to moving until they do.

7/  Glyndwr Road and the Drill Hall should not be included in the scheme. They are part of Aberystwyth’s heritage and character which itself has an unacknowledged economic value that helps to attract visitors.

8/  A potential Compulsory Purchase Order on someone’s home (in Glyndwr Road) that they don’t agree to leave is morally wrong. That principle should not be broken. If sticking to it results in the scheme collapsing then that is the Council’s own fault.

9/  Aberystwyth isn’t central to Ceredigion and it’s unfair that the Council concentrates so much development there. More money should be spent in the south of the county [point made by people in the South of the County].

10/  We don’t want Aberystwyth to become bigger. We like it the size it is.

Yes to the development

1/  Rightly or wrongly, Ceredigion Council is now legally committed to the Mill Street development under European Procurement Regulations. Attempting to get out of it, or alter it, would lead to the Council being sued at huge cost which the taxpayer would have to bear.

2/  Those who want Aberystwyth to stay the same are deluding themselves. Nothing stays the same. The town will either grow or shrink. We have to choose which we want.

3/  Aberystwyth cannot keep saying no to development. If it keeps saying no it will get nothing and the town will go into decline. In practical terms, that means fewer jobs and opportunities in the future and less all-round vibrancy.

4/  Aberystwyth Chamber of Commerce, which represents small shops in the town, supports the development because it’s close enough to the town centre to draw more people in and benefit everyone. The anti-supermarket protestors say they care about the small traders. Why don’t they listen to them?

5/  Those people who oppose supermarkets are being elitist. Many people don’t have the luxury of being able to shop in more expensive small shops. They have to buy what they can afford.

6/  Tesco is a higher standard of supermarket than currently exists in Aberystwyth whilst Marks & Spencer will take us into the next league in terms of attracting shoppers. Both will take the town in the right direction.

7/  The right number of supermarkets for a town is decided by market forces, not by imposing some sort of ‘supermarket quota’. When there are too many, the least attractive will go out of business.

8/  Working mothers don’t have the time to wander from shop to shop. They need to get their shopping in one hit and that means a supermarket [point made by some working mothers].

9/  Improving the shopping experience in Aberystwyth could actually save carbon because fewer people from the area will drive to Carmarthen or Shrewsbury for their shopping.

10/  In the summer Aberystwyth’s current car parks regularly become completely full and the town’s streets are crammed with cars, meaning the town is effectively closed to further visitors. We need a multi-storey to cater for this welcome demand.

Borth Reef

I was lucky enough to be shown onto what has been constructed so far of the new Borth Reef this week, a few miles north of Aberystwyth. The £7 million scheme will apparently add fifty to a hundred years onto the life of the village of Borth as well as provide a much better environment for surfers. With the rising sea level, the high street houses backing onto the beach were expected to start sustaining serious damage within ten years. Phase 1 of the reef is expected to be finished by the end of March. More photos can be seen here

Ceredigion goes back to the future

The proposed creation of a new Ceredigion & North Pembrokeshire UK parliamentary constituency (plans for which were published earlier today in a review of all Welsh constituencies) brings back memories of 1992, when Cynog Dafis made a historic breakthrough in first winning that seat - with almost the same boundaries - for Plaid Cymru and the Greens.

Ceredigion & Pembroke North was the name of the constituency for 14 years from 1983. When the boundaries shrunk back to just Ceredigion again for the 1997 election I remember the disappointment of friends in North Pembrokeshire who couldn’t vote for Cynog again.

Incorporating the largely Welsh-speaking North Pembrokeshire will, of course, significantly change the political make-up of the constituency. It will incorporate the northern half of the current Preseli Pembrokeshire Constituency (held by Stephen Crabb for the Conservatives), as per the 1983-97 model, with the addition of the wards of Maenclochog in Pembrokeshire and Cenarth in Carmarthen East & Dinefwr constituency (held by Jonathan Edwards for Plaid). The population of the constituency will rise from the current 56,000 to 74,000.

The proposed expansion of Ceredigion is due to take effect for the next UK election in 2015 (unless the current government collapses before then) and is part of the Westminster government’s plan to cut the number of Welsh constituencies from 40 down to 30.

Although the proposals are clearly not going to help Wales’s representation at Westminster, the idea of a reduction in MPs is probably fair enough given the now enhanced powers of the National Assembly and the consequent lessening in importance of the UK parliament to Wales.

The proposals for the new Welsh constituencies are out for consultation until April 4th. Most commentators think the final version will be pretty close to the draft proposals. Click here for the full details.

Nadolig Llawen

Nadolig llawen o Aberystwyth

A merry Christmas from Aberystwyth

The Welsh Government's plan to regenerate Aberystwyth

A few months ago I was standing chatting on Aberystwyth Prom when we noticed some important-looking men in suits gazing around. We thought we’d be cheeky and went over to ask who they were.

It turned out that it was Huw Lewis, the Welsh Housing, Regeneration & Heritage Minister with his entourage. They were on a visit to discuss what to do with £10.3 million the Welsh Government was thinking about giving to Aberystwyth as one of seven ‘Regeneration Areas’ in Wales. These were set up in 2010 under the then Plaid/Labour administration. The aim of them is to help create attractive and thriving towns, to tackle economic inactivity and to improve accessibility.

After we’d introduced ourselves, Huw Lewis said, “OK then, if we’re thinking about allocating money here, give us your pitch for Aberystwyth”. I had about two seconds to think of a response and came up with this argument: “With the low population density in the middle of the country, Wales is always in danger of being dragged apart and becoming effectively two nations – North Wales and South Wales. In terms of nation-building, what we need is a really vibrant, healthy town in the middle to pull the two together. That’s where Aberystwyth comes in”. They looked surprised and said, “Hey, that’s actually a really good pitch!”. It certainly wouldn’t have cut much ice if I’d tried to tell a housing minister from Merthyr how impoverished we are.

Anyway, a few months on and the Welsh Government has put together a kind of interim report on what’s been a happening with the £10.3 million so far and what’s going to happen next (I’m sure they’d thought of it all before they bumped into me). The full document can be seen here.

The schemes (with Welsh government contribution in brackets) include:

•   University to National Library link road to allow expansion of the bus service and improved cycle links (£192,000)

•   Multi-use games area (‘Adizone’) at Min y Ddol in Penparcau (£250,000)

•   Major improvements to Aberystwyth Bus station and Alexandra Road to make them more pedestrian-friendly and link more easily to the town centre (£1 million)

•   Town improvement grant - to improve the appearance of shops in the town centre (£600,000)

Other ideas planned are:

•    Revamp of the Prom (consultation covered in a previous post)

•   Revamp of Town Clock square (at the junction of Bridge St, Great Darkgate St, Pier St – public consultation to come)

•   Revamp of the train station entrance (priced at £3 million so must be big)

•   A new youth facility – no details yet

I like all the schemes mentioned, although I’m sure I’ll want to quibble about some of the details. However, although it might sound churlish to say this, it’s notable that the Regeneration Area Board, (the body set up to devise the programme) contains no-one with a democratic mandate to represent the people of Aberystwyth. The nearest thing - and he has only very recently been invited - is Chris Mackenzie-Grieve, the Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, who genuinely represents small shop keepers in the town and should have been on the Board from the start.

Although most members of the Board are perfectly decent people with a contribution to make (like the Chief Exec of Tai Ceredigion and University and National Library reps), the only person elected by the actual people of Ceredigion is Council Leader Keith Evans who was elected to represent the people of....Llandysul. I think that’s a pretty serious omission and very difficult to understand. If they didn’t trust Aberystwyth councillors they could at least have asked the Assembly Member.

Still, maybe we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. With the current economic climate set to continue for years, once this money’s gone it’s likely to be some time before we get any more. Keeping Aberystwyth vibrant will then be up to us.

Marks & Spencer coming to Aberystwyth

Ceredigion Council today played what it hopes will be a trump card in the debate over plans for Mill Street car park in Aberystwyth when it announced that Marks & Spencer is likely to be the second major store to come to the site.

The Council's statement, released late today, says,

"The Council’s preferred developer on Mill Street car park [Chelverton] has negotiated and agreed terms for Marks and Spencer (M&S) to be included in this development opportunity, alongside Tesco. The proposed M&S store will be a full format 54,000 sq ft (gross) variety store comprising 8,000 sq ft net sales convenience (food) and 29,000 sq ft net sales comparison goods (clothing, household goods etc). This agreement has today been approved by the Board of M&S."

Marks and Spencer is intended to go on the land currently occupied by the Park Avenue Day Centre. The Council's original intention, now superceded, had been to place three smaller un-named shops there and this has been the subject of a vigorous local campaign to keep the well-regarded Day Centre on the site. 

Northgate student housing application rejected

A planning application to turn the former government buildings in Northgate Street, Aberystwyth into student housing was rejected by 14 votes to 6 by Ceredigion Council's Development Control Committee today.

The committee rejected the application by Cantref Housing Association on the grounds that it was incompatible with the high number of elderly residents in the narrow streets around the building and because it would remove a potential employment site close to the town centre. Many local residents had objected. The building was partially occupied by a government passport office until four months ago.

Aberystwyth University had surprised some by not backing the scheme, despite the current student housing crisis. Instead, they aim to solve the crisis within two years by building environmentally-friendly accommodation for 1000 students next to the existing Pentre Jane Morgan student village at the top of Penglais Hill, where they say their accommodation can be better managed as a block.

In making the application, Cantref seemed to have moved from their core remit of providing housing for people on the local housing waiting list but without bringing the university on board with their plans. The University are hoping their application to extend Pentre Jane Morgan will be approved early in the new year.

Ceredigion agrees cruelty-free purchasing policy

Ceredigion Council have adopted a cruelty-free purchasing policy for cleaning products. The Council agreed the policy on Thursday, "...whereby only cleaning products that have not been tested on animals would be used".

The adoption came after I asked the Council to look into a cruelty-free policy back in June. Council officers investigated and produced a supportive report saying the idea was perfectly feasible if an electronic ordering system was set up to monitor the purchases of all departments. 

The Council will now set up the system for ensuring that only cleaning products conforming to the policy will be used in its many establishments across the County, including schools and offices. The new policy was agreed unanimously.

The adoption of this policy brings credit upon Ceredigion in a similar way to the Fairtrade motion I  first proposed in 2006  and which was finally adopted in 2008. Individuals can only do so much with their purchasing power. It's when large institutions such as councils take these ethical steps that real change in industry practice occurs.

Aberystwyth Prom Consultation

An exhibition of suggested physical improvement projects to Aberystwyth Promenade, using Welsh government Regeneration Area funding, will be on display at the Bandstand on Tuesday 6th December from 11am - 8pm. This will include ideas for a new bandstand.

Ceredigion Council and Welsh Government reps will be there to discuss the initial proposals.

The exhibition will also be at Morrisons supermarket, Parc y Llyn on 10th and 11th December and then in the window of 53-55 Terrace Road (previously Boots). Comments can be sent to aberystwythregeneration@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Update: The consultation can now be seen here

Plaid announces County Council candidates for Aberystwyth

Plaid Cymru have selected their prospective candidates for the six Aberystwyth wards in next May's County Council elections. The candidates are:

Canol / Central – Chris Mackenzie-Grieve

Chris owns MGs Café in Chalybeate Street and is the Joint-Chair of the Aberystwyth Chamber of Commerce. He has a degree in corporate finance from the London School of Business and runs his own company which consults on how business can improve profitability. Chris said: "My mission is to make the town centre into a vibrant and thriving place. I think I can use my skills to improve the transparency and efficiency of the Council."

Gogledd / North – Mark Strong

Mark lives in the ward and works at the National Library. He is chair of the Ceredigion Care Society / Cymdeithas Gofal Ceredigion and has been a Town Councillor for the past eight years, representing them on the board of Menter Aberystwyth and on the Prom Forum. He is committed to maintaining services, protecting the environment and supporting sustainable development.

Penparcau (2 seats) – Steve Davies and Lorrae Jones-Southgate

Steve is a Town Councillor who lost by just 14 votes at the last County Council election in 2008. He works at the Rheidol Hydro-electric power station and is keen on rugby and rowing.

Lorrae was Mayor of Aberystwyth in 2007-8. She works in respite care and is particularly concerned with care for the elderly. Both she and Steve were active in the campaign to save Bodlondeb.

Plaid's current sitting councillor in Penparcau, Rob Gorman, is stepping down due to pressure of work in his fishing business and fully backs Steve and Lorrae.

Rheidol – Endaf Edwards

Originally from Pontrhydfendigaid, Endaf works for Coleg Ceredigion as an Information and Learning Technologies Co-ordinator. He was active in the successful campaign to save Bodlondeb residential home for the elderly. His priorities as a councillor will be education and learning, environment and planning, leisure and recreation.

Bronglais – Alun Williams

Er...yep, that's me. You know the sort of thing...sitting councillor, likes trees, tries to keep people informed....

Ceredigion Assembly Member Elin Jones AM said:

"We have a great team of candidates standing in the Aberystwyth area in the forthcoming Ceredigion Council elections. I’ve no doubt that every single one of them would be a strong voice for their respective wards in the Council chamber".

The Local Government elections will take place on May 3rd 2012

The picture shows, back row left to right: Steve Davies, Chris Mackenzie-Grieve, Mark Strong, Endaf Edwards.

Front row left to right: Lorrae Jones-Southgate, Elin Jones AM, Alun Williams

Hundreds march through Aberystwyth against public sector pension changes

Over 600 striking public sector workers marched through Aberystwyth today against the UK government's planned major changes to pensions.

The march, organised by Ceredigion Against the Cuts, included workers from Bronglais Hospital, local schools, Coleg Ceredigion, the National Library, the County Council and the National Assembly. Photos of the march, which ended with a rally in the Morlan, can be seen by clicking this link.

Over 40% of Ceredigion's workforce are employed in the public sector with many more reliant on the services they provide.

Llanbadarn Council asked to sell more land for Sainsbury’s

Llanbadarn Fawr Community Council has been asked to sell its  land next to the Llety Parc playing field outside Aberystwyth to add to land reportedly being sold to Sainsbury’s for development.

The land, which comprises a football pitch and a play area next to the railway line, would add approximately 50% to the land available for a supermarket.

The Community Council is now writing to all residents in the village to ask for their views. Their letter says,

"Dear All,

A developer has expressed an interest in purchasing the community playing field and children’s playing field that lie between the railway line and Llety Parc fields for a proposed supermarket development.

"Preliminary advice confirms the Council is free to sell this land if it resolves to do so, and the Council members will need to decide in the near future whether to enter into negotiations with the developer concerned.

"The councillors recognise the sale of this land would mean the loss of popular public facilities which are conveniently located within the village. However, subject to identifying an alternative site, the proceeds of sale could be used to acquire similar facilities elsewhere within the community and provide a surplus enabling the Council to fund other capital projects now or in the future.

"The decision whether to sell the land will be made by the Council but it was resolved at the last meeting to canvas local opinion on the proposal by inviting comments from every household within the community. The Council would welcome hearing from you with your views by 18th December 2011."

The interest in the land by Sainsbury's adds a further layer to the debate about Mill Street car park in Aberystwyth. 

Llanbadarn Fawr Community Council can be contacted at ccllanbadarnfawr@hotmail.co.uk or Llygad y Fro, Rhydyfelin, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 4QD

Aberystwyth Day Care Centre - the case for keeping what we have

One of the casualties of Aberystwyth’s Mill Street Development debate has been the Park Avenue Day Care Centre. The Centre is now planned for demolition to make way for new shops and a multi-storey car park and the service is to be moved into a converted section of the Town Hall alongside the new town library (plans are explained here). Whilst there are obvious benefits to placing the new day care centre in the same building as the library, it is clear that the space allocated exclusively to day care is going to be significantly reduced compared to what we have now.

Ceredigion Council has handled the Day Care Centre process extraordinarily badly. The decision was rushed through by the Council’s Cabinet, with no opportunity for input from Day Centre users or the wider public.

With the Council now legally committed to allowing the developer Chelverton to build on the site, and with the Town Hall conversion well underway and due for completion in March, hopes of saving the existing Day Centre seem optimistic to say the least. However a growing group of campaigners has come together to oppose the move to the Town Hall and their demonstration last Saturday can be seen above.

This blog has so far published statements by Ceredigion Council and by Aberystwyth Chamber of Commerce, who support the Mill Street development. In the interests of balance and debate, it’s only fair therefore to publish the views of the Day Centre campaign. Gerald Morgan, Chair of the Save Aberystwyth Day Centre Committee, writes below.

“Save Aberystwyth Day Care Centre

“Members of the Aberystwyth Day Centre Support Group oppose the plans for the Centre proposed by Chelverton Developments Ltd and the Ceredigion County Council and wish to see the retention of the Day Centre with its present facilities for the following reasons:

1. The present Day Care Centre is an admirable, purpose-built resource for the benefit of needy elderly people in the Aberystwyth area, and for their carers.

2. The Centre offers its own car parking.

3. Bus services, taxis and cars can put down or pick up clients without causing danger to other road users.

4. There is a nearby controlled pedestrian crossing for those coming from the bus station or centre of town.

5. There are no stairs, lifts or ramps in the Day Centre; it is entirely safe to enter and leave. It would be easy to evacuate in case of fire.

6. The Day Centre offers enough space for more than one kind of activity to take place simultaneously.

7. The Day Centre offers good hygiene facilities.

“All the above statements are facts.

“However, the intention to move the Centre to the old Town Hall is open to criticism for the following reasons:

1. It offers less accommodation room than the present number of clients warrants.

2. There is no room to park cars.

3. There is no safe place for buses, taxis or cars to stop for put-down/pick-up purposes.

4. There is no pedestrian crossing at this seriously dangerous road junction.

5. Access is difficult. The ramp to the basement has a 180 degree turn which will make wheelchair use difficult or impossible for the elderly. Evacuation in case of fire would be a nightmare.

6. The reduced space will exclude the most vulnerable clients and preclude alternative activities.

7. The hygiene facilities are greatly inferior to those in the current Day Centre.

“All the above statements are facts. We believe that these objections are sufficient to warrant the withdrawal of the threatened closure and destruction of the Day Centre.

“Additionally we believe:

1. that at every level the Council Council’s consultation process has been seriously inadequate

2. that had the County Council taken better advice the Day Centre could have been preserved or replaced on its present site with the full cooperation of the development company and its main client.”

Gerald Morgan

Chair, Save Aberystwyth Day Centre Committee

Photo by David Kirby

Hywel Dda plans 'listening period'' before new options are put

Hywel Dda Health Board have announced they won’t yet be going out to public consultation on their plans for the health service in Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire & Carmarthenshire but will, first, be opening an extended 'listening period'.

Under the heading, “Your health: Your Future. The Health Board is listening”, today’s statement says,

“Because of the rumours circulating, misinformation, coupled to the leaking of draft documents which is undermining public confidence, the Board has decided that it will add an additional stage to the clinical services review in Hywel Dda prior to formal consultation. This will provide the opportunity for the public to form their opinions from an informed position and for the Health Board to be able to listen to their views.

“It is therefore our intention to undertake a period of pre-consultation engagement with our staff, our population and our neighbours who use our services. This exercise will enable us both to listen and inform our population on the current position, the case for change and the potential options for healthcare in the future. We recognise that any change can be challenging and we want to ensure there is a wider understanding of both the issues and potential solutions.

“There will be an extensive programme of activities, events and information sharing across all three counties. This listening programme will commence prior to Christmas and will continue well into the new year.

“We have been working closely with our clinicians to look at the potential options we have around our services. We are now at a stage where we believe this work, if shared more widely, will help shape the options for consultation. We will openly share the work we have done so far, listen to any concerns and take into consideration any alternative suggestions.

“No formal decisions have been reached and we hope the public will help us to shape the future of the local NHS.”

With the programme set to continue ‘well into the new year', it now seems clear that no decisions will be made before the local elections in May.

The statement goes on,

“Within Hywel Dda we are clear that no change is not an option. We must look at how we use the funding we have more effectively so we can provide our population with high quality, safe and sustainable services for the future.

“Once the listening period is completed, we will analyse the information we have received and this will influence any options we put forward for formal consultation.”

It’s difficult to argue with what reads as a genuine attempt by the Health Board to engage in dialogue in the face of almost continuous criticism in various local papers throughout the three counties in defence of their local hospitals, although the decision is almost certainly also influenced by a desire by the Welsh government to avoid difficulties for the Labour Party in South-west Wales in the lead-up to the elections.

For those campaigning to retain services at Bronglais Hospital, it’s interesting to note that campaigners for Llanelli Hospital turned up at today’s Board Meeting in Carmarthen. Llanelli is 11.5 miles from the next nearest hospital at Morriston in Swansea, roughly the distance from Aberystwyth to Llanon, Furnace or Ponterwyd. Bronglais Hospital, on the other hand, is 49.6 miles from their nearest hospital at Glangwili in Carmarthen. By any geographical consideration, Bronglais ought to be as safe as houses.

Parc Natur Penglais - 20th anniversary

The Parc Natur Penglais Local Nature Reserve on the north side of Aberystwyth celebrated its 20th anniversary yesterday with a work day and ceremony.

In the last 20 years the Parc has been transformed, by a partnership of local residents and the County Council, from an abandoned quarry and neglected woods into a venue that now receives 30,000 visits a year, according to the hidden counters on the site. The Parc contains a wide variety of environments, including secluded woodland paths, a well, impressive beech clearings and stunning views of the town like the picture above taken yesterday by David Kirby.

During a break in the work of gorse-clearing by the University's Conservation Volunteers and others, Saturday saw the raising of a Green Flag, the parc's latest award for being one of the best green spaces in the UK.

The Parc Natur Penglais AGM, featuring a talk from Mel ab Owain, will be held on Wednesday 23rd November at 7.30 at St Paul's Methodist Church, Queen Street, Aberystwyth.