Major revamp for Bronglais Hospital scheme

Plans for the £45 million Bronglais Hospital Front-of-House Scheme are being re-written because hospital planners have worked out new solutions to problems posed by the site.

The major changes to the scheme, which is the largest capital investment in the whole of Hywel Dda Health Board, has been prompted by hospital consultants expressing concern at the distance patients would have to travel between the proposed new operating theatres and the current intensive care unit. A review has concluded that existing theatres could instead be refurbished, leading to a massive saving of space in the scheme. New plans are now being worked on which it is hoped will provide new day surgery facilities not previously included whilst still managing to reduce the scheme from five storeys down to three. This, and the likely reduction in timescale for the work, will be a massive boost for local residents who are currently subject to considerable disruption from the ongoing development work.

As reported previously on this blog, the scheme will ultimately provide a badly needed new Accident & Emergency department alongside a 14-bed medical assessment unit, all directly accessible from the Penglais Hill side of the site where another deck will be put on the current main car park.

As I write the car park is closed whilst drainage works are completed and the building of the extra deck commences. This, together with the demolition of the old maternity unit (the white buildings in the back of the picture in which many local people were born), is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, allowing car parking on site again and paving the way for the new block to be built. In the meantime the hospital has arranged an interim car park on the Llanbadarn University campus and runs a regular shuttle bus from there to the hospital.

The whole scheme was scheduled for completion in August 2014 but it’s now hoped that date can be brought forward.

Continental cycling in the streets of Aberystwyth

The streets around the old college area of Aberystwyth will be transformed for three hours one Saturday night in June when they become the course for a series of cycling races known to aficionados as ‘criteriums’. These are races particularly popular in Flanders and Holland based on doing laps around closed-off town centre streets. The continuous turning, changing gear and accelerating is an intensive form of racing for the riders and the format is good for spectators as the riders are constantly passing.

The event, organised by the Ystwyth Cycling Club, will use a 980m course shown here and will have up to 50 riders in each race, quite an interesting prospect when the narrow streets and tight bends, like the two sharp lefts in the picture above, are considered.

The Aberystwyth Seafront Criteriums will be held on Saturday June 19th from 6 – 9pm.

NHS Wales at last taking action to cut its carbon footprint

Can’t find anything related to Aberystwyth in this press release by the NHS in Wales but I’m going to publish it anyway because it’s good green news and this blog likes good news.

The NHS in Wales will be undertaking a major exercise to assess its carbon footprint as part of the development of a low carbon strategy, Health Minister Edwina Hart announced today as part of Wales Sustainability Week.

This exercise will identify NHS Wales’ main sources of carbon emissions and opportunities for improving performance and reducing the carbon footprint. This is certainly long overdue. The Welsh Government is legally bound to produce a scheme setting out how it will promote sustainable development in all that it does.

Measures already introduced apparently include:

* All new hospitals are required to be designed to meet strict environmental performance standards. For example, the new developments at Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda Llwynypia, Ysbyty Alltwen, Tremadog and Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan, Ebbw Vale all incorporate biomass boiler heating systems into their designs (the new Bronglais development in Aberystywth unfortunately not included)

* Existing hospitals, including University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, and the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, Llantrisant, are introducing new combined heat and power systems;

* A £3million Assembly Government fund has supported 149 schemes over the past three years, including installation of low energy external LED lighting, highly efficient condensing boilers, improved insulation, improved internal lighting controls and movement sensors, that together were projected to result in savings of 13,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the three-year lifetime of the fund;

* Figures for energy consumption across NHS Wales show that consumption fell by four per cent in 2008-09 over the previous year and is now 17 per cent lower than the 1999-2000 base year;

* All 18 major hospitals in Wales have developed travel plans to support staff, patients and visitors to travel by public transport, car sharing or by walking or cycling. Other hospitals are now developing similar plans.

Edwina Hart said: “As Wales’ biggest single employer and organisation, the NHS is a consumer of a considerable amount of goods and energy and generates a lot of travel as it works to care for the health and well-being of the people of Wales. The work that I am instigating on determining the carbon footprint of the NHS will help me identify where further efforts should be focussed and help to prioritise future work in this area. Being more energy efficient is not only good for the environment, but also helps to save money.”

Examples of specific new measures are:

* The University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff has replaced its ageing combined heat and power unit with new, energy-efficient model. It is believed to be one of the largest in the UK and is the largest in NHS Wales and has the potential to achieve carbon savings estimated to be in excess of 3000 tonnes of CO2 per year compared to traditional grid supplied electricity. The £3.8million installation is estimated to provide annual savings of £1.6million, based on current energy prices.

* The Aneurin Bevan Health Board has introduced waste segregation and mixed recycling facilities across the estate, resulting in recycling rates in excess of 50 per cent of domestic waste being achieved in some of its hospitals and a reduction across the LHB of twenty eight percent in the amount of waste being landfilled.

* The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has invested in new equipment to recover waste oil from the kitchens to convert it into bio-diesel for use in grounds maintenance vehicles and equipment.

All very heartening. The next thing NHS Wales needs to tackle is its attitude to the Welsh language.

The Dance of Life

These images show sections of a mural called The Dance of Life by Mildred Eldridge. Although now little-known in her own right, she was married to the poet R. S. Thomas.

The mural is a huge piece of work in six sections depicting man’s alienation from nature and the attempt to reclaim a lost natural wisdom. It was begun in Montgomeryshire and finished in 1956 in Eglwysfach, between Aberystwyth and Machylleth. Currently in storage at Gobowen Hospital near Oswestry awaiting a home, it will feature on the programme O Flaen dy Lygaid on S4C on Tuesday night (18th May) at 9pm.

The couple’s son, Gwydion Thomas, is quoted as saying, “I think that somebody should shift themselves and find a building for it in Wales. It should be on show”.

Given the Ceredigion connection, could it be displayed in Aberystwyth? Maybe it would fit on one of the large walls in the new Council offices or the Town Hall when that becomes a library or even Bronglais Hospital which runs an arts scheme. Just floating the idea...

Gwyl Werdd Aber / Aber is Green

Cliciwch i ehangu / Click to enlarge

The annual Aber is Green festival runs from the Bandstand on Aberystwyth Prom for five days from Saturday 22nd May. Full timetable is here. One event being highlighted is the talk and discussion on Tuesday 25th at 6.30pm with Peter Segger, probably the foremost organic farmer in Wales.

The Ceredigion 8,000 – Why

Ever since the morning after the first TV leadership debate Mark Williams’s second win in Ceredigion was expected by those on the ground. The incumbent MP always has an advantage but, even though Cleggmania ultimately amounted to nothing across the UK, the galvanising effect of seeing Nick Clegg holding his own on TV with Gordon Brown and David Cameron, with Plaid Cymru the only main party in Wales excluded, seemed to give the Lib Dems in Ceredigion a boost that Plaid had no answer to.

What was a surprise was the scale of the win. Not since Roderic Bowen’s victory over Labour in 1959 has Ceredigion been won by a margin of more than 8,000 votes and no-one has ever achieved 50% of the vote before.

The Lib Dems targeted the large student vote, sliding a leaflet under the doors in their halls with the headline, “Students will decide who our next MP will be!” – pretty irritating for local people. This can explain away some of the result. But most of the credit has to go to Mark Williams himself. The question opponents are scratching their heads over is how he managed it. The answer might lie in the contrast between the styles of Mark and the man he defeated in the 2005 election, Plaid Cymru's Simon Thomas.

Simon was a politician’s politician. I’ve spoken to, or heard comments from, a range of politicians from different parties all testifying to what an excellent performer he was in the House of Commons. He was highly credible on the BBC’s Question Time and seemed to effortlessly command large public meetings in the constituency. He was loved by radicals, including this one, for his no-nonsense stance on peace and justice issues, climate change and the Welsh language. At one time he was voted the hardest working MP in Wales. Unafraid of a political battle or taking on big local players, Simon once publically described the then County Council Leader as “fundamentally corrupt”.

On the other hand, in 2008, this is how Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail viewed Mark Williams in the House of Commons,
“We are assured that one Mark Williams sits for the electors of Ceredigion. Does he? Could have fooled me. What makes this all the worse is that the alleged Mr Williams - who may well be Inspector Clouseau, for all we know - won his seat at the last general election by ousting Plaid Cymru's Simon Thomas, an outstanding parliamentarian.”

So that’s the comparison from a political journalist. But from another perspective the story is very different. Engaging individually with his electorate wasn’t Simon’s strongpoint. Mark, on the other hand, for all his shortcomings at Westminster – and they sound quite serious - has become renowned for his warm and helpful attitude to all who approach him, including opponents.

The routine seems to go like this. He’s approached on an issue by a constituent. He writes a letter on their behalf which doesn’t get the desired result. He then explains nicely - really, really nicely – why he’s been unable to help. The constituent decides to vote for him next time because he’s been so nice.

In the space of five years an awful lot of coffee mornings are held in Ceredigion, and Mark Williams goes to a great many. You can guarantee that at each of these he’s spoken very agreeably to everyone there, apologised bashfully for his lack of Welsh, offended absolutely nobody and certainly hasn’t discussed anything as crude or controversial as politics. The skills he honed as a primary school teacher in Devon, Cornwall and then Breconshire are directly transferable to this style of political work.

It’s easy to disparage him for his avoidance of controversy and lack of punch, and activists from other parties do. But in cold, hard electoral terms they’re wrong. Decency is an underrated asset that should probably be given more currency in politics. Mark’s all-round niceness and approachability may seem to lack the evangelism, decisiveness and charisma expected of politicians but as a slow-burn, low-level campaigning tool it’s an absolute killer. Plaid activists, being generally more cerebral and ideologically-minded, really haven’t got to grips with it.

About 18 months ago I was helping at a Christmas dinner for the elderly in Aberystwyth. Mark was also present and obviously knew many of the attendees. At the end of the evening I watched widows in their late sixties quite literally queue up to give him a hug and kiss. Maybe it was the sherry. He may be the least impressive parliamentary performer ever to have represented Ceredigion but these women simply don’t care. His cuddly, non-threatening, nice-boy-next door attraction is more than good enough for them. And they all vote.

The approach doesn’t just get votes – it gets activists, activists of a certain sort. The day after the election I was in a conversation with a Lib Dem community councillor who had been flattered to be asked to join the party by Mark a couple of years ago and had quickly found herself elected. I congratulated her on the Ceredigion result but couldn’t resist mentioning the demise of Lembit Opik in neighbouring Montgomeryshire. She’d heard of Lembit but didn’t know where he represented and had no idea that he may have lost support due to some interesting extra-parliamentary activities. It’s almost inconceivable that a Plaid Cymru councillor would have been similarly out of touch. But there’s the catch. Plaid, and the other parties, are seen as ‘too political’ by these people.

The Lib Dem vote in Ceredigion has become a strange mix of the middle-of-the-road, the mildly radical, the Cymru-phobic and the kind of people who would form the core of the Conservative vote in any other constituency. All these people have effectively ganged up on Plaid in much the same way that Independents and Lib Dems on the County Council have joined together for years to keep Plaid out of power.

Mark Williams himself can be sensitive to accusations that he’s no more than a glorified social worker (not that there’s anything wrong with social workers) and at times during the campaign he somewhat angrily listed what he felt were his campaigning successes. Unfortunately anyone knowing anything about many of the issues he mentioned knew they had had very little to do with him. After one hustings I was regaled by community activists indignantly saying, “You’ll never guess what he’s claiming credit for now...”. Jokes began circulating that he was claiming full credit for the good weather in election week.

The lack of clear political direction conveniently allows the Lib Dems to adopt a tactic of being all things to all people. Whilst strongly stating their support for the badger cull when talking to farmers, Lib Dem canvassers in the towns told electors worried about the issue that Mark Williams was opposed to it. Whilst Mark, a non-Welsh speaker, supports the language in public, there were numerous reports around the County of his canvassers thoroughly condemning Welsh speakers on the doorsteps of those recently moved to the area. Eighteen years after Cynog Dafis’s extraordinary Plaid/Green campaign brought Welsh and English speakers together in a common radicalism, the Lib Dems were trying to divide them again.

Ceredigion, of course, could do worse. He’s never going to put the county’s name on the map as previous MPs have done but, in as much as he’s political at all, Mark Williams is on the greenish left of his party. In his victory speech he pledged to actively support a Yes vote in the coming referendum on more powers for the Assembly and will probably do a reasonable job of persuading some of his more conservative supporters, of which there are plenty, to vote the right way or, at least, not to vote the wrong way.

The bright note for Plaid is this. In 2007, two years after Mark Williams first won the Ceredigion Westminster seat, and with his party still with their tails up, Plaid Cymru’s Elin Jones was re-elected to her Ceredigion Assembly seat with a considerably increased vote. The two elections didn’t relate at all. And, just as my canvassing was telling me two weeks ago that Mark Williams was going to win again convincingly, that same canvassing was also telling me that next year’s Assembly elections will be very different. And that Elin Jones will win well here next May.

Ceredigion – the stark facts

I don’t suppose anyone reading this blog needs to be told the election result in Ceredigion. There are some pretty stark facts in it for all the losing parties and it's probably best to face them:

* It was the best Lib Dem result in Ceredigion ever in terms of proportion of the vote (50%) and the highest in numbers of votes since 1983.

* It was the biggest margin of victory in the constituency since 1959.

* It was Plaid Cymru’s lowest proportion of the vote since 1987, i.e. since the election before Cynog Dafis’s historic 1992 win when he more than doubled his vote (could be grounds for hope there then).

* It was the worst Conservative performance since 1974

* It was the worst ever result for Labour in Ceredigion

* It was the worst Green result since the first time they stood here in 1983 and the first time they’ve ever come as low as sixth.

Sobering stuff. More reflections to follow.

Meanwhile, Plaid's candidate, Penri James, who demonstrated at the count that he was a good loser, has offered this statement:

"I’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting the people of Ceredigion on the doorstep during the election campaign and I thank them for their support. I also congratulate Mark Williams on his re-election.

“It was always going to be difficult as a first-time candidate in Ceredigion. However, with Plaid Cymru excluded from the TV Leaders’ Debates, it was a particularly challenging election for the party throughout Wales.

“I’d like to thank the many Plaid Cymru members and volunteers for their dedication and hard work on our enthusiastic and professional campaign, which has laid firm foundations for future elections”.

Plaid Back Greens in England

Cynog Dafis, Plaid Cymru’s former MP for Ceredigion, has written to green-minded electors urging them to vote Plaid in Wales whilst fully backing Green Party leader Caroline Lucas in her bid to win the Brighton Pavilion seat on the south coast of England.

Lucas is currently 11/8 favourite to win the seat from the Conservatives in what would be the second major Westminster breakthrough for the Greens following on from Cynog’s historic win in 1992 on a joint Plaid / Green ticket.

Cynog (seen here with Plaid's Ceredigion candidate Penri James) also argues that the model of proportional representation strongly supported by Plaid could eventually result in Green seats in the National Assembly.

His pitch to green voters in Ceredigion points out,
“Environmental activists agree that since Plaid became a partner in the One Wales Government there has been a step change in implementing green policies, including,

* A target for Wales to become self-sufficient in renewable energy by 2050 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3% per year from 2011.

* A green jobs strategy

* A new farm support scheme, Glastir, with environmental protection at its heart.

* Emphasis on improving public transport and the rejection of the M4 upgrading plan.”

He points to the marginality of green issues to the main parties and the various prominent Greens, like George Monbiot and Professor Peter Midmore, who have expressed support for Plaid Cymru.

This blog’s favourite election outcome would be a tight hung parliament with a strong showing for Plaid, the SNP and the Greens in England to gain real concessions out of any new government.

My Top Twelve Reasons for Voting Plaid Cymru on May 6th

1/ “Plaid Cymru are a great parliamentary asset. [They] have probably had more effect on Parliament than the entire Liberal Democrats" – Simon Carr parliamentary sketch writer in The Independent

2/ A vote for Plaid Cymru is a vote to support all the wonderful cultural diversity on this planet

3/ Plaid are the greenest party at Westminster

4/ Plaid are the most left of centre party at Westminster

5/ Plaid Cymru are not a part of the Tory/Labour/Lib Dem policy blancmange which prioritises the financial sector above all else, including social need (see Ron Davies below)

6/ Plaid want to get rid of Trident and Eurofighter instead of cutting public services

7/ Plaid Cymru MPs will fully support the proportional representation that can change UK politics for good

8/ It’s a modern miracle that half a million people still speak a native minority language just 100 miles from the English cities. No-one else will support the Welsh language like Plaid

9/ Plaid want to promote equality by taking a million poorer people out of the income tax bracket whilst placing a 50% tax on wages over £100,000

10/ A strong Plaid representation is the only way of ensuring Wales gets the extra £300 million a year recommended by the Holtham Commission

11/ There’s a real possibility of a hung parliament with an alliance of Plaid and the SNP (and maybe the Greens in England) having a decisive say

12/ The Westminster parliament needs much more diversity. Other parts of the UK can help by voting for other parties. It’s only us in Wales that can vote for Plaid Cymru

Ron Davies – full text of Saturday's Aberystwyth speech

Following on from the post below, this is the full text of Ron Davies’s historic speech in Aberystwyth yesterday, delivered without notes, in which he urged voters in Wales to support Plaid Cymru on May 6th and particularly Penri James in Ceredigion. I don’t want to labour the point for those who already fully understand its significance but it can’t be over-emphasised that this is a former Cabinet Member in Tony Blair's government speaking:

“Thank you very much. I was tempted to say, “Good Morning. And it is a very good morning in Aberystwyth".

“I am not going to try to attempt to speak with the degree of hwyl and local conviction that we’ve just had from my very good friend Dafydd Iwan. But the message I bring to you is no less heartfelt. I’m here today to support Penri.

“I hope that people throughout the length and breadth of Wales will think very seriously about the way that they will cast their vote on May 6th. We have not been well served by our governments in Westminster. We have had 40 years of political consensus which has put the interests of London at the heart of all of our decision- making. And that political consensus is shared between those people that Dafydd described as 'those three men'.

“The Conservative Party, unfortunately the Labour Party, and the Lib Dems have shared that political consensus, that what matters in Britain is the future and prosperity of that square mile in the city of London. And when you have a political consensus without any real challenge to the priorities you have a country descending into the country that we see today.

“We’ve had the worst economic collapse that any of us have seen. Following from that we have political corruption on an appalling scale in London. We've seen a growth of inequality right throughout the length of Britain. And we’ve seen the British people led by a British government into overseas military adventures when we’re killing innocent men, women and children in the name of the British state and in the name of the Americans.

“Now that is the consequence of having a political consensus. Like me, you’ll have watched some of the debate on television. And they talk about change - “We are the party of change”. The only difference is the colour of their ties. They shouldn’t call themselves parties. They should say, “The Blue Tie Party”, or, “The Red Tie party”, or, “The Orange Tie Party”. They don’t offer any difference.

“This election offers us in Wales the chance to send a very clear message. Every vote which is cast in this election for Plaid Cymru is a vote cast on behalf of the people of Wales. Every vote cast for Plaid Cymru candidates will be noted in London. In terms of politics, in terms of what we offer, it is now only Plaid Cymru which can challenge that political consensus.

“If you want to affect those issues that are concerning us, if you want to change the structure of politics, if you want to change the quality of democracy, if you want to bring equality, if you want to make sure that communities know where they stand and have secure futures, there’s only one thing to do on May 6th. And that is to support your Plaid Cymru candidate.

“Penri, I’m delighted to be here. I wish you every success. I have no doubt at all that you and many, many other Plaid Cymru candidates are going to be successful on May 6th. And Wales will be better for it."

Youtube clip here (diolch i Iolo ap Gwynn): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hX4LAjBY1E

Ron Davies comes to Aberystwyth to back Plaid

Plaid Cymru set the Ceredigion election campaign alight on Saturday with an old-style street rally in Aberystwyth town centre that had the cheers echoing round Owain Glyndwr Square.

Many of Plaid’s most prominent stars were there – Ieuan Wyn Jones, Jill Evans, Leanne Wood, Dafydd Iwan, Elfyn Llwyd, and others. But the star of the show wasn’t a Plaid Cymru member, it was Ron Davies, the former Labour Party Secretary of State for Wales, known as the architect of devolution. The man who made history by announcing the successful referendum result in September 1997 delighted the huge crowd by dramatically announcing his full backing for Penri James, Plaid’s Ceredigion candidate, and adding to speculation that he may stand for Plaid in next year’s Assembly elections.

The rally was the biggest street event in the town for many years and showed that Plaid Cymru, more than any other party, still has the ability to pull together the kind of passionate, inspiring occasion that people used to enjoy about politics.

The top picture shows Ron Davies speaking from the platform.

The second one shows Penri James, Plaid's Ceredigion election candidate (third from left), flanked by (L to R) Ieuan Wyn Jones, Elfyn Llwyd, Ron Davies, Elin Jones, Dafydd Iwan and Jill Evans.

My pictures of the event can be seen here

Dogfael's can be seen here

Rhys Llwyd's can be seen here

Calan Mai yn Aberystwyth

cliciwch i ehangu / click to enlarge

Aberystwyth bus and train stations to be revamped

Ceredigion Council are planning a major revamp of Alexandra Road in Aberystwyth, centred around the bus and train stations.

This would involve:

* Paving over the slip road in front of the station and removing much of the pavement clutter to provide a ‘step-free’ passage from the station to Alexandra Road

* Widening the pavements on both sides of the road. As well as creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment, this would allow people to cross the road more quickly which would also reduce waiting times for traffic. 2000 people per hour use the pelican crossing in peak times.

* Changing the layout of the bus station to incorporate all buses within one area, dispensing with the bus stops at the Park Avenue end of the road.

* Making the taxi rank area more pedestrian-friendly, including the crossing point

* Providing a pedestrian refuge to allow crossing by the Park Avenue rounabout

The Alexandra Road Interchange Plans are being developed on behalf of the County Council by Atkins, a major engineering company, who are currently consulting local ‘stakeholders’ about the plans. It’s to be hoped that the consultation will eventually go wider than that to the general public. In the meantime I’ll be happy to pass on any comments I receive here.

Thanks to Aberystwyth Online Photostream for the picture

Sian Lloyd visits Aberystwyth to back Plaid

Siân Lloyd, the TV weather presenter, was in Aberystwyth town centre this morning giving her support to Plaid Cymru and Penri James in the General Election.

After meeting people in a heaving Owain Glyndwr Square, Penri then went with Sian and her husband to visit the Ffagl Gobaith – Beacon of Hope charity shop to meet local nurses and volunteers, and to donate a bag of designer clothes.

Sian explained,
“I am a very proud Plaid supporter, having grown up in a household in Neath where politics were discussed non-stop. My father is a terrific canvasser and it thrills me to see the way the Plaid vote has continuously gone up in my old town, to the extent that the seat could well become a Plaid one in the future.

“I’m delighted to be spending the day with Penri – and of course visiting the hard working supporters of Ffagl Gobaith. My father's family come from Ceredigion, so I have very close ties with the area. I feel that Aberystwyth could become the flourishing capital of Mid Wales. With Elin Jones at the Assembly and Penri James at Westminster – they would be the dream team, delivering on every single level."

Penri said:
“I’m delighted that Sian and her husband have offered to join me today on the campaign trail and also on a visit to learn more about Ffagl Gobaith’s work. I’ve long been aware of the invaluable contribution that the charity and its staff makes to local patients with terminal and life limiting illness.

“Plaid Cymru believes that patients should be able to receive treatment and remain in the own homes as much as possible. Ffagl Gobaith’s aims to make this happen and I know that Ceredigion is very appreciative of the charity’s dedication."

More pictures of the event can be seen here.

National Assembly Housing Minister Jocelyn Davies was also in Aberystwyth today and spent the afternoon calling on houses in Penparcau.

Police called in as council officers descend on holiday village

No fewer than twenty council officers descended on Aberystwyth Holiday Village in Trefechan on Thursday to interview, document, measure and generally get to the bottom of what exactly has been going on there in the past couple of decades.

One person not able to accompany them was the man who first blew the whistle on numerous breaches of law on the site after being approached by residents for help. When Plaid Cymru councillor Aled Davies walked onto the site on Thursday, holding a letter of invitation from residents, he was told by the owner he was banned. The police were called and insisted that Aled leave in the interests of public order.

This denial of the democratic right of residents to invite their local councillor into their own homes is unlikely to get the site owner off the hook. It’s believed that only 24 of the 68 residential caravans there have planning permission and that the way the site is organised is spectacularly in breach of licensing laws. Aled first began pursuing the issues when he was approached as part of his successful County Council by-election campaign in 2008.

If, once the officers have completed their investigations, it’s established that enforcement action is warranted the Council will then have to decide what degree of enforcement is prudent in the circumstances, given that many people on the site are long-term residents who have unwittingly been led into their situation.

Substantial re-organisation of the site and legal regularisation will take time and discussions with council officers indicate they will be sympathetic to the position of residents, focussing any sanctions on the owner. Meanwhile Aled Davies, whose new blog is here, will continue doing his job of representing residents by meeting them away from the site.

Aberystwyth Town Hall to be converted into library

Aberystwyth Town Hall is to be converted into the new Town Library. The decision to was taken at yesterday’s meeting of Ceredigion Council’s Cabinet. The decision, which will cost £1 million, looks like resolving ongoing uncertainty about the fate of the prestige building after the many Council Officers working there were transferred to Canolfan Rheidol, the new council offices, in September.

Many town residents miss being able to pay their Council Tax in the old Town Hall and it's only been the continued presence of Aberystwyth Town Council in the building that has prevented the windows from being boarded up. I’ve been critical of the County Council for failing to plan properly for the future of such a key building in the town but it looks as if they’ve finally come to the right decision.

The money agreed is only enough for Phase 1 of the planned ‘Town Hall Library and Archives Scheme’, Phase 1 being the library section. It’s thought that the work will entail making most of the central part of the building open plan. Further money will have to be obtained before Phase 2 - the archives - can also be moved and this may be years away.

The Town Council are being offered two small rooms within the building after the work is completed but will have to vacate the place whilst the conversion is being undertaken. It's thought that the work will start sometime this year. Of course the next question will be what will happen to the existing town library in Corporation Street.

Diolch i Dogfael am y llun

A West coast railway for Wales

This interesting video is from the excellent Syniadau blog. It maps out a route for a railway line linking the entire West Coast of Wales from Swansea to Llandudno via Aberystwyth. Aber features about nine minutes forty seconds into the twenty minute video. You can go straight to that point via the scroll bar.

The idea of a West coast line has been raised sporadically over the years since the old Aberystwyth-Carmarthen line closed, most notably by Friends of the Earth Cymru in 1998, but without really taking root. Clearly the current financial climate is not conducive to this kind of grand scheme but it would surely be cheaper than some of the road schemes we’ve seen. Some sections of the route are a bit far fetched (not least the Pen Dinas tunnel!) but I’m featuring it here because I like to keep the general idea of a West coast railway in the air.

Plaid first off the mark on the road to Aberaeron

On the 18 mile journey from Aberystwyth to Aberaeron today I couldn’t resist counting the placards that have sprouted in the last couple of days. The score?
Plaid Cymru - 35
Lib Dems - 8
Conservatives - 4

This contrasts sharply with Brecon & Radnor constituency, thought to be a tight contest between the Tories and Lib Dems, where, on a journey on Wednesday through the northern half, I saw only a couple.

It’s clear that the political scene in Ceredigion is unusually vibrant and this is a feature of seats where Plaid Cymru are strong. Plaid have to work harder on the ground to combat the overwhelming media coverage of the London-based parties and other parties then have to try to up their game to combat that. For example, this year Plaid becomes the first party in Wales to use bus advertising. Penri James, Plaid’s candidate in Ceredigion explains,

“It’s necessary for us in Plaid to continually find new and innovative ways of getting our message across to the communities we represent. This year we’re running our most ambitious Westminster advertising campaign to date.

“We ran a pilot bus advertising campaign in Llanelli last October which proved incredibly successful and received a very positive response from the public. We’ve now rolled this out to towns across Wales including Bangor, Blackwood, Llandudno, Aberystwyth and Cardiff.

“Plaid’s ability to embrace innovation and technology is a well recognised success. In addition to our existing presence on the web on websites, blogs and social networking, we’ll be using internet advertising on sites such as Google to get our message across to as wide an audience as possible.

“All of this will of course supplement our Wales-wide intensive door-to-door campaign. Plaid candidates for the coming election will all be out and about, talking to people in our communities and ensuring that we take the people’s priorities and values with us to Westminster when called upon”.

UKIP keep Ceredigion guessing

The United Kingdom Independence Party, an organisation I have little sympathy with in terms of their attitude to both Wales and Europe, seem to be experiencing some confusion about their General Election candidate for Ceredigion. A couple of months ago their contestant was listed on their website as Mike Wieteska, a Salford-born Christian minister. Then, for a while, he was simultaneously listed as the candidate for Aberconwy before the Ceredigion reference was deleted altogether. An invitation to the party to attend the recent hustings in Aberystwyth went unanswered.

Now there’s a similar confusion with Elwyn Williams, a Conservative candidate in the 1997 General Election who subsequently left to join UKIP. Today on their UK website he is simultaneously listed as the candidate for both Ceredigion and Arfon whilst on the UKIP Wales site he is down as just standing in Arfon with no Ceredigion contender.

The person watching most closely may well be Luke Evetts, the Conservative candidate here whose vote would theoretically be the most affected, although I’ve known votes to transfer to UKIP from both disaffected Labour and Lib Dem supporters. However, as UKIP central office continue to shuffle their candidates around in an attempt to build on the somewhat incongruous election of a Euro-MP in Wales last year, we’ll probably have to wait until nomination day to know for certain their plans in Ceredigion.

Latest length of Aberystwyth cycle path completed

Tarmacing has been completed on the latest length of cycle path running between Llanbadarn Fawr level crossing and the Afon Rheidol near Aberystwyth.

The latest section finishes the addition of a 320 yard spur to the Llwybr Rheidol trail which runs from Aberystwyth to Capel Bangor. The next stage, as reported here in September, will be to put in an additional section of riverside path linking the east side of Llanbadarn.