Bwcabus

Last week’s Bwcabus extension launch in Lampeter, with Carl Sargeant, the Welsh Government’s Local Government Minister in attendance, marked the latest stage in what is viewed as the future of Welsh rural transport. 

Bwcabus is a Council-run bus service for the rural areas of Mid and South Ceredigion and North Carmarthenshire (see map here). It picks up people who pre-book from their nearest bus stop or, in the case of those with mobility problems, from their homes and connects them to a town or main bus route. Unlike many scheduled bus services, a trip can be booked for any time between 7am – 7pm.

Before going any further, I have to say that I find it almost impossible to have a conversation about bus services without first pointing out that bus de-regulation in 1986 was an absolute disaster and that, if it was up to me, I’d re-regulate the lot tomorrow. But we are where we are and we have to deal with it.

The Transport Act 1985 rules that, when a commercial provider registers a route as commercial, the local authorities have to step away. In areas of low population, with the most popular, profitable routes taken over by the private sector, it then becomes very difficult for a local authority to fill in the gaps between commercial services. At the same time, in rural areas, there are many people living away from the main routes who don’t drive or don’t have access to a car and can’t afford taxis. These people can be left extremely isolated and vulnerable without a decent bus service near their homes and  councils have to find a way to provide a public transport service for them.

In these difficult circumstances, devising a traditional service that meets the needs of a sufficient critical mass of people to be anywhere near viable is almost impossible.  Any workable solution has to be tailored as closely as possible to the needs of individual passengers. The idea behind Bwcabus is that the best way to do that is to let each user negotiate their own bus times.

Full details of the Bwcabus service in Ceredigion can be found here.

Ceredigion Floods - The Aftermath

Welsh Local Government Minister Carl Sargeant visited some of the areas of North Ceredigion most badly affected by flooding  this afternoon and spoke to residents. The tour, with Ceredigion Council Leader Ellen ap Gwynn, took in Parc yr Onnen in Llanbadarn, Aberystwyth Holiday Village and Talybont. 

The village square in Talybont, a place where the rivers Ceulan and Leri meet, is the scene of the worst residential devastation in the county. The village was lucky to escape without loss of life when two walls collapsed under the force of water.

The lower photo shows a workman, secured to the bank with a hook, working in the River Ceulan to reconnect a water pipe next to a collapsed wall. The top photo shows a typical scene in the village (and also at Parc yr Onnen in Llanbadarn) of ruined belongings piled up on the pavement. 

It may be a cliche, but the villagers I spoke to showed tremendous cheerfulness and community spirit in the face of everything and were full of praise for the local emergency services who had helped them. The Llew Gwyn pub had pitched in by providing free food and were generally acting as a community centre.

In Aberystwyth, Penglais School had been used as a rest centre yesterday and dealt with 130 people. 70 Council workers worked through the weekend to help stricken residents and to keep the County's infrastructure going. At the height of the flood the River Rheidol was flowing at a rate of 280 tons per second.

Meanwhile, in a developing story, 600 people were this afternoon evacuated from the village of Pennal, a few miles west of Machynlleth, after cracks appeared in a reservoir dam. The dam is along the river Pennal which feeds into the Dyfi.

Update:
Ystwyth Medical Surgery will be operating from the old Countryside Council for Wales offices near Penrhyncoch whilst their own premises are being cleaned up. They can still be phoned on their usual number. 

Borth Animalarium is having a clean-up starting tomorrow morning  (Monday) at 8.30am.


Further update 11/6/12
* Welsh Government Environment Minister John Griffiths visited Talybont and Dolybont today to see the flood damage.

* B&Q, Halfords, Carpetright and Currys at Parc y Llyn Retail Park are all closed until further notice due to flood damage.

* Ceredigion Council Leader Ellen ap Gwynn has launched an appeal fund to help flood victims. Details here.

* Nat West Bank in Owain Glyndwr Square, Aberystwyth is also running an appeal. To contribute to this you can drop in or contact Mel Blaney on 01970 - 627337.

* Donations of cleaning and re-decorating materials (the most needed items by flood victims at the moment) are also being accepted by Alexanders Estate Agents in Terrace Road. They will also be distributing the money from the Nat West appeal fund. The contact person is Lauren Sarreus-Webb on 01970 - 636010.

* A jumble sale is being held to raise money on Saturday at the Bandstand on Aberystwyth Prom. Donations for this will be accepted there from 9am. The jumble sale starts at 11am. 

* The Aberystwyth Flood Victims Facebook page for updates on these initiatives is here

The Aberystwyth Floods

Aberystwyth has been getting back to normal after yesterday’s floods which were the worst in memory.

The flooding around the town reached a peak around high tide at 12.10 and was concentrated around the Parc y Llyn and Llanbadarn areas. Photos can be seen here. Whilst it is fairly common for Blaendolau playing fields, next to the river Rheidol, to flood, no-one could remember water submerging the main road from Penparcau to Llanbadarn.

As news spread, and with traffic around the town at a standstill, scores of local people walked and cycled up to Parc y Llyn to have a look at the surreal scene. Morrisons and other shops on the retail estate were forced to close, but the hardest hit non-residential property seemed to be Ystwyth Surgery which looked to have sustained considerable flood damage. Arrangements are being made for surgeries to be held elsewhere next week.

Whilst it was a sightseeing opportunity for many people, for residents of the Parc yr Onnen estate in Llanbadarn the situation was much grimmer, with the ground floors of an estimated 30 houses flooded and some residents having to find accommodation elsewhere. Residents in other nearby housing estates anxiously watched the rising water. Aberystwyth Holiday Village was also badly hit, with touring caravans and campers having to abandon their vehicles.

Various agencies worked together throughout the day to pump water out of  affected homes and to protect those at risk. The agencies included Ceredigion Council, the Fire Service, the Police, Dwr Cymru, the Environment Agency and the RNLI.

Meanwhile, further north, there had already been serious flooding around Llandre, Talybont and Penrhyncoch where quick action by the emergency services, already well reported by the BBC, had undoubtedly saved lives. Pictures of the floods at Talybont can be seen here (thanks to Tanwen Haf).

One reason being cited for the severity of the flooding at Parc y Llyn at least is the development that has taken place in recent years on the Rheidol flood plain which has left flood water with nowhere to drain away. However that doesn't explain the serious flooding in other areas.

Ceredigion Council has appealed to the Westminster government for financial assistance to re-build roads damaged in the floods, particularly those to the north of Aberystwyth.

The Council will be waiving their usual collection charges for bulky goods and will be collecting ruined carpets and furniture for nothing.

A Facebook page for flood victims is here, with lots of people offering help.
Council advice for flood victims can be found here.
Ceredigion Council's contact number for information and the reporting of problems is 01545 - 572572. 
Information about road closures can be found here.

Weather forecasters were saying that, although some further rain was predicted, with tides set to reduce, they did not anticipate further problems once the water had receded.

Traffic Wardens back in Ceredigion

Today is the day the traffic wardens (or rather Civil Enforcement Officers) return to the streets of Ceredigion.

From the day the police withdrew their service (giving, it should be said, fair warning after Ceredigion Council had declined their request for many years), it's been something of a social experiment. Maybe students will study it. Those people who have always resented traffic wardens and said people should be allowed to police themselves have had their way.

In that sense, it's been useful. Now we, and the many people outside Ceredigion who've been showing an amused interest (as can be seen in the Daily Telegraph cartoon above), know what life's like without parking control. And the conclusion is that it doesn't work very well at all. OK, the sky didn't fall in, but it hasn't been good. Disabled people have found their parking spaces blocked. Pavements in some streets have been made impassable by cars parking on them. Buses and lorries have occasionally been unable to pass down the narrower streets because of cars parked on the corners. The belief that people being able to park anywhere will help trade hasn't quite worked because what's been gained by people being able to nip into a shop whilst parked right outside has been lost by the short-term parking places being full of people parked in them all day.

Last week, warning notices were being placed on cars illegally parked. This week it's the real thing - a £50 or £70 fine, depending on the exact offence, with a 50% discount if paid within 14 days, like most other places. Sundays and Bank Holidays too. This is  administered by the Wales Penalty Processing Partnership, which also services eight other Welsh Councils. 

I'm no authoritarian, but some rules actually are helpful and I'm looking forward to the streets becoming more orderly places once again where everyone understands and accepts the rules to the benefit of all of us. 

There are certainly some places in the towns of Ceredigion where yellow lines could be reduced. However work on that has been suspended whilst council officers have had to spend their time jumping through the legal hoops required to take over parking control. Once that work is complete they can hopefully move on to other things and Ceredigion's interesting adventure into the unknown will be over.

If you live in Ceredigion and you see a traffic warden, be nice to them. They'll probably be the most popular wardens in the country for a while. 

Public Poetry in Aberystwyth

Enough of this politics, let’s talk for a moment about something really important – poetry - public poetry.

Last week I attended the launch of a poetry trail at Llanfihangel Genau’r Glyn, more commonly known as Llandre, a few miles north of Aberystwyth. It was a well-attended, distinctively Welsh  event, filmed by S4C, to launch a quarter-mile woodland path. Along the path is interspersed verses of poetry on display boards written by people who live in, have lived in or have connections to the village. Opened by Jim Parc Nest, Archdruid of the Gorsedd of Bards, the chosen lines include pieces in both Welsh and English from people like Eisteddfod Chair winner Huw Meirion Edwards  and Greg Hill.

On the way home I thought of the lines of poetry recently embedded on Aberystwyth Promenade (see photo) as a small part of the Prom Regeneration Area scheme. The idea is that people will read these and dream as they gaze out across the sea.

On the other side of town, many of the corridor walls in Bronglais Hospital offer random lines of poetry. These were sponsored by the Arts in Health project Haul and written by the poets Elin ap Hywel and David Hart in response to their experiences at the hospital.

Put together, these projects begin to form a theme that acknowledges the value of poetry in the Aberystwyth area, where many writers live and where the National Library looks down on us from Penglais Hill. If this public poetry occasionally triggers the contemplative side of our minds and helps us to briefly step back from the material world then it will have done us all a service.

"Machlud tawel, halen yn yr awel" translates into English as, "Quiet sunset, salt in the breeze".

Aberystwyth election reflections

I know it’s getting a bit late for this now but, before we put the Council elections fully behind us, it’s worth reflecting on a dramatically changed political landscape in Aberystwyth and, at the end of this post, a surprising change in the profile of Ceredigion.

Although results in the rest of Ceredigion were mixed for Plaid, they were astonishingly good for the party in Aberystwyth, returning four out of six County Council candidates and with the added bonus of 11 out of 19 Town Councillors. To put this in a long-term perspective, after the last election in 2008, Plaid had two councillors out of six in Aberystwyth. In 2004 it was one.

Looking through the wards in turn, firstly Bronglais and Central wards didn’t change, with exactly the same representation as last time. In Bronglais, Plaid won again with a full slate of County and Town Councillors. In Central ward there was also no change. Ceredig Davies won again for the Lib Dems whilst Chris Mackenzie-Grieve raised the Plaid vote by 1%. The Lib Dems won two out of three town council seats with the other going to Plaid, exactly as last time.

However the other wards were more interesting:

Aberystwyth North

This ward has been an extreme marginal for many years. The 2004 and 2008 elections were won by Carl Williams for the Lib Dems by 23 and 36 votes respectively. This year, Plaid’s Mark Strong won for the first time, 47 votes ahead of the sitting Cabinet Member. The contest was complicated by the presence of Lisa Francis, the former Conservative Assembly Member, standing as an Independent. In the event she came third but with a respectable vote. Plaid retained their two out of three Town Council seats.

Penparcau

Going back a few years, anyone suggesting that the two Penparcau seats could ever both be won by Plaid Cymru would have been considered crazy in this area of social housing. In 2008 Rob Gorman became Plaid’s first councillor there. This year, despite Rob stepping down to pursue his sucessful fishing business, Plaid’s two candidates Steve Davies and Lorrae Jones-Southgate both managed to win comfortably.

Interestingly, Dylan Lewis, who has stood many times for Labour and got nowhere in what, in any other town, would be considered prime Labour territory, stood as an Independent this time and suddenly found himself getting a decent vote, finishing third.

All three Plaid Town Council candidates were elected comfortably to the area’s five seats, despite two never having stood before.

Rheidol

The encouragement for Plaid in this ward, where they finished second, is somewhat below the radar but, arguably, highly significant. This has been a rock solid Lib Dem ward for as long as most people remember. In May 2008 their County Council candidate won 67% of the vote and four out of four Lib Dems were returned to the Town Council.  

Aled Davies’s win there for Plaid in a by-election later on that year was seen by many as a freak result brought about by a ‘perfect storm’ of chaos within the Lib Dem camp (Lib Dem County Councillor resigned in disgrace, well-known former Lib Dem councillor stood as an Independent, Lib Dem activist who had worked the ward and topped the Town Council poll wasn’t selected to stand in the by-election amidst much recrimination).

This time, it was widely assumed that the Lib Dems would re-take the ward with the selection of the credible and personable Wendy Morris-Twiddy.  However Aled Davies, a hard worker who, for his own reasons, decided to stand as an Independent at this election, retained the seat by 64 votes. Had he stayed with Plaid the party would have had five out of six seats in the town.

But the real encouragement for Plaid in Rheidol is that their own candidate, Endaf Edwards, standing in an election for the first time, came ahead of the Lib Dems in second place. This is all the more remarkable for the fact that some Plaid supporters admitted to feeling divided and voting for Aled Davies.

Given the ward’s strong Lib Dem history, Plaid didn’t target the seat with resources and only put up one Town Council candidate, hoping he might scrape into one of the four seats. In the event, Brian Davies came second out of five, beating two of the three Lib Dems. The Rheidol ward profile seems to be changing. Expect Plaid to put more into it next time.

The wider Ceredigion shift

Aberystwyth is not the only town in Ceredigion whose political profile is changing. Looking wider, Plaids’ support seems to be shifting into the urban areas. Of the six towns in the county, Plaid now have control of four - Aberystwyth, Cardigan, Tregaron and Llandysul, the other two being Aberaeron (Lib Dem) and Lampeter (Labour/Independent). 

This has never happened before. In 2008 Plaid only had the majority of councillors in two of the six towns and, in 2004, just one. At the same time, four of Plaid's five losses at the latest election were to Independents in rural areas. 

Of the Plaid councillors in Ceredigion in 2004, just 12.5% were from urban areas. In 2008 that figure went up to 19%. In 2012 it shot up to 42%. The profile of both Plaid support and Ceredigion itself is changing fast.

The campaign for an athletics and cycle track for Aberystwyth

The campaign for an athletics and cycling track in Aberystwyth is growing pace.

Ceredigion is one of the few counties in Britain that has no standard-sized athletics track whatsoever. This prevents the further development of the otherwise very healthy town and university athletics scenes, the university having long outgrown the two-lane track on their Penglais campus.

Those who began looking to set up a campaign for an athletics track soon found that cycling locally is in a similar position.

While cycling is a growing sport in Wales, with mountain biking  being particularly popular, there are severe limitations for other aspects of the sport with the only indoor velodrome being in Newport, Gwent. Aberystwyth's Ysywyth Cycling Club is restricted in its development as parents are hesitant to allow children to practice racing on the roads.

Athletes and cyclists therefore decided to get together to work on a joint campaign for an athletics and cycling track for Aberystwyth which could then serve as a venue for the whole of Mid Wales.

Of course, at the end of July, the eyes of the world will be on the London 2012 Olympics (67 days, 21 hours and 32 minutes away, their website tells me at the time of this post). The heralded Olympic flame is due to arrive on-stage at Vicarage Fields in Aberystwyth at exactly 6.51pm on Sunday 27th May (they’re obviously a bit obsessive about their timings, these Olympians. It must be all that trying to shave a tenth of a second off their personal best). 

The games are the recipient of a vast amount of money for sporting facilities in London and the organisers have repeatedly spoken of creating, ‘a sporting legacy for the whole of Britain’. The Aberystwyth campaign agrees with this wholeheartedly and hopes that now is therefore exactly the right time to put its case for the development of sporting facilities in what is one of Britain’s most deprived regions in terms of sporting opportunities.

The Aberystwyth proposal is for a fully-lit six-lane 400m all-weather running track, with an eight-lane sprint and hurdle straight, encircled by a 500m cycle track at Penweddig School in Aberystwyth.

The town has already proved it's able to put on large-scale sporting events. This development would be the first of its kind in Wales, and would be a cost-effective way of delivering hubs for two sports within  mid Wales. The proposed site is in close proximity to the town and would have the potential to boost local businesses and generally strengthen the pull of the town in a wide area.

An organisation has now been set up to progress the idea – Partneriaeth Athletau a Seiclo Canolbarth Cymru / Mid Wales Cycle and Athletics Partnership (PASCC)

The campaign is supported by a variety of organisations in the area and beyond, including Sport Wales and the Urdd. Support was included in the local election manifestos of both Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems.

You can help the campaign by signing the petition on this link.

Anyone who'd like to help in other ways should contact Einion Gruffudd at einion.gruffudd@btinternet.com

Image source: http://www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/members-benefits/tanni-grey-thompson-on-paralympics-at-sja-lunch-nov-17/

Northgate student flats approved on appeal

Accommodation for 51 students at the former Crown Buildings in Northgate Street, Aberystwyth has been given the go-ahead after a Planning Inspector overturned the decision of Ceredigion’s Planning Committee which had rejected the application in December.

In a judgement released yesterday, the Inspector considered but rejected arguments put at a local hearing about loss of an employment site, planned provision of 1000 student beds on Clarach Road and concerns from local residents - some elderly - about late night noise. He concluded that employment use had been properly marketed without success, that the Clarach Road accommodation was still likely to fall short of the total student need and that residents were not entitled to assume disorderly behavior from students.

Although many local residents are dismayed at the decision, having put their views at the hearing on May 1^st, it will be welcomed by the Guild of Students and shops in Northgate Street, an areas which has seen several shops close in the past couple of years.

The application, which was put by Cantref housing association, has been reduced from its original 61 places. Conditions imposed in the judgement include double glazing and other noise insulation, an out-of-hours call system and a warden on site from 6pm-7am.

I can e-mail a full copy of the Inspector's six-page judgement to anyone interested. Drop me a line at alunw@ceredigion.gov.uk

Plaid to lead Ceredigion Council in partnership with Independents

Ceredigion County Council this morning voted Plaid Cymru’s Ellen ap Gwynn (pictured) as Council Leader.

The 19 Plaid Cymru councillors elected on May 3^rd have agreed to work with the main Independent group of 12 to form an administration. They have been joined by a breakaway group of two Independents, Llais Annibynnol, consisting of Dafydd Edwards (Llansantffraed) and Dai Mason (Trefeurig). Labour’s Hag Harris has also joined the coalition.

The opposition will be formed by the seven Lib Dems and one ungrouped Independent (Aled Davies, Aberystwyth Rheidol).

The coalition has been the subject of intense discussions for the last seven days in which everyone has been talking to everyone else, with no groups excluded, in an effort to come up with a workable arrangement for running the County.  Although no group succeeded in winning an overall majority at the election, most councillors recognise that much of the public wants to see change. 

The final arrangements essentially hinge on the mathematics resulting from the decision of Llais Annibynnol and Labour to break away from the Independent/Lib Dem group they had been a part of for the last few years together with the need for the ruling group to have a significant majority with which to form an administration. No-one would have predicted the coalition outcome that’s been arrived at but negotiations have been an exercise in the art of the possible.

Ellen ap Gwynn, councillor for Ceulanamaesmawr to the North of Aberystwyth, said in her press  statement:

"I’m grateful for the support received from my colleagues in the chamber today to be elected as Ceredigion County Council’s new leader – the first Plaid Cymru politician to do so. This moment also heralds a fresh start for Ceredigion with Plaid Cymru at the helm of a new coalition to run the county.

"I intend to be an inclusive leader, and we will work hard to ensure that Ceredigion people feel involved in Council decisions. We commit to holding full consultation with local residents on any new developments and initiatives so that their views and needs are taken into account in the decision-making process.

"I’m particularly pleased to have attracted the support of the group of Independent councillors on the Council, as well as that of the new political group ‘Llais Annibynnol / Independent Voice’, and Ceredigion’s only Labour councillor.

"We held discussions with all political parties and while I fully appreciate that those who decided not to work with us have the prerogative to do so, I intend to work across political divides to try and get consensus at the heart of the decision-making process in Ceredigion".

Arthur Dafis, chair of Plaid Cymru’s constituency committee in Ceredigion, added:

"Plaid Cymru campaigned to get a fresh start for Ceredigion in the recent local elections. We have now secured a change in the formation of the Council’s Cabinet with a Plaid Cymru leader in charge for the first time ever. This is a major development for Ceredigion and I congratulate Cllr Ellen ap Gwynn on securing majority support for her leadership in the Council chamber.

"Plaid Cymru wants to secure the best governance for Ceredigion and I want to see Ellen and her coalition working with people of all political persuasions to ensure that decisions are made in the best interest of Ceredigion people”.

Aberystwyth Town Council election results

These are the results of the elections to Aberystwyth Town Council.  

Plaid Cymru is once again the largest party on the Council with 11 of the 19 seats (up one). The Lib Dems have five (down one), with three Independents also represented.

Bronglais (4 seats)

Alun Williams (Plaid) 382

Sue Jones-Davies (Plaid) 336

Endaf Edwards  (Plaid)  277

Chris Griffiths (Plaid)  241

Richard Morgan-Ash (Lib Dem) 144

Canol / Central (3 seats)

Ceredig Davies (Lib Dem) 262

Sarah Bowen  (Lib Dem) 142

Carys Morgan (Plaid)  136

Lefi Gruffudd (Plaid)  131

Carys Ann Thomas (Plaid)  129

Gogledd / North (3 seats)

Mark Strong (Plaid) 352

Aled Davies (Independent) 314

Jeff Smith (Plaid) 209

Dafydd ap Ffranc (Plaid)  169

Penparcau (5 seats)

Steve Davies (Plaid) 500

Dylan Lewis (Independent) 385

Mererid Jones (Plaid)  349

Kevin Price (Plaid)  333

Brenda Haines (Lib Dem) 284

Mark Williams (Conservative) 142

Linden Parker (Lib Dem) 124

Rheidol (4 seats)

Wendy Morris-Twiddy (Lib Dem) 337

Brian Davies (Plaid)  284

Mair Benjamin (Lib Dem)  281

Martin Shewring (Independent) 273

Sam Hearne (Lib Dem) 266

Ceredigion Election Summary

Plaid Cymru had some stunning successes at the start of County Council election night in Ceredigion - including defeating the Council Leader - and can legitimately be said to have won the election by remaining by far Ceredigion’s largest party. However the evening was ultimately disappointing for Plaid as they finished with 19 out of the 42 seats, one fewer than they had begun with and not enough to take overall control of the Council. The Lib Dems lost two of their nine seats, both Cabinet Members, bringing them down to seven, whilst the Independents increased theirs' by three to 15.

The night began with three shock Plaid wins over sitting members of the Council Cabinet:

* Council Leader Keith Evans (Independent) lost to Plaid’s Peter Evans in Llandysul.

* Mark Strong beat Lib Dem Cabinet Member Carl Williams in Aberystwyth North.

* Bryan Davies defeated Eurfyl Evans, another Lib Dem Cabinet Member, in Llanarth.

Things were looking good for Plaid until a series of surprise losses:

* Dai Suter, a good mate of mine, lost his previously safe seat in Trefeurig to an Independent.

* Long-standing Plaid councillor Ian ap Dewi lost to an Independent in Penbryn. 

* Euros Davies (Independent) won in Llanwenog over Plaid, following the retirement of the previous Plaid councillor Haydn Richards.

Better news came in Aberystwyth Penparcau where Plaid’s Steve Davies and Lorrae Jones-Southgate were both elected in their two-seat ward following the retirement of the two previous councillors Rob Gorman (Plaid) and Goronwy Edwards (Independent), representing a net gain for Plaid.

Other councillor changes were:

* Llanfihangel Ystrad – Lynford Thomas won for Plaid following the retirement of the previous Plaid councillor Owen Llywelyn.

* Troedyraur - Maldwyn Lewis (Independent) won here following the retirement of another Independent, Roy Griffiths.

All other ward councillors remained the same, including this one in Aberystwyth Bronglais, where I managed to win with 89% of the vote against Chris Newcombe, a very gracious Conservative.  

At the end of the night the totals were:

Plaid Cymru 19 (down 1)

Independents 15 (up 3)

Lib Dems 7 (down 2)

Labour 1 (same)

Six women were elected, an improvement of one. Full results can be seen here.

At least one Independent (Aled Davies in Aberystwyth Rheidol, previously a councillor for Plaid) has said he will remain genuinely independent and will not join a bloc with others.

With no overall majority and the loss of the former Council Leader, negotiations will have to take place before a new administration can be formed.

Vote Plaid for a fresh start in Ceredigion

I’m not going to suggest that Ceredigion will be transformed into Nirvana if Plaid Cymru win an overall majority in the local elections on Thursday, although some winning candidates may temporarily reach there on election night. But the coalition of Independents and Lib Dems which has ruled the county for as long as anyone can remember, really is due for a change.

Now I don’t like those leaflets that always say, “Only voting for x party can save us from The Tories/The cuts/Planetary destruction”, because there’s usually more than one solution to any problem. But, with the Labour Party only putting up one candidate, the Conservatives inconsequential at local level and the ruling Independents and Lib Dems entirely intertwined, it quite literally is only by voting for Plaid Cymru that a change is going to occur in the running of Ceredigion Council.     

Now there are all sorts of bad things about political parties, but when a council is dominated by people who call themselves ‘independent’, then you start to see their good side. With councillors representing political parties you have people who are at least connected to the wider modern world. Their parties have things like manifestos that people can read and conferences where they work out ideas, principles and policies based around wider philosophies. Not so ‘independent’ councillors who, strangely, considering they are supposed to be independent, always seem to end up reflecting the same grey, small ‘c’ conservative approach to society.

Odd, therefore, that the Lib Dems should have become so comprehensively absorbed into the Independents locally, to the detriment of any of their party’s more progressive ideas, which are supposed to exist somewhere but, like at Westminster, never seem to see the light of day.

Despite being by far the largest party represented on Ceredigion Council (20 councillors), Plaid have always been kept out of office entirely by an alliance of all the rest (12 Independents, 9 Lib Dems and 1 Labour). I’m under no illusions that whoever runs Ceredigion after Thursday will be faced with the same issues of increasing demands and less and less money to tackle them. But the Council  needs a fresh start and it needs to engage with people. I like to think that Plaid Cymru, with an inspirational new leader and with it’s principles of support for public services, local communities, small businesses and environmental sustainability, are now by far the best people to take the communities of Ceredigion forward.

For the many people who want change in Ceredigion, there really is only one answer at this election.

Click on these green highlights to read Plaid’s local and national manifestos for the Local Government elections on Thursday.

Aber's students standing for election

University Students arrived back in Aberystwyth at the beginning of the week. If those living in town houses haven’t already found election leaflets on their doormats, they certainly will in the next few days.

There are now around 9000 students compared to a year-round population of 12,000 in the town (although that last figure excludes Waun Fawr and Llanbadarn Fawr, areas commonly considered to be part of Aberystwyth).

Whilst almost all permanent residents in Aber value students for the massive contribution they make to the town, it’s still common to hear older people grumble at election time that that they should be voting ‘at home’. That's a debate that is long gone now and, with ‘home’ for most being, in reality, mainly in Aberystwyth and only part elsewhere, it’s really up to each student to choose for themselves where to vote. Of course, many do still vote at their parents’ address by post.

Although roughly 30% of Aberystwyth students are from Wales, the presence of so many from elsewhere has always posed some difficulty for Plaid Cymru. The party has always recognised that, with a total lack of publicity for Plaid outside Wales, expecting someone who only arrived here a few months ago to immediately bone up on Welsh politics and vote Plaid is a big ask.

By the time students are in their second or third year,  those interested in politics and of a left persuasion frequently decide to switch to Plaid once they’ve recognised the party’s inclusive, left-wing policies. But those not bothering to enquire further have tended to be split between Labour and the Lib Dems, with a small smattering of Tories, easily distinguishable by their quite remarkable accents.

At the last Westminster election the Lib Dems tried to corner the student market with some success, brought about by their  opposition to tuition fees. This was somewhat galling for Plaid as they were equally supportive of students but, again, due to the UK media, this was much less well known.

However, since the advent of the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition at Westminster, and the consequent Lib  Dem support for a huge increase in the cap on tuition fees, that Lib Dem support amongst students has completely crumbled. Now, with Labour and the Greens not standing in Ceredigion (with the exception of one Labour candidate in Lampeter), Aberystwyth students from outside Wales who have yet to acclimatise to Welsh politics have been left wondering where to put their vote at the local elections.

Now another factor has come into play. Until recently, it was relatively unusual to see students standing in local government elections here, and unheard of for them to be elected. There’s always been the problem that the majority of students stay at University for just three years and the usual term of local government is four years (five this time). On the other hand, Aberystwyth does have one of the highest rates of students staying on to live in the area after completing their degree so, for those committed to the area, the length of their course is not necessarily a problem.

It was Richard Boudier who showed the way when he was elected to Aberystwyth Town Council for Labour in Penparcau four years ago when he was a student and after being in the town for just a few months. He took the role seriously and ended up becoming Mayor of Aberystwyth at the same time as being Labour’s candidate for Ceredigion in the 2011 Assembly election. His term of office comes to an end at this election and he will then be standing down from local politics.

Following on from this, the Aberystwyth Guild of Students, and their newspaper The Courier, has recently been showing an increased interest in local politics. And, as part of these developments, Plaid Cymru have now taken up Richard Boudier’s gauntlet with four students out of their 14 Town Council candidates standing in the elections on May 5^th.

My belief is that, with students making up such a high proportion of the town’s population for much of the year, it’s actually important, and indeed helpful to everyone in the town, for them have some representation on the town council, the lowest level of local government.

Plaid’s four student candidates for the Aberystwyth Town Council elections on May 5^th are:

Bronglais ward - Chris Griffiths

Chris is originally from Neath and is studying Politics and Welsh. He is particularly interested in health issues and plans to volunteer with the St John’s Ambulance service.

North ward - Dafydd ap Franc and Jeff Smith

Dafydd is originally from Rhyl and is studying Welsh and Welsh history. He is president of the University’s Catholic Association.

Jeff is originally from Kent. He came to Aberystwyth to study Maths and is now doing a PhD. He learnt Welsh whilst living at Pantycelyn and is now fluent. He has a strong interest in environmental and transport issues.

Central ward - Carys Ann Thomas

Carys is from Carmarthenshire and a geography student. She has been elected as the Guild of Students’ Welsh affairs officer and UMCA President for the next academic year. She particularly wants to be elected to the Town Council to give students a stronger voice.

If you're an Aber student, I think they'll do a good job of representing you. If you're not, I think 'town and gown' relations will be enhanced by their presence in our local politics. Why not give them one of your X's on May 3rd?

Aberystwyth wins Purple Flag Award

Aberystwyth has become the first town in Wales to achieve the Purple Flag Award.

Purple Flag is an accreditation scheme that recognises excellence in the management of town and city centres at night. It aims to raise standards so that what is now called the ‘night time economy’ can thrive in a way that is safe and crime-free. Just as Blue Flag is an indicator of a good beach, Purple Flag is an indicator of where to go for a good night out and  brings positive publicity for successful town and city centres.

The award considers issues such as perceptions, policing, licensing, pedestrian routes, different agencies working together, public transport and taxis, parking, crowd management, information, food and dining, pubs and bars, other attractions, arts and culture, diversity and identity.

The ‘Aber@Nos/Night’ project involves a number of organisations working together to address night time economy issues. Partners of the project include Ceredigion County Council, Aberystwyth Town Council, Aberystwyth University, the Guild of Students, Dyfed Powys Police along with others such as the Chamber of Commerce and Menter Aberystwyth.

Initiatives include:

* The ‘Sshhh!’ campaign - aiming to heighten awareness of noise at night and to be mindful of local residents.

* The Best Bar None Award scheme - rewards licensed premises which fulfil the requirements of this UK award scheme which aims to recognise and reward businesses which are serious about customer care, customer safety and offer a quality venue.           

* The Validate Card - an approved proof of age scheme.

As part of this work, officers from Ceredigion County Council’s Public Health Protection service also attend Aberystwyth University Fresher’s Fayre, Coleg Ceredigion, secondary schools and community events to give health improvement and alcohol harm reduction information.

All this increases positive rather than negative activity at night and supports the town’s economy. This was evident recently where over a 1000 people attended the Christmas Lights event which was a collaboration between ‘Aber@Nos/Night’, the Town Council, the Chamber of Commerce, Radio Ceredigion, local businesses and Santa who also attended.

More events are planned and it is hoped that five or six annual events will become a regular feature of the town, during which time the ‘behind the scenes’ work with regards to keeping Aberystwyth safe, mobile, vibrant, clean and efficient will continue.

Aberystwyth was independently assessed for the Purple Flag Award over the weekend of the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th of March.

Community Council postal ballot papers wrongly worded

Ceredigion Council has acknowledged that postal voting forms for Community Council elections, including for Aberystwyth Town Council, are wrongly worded. The Councils affected are Aberystwyth, Aberteifi (Cardigan), Llangeitho, Llangybi, Llansantffraed and Llanwenog. 

The lilac ballot papers in the multi-members wards, which were posted from Aberaeron today (Thursday) say, "Vote for x candidates only". They should say, "Vote for no more than x candidates". Hopefully voters will be guided by the advice contained in Plaid Cymru's Town Council election leaflets which is correct. 

Most County Council wards are unaffected but those who elect two councillors - Penparcau and Lampeter -  have been.

All affected postal voters are being contacted tonight or tomorrow morning by hand-delivered letter. Voters who have already posted their voting papers before being contacted will be entitled to ask for replacement ballot papers if they want to change the way they voted.

Plaid's candidates for Aberystwyth Town Council

Plaid Cymru are putting up a record number of candidates for the Town Council elections in Aberystwyth

The figure of 14 nominations for the 19 seats on the Council beats their previous record set at the last elections in 2008

Plaid’s 14 candidates are:

Bronglais (4 seats) - Endaf Edwards, Chris Griffiths, Sue Jones-Davies, Alun Williams

(One Lib Dem also standing)

Canol/Central (3 seats) - Lefi Gruffudd, Carys Morgan, Carys Ann Thomas

(Two Lib Dems also standing)

Gogledd/North (3 seats) - Dafydd ap Franc, Jeff Smith, Mark Strong

(One Independent also standing)

Penparcau (5 seats)  - Steve Davies, Mererid Jones, Kevin Price

(Two Lib Dems, one Independent and one Conservative also standing)

Rheidol (4 seats) - Brian Davies

(Three Lib Dems & one Independent also standing)

The candidate figures for the other parties are: Lib Dems 8 (down from 14 last time), Independents 3 (up from 2), Conservatives 1 (down from 3).

Meanwhile, half a mile down Llanbadarn Road road, Llanbadarn Fawr Community Council has already elected 13 councillors unopposed. Plaid councillors are:

Padarn Ward - Gareth Davies

Sulien Ward - Mark Hemingway, Paul James, Stephanie Lennon and Dafydd Pritchard.

Heading up Penglais Hill, on Faenor Community Council (Waun Fawr and Comins Coch), 10 councillors have been elected unopposed, including Terry Lambden from Plaid.

Both the Town Council and County Council elections will be held on Thursday  3^rd May. Full candidate lists are available here. 

Plaid's candidates for Ceredigion

Plaid Cymru have announced their candidates for the County Council elections in Ceredigion.  

The party will be putting up 34 candidates in the total of 42 seats. Plaid are hoping to win the 22 seats required to take over the running of the Council. They currently have 20, just two short. Despite Plaid being by far the largest party represented, the Council is currently run by a coalition of the other political groupings - 12 Independents, 9 Lib Dems and one Labour. Catherine Hughes has already been elected unopposed for Plaid in Tregaron.

Plaid’s candidates are:

Aberaeron – Gwenllian Mair

Aberporth – Des Davies

Aberteifi/Cardigan Mwldan – John Adams-Lewis

Aberteifi/Cardigan Rhydyfuwch – Graham Evans

Aberteifi/Cardigan Teifi – Catrin Miles

Aberystwyth Bronglais – Alun Williams

Aberystwyth Canol/Central – Chris Mackenzie-Grieve

Aberystwyth Gogledd/North – Mark Strong

Aberystwyth Rheidol – Endaf Edwards

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

Beulah – Lyndon Lloyd

Capel Dewi – Gethin Jones

Ceulanamaesmawr – Ellen ap Gwynn

Ciliau Aeron – John Lumley

Faenor – Terry Lambden

Llanarth – Bryan Davies

Llanbadarn Fawr Padarn – Gareth Davies

Llanbadarn Fawr Sulien – Paul James

Llanbedr Pont Steffan/Lampeter (2 seats) – Rob Phillips

Llandyfriog – Towyn Evans

Llandysul – Peter Evans

Llanfarian – Alun Lloyd-Jones

Llanfihangel Ystrad – Lynford Thomas

Llangybi – Odwyn Davies

Llanwenog – Geraint Davies

Melindwr – Rhodri Davies

Penbryn – Ian ap Dewi

Penparc – Shan Williams

Tirymynach – Jaci Taylor

Trefeurig – Dai Suter

Tregaron – Catherine Hughes (elected unopposed)

Troedyraur – Gerwyn James

Ystwyth – Mererid Jones

The elections will take place on May 3rd.

Update: The total number of candidates standing for each grouping has now been released as follows: Plaid 34, Lib Dems 28, Independents 22, Conservatives 21, Labour 1.
Full candidate lists are available here

Greening Aberystwyth’s Approach Road

Proposals have been put forward for lining the main approach road to Aberystwyth with trees.

A report, ‘Greening Aber’s Approach Road’, has been put together in acknowledgement of the widely-expressed concern that the piecemeal development taking place along the route over the last few years has tended to ignore any need for a uniform style or welcoming aesthetic. The 30-page report has been written by Dafydd Fryer on behalf of Forestry Commission Wales in partnership with the Greener Aberystwyth Group.

The Aberystwyth appoach road, stretching from the Parc y Llyn roundabout in Llanbadarn Fawr to Alexandra Road near the town centre is called, at different points along its length, Ffordd Parc y Llyn, Boulevard St Brieuc and Park Avenue/Coedlan y Parc. The route currently has around 30 different owners or stakeholders along its length so any agreement for tree-planting would need plenty of negotiations. The planting of a semi-mature tree in an urban environment, including the necessary cage to channel the roots away from underground services, is reckoned to cost around £1,300.

Although that may seem daunting, in Swansea, as part of their regeneration plans, a recognition of the economic benefits of presenting a harmonious green entranceway to the town has recently resulted in the go-ahead for detailed design work on a new tree-lined boulevard on Oystermouth Road.  Greening Aber’s Approach Road proposes a similar plan for Aberystwyth.

The report concludes:

“It is clear there is huge scope to green-up the flanks of the road if the will and resources are available. Tree planting could have a hugely significant role in unifying the whole approach to the town. Despite the challenges and obstacles that would face accommodating trees into this predominantly hard and constricted landscape, the vast range of benefits that urban trees offer town environments would be a major contributor towards ensuring the regeneration of Aberystwyth.”

The next step is to gauge reaction from funding bodies as to whether the plan has the makings of a regeneration project that can be developed further.

I can supply an electronic copy of the report to anyone e-mailing me at alun1001@yahoo.co.uk