Labour selects local candidate for Aberavon Assembly fight

Grassroots Labour Party members in the Aberavon Constituency have chosen well known local campaigner, David Rees, as their candidate to succeed Dr Brian Gibbons AM, for the 2011 Assembly Election.

At a recent meeting held at the Aberavon Beach Hotel, party supporters voted for the long serving, Cwmavon-based activist following an extensive consultation process with members and trade unionists.

DAVID REES said:

“It is an honour and a privilege to have been selected to stand for election to represent the constituency that has been my home for all of my life. Should I be successful in 2011, I will be fighting for everyone in Aberavon and listening to their views on the important issues that affect them on a day to day basis.”

“I will stand up for our local NHS, schools and other public services and will do everything that I can to help attract more, better paid jobs to the area whilst protecting those that are already here.”

Mr Rees, a party member for over 25 years, is currently employed as an Assistant Dean of Faculty at Swansea Metropolitan University, and is married to Marie, a Superintendent Radiographer at Neath Port Talbot Hospital. They have two grown up daughters and one grandchild. David entered Labour Party politics in the early 1980s.

“Like many others in Aberavon, I could see the damage that the Thatcher Government of the time was inflicting on communities right across South Wales. I am fully committed to ensuring that the level of devastation the Tories brought to Aberavon never happens again. Instead, I want to see the continuation of the delivery of social justice and investment in key frontline services that the Labour-led Assembly Government has given us over the last decade.”

Although the Assembly Elections will not take place for another eighteen months the Labour candidate has assured voters that there will be no room for complacency.

“I can’t wait to get campaigning on local issues for local people. If I am successful in 2011, I will be a full time AM, leaving my job and having no other ties or income. The role deserves no less a commitment.”

“I will have a fully staffed, easily accessible constituency office and hold regular street surgeries in every ward. I would also be looking to meet with as many community groups as possible and make my expenses and voting record available for public scrutiny.”

David Rees’ selection has already been backed by current Labour AM for Aberavon, Dr Brian Gibbons.

BRIAN GIBBONS AM said:

“David has an impressive record as a community activist and will do a first class job for Aberavon. Having campaigned alongside him, I know that he is 100% committed to Aberavon and, as he has lived here all of his life, he has a real understanding of the challenges facing local people.”

Extra technology employed in air pollution fight

A brand new air quality monitoring station has this week been installed in Margam as part of efforts to clean up air pollution in Port Talbot.

The Environment Agency has reached agreement with Welsh Water to use the former sewage pumping station site in Prince Street as a base for one of their mobile air quality laboratories which will collect valuable information on airborne pollution in the town. The move will strengthen monitoring provision in the area and complement facilities already in place at Dyffryn Upper School, Taibach Fire Station, Water Street, Port Talbot Docks, Talbot Road, Theodore Road and Twll-yn-y-Wal Park.

Both Cllr John Rogers and I welcome this development. There are longstanding air quality issues in this part of Margam and it is essential that the new equipment should be placed where it has been.

We have seen a number of serious pollution episodes in Prince Street and the surrounding area in recent times. This laboratory will give us up-to-date information which can be accessed by residents, CORUS, the Environment Agency and the Council, so that we can see a more accurate picture of what is really going on.

Air quality is a major issue for local people in Margam & Taibach. We all understand the need for heavy industry in the town and the employment that it creates but there also needs to be a balance between that and the needs of neighbouring communities such as ours. As local councillors, we regard this as another step in investigating the problem more fully but, it is fair to say, that there is a very long way still to go.

Back in business

Many apologies for the complete lack of blogging in recent months. I have been too busy doing various things and not had the time to write about them.

Life has been extremely busy with my day job as political assistant to the new Welsh Labour MEP, Derek Vaughan, the Aberavon Labour Assembly Candidate selection process, Taibach Ward business as well as family and personal commitments. Things have now calmed down a great deal and I hope to be able to spend a bit more time blogging over the next few weeks and months.

There have been a number of important subjects that have come under the microscope in terms of my councillor role, not least Housing Stock Transfer, the Schools Improvement Plan and the Local Development Plan. The process to select a candidate to succeed Brian Gibbons AM is ongoing and has become a hotly contested vacancy with the winner set to be announced at the end of the month. Added to that, of course, is the opportunity for Labour Party members across Wales to choose a new leader to follow in the footsteps of Rhodri Morgan.

Most important of all though has been the day to day issues that have been cropping up on my patch covering Taibach, Margam & Goytre. My colleague, John Rogers, and I spent a wonderful morning in the Autumn sunshine today conducting one of our regular street surgeries on the doorsteps of our residents in Morlais Rd, Brombil Gardens, Margam Rd, Landore Avenue, Toronto Avenue, Pant Celydd, Greenfield Avenue, Graig Avenue, Glanymor Avenue and Woodland Avenue. Meeting our constituents, making face to face contact and dealing with the problems that matter most to them will always be the best part of the job.

Plaid Housing Minister refutes Defend Council Housing campaign

The Housing Stock Transfer debate continues to rumble on via the letters pages of the local press with several prominent Plaid supporters making various claims about its implications and outcomes.

Once again though opponents have failed to propose any viable alternative and, as elected representatives, we have a responsibility to deliver the best housing provision that we can to tenants not just provide them with the most effective soundbites.

An interesting development leaving Plaid campaigners with questions to answer has been a letter by Jocelyn Davies AM, their own Deputy Minister for Housing, which sets out to comprehensively debunk material put out by Defend Council Housing and being used by councillors and members of her party in Neath Port Talbot.

Which version is right?

It is worth quoting the letter at length below so that you can make your own minds up.

“Evictions Up

At present, most council tenants are secure tenants. If stock transfer went ahead in the future, tenants would be given an assured tenancy by the new registered social landlord (RSL). Tenants would still have security of tenure and have protection of their key rights. As an assured tenant, their rights would be covered partly by law and partly by a legally binding tenancy agreement between the tenant and the new RSL. As with secure tenancies, the new RSL could only end a tenancy obtaining a court order.

Rents Up

If stock transfer went ahead (subject to the outcome of a tenant ballot), rent increases with the new RSL will be no greater that they would have been if the homes had stayed with NPTCBC. Under the WAG current rents policy both the new RSL and Council rents would move to the same benchmark level over a period of time.

Tenancy Succession

Tenants would have the legal right to be able to pass on their tenancy to joint tenants, a husband, wife, partner or to a family member who has lived with the tenant for the past 12 months. This is the same as with the Council.

With the Council, these succession rights only occur once. Under a new assured tenancy agreement with the new RSL, a second succession would be allowed.

Lack of Accountability

The new RSL would be a not for profit organisation, registered with the Financial Services Authority and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs as a charity. It would also be registered and regulated by WAG and subject to regular inspection. It would have a Board of Managements comprising tenants, Council nominees and independent members.

Mergers and Takeovers

The new RSL would be a newly created, local, not for profit organisation

Higher costs

The new RSL would be a not for profit, charitable organisation. There would be no shareholders and it would not pay dividends. Board members would only be able to claim reasonable out of pocket expenses such as travel costs.

Homelessness

If the transfer went ahead, NPTCBC would retain its homelessness function and will be accountable to WAG to ensure that this is delivered.”

Afan Arts Centre

The proposed closure of the Afan Arts Centre in Theodore Rd came before the Economic & Community Regeneration Scrutiny Committee yesterday and generated much discussion between members and officers of the Council.

It is quite clear that there are serious health and safety problems at the Centre, the most recent of which being a highly critical report from the Mid & West Wales Fire Service. For those of you who know the site, the Edwardian building was closed back in 2004 but the other building, a small theatre opened only in 1985 is still used by four local groups for rehearsals and workshops. The administration of that building is undertaken by volunteers but the land is owned by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.

The duty of care in terms of safety at the Centre currently falls on the authority and cost issues mean that it is not viable to remain open under their responsibility. In times of shrinking budgets, that is understandable, but both Cllr Dennis Keogh, one of the councillors for the Port Talbot Ward in which the Centre is located, and myself had a number of concerns that we felt had not been addressed.

As members of the Committee, we spoke at length on several issues including the lack of consultation of local councillors, reports that the groups currently housed in the Centre had not been properly notified, the lack of alternative provision in the immediate area and the suitability of provision elsewhere in the town. We also felt that the option of transferring ownership of the centre to the volunteer management group, enabling them to maintain the facility and apply for grant funding to do so, had not been properly explored.

The final decision on the future of the Centre has now been deferred until late September pending further discussions with local ward members and the four organisations based there so that the debate is more fully informed and all the possible solutions are brought out into the open.

Councillors welcome Dyffryn Rd appeal decision

Taibach Labour Councillors, John Rogers and Anthony Taylor, have welcomed news that proposals to build residential properties on green land at Dyffryn Road have been refused for a second time.

An announcement made this week by the Planning Inspectorate arm of the Welsh Assembly Government supported the view of the councillors that the development of this site would be unacceptable and backs up the original decision made in February 2009 to turn down the plans by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.

Councillor JOHN ROGERS said:

“We are delighted that by working in partnership with local residents, we have managed to successfully oppose these plans.”

“The Planning Inspector has thoroughly assessed all the facts in this case and has come to the same conclusion that residents, us and councillors, and the authority’s Planning Department did. Any development on this site is completely unnecessary and would only cause major problems for existing residents in the locality.”

Councillor ANTHONY TAYLOR added:

“We share the concerns of local people that building on this site would cause severe difficulties in terms of overlooking neighbouring homes, increasing traffic and adding to the existing car parking issues that they already live with on a daily basis.”

“We also believe that it would be wrong to build upon a naturally green area that is well known as a local landmark.”

Electrifying plans for rail in Port Talbot

This £1bn investment is a great boost not just for Port Talbot but also for public transport in the whole of South Wales.

It will make the rail system cleaner, greener and less polluting as well as reducing journey times and improving reliability. Undoubtedly, more and more travellers will be encouraged to make the switch onto the trains instead of using their cars.

With the huge improvement that it will bring to our infrastructure, one of the important knock on effects will be for it to make Port Talbot a more attractive place for businesses to invest in the long term. People already living locally will also be able to travel further and quicker if they need to work in Cardiff, Swansea or further afield.

This news is a great opportunity for the town, its economy and its residents.