PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF BRONLLYS HOSPITAL

South Powys Health Services and Bronllys Hospital

Thursday 3rd December 2009

7.00pm
at Gwernyfed School

Hosted by Talgarth Town Council,
in association with Hay Town Council,
and Bronllys Hospital & Community League of Friends

The new Chief Executive of Powys Teaching Health Board,
Andrew Cottom, has kindly agreed to be the key speaker at this meeting. The purpose is to provide an opportunity forclear information to be provided from a single source for localcommunities, in an attempt to clarify the widespread rumoursthat have been circulating in recent times.Other speakers will be confi rmed, and will also give theirviews from the public perspective

Please come along and support your communtiy hospital.

 Raising funds for the Day Centre.

 FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER

11AM

IN THE DAY CENTRE, BRONLLYS HOSPITAL

DONATIONS OF JAMS AND CAKES GRATEFULLY RECEIVED

During a recent meeting with the Bronllys Community Council a number of concerns were raised over the continuing problems with dog fouling in the Bronllys and Llyswen area.

This is a unsightly and unpleasant problem. It is also a health hazard.

Whilst it is undoubtedly up to dog owners to take responsibility for their dogs mess I have asked the council to provide dog fouling bins. New bins will now be placed on Church Lane and Shrubbery Lane in Llyswen. New signs and bins will also be placed in Bronllys.

I hope that this will encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets. Remember dog owners can be fined for not cleaning up after their dog. I would call upon dog owners to act responsibly and think about how dog fouling in public places can affect children and everyone Else’s quality of life.

Many of you will know that since becoming elected I have written a monthly column in the Wye Local magazine. I think this is a great way to reach out to people in the ward who perhaps do not have access to the internet. You can pick the Wye Local up from local shops across the area and better still its free!

However I have decided to publish my column on my website too, so those of you who do use the internet can also access it here.

 November edition.

 All the talk in County Hall this month is about the budget.

We have now learnt that our settlement from the Welsh Assembly Government is an increase of 1% - one of the lowest in Wales.  Many people believe that this low settlement is the result of the relatively low increase in council tax that we set last year. The increase of 2.95%  was supported by the Welsh Liberal Democrats, the Welsh Conservatives and Labour. It was a time when people in Powys were feeling the pinch of the recession and we had to decide how to balance the council’s budget along with the ability of people to pay.

The average increase in council tax across Wales last year was 3.95%. This year could be a different story. We all know that future settlements could be much more difficult. We have been told that we need to prepare this year, for what could be very tough settlements in the future. As councillors we need to ensure that the council deliver and protect its statutory services such as education and social services.

I want to try and ensure that the people in my ward receive the best service possible from the council. There are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration when planning for the future. Powys is facing the largest significant increase in population of people over 65 in the whole of Wales. It also faces a school pupil population that is falling more quickly than anywhere else in Wales. These issues along with the future demand and needs of the population will shape the decisions the council take on the budget.

Meanwhile closer to home, the Gwernyfed Catchment Area School review has just got underway. Currently there are ten primary schools in the area with approximately 715 pupils; which means that the number of surplus spaces stands at 31%. Furthermore the budget share ranges from just under £3000 to £7000 per pupil. The question that is being asked is; is this current model sustainable? It is certainly going to be an interesting few months but I am pleased that no decisions have yet been made. The area review will be an open and transparent process. I will of course keep you informed of any progress or decisions that are made.

If you wish to discuss these or any other matters please call me on 07900904509 or email me at cllr.clair.powell@powys.gov.uk

 The BUAV, the UK’s leading organisation campaigning to end animal experiments, is urging Powys Councillors to support a motion at its meeting on the 22 October which, if passed, will make Powys the first council in not only Wales but the UK, to adopt a policy to only use cruelty-free cleaning products in its offices.
The BUAV is delighted that Welsh Liberal Democrat Councillor, Clair Powell, who has introduced this motion, supports our Clean Up Cruelty campaign which seeks to end cruel animal testing for household products and their ingredients.
The motion, which calls on the council to use only BUAV Approved products, will now go before the full council meeting on 22 October. If council vote to support this, Powys will be the first council in the UK whose cleaning contractors can only use BUAV Approved products The BUAV’s Humane Cosmetics Standard (HCS) and Household Products Standard (HHPS) is recognisable by the Leaping Bunny logo, an internationally recognised and patented cruelty-free certification.
The BUAV’s Clean Up Cruelty campaign received success in Parliament recently when all major parties pledged to put a ban on animal testing for household products in their manifestoes for the next election.
81% of the public said they would support a ban on the testing of household products on animals, though many ingredients in UK household products have been, and can continue to be, tested on animals.
BUAV’s Chief Executive, Michelle Thew said: “The BUAV is delighted that this important issue will now go before the full Council. We urge those residents in Powys, who are concerned about the cruelty and suffering inflicted on animals to test cleaning products, to contact their local councillor urging them to support this motion.”

Cllr Clair Powell said “I am delighted to be able to bring this motion before the full council. It is a matter which is I feel is extremely important. We must do all we can to stop using products which are needlessly tested on animals, in what are sometimes extremely cruel experiments. I hope that this motion will gain the support it needs at the meeting of the full council. If it is supported, many people across the length and breadth of Powys will be pleased that the council are doing something pro-active to stop this cruelty to animals.The motion will be supported by my colleague Councillor Francesca Jump”

Welsh Liberal Democrat Councillors Clair Powell and Liam Fitzpatrick have warned of possible major changes to schools throughout Powys should the revised Home to School Transport Policy be approved.

Following a report to the council’s people scrutiny committee which took written evidence from a number of councillors, the problem was highlighted by a question raised by Bronllys Councillor Clair Powell.

Cllr Powell raised the issue of the revised policy potentially resulting in hundreds of pupils having their allocated schools changed from the one they are currently attending.

Cllr Powell said “This policy for example would affect children from Gwenddwr in my ward that currently attend Gwernyfed High School. They would no longer be able to access free transport to Gwernyfed High School but would be able to access free transport to Builth Wells High School as that is nearer. Whilst this will help some families that are currently paying for transport to Builth High School this would affect all those children who currently attend Gwernyfed High School.

Cllr Fitzpatrick said “This issue will affect hundreds of children and parents, not only in my ward of Talybont but also in neighbouring wards of Llangors and Bwlch and across the whole of Powys. This could lead to parents having to pay hundreds of pounds a year to travel to their current allocated school if another school is closer. The problem is particularly evident in Llangors where the children have for many years attend Gwernyfed High School, using free transport. As a consequence of this revised policy they would only be offered free transport to Brecon High School.

Cllr Powell said “I am very fearful for the potential knock on consequences should this revised policy be given the go ahead. If hundreds of pupils are forced to change schools as free transport is no longer available to the school they currently attend, this could have a dramatic impact on the viability of certain High Schools. I will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Governors of Gwernyfed High School to discuss this matter.

Cllr Fitzpatrick said “Along with Cllr Powell I will be raising this issue as a matter of urgency with the Chief Executive of Powys County Council, Kirsty Williams AM and Roger Williams MP.

Following my recent advice surgery in the ward I have been contacted by residents in Bronllys regarding the ‘39’ Stagecoach bus on the

I will update you as soon as I have further information. Meanwhile please let me know if  you have experienced problems with this service bus?

When Powys County Council switched off one in three of our street lights, many people contacted me with concerns for their safety. people were concerned about anti-social behaviour, crime and road safety. However one issue which was raised by nearly everyone was the huge amount of lighting on the trunk roads, and in particular, on the roundabout on the Dderw in Llyswen and on the Talgarth by-pass. I shared this concern and carried out a survey of people living in the community. The result was clear. A huge majority of people said that they wanted to see some of the lights switched off on the trunk roads. It was felt that it would help save energy and that there are far too many lights on on the trunk roads late at night and in the early hours of the morning when traffic levels are at their lowest.

I decided to take this matter up with the Welsh Minister for Transport and Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones AM.  In his response he told me that the trunk road lighting is designed to meet a specific purpose in terms of providing sufficent lighting levels for drivers at potentially problematic junctions and roundabouts, and also for pedestrian safety if the trunk road passes through villages and towns.

Currently the Welsh Assembly Government does not intend to switch off any trunk road lights as they feel this could take the level of lighting to below the defined safety standard.

However, I am pleased that the Minister confirmed that alternative approaches to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions are being investigated by the Welsh Assembly Government. These include the use of dimming devices that reduce the illumination between midnight and 5am, whilst maintaining lighting levels commensurate with the traffic conditions. Better lamp design and the use of white filaments help to minimise night-time pollution in rural areas.

The Minister also suggested that, in the future, and as technology develops, the use of LED lamps should significantly reduce both maintenance and running costs.

A few residents have raised with me the issue concerning the council’s new policy on refuse collections.

I understand that in general terms, there will be a roll-out of wheelie-bins throughout Powys but it will be phased in area-by-area over a period of time.These bins are of different sizes and small households can ask for smaller bins and large households for larger ones - all according to the amount of waste they think they’ll generate.

Residual Waste (the throw-away stuff) will be collected every two weeks as it is argued that as we Recycle more then our Residual Waste will lessen and there won’t be a need for the weekly collection of such waste.Surveys have been done to establish where there will be properties deemed inappropriate for Bins and it is likely that in such circumstances bags will be retained.