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?

The public consultation on the revised home to school/college transport policy will end on 30th September. This is proving to be a very controversial policy and it remains to be seen whether it will be approved by the council’s board.

I have held a number of meetings with other councillors and also recently attended a meeting at Builth Wells High School where we discussed the possible implications of the revised policy.

 I have been a part of a small group of councillors who have been lobbying against this revised policy for some time. As a result of our joint effort the policy has now been called in for pre-scrutiny by the People Scrutiny Committee.

I would now ask again for any Powys residents to look at the revised policy and respond to the consultation beofre the closing date of 30th September. It could affect many pupils across the county and it is important that we gather as much information and consultation responses as possible to use as evidence for the scrutiny of this policy.

You may recall that I raised the issue of the council’s revised home to school/college transport policy which is open to public consultation.

This is just a quick reminder that the closing date for the consultation is 30th September. There are also two public meetings being held to discuss the revised policy. They are tomorrow (Tuesday 8th September) at Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon and next Tuesday (15th September) at County Hall, Llandrinod Wells. Both meetings will start at 6:30pm.

Please feel free to come along, find out more about the revised policy and how it may affect you and your children and express your views.

Local residents contacted me regarding the new road layout on the A438 junction at the Marish.

Road works had been carried out to improve the safety of the junction. This work included a new double layer of road studs (cats eyes). Unfortunately the type of stud that was used was causing some considerable noise nuisance to local residents, especially at night when large lorries would drive over the top of the studs.

I contacted the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency and I am delighted that following the completion of an audit of the road it was decided to try and find an alternative road stud which would reduce the noise but maintain safety levels.

Funding from the Welsh Assembly Government has been secured for this project and the Trunk Road Agency are currently looking for suitable alternatives.

I will keep you informed of developments but I hope that the new, quieter studs will be in place soon.

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Bronllys Ward Cllr Clair Powell today expressed her delight that finally the funding has been made available for the allocation of Speed Indication Devices in Llyswen. Cllr Powell said “I was delighted to receive a letter from the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport Ieaun Wyn Jones AM advising me that funds have finally been allocated to provide these devices in Llyswen. The residents of Llyswen have been asking for these devices to be placed in the village for some time and I am sure they will be pleased to learn that the Trunk Road Agency are now arranging for them to be put in place”. The news comes some twelve months since Cllr Powell was elected as Councillor for Bronllys ward which includes the villages of Erwood and Llyswen. Cllr Powell has been campaigning for these devices since becoming elected. 

Cllr Powell continued “We will never know if the recent accident in Llyswen would have been prevented if there had been speed indication devices in the village. However it is vital that drivers passing through the village pay attention to the device and obey the 30mph speed limit”. Commenting on the news Liberal Democrat MP Roger Williams said “I am pleased that finally the Minister has decided to make the funding available for these speed indication devices. I hope that they will help raise awareness of the speed limit in Llyswen and in turn people will reduce their speed accordingly, thus helping to prevent and further accidents in the village”.

We were all shocked at the recent accident in Llyswen which resulted in a much loved local man, an innocent pedestrian, being seriously injured. Since being elected last year I have campaigned continuously for road safety improvements throughout Llyswen, Erwood and Bronllys. Shortly after being elected I held a public meeting in Llyswen with Kirsty Williams AM and representatives of the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency and Powys County Council to discuss road safety improvements. I am deeply saddened and angry that the improvements which everybody agrees are needed have still not been put in place. I have once again written to the Minister for Transport asking him to urgently make available the funding for the road safety improvements in Llyswen and will continue to pursue this matter.

Pupils in the village of Bronllys, near Brecon will now be entitled to free school transport following an appeal to Powys County Council by a local mum and her Liberal Democrat County Councillor Clair Powell.

Pupils who live in the village of Bronllys that attend Gwernyfed High School, in Three Cocks have previously had their free school transport applications turned down by Powys County Council due to the three mile rule, which says that pupils are only entitled to free school transport if they live over three miles from the school. Bronllys is just under three miles from Gwernyfed High School. However the ruling from the Welsh Assembly states that pupils should be entitled to free school transport where there is no available, reasonably safe walking route.

Cllr Powell and local resident Mrs Deborah Tame fought against the council decision as they felt that the route from Bronllys to Gwernyfed, along the A438 was not safe.

Cllr Powell said “When challenged it was clear that Powys County Council had not carried out a Risk Assessment of this route, and indeed there are likely to be many others in the County. Parents have had their applications for free school transport turned down without due consideration by the council of the safety of the walking route to their nearest High School”.

“I along with Mrs Tame, other parents and our Liberal Democrat MP Roger Williams have been raising this issue with the council for some time. We have walked and videoed the route which has a large volume of traffic, many heavy good vehicles, little or no footpaths. It has now been deemed that the likelihood of an incident occurring is high and the severity of any injuries would also be high.”

“I am delighted that at last the pupils of Bronllys, and indeed many other areas across Powys, will now have the safety of the routes to their schools assessed properly. This will lead to many more pupils being able to access free school transport. The current cost of sending your child on the school bus by using the vacant seat payment scheme is £105 per pupil and these parents will no longer have to pay this or transport the children to the school themselves.

“This is a historic victory for the community of Bronllys and I understand that many other areas across Powys will be affected by this decision.

“The Welsh Assembly Government can legislate in Cardiff but it doesn’t mean anything unless local authorities are getting this right on the ground. The Welsh Assembly should provide adequate funding to local authorities to enable them to comply with the legislation that it has laid down”.

Roger Williams MP said “Most people go into local government to try and make a difference, but Cllr. Clair Powell’s tenacity on this issue is certainly going to make a difference to the people of Bronllys and other communities across Powys. I must also congratulate Mrs Tame and other parents in the village for their efforts and persistence in getting this change of policy from the county council. The onus is on WAG to ensure that funding is available to the council to enable it to provide free school, transport that meets its guidance”.

This week I attended the Builth Wells Transport Study Exhibition, held at Antur Gwy, Builth Wells.

The aim of the exhibition was to seek the views on the problems and issues that the study should be addressing, and the possible options or solutions.

The goal of ‘One Wales’ is to promote sustainable transport networks taht safeguard the environment while strengthening our economic and social life.

Following the Public exhibition there will be further assessments and a Public Consultation on the identified options during the summer of 2009.

 Further information is available on the Welsh assembly Government website:

http://new.wales.gov.topics/transport/roads/NewRoads3

Then click on: A470 Builth Wells

Please note that a public exhibition on the Builth Wells Transport study will be held at Antur Gwy, Builth Wells on
Thursday 25th September 10am to 8pm and
Friday 26th September 10am to 6pm

Everyone is welcome to attend

Following calls by local residents regarding the safety of the junction of the A470/A438 I am delighted to inform you that the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency are currently developing a scheme at Marrish to make alterations to the junction. I understand the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency are chasing approval and additional funding from Welsh Assembly Government to try and get the scheme implemented prior to the end of the financial year.

Let’s hope that the scheme will get the go ahead as soon as possible. I’ll keep you informed.

One of the most common issues that is raised with me via email, letter and when meeting local residents is the safety on our roads.

As a former firefighter I am all too aware of the consequences that road traffic accidents have on everyone involved. I feel it is vitally important that we do all we can to make our road network as safe as possible.

Following a recent successful meeting with the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency I am pleased to be able to report that it was agreed to provide temporary Speed Indication Devices (SID’s) at two locations within the 30mph speed limit on the A470 in Llyswen. Powys County Council are now working to devise a programme for their use in Llyswen in order to maximise their impact. If this scheme proves successful it will hopefully also be implemented in Erwood.

Concerns have also been raised about the junction of the A438 and A479 (Llyswen to Bronllys - Marrish turn) following a number of recent accidents. I will be contacting the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency to see if improvements can be made along this section of road and will keep you updated with any progress.

The Welsh Assembly Government have announced a grant that will be available to County Councils to assist local business, in the form of a rate relief, if they agree to make their toilet facilities available for use by the general public.
However I strongly believe that this grant, which will only amount to some £18,000 per local authority, would be better spent in upgrading and maintaining the existing facilities. This grant should not be used to provide alternative facilities to those that are already in place, such as the toilets in Erwood.
In particular the facilities that are available in Erwood are situated on the A470, the main road linking North and South Wales, they are open 24 hours a day and are easily accessible. If these facilities were to close and local business were to make their facilities available they would most definitely not be open 24 hours a day. Local business have also expressed concern that the money that could be available would be no where near enough to cover the costs they would incur in water bills, cleaning and sanitation products.
I feel that the Welsh Assembly Government and the Trunk Road Agency MUST take responsibility for the toilets that are situated on the trunk road network. I have already written to the Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, to ask that the Welsh Assembly Government take control of this situation before we see further closures.

Photo: Local residents were joined by County Councillor Clair Powell and Brecon and Radnorshire AM, Kirsty Williams to raise awareness of the importance of retaining the public toilets in Erwood.

Last week I was joined by Roger Williams MP, parents and pupils of Gwernyfed High School on the walk from Bronllys to Gwernyfed High School.

This followed being contacted by parents who have been told they will need to pay £105 per pupil for school transport in the new term because they live under the three mile current limit. (2.917 miles away)

You may recall that I mentioned earlier that the guidance actually actually states that the LEA must provide free transport for pupils, regardless of the distance they live from the school, if there is no safe route.

 Well, that was what we were setting out to prove, that the route, along the main road, is not safe. In places there is no verge, there are blind bends and dips in the road that cause traffic serious vision problems. Not only that but if children would be forced to walk they would be faced with doing so, in the dark during the winter months as there are no street lights.

I would not care to walk this route again. The speed and amount of traffic, not forgetting the size of some of the vehicles, passing us at 60mph was an extremely dangerous one.

We have a video of our journey and I hope to get it posted on here shortly. 

 Please let me know if your children are experiencing the same problem. It would be great to hear your views.

I have had a number of calls from residents and discussions with other councillors recently regarding the legislation governing free school transport. The limit by which pupils can get free school transport is if they live over three miles from their school. All families living under three miles from their school have to pay a fee of £105 per term, per pupil. There is not even a lower price for families with more than one child.

I have a situation now where two pupils in my ward are expected to walk to Gwernyfed High School because they do not qualify for free school transport. They live 2.917 miles from the school and have no other access to transport.

I understand the need to have limits in place, however I will be questioning the council on this issue as I understand the legislation reads “Measurement of the statutory walking distance is not necessarily the shortest distance by road. It is measured by the shortest route along which a child, accompanied as necessary, can walk with reasonable safety. As such the route measured may include footpaths, bridleways and other pathways, as well as recognised roads. If there is no such route, the LEA must provide free transport no matter what distance you live from the school”

So what constitutes reasonable safety? In this case I certainly question if the route along the main road from Bronllys to Gwernyfed is within “reasonable safety”. With ever increasing traffic and heavy goods vehicles using our road infastructure I as a parent would not allow my children to walk this journey.

 The meeting with representatives of the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency (MWTRA) and a representative of Powys County Council was quite successful. On Wednesday I met with Dean Williams (MWTRA), Richard Hobbs (PCC), Kirsty Williams AM and local residents to discuss road safety issues in LLyswen and Erwood.

Hopefully we will see improvements put in place over the next few months which will hopefully raise greater awareness of the speed limits in these villages and serve as a reminder to motorists not to exceed these limits.

Pictured: County Cllr Clair Powell, Kirsty Williams AM, Cllr Peter Lloyd and Cllr Terry Hurford (Bronllys Community Council) and Dean Williams (Mid Wales Trunck Road Agency)

The meeting which I have arranged with Kirsty Williams AM and representatives of the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency will go ahead tomorrow.

We will be meeting in Llyswen at 3pm to discuss a number of issues, moving on to Erwood later that afternoon.

I will keep you updated of any news or developments following the meeting.

County Councillor for Bronllys Ward, Clair Powell, has called for further road safety improvements to the village of Llyswen.

“I welcome the work that has been carried out to implement more road markings in a bid to slow traffic down however drivers are still speeding through the village. I have raised this issue with Kirsty Williams AM and we are hoping to meet with officers from the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency shortly. I have asked them to look into the possibility of placing 30mph flash warning signs that will alert drivers who are breaking the speed limit. Being a former fire fighter I have seen the consequences of speeding vehicles and It is important that we do all we can to ensure the safety of pedestrians and other road users”.