Lower Church St road order‏

RE: Lower Church St road order‏
From: Mike Powell (trallwn@hotmail.com)
Sent: 26 November 2007 17:08:52
To: Bevan, Robert (Councillor) (robert.bevan@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk); paul.j.lucas@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; david.g.jones2@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk

Cc: mark.d.adams@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; eudine.hanagan@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; colin.j.sparkes@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk


Dear Cllr. Bevan,
I am still awaiting for a full response to this request from 9 weeks ago too. There used to be a protocol for responding to Cllrs. requests for information within a set time, has that now been disregarded please?

Cllr. Mike Powell
Trallwn Ward,
RCT Liberal Democrats
07779 337839
Trust in Wales Ymddiried yng Nghymru
WELSH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS DEMOCRATIAID RHYDDFRYDOL CYMRU



________________________________________
From: trallwn@hotmail.com
To: robert.bevan@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; paul.j.lucas@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; david.g.jones2@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
CC: mark.d.adams@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; eudine.hanagan@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; colin.j.sparkes@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
Subject: RE: Lower Church St road order
Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 16:20:35 +0000

Dear Cllr. Bevan,
Mr. Adams did indeed contact me today and I thank you for your assistance, I am awaiting some clarification on one or two points from Mr. Adams and am sure he will also copy you into said response as the lead cabinet member in this schem.

Cllr. Mike Powell
Trallwn Ward,
RCT Liberal Democrats
07779 337839
Trust in Wales Ymddiried yng Nghymru
WELSH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS DEMOCRATIAID RHYDDFRYDOL CYMRU



________________________________________
Subject: RE: Lower Church St road order
Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 17:14:35 +0100
From: Robert.Bevan@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
To: trallwn@hotmail.com; Paul.J.Lucas@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; David.G.Jones2@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
CC: Mark.D.Adams@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; Eudine.Hanagan@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; Colin.J.Sparkes@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
Cllr Powell,

I understand that Mark Adams has contacted you and that a letter will also be sent to you by Mark Howland.

In respect of the refurbishment of the Market Tavern:

1) No grant has been awarded by the authority
2) The scheme is a private sector led scheme by the Market Company. Similarly any proposals relating to the "Old Town Hall scheme" (as you put it) is a matter for
the Market Company. I would therefore respectfully suggest that you contact them if you wish to discuss the matter further.

Cllr Rob Bevan
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Powell [mailto:trallwn@hotmail.com]
Sent: 01 October 2007 16:33
To: Bevan, Robert (Councillor); Lucas, Paul; Jones, George (Director)
Cc: Adams, Mark; Hanagan, Eudine (Councillor)
Subject: RE: Lower Church St road order
Dear Cllr. Bevan,
I have ascertained from your previous e mails that in all probability it will be Mr. Adams who will be responding but my main thrust was to try and elicit some idea as to when!! I just thought that as Mr. Adams already has the information and must have conveyed it to yourself as the cabinet member in overall control of this scheme that you might have been able to merely have forwarded his reasoning for the alteration to myself. Mind by the same token if Mr. Adams has the information then why has it not been forwarded to me as you have requested?

On another query, do you know if the Pontypridd Market Tavern refurbishment is being carried out as part of the Pontypridd "Old Town Hall" scheme and is it getting a grant under that scheme too or would there be an officer who would know whether that is the case please?

Cllr. Mike Powell
Trallwn Ward,
RCT Liberal Democrats
07779 337839
Trust in Wales Ymddiried yng Nghymru
WELSH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS DEMOCRATIAID RHYDDFRYDOL CYMRU



________________________________________
Subject: RE: Lower Church St road order
Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2007 14:47:07 +0100
From: Robert.Bevan@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
To: trallwn@hotmail.com; Paul.J.Lucas@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; David.G.Jones2@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
CC: Mark.D.Adams@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; Eudine.Hanagan@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
Cllr Powell,

Mark Adams will make the response.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Powell [mailto:trallwn@hotmail.com]
Sent: 01 October 2007 12:46
To: Bevan, Robert (Councillor); Lucas, Paul; Jones, George (Director)
Cc: Adams, Mark
Subject: RE: Lower Church St road order
Dear Cllr. Bevan,
do you have a ball park date as to when I can expect a reply from Mr. Mark Adams please? Mind if he is presently to busy to respond and if you have the answer to hand then surely it would be more cost effective if you were to merely answer it.

Cllr. Mike Powell
Trallwn Ward,
RCT Liberal Democrats
07779 337839
Trust in Wales Ymddiried yng Nghymru
WELSH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS DEMOCRATIAID RHYDDFRYDOL CYMRU



________________________________________
Subject: RE: Lower Church St road order
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:37:51 +0100
From: Robert.Bevan@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
To: trallwn@hotmail.com; Paul.J.Lucas@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; David.G.Jones2@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
CC: Mark.D.Adams@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
Cllr Powell,

The answer is the same as your previous e mail. Mark Adams will be responding to you.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Powell [mailto:trallwn@hotmail.com]
Sent: 24 September 2007 17:01
To: Bevan, Robert (Councillor); Lucas, Paul; Jones, George (Director)
Cc: Adams, Mark
Subject: RE: Lower Church St road order
Cllr. Bevan

I would have thought that any impediment to the pedestrianisation of Pontypridd or reason to alter the traffic order would have been passed by you as the lead cabinet member and chair of the Pontypridd Town Forum before the alteration to the order was made. I find it strange that that was not the case. Would Cllr Hannigan have made the decision to alter the order?

Cllr. Mike Powell
Trallwn Ward,
RCT Liberal Democrats
07779 337839
Trust in Wales Ymddiried yng Nghymru
WELSH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS DEMOCRATIAID RHYDDFRYDOL CYMRU



________________________________________
Subject: RE: Lower Church St road order
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:05:12 +0100
From: Robert.Bevan@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
To: trallwn@hotmail.com; Paul.J.Lucas@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk; David.G.Jones2@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
CC: Mark.D.Adams@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk
Cllr Powell,

I will refer this query to Mark Adams in highways for his response.

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Powell [mailto:trallwn@hotmail.com]
Sent: 24 September 2007 10:14
To: Bevan, Robert (Councillor); Lucas, Paul; Jones, George (Director)
Subject: Lower Church St road order
Dear Sirs,
has the authority discovered that the new road order to pedestrianise Taff St Pontypridd is flawed and as a result there is a need to make Lower Church St. two way?

Cllr. Mike Powell
Trallwn Ward,
RCT Liberal Democrats
07779 337839
Trust in Wales Ymddiried yng Nghymru
WELSH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS DEMOCRATIAID RHYDDFRYDOL CYMRU

Council Candidates

RCT Liberal Democrats have selected their first batch for candidates for the next Council election, and now that the talk of a general election is out of the way we will be switching our full attention to May.

Surprise, surprise, I will be contesting the Clydach Vale seat where war is alraedy raging with the incumbent Labour Cllr who is also known locally as the invisible man.

Cllr Mike Powell will again be standing in Trallwn, a seat he has held since 1999. In the Pontypridd Town ward current Town Councillor Steve Farr has been selected.

We then have two new candidates.

For Treforest John Bell. John is a well known local businessman, who for many years ran the famous 'Pink Shop' in Treforest. John was our candidate in the Beddau by election and did very well, now he is back on home territory and determined to win.

In Cilfynydd the incumbent Cllr Steve Belzak chose not to put himself forward for approval this time around, and we are very pleased that we have a new candidate. Steve Logan is a Station Officer with the Fire Service and well known to many locally for his various voluntary activities.

And breathe out.....

At last, he's put us out of our misery and made it clear there will be no snap election. Fortunately in RCT we had only got as far as designing leaflets not printing them, unlike some! Shouldn't listen to rumour and speculation.

So the party can breathe a collective sigh of relief, and we can all start looking forward to a weekend at Conference. And who knows Glyn Davies may even take a break from banging on about how he the candidate for the Tories in Mont don't you know? I am a regular reader of Glyn's blog, and it is usually quite entertaining in its own way, but lately he has sort of got stuck on the one subject.

Only blot on the day has been England beating Australia - now how did that happen????

Making Your Mind Up

We're all still waiting - waiting for Gordon to make his mind up, Will he or won't he? The latest opinion polls are not looking good for Labour, and the party in Wales and Scotland are still reeling from the losses they suffered in May.

To add to the pressure there is a postal strike which won't make the incumbent Government very popular with th British public. Worse than that if these 48 hour strikes continue there is the question of the affect this could have on the distribution and return of postal votes - something upon which the Labour Party in RCT certainly rely heavily.

Personally I hope he holds off - it is only 5 months since the Assembly election, and the last General Election was in May 2005, less than two and a half years ago. the public are as tired of hearing from politicians as we are from tramping the streets.

Also our Conference is supposed to be held in Aberysywyth next weekend, and it is always a fun event (as well as being the policy making body of the Party). Time to catch up with friends from all over Wales, and personally I'm looking forward to it.

Come on Gordon, make your mind up.....

Maybe Tomorrow?

Two stories appear in the Ponty Observer this week regarding the long awaited ‘regeneration’ of Pontypridd.

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/2000localinfo/pontypriddobserver/news/tm_headline =8216-ugly-duckling-8217-shopping-centre-is-set-for-a-revamp%26method=full%26objectid=19810974%26siteid=50082-name_page.html

Ugly duckling’ shopping centre is set for a revamp

There are no firm estimates for the total cost of the revamp or timescale.

Sheila Davies, director of development and regeneration at Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, said: “The council is committed to the redevelopment of the Taff Vale Precinct and aware of the revised application from Taff Vale Ltd.

“An evaluation process is being carried out in conjunction with the Welsh Assembly Government which is examining the two private sector proposals for the Taff Vale Shopping Precinct in Pontypridd to establish which, if either, would receive public sector support .

“The revised application from Taff Vale Ltd is expected to be presented to Planning Committee at the end of October or the beginning of November, depending on certain consultations.”


http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/2000localinfo/pontypriddobserver/news/tm_headline =derelict-eye-sore-earmarked-for-retail-park%26method=full%26objectid=19810978%26siteid=50082-name_page.html

Derelict eye sore earmarked for retail park

Owners TBM Development hope furniture and computer companies will be attracted to the edge-of-town location currently occupied by the 189-year-old vandalised, fire-damaged and derelict Brown Lenox factory, which closed in 2000.

No businesses have confirmed interest


Let's not forget there is existing planning permission for Scarborough Developments which dates back four years or so - nothing has so far been done.

Road Closed

Just a short while after the official openigng of the £98 Porth relief road there is a sign at the Dinas end which announces the road will be closed for two weeks starting Monday.

What was that about targets and finishing on schedule etc? Well worth the money.

The battle is on

Think the local Labour Councillor here has been alerted to the fact that there is an election coming up in a few months and told to look as if he is doing something. Two Labour leaflets in the past 6 weeks in Clydach is a record. Both have been launched all out attacks on me.

I can't think what I've done to upset them. OK, I did put a picture of the Invisible Man on one of my Focus leaflets with the caption 'have you seen your local Councillor' and a picture of the empty house which he gives as his address on another asking if anyone knew his actual whereabouts, but still....

What really, really, really annoyed me about the one which arrived yesterday is that the Labour Party are trying to take credit for everything which has been done by the Communities First Partnership here. The Cllr hardly ever comes to a meeting, was removed as a Director of the associated Development Trust for non attendance, and does nothing practical at all to help.

I happen to Chair the Partnership, and I try to keep politics out of it as far as possible, something the Labour lot around here find impossible. Thus when I wrote to Leighton Andrews on behalf of the Partnership recently requesting assistance he replied not to me but to our Development Worker. Sheer ignorance in my opinion.

We have one of the most successful groups anywhere, and a huge amount of work goes on in Clydach. We have an excellent staff and the members of the Partnership put in a huge amount of time and effort. I do not take kindly to the likes of Cllr Norris and his cronies belittling their efforts in this way - and neither do they.

The gloves are most definitely off. We don't play nice in RCT, we play to win.

A Party divided

In between watching the rugby and shouting myself hoarse at the same players making the same mistakes over and over I have been keeping half an eye on the reports of the Plaid conference.

Sounds as if it was a fun event. As usual they take any slightly controversial debates out of the public eye - such as the discussion on positive discrimination for women candidates. One can only assume they don't want the journos getting the idea that they are not united!

The effect is rather spoiled then by watching Leanne Wood on the politics show saying that there are differences between Plaid backbenchers and the Government which need to be adressed. This does not bode well for the months ahead.

Adam Price meanwhile seems desperate to work with his Labour mates at Westminster level too. 'Pick up the phone' he asks Gordon. The help of the two Plaid MPs would be invaluable I am sure (assuming they keep that many after the next election). But isn't this at odds with Plaid's independence wish? They care only for Wales surely?

Then of course there is the question of the House of Lords. Plaid have long opposed this institution (rightly in my view) with the likes of Leanne Wood one of the most fierce critics. They may now change their minds - as they are of course entitled to do. Cynics may ask whether this is maybe just a way of solving the ever more vexing question of what to do with that nice Mr Wigley.

Bypass costs unexplained

Bypass costs unexplained Sep 14 2007 South Wales Echo SO, thanks to the Echo, the truth about the Porth bypass in RCT has been revealed – not the originally talked about £30m-ish, but a massive £98m. The question now must be what the knock on effect will be for the long-awaited Church Village bypass. We already know that the estimate for the Church Village bypass has increased three fold in the past few years, to £97m. The new minister must now be looking at the cost of the Porth road and wondering whether they can afford to take the same chance again. As the Porth road has cost a reported £21m a mile, and is only a single lane road, whereas the Church Village bypass is a dual carriageway, what price seven miles of that, £190m? I sincerely hope that promises made by Jane Davidson AM and her RCT Labour colleagues before the Assembly election were not just Labour’s election rhetoric but will be fulfilled and the money made available. Though with a new administration at the Bay and a new Plaid minister in charge who knows? The Assembly’s budget is not limitless, and the Welsh Assembly Government must now be asking itself questions over whether they can afford it. The people of not just RCT but of all of Wales also have a right to know why the costs of the Rhondda project were allowed to escalate to such an extent. Why were the public, the RCT councillors and indeed the AMs never informed of this massive cost overrun? I have submitted several Freedom of Information requests to both RCT council and the Assembly Government to try to find out. Councillor Mike Powell Trallwn Ward, RCT Liberal Democrats