The Contract with Carmarthenshire
Plaid Cymru Manifesto for the County Council Election 3 May 2012
Foreword
by Peter Hughes Griffiths
The County Council Election on 3 May offers the people of Carmarthenshire the chance to elect a new administration that will transform the way that County Hall works. That historic change would be the beginning of a new and more open Council run by Carmarthenshire people that respect our community values and priorities. In this, our Contract with Carmarthenshire, we pledge to: 1.
Restore Democracy. We will invite the most talented and experienced people from all political groupings to join in the task of serving our county. We will restore the county’s good name and make people proud of their council.
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Cut bureaucracy by slimming down top management posts, while protecting the jobs of staff in front line services.
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Provide more affordable housing for local people.
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Do our utmost to help our young people live and work in their communities.
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Give older people the choice they deserve to live in their own homes with practical support, or have residential care in a home that treats them with respect and dignity.
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Respect local opinion on issues like the future of small schools and wind farm projects.
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Give priority to local need in planning issues.
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Support and promote the cultural, environmental and recreational needs of our communities.
This manifesto offers an achievable, progressive and innovative agenda for change. This is our Contract with Carmarthenshire.
Peter Hughes Griffiths 4
Leader of Plaid Cymru Councillors
Introduction Plaid Cymru puts the welfare of Carmarthenshire and its people above all else. We firmly believe in setting the highest possible standards as councillors and as a council. This document states our policies. We believe their implementation would improve the living standards, economy and environment of Carmarthenshire. We will adhere to the following principles when implementing our policies: 1. Listen to the concerns and aspirations of our electorate. 2. Be open and transparent, allowing filming and recording of council meetings. 3. Ensure equal opportunities irrespective of language, race or religion. 4. Give all our communities every possible opportunity to plan and steer their own future. 5. Ensure sustainability in every aspect of the council’s work. We are very aware that the council has to operate within financial and legal frameworks laid down by the Welsh and UK Governments. These frameworks can limit what is possible. However, we will to do our utmost to be creative within these limits, and to fight for more resources to implement our plans. Together, in partnership with the people of this county, we can create a better future. Plaid Councillors are already working diligently in communities across Carmarthenshire. We want to do more. This manifesto offers an achievable, progressive and innovative agenda for our communities and for our county.
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Democracy We will review and change the democratic structure of the Council. We believe that all major political groups should be represented in all decision making structures of the Council. This would ensure the best use of the wide range of talent, expertise and experience of elected members - irrespective of political allegiance. We must all work together in the common interest of the people of Carmarthenshire. This was not the case during the last 8 years as the Independent/Labour coalition excluded members of the largest political party - Plaid Cymru - from taking part in the council’s decision making processes. Only Plaid Cymru offers the electors of Carmarthenshire an alternative option to the present Independent/Labour regime.
Regeneration of Communities by your local Party The first responsibility of Plaid Cymru councillors is to the communities they represent as they take up the role of ‘Community Leaders’. This is our priority. Plaid councillors should at all times work to promote and protect what is important their local communities in an open and transparent way. We would establish ‘Our Communities Commission’ made up of elected members, experienced Council officers, representatives of Community Councils and other local community leaders to research in depth all aspects of community life in the county, with special attention to the needs of rural areas. We would ask the commission to prepare a detailed report listing the strengths and weaknesses of our communities across the county, followed by practical and positive recommendations on how to improve and develop communities and ‘community life’ throughout the county. 6
Corporate We will ensure the highest quality and most efficient service delivery possible across all departments within the Authority for the people of Carmarthenshire.
Less emphasis on using external providers for the delivery of services.
Less use of external consultants for project development, unless the required skills are not available in-house, thus leading to financial savings.
We will establish a new “Points of View” panel comprising of people representing a wide range of Carmarthenshire residents and focus groups which will meet every three months to discuss a variety of issues in an open and transparent manner.
We will develop closer working relationships between the County Council and the Town and Community Councils, as we all serve the people we represent.
We will work collaboratively with neighbouring authorities if such collaboration is in the best interest of Carmarthenshire in terms of financial savings allied to provision of higher quality service.
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Education While Plaid Cymru welcomes modernisation, Plaid councillors in Carmarthenshire are deeply concerned that our communities may be weakened by the closure of rural schools.
We support the positive aspects of the Modernising Education Plan (MEP) but no school should close before a ‘Review Body’ is formed. This would be a representative body of staff members, governors and parents, the Community Council and the community in general.
In consultation with the Welsh Government Plaid Cymru would review the whole issue of home to school transport and the distances within towns and rural areas based on ‘pupil safety’ and available seating on school buses, thus decreasing the use of private cars and helping to reduce CO2 emissions.
It would be our aim to ensure no more than 20 pupils in classes for under 8 yearolds and no more than 25 in every junior and secondary class.
We would support through our ‘Children’s Services’ department those who need care and special education and ensure their personal development in order to fulfill their potential.
At both primary and secondary level the Authority’s Welsh Language Continuum Policy should be implemented and further consideration given to establishing more designated Welsh medium (bilingual schools) so as to contribute towards the aim of a bilingual Wales as set out by the Welsh Government’s policy “Iaith Pawb”.
We would ensure that young people and adults have every opportunity and support to be able to study a wide range of occupational, academic and leisure courses in further education.
We will aim to promote lifelong learning by enabling our Community Education Centres to offer courses that meet the requirement of residents of all ages in their own locality.
We would secure adequate library provisions throughout the county in partnership with local communities and a purposeful mobile library service.
We would develop 20mph speed limits around all schools. 8
Social Care We would aim to improve the health and welfare of the Carmarthenshire residents and recognise the needs of individuals in order to provide the best possible service and ensure sufficient services to develop personal care to promote independent living.
Secure the provision of Care Homes for people who need such care. Secure the provision of local Day Centres and Luncheon Clubs and plan towards opening more to serve local communities. Enhance the role of the voluntary sector and raise awareness of the individual volunteer in developing and sustaining a caring community. Promote further co-operation between the local Health Authority and the county’s Health and Social Care Department and aim towards joint funding in order to ensure the best possible care service.
Planning We would review the council’s present planning policies so that we can maintain and develop the strength and vigour of our own communities.
Develop a stronger ‘local need’ policy within planning, in order to encourage locals and young people to remain within their local communities. This would help ensure the future of schools and other services and businesses and the rural way of life. Plaid Cymru councillors have deep concerns regarding the Local Development Plan (LDP) in its present form and have submitted a list of positive alternative suggestions which will be considered by the Independent Inspector.
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Economic Development The Council should lead and work with partners to develop businesses and employment opportunities within the County and encourage our young people to develop entrepreneurial skills.
We would encourage and support the creation of new businesses - both rural and urban - within the county, hence creating further job opportunities for local people while supporting existing businesses and assisting them to develop and extend further.
Support the development of more apprenticeship schemes within the Council’s workforce, so that young people can learn a trade.
Full support to extend broadband links within the county to safeguard and support businesses and the private sector.
Take advantage of European Funding to help in investing, expanding and creating employment opportunities.
Promote ‘Buy local produce and goods’.
We will carry out an audit of all local authority workshops and industrial units available for rent and refurbish where necessary to bring them up to suitable standard. We will then review the Council’s rental policy for these units so as to encourage the establishment of small and medium sized companies. The policy would include charging advantageous rents whilst the fledging companies are in their first years of trading.
The Plaid Cymru Group would wish to maintain and promote the activities of the Authority’s Procurement function as it recognises the importance this function has in terms of obtaining best value for money both in terms of price and quality. The procurement function will, ensuring compliance with the various national and international guidelines that are prevalent at any time, do their utmost to ensure that local companies are encouraged to tender for contracts for the supply of goods and services to the Authority. 10
Housing Everyone has the right to a home as owner, part owner or as a tenant. Plaid Cymru believes that provision of affordable housing is a major policy objective for Carmarthenshire County Council. To build sustainable living communities we have to ensure that local people are able to access housing in their own locality. Housing can play an integral part in wider policy aims such as economic regeneration, language and culture, health and well being. The shortage of affordable housing is one of the major challenges facing Carmarthenshire, where house prices are effectively pricing local people out of the market. Plaid Cymru believes developers working to commercial pressures alone can not address the housing needs of Carmarthenshire.
There are 8,000 families on the housing waiting list in Carmarthenshire with only 900 annual lets available. We would lobby the Welsh Government to allow local authorities to build and manage ‘low cost starter homes’
Allow local councils to build ‘Council Houses’ in urban and rural areas with opportunities for local people to rent.
We would suspend the ‘right to buy’ policy thus ensuring that any new homes built under this scheme would remain in council ownership.”
In conjunction with the Planning Department we would hold a comprehensive ‘Housing Needs Survey’ to establish the level of local need in our communities to determine the type and amount of housing that should be developed.
The council should carry out a county-wide audit of its entire housing stock including public, social and privately owned properties – to identify those properties which are currently in a poor state of repair and return them to a habitable state in order to make best use of existing housing stock.
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Environment Carmarthenshire must play its part in the global effort to save the planet. Plaid Cymru councillors will prioritise measures to make our county cleaner and greener:
Encourage the development of energy production such as micro generation as a radical means of reducing our carbon footprint.
Create ‘Go Green Teams’ to advise householders and communities.
Promote and expand waste recycling schemes and ensure recycling is easy and accessible to every resident.
Make Local Authority buildings more environmentally efficient
Promote environmentally friendly transport alternatives and seek to reduce traffic generation by using public transport and cycle routes and other green travel ideas. Improve disabled access to buses, buildings, public places and public areas would be continuously reviewed.
Minimising all forms of pollution would have priority.
Promote the use of Fair Trade goods and support Fair Trade status for towns and villages.
Establish a clear line regarding Wind Turbines and their effect on communities. From recent Wind Farms local experiences within the county it is clear that local communities must benefit and NOT suffer because of green developments. Local ownership is of key importance in relation to size and location of wind turbines and we would work closely with communities to ensure that local residents are not affected in any way.
The development of Solar Farms on old derelict sites is worth exploring.
Explore the possibility of ‘in house arrangements’ for landfill arrangements to save large sums of money.
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Leisure and a Healthier County We need to build on the closer co-operation and growing partnership between the Local Health Authority and the County Council so as to
Develop a network of attractive leisure programmes.
Support schemes that promote healthy eating and keeping fit.
Broaden the awareness and understanding about the effects of smoking and misuse of alcohol and other substances.
Aim to secure the future of all parks and open spaces.
In conjunction with the Welsh Government we would promote more schemes where 16 year olds and under, as well as the over 60’s, would not only be allowed free swimming at designated times but also aim to initiate other similar schemes in relation to fitness and healthy living. This will lead to significant savings for young and older people and offer them the opportunity to adopt a lifelong habit of keeping fit and healthy.
Ensure that the development of any future major leisure project will not proceed until it can be proved to be viable in operation and that its subsequent management will pay due regard to the delivery of the facilities it is meant to provide. It is not considered fair that the many should subsidise the few.
The above could apply to all such projects across the various service providers.
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Welsh Language and Culture Carmarthenshire has a higher number of Welsh-speakers than any other county. We believe in protecting communities where Welsh is the everyday language. We would promote the vision set out by the Welsh Government’s directive “Iaith Pawb”
Mentrau Iaith has a key role to play in promoting and delivering these policies and would gain the full support of Plaid Cymru. Develop further the use of the language in the Council’s administration thus promoting bilingual skills at meetings and seminars in accordance with the council’s bilingual ethos. Deliver a thorough bilingual service to the public. Secure the provision of a fully bilingual County Council Website.
Youth Support We would hold an in depth ‘Review of the County’s Youth Services and Provisions’ and draw up a new strategy for a network of activities in partnership with our county youth organisations throughout Carmarthenshire.
We foresee that financial support would be available to youth movements within the county in line with most county councils throughout Wales. Follow the lead of Plaid Cymru led Gwynedd County Council in setting up bursaries under the Llwyddo’n Lleol/Local Success project in attracting young people to stay or return to their home communities. We would work in partnership with all sectors e.g education, industry etc. to promote and develop Apprenticeship schemes and modern courses, while making sure that companies who would benefit from public sector contracts employ and offer training opportunities for local people.
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Areas Plaid Cymru would look for savings Plaid Cymru controlled Caerffili County Council has successfully returned three consecutive years balanced budgets, with 0% council tax increase this year and a planned freeze for next year. We will aim to achieve similar results through the following:
Making Senior Management savings by looking at re-structuring and efficiencies at the top tiers of management with a reduction in posts. Plaid Cymru led councils have cut bureaucracy at the top, and not at the bottom, thus protecting front line services. Review all ‘dead reserves’. Review the council’s ‘sick leave’ policy. Allow a specific time off for health appointments i.e. an hour at a time rather than half a day off etc. Review in detail the employment of Agency Staff. Review each department’s use of costly external Consultants. Review the structure of internal invoicing. Review the whole process of photocopying. Review the number of council staff mobile phones. (Caerffili CC cut 600 at a stroke.) A Transport Fleet Management Study is needed to establish the true need for council vehicles. Further rationalisation of County Council owned buildings and disposal of surplus assets. Addressing staff absenteeism, where large sums of money can be saved. Close down the ‘Community News’ propaganda publication and develop a more balanced and unbiased information network through modern technology and local press methods of communication. Introduce an employment policy where no appointment with a salary of over £50,000 is made without the permission of an Employment Panel made up of county council members. Use the annual Improvement Agreement Grant of £1.9 million from the Welsh Government to sustain front line services rather than transfer into reserves. The millions lost by the council-run Garnant Golf Club must not be repeated and tighter financial structures must be in place. (See under ‘Leisure and a Healthier County’.) As Procurement Function is responsible for a spend of in excess of £120 million per annum it is proposed that, with due regard to the prevailing economic climate, efficiency saving targets are set and subsequently monitored throughout the financial year. 15 14