7 minute read
Local news
BETTER CONNECTIONS FOR PORTHCAWL
Porthcawl has had a raw deal for decades as far as public transport is concerned. The town’s railway line was ripped up in the 1960’s and since then it has been reliant on buses. I am hopeful that the Cardiff Capital City Deal, with a special emphasis on connectivity, will benefit Porthcawl especially as a Metro Plus scheme is being planned with a Porthcawl-Cardiff corridor using bus and rail. As part of this, a new bus station with park and ride facilities is to be built on Salt Lake near the new proposed food store. This will enable residents to take a bus to Pyle railway station, which is being upgraded with a large car park. Here, travellers can go east to Bridgend and Cardiff or west to Swansea. This will also benefit the Pyle area especially as there is talk of reviving the Swanline services, which saw the re-opening of Pyle railway station in the 1990’s. This connected to Swansea via new stations at Baglan, Briton Ferry and Llansamlet. Improving transport links is a major part of the UK government’s strategy and it has invested £500m into the Cardiff City deal with Welsh Government and local authorities also contributing.
JAMIE WALLIS MP for Bridgend
SCHOOLS PREPARE TO REOPEN
Schools across Bridgend County Borough will reopen next month to welcome pupils back in a phased, controlled manner. Only teachers and staff will attend local schools between 1-3 September so that necessary preparations can be made, then priority year groups will return on 4 September. This will cover reception at infant schools, year three and year six at junior schools, reception and year six at primary schools, and year seven at secondary schools. Mynydd Cynffig Primary will also accept year three pupils, while schools will have advised parents directly on arrangements for pupils in other year groups and at special schools. Parents will have also been advised on which year groups should attend between 7–9 September, and then schools will open as normal to all pupils on 10-11 September. I’d like to once again thank our dedicated heads, teachers, governing bodies, teaching assistants, support staff, catering staff, administrative staff, caretakers, cleaners and volunteers without whom the impact of the pandemic would have been far greater. These plans are of course dependent on latest developments in national advice around the ongoing pandemic, but schools and the council will seek to let you know about any amendments as quickly as possible. COUNCILLOR CHARLES SMITH Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration Bridgend County Borough Council 01656 643643 www.bridgend.gov.uk
DO SUMMER DIFFERENTLY
Bridgend Council’s Events Team is inviting people to come up with ideas for outdoor events that can be staged at Porthcawl over the summer. At the moment, not all publicly accessible spaces can be used for events. Lockdown is being eased for established cultural and heritage destinations and venues open to the public. The team is asking for innovative suggestions for cultural and entertainment events to be held in the open-air at places like Salt Lake or Rest Bay. They are suggesting that things like concerts, cinema screenings or even disco’s could take place but that will depend on Welsh Government permitting it. Porthcawl’s many hospitality businesses are dependent on the town’s holiday trade and with Trecco Bay re-opened and hotels and guest houses also gearing up to receive visitors, it is to be hoped that people will again holiday in Porthcawl. But one-off events like concerts also bring in people for the day and they provide business for our cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars. Let’s hope Welsh Government confirms it’s safe to do so sooner rather than later. We must also ensure that there is no noise or litter nuisance for residents of Porthcawl if such events go ahead.
SUZY DAVIES MS Welsh Conservative Party
www.suzydavies.com
A NEW NORMAL
We are getting used to a ‘new normal’. As restrictions are eased and Wales gradually and cautiously unlocks, some of the activities that we all enjoyed before Covid 19 are resuming. Alongside the reopening and rebuilding of our economy, work continues looking at how we can safely reopen more of our NHS- more of our primary and secondary care services. Cancer screening services have resumed, dental and optometry practices are gradually re-introducing a broader range of services and our health boards are looking at how they can bring back essential and routine services whilst still being prepared to respond to future peaks. Speaking to health professionals, I know there is a lot of work ongoing to create Covid free zones inside our hospitals so that they can continue to bring patients in for the treatments they need. Indeed, it will not be business as usual as we have to learn to live alongside Covid at least for now. Coupled with this, the NHS is preparing for the winter that lies ahead. This virus hasn’t gone away, and a second spike would be catastrophic for the economy. We all have our part to play in helping to avoid that.
CARWYN JONES MS for Bridgend
NEXT WAVE OF FLOOD DEFENCE WORK MOVES CLOSER
I’m delighted that Welsh Government has approved the next phase in the council’s sea flood defence scheme for Porthcawl. The £6m project aims to protect more than 500 homes and over 170 businesses, and follows the success of a £3m project, which has already replaced sea defences at Town Beach. The all-new terraced design at the old ‘tarmac beach’ is protecting more than 260 homes, businesses and historic buildings along the seafront area. Now the next phase will see major work undertaken at the Western Breakwater, Eastern Promenade, Sandy Bay and Rhych Point. The scheme forms a vital part of the infrastructure for defending the town against flooding, and will safeguard any future development at Salt Lake. We are currently carrying out the tender process for the work, so look out for more news soon. In other developments, residents can now receive tailored council news and information thanks to govDelivery, a secure information platform, which enables you to select updates on subjects and news that matches your interests. The free platform has proven especially useful during the ongoing pandemic, and you can join up, change your selections or sign out at any time - find out more at our govDelivery webpage.
COUNCILLOR HUW DAVID Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council Tel 01656 643643 www.bridgend.gov.uk
COUNCIL EXTENDS FREE RENT SUPPORT
Traders who have not had to pay to use premises owned by Bridgend County Borough Council for the last three months are benefitting from an extra month of free rent. While the coronavirus pandemic has been in effect, the local authority has not charged small or medium-sized enterprises for renting council premises. Now that businesses are starting to reopen and lockdown restrictions are being eased, the council has extended the rentfree period by another month. This effectively represents an additional business support package of more than £200,000. Whether it is through the free parking currently available at many car parks, the £28m that we have processed in financial support grants, the ongoing rent-free period or the free startback training and equipment that we have provided, the council is continuing to do all that it can to support local traders and help them meet the challenges of the coronavirus. We will be considering additional transitional phases designed to help small and medium-sized businesses as the pandemic develops further, and are also continuing to work alongside a wide range of partners to provide expert advice and support which reflects the latest national guidance - visit www.bridgend.gov.uk to find out more.
COUNCILLOR HYWEL WILLIAMS Deputy Leader Bridgend County Borough Council Tel: 01656 643643 www.bridgend.gov.uk
BRIDGEND FOR EUROPE
Project Reality: due to Covid-19 the Bank of England says Britain faces its deepest recession ever, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development forecasts Britain’s recession will be the worst among all developed countries. Unemployment in retail, travel and hospitality is already rocketing, while manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, finance and other sectors will suffer further from brexit. Using Covid-19 as a cover for brexit’s effects will not wash. Even Patrick Minford, one of the few economists to support brexit, admitted it would wipe out UK car manufacturing. The Road Haulage Association describes expected customs checks as a potential disaster. Price-inflation of food and other imports are widely predicted. B4E’s Treasurer Alana Davies and family (pictured) represent three generations with a strong interest in Europe. While cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has declared that benefits from brexit will take 50 years to arrive, nobody has specified what these “benefits” are. The Davies family hope that former minister Anna Soubry is correct when she predicts Britain re-joining the EU within 10 years. Their hopes are supported by B4E and democratically organised campaign groups across the UK, as we face the coming storm of double danger to this country.
Allison Felton bridgend@walesforeurope.org
P.A.Davies & Son HOME IMPROVEMENTS
