NEWS

BED NUMBERS DON’T STACK UP

FOR years, Welsh Conservative Senedd members have been saying that too many hospital beds have been closed in Wales. The Welsh Labour Government, which has run the Welsh NHS since 1999, has axed 30 per cent of hospital beds over this period. What are the results? People left on trolleys in A&E departments because there are no beds for them while, outside, ambulances stack up with sick people on board that they are unable to discharge. In the meantime, people who have fallen or who have suffered a suspected stroke or heart attack, are left waiting hours for ambulances to arrive. It is an unrelenting downward spiral, which is costing lives. This situation existed long before Covid in Wales. Vindication of the stance taken by myself and colleagues has come in the form of a report from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. This says that the NHS in the UK needs 13,000 more beds in order to break out of this vicious circle. They blame too few beds for many of the problems now being felt in the health service. Welsh Labour needs to get a grip and reverse the policy of axing beds as a first step.

DR ALTAF HUSSAIN Regional Senedd Member

SUMMER OF FUN CELEBRATES HUGE SUCCESS

As I write this, the 2022 Summer of Fun is winding down, and having featured exciting activities ranging from BMX and football to surfing and bushcraft, it has proven itself to have once more been a popular success. In fact, more than 150 children and young people took part on the very first day of the scheme and set a pattern, which was repeated at each event throughout the summer. I hope you all had fun, and are already looking forward to next year’s events. In other news, more than 70 households have come forward to support Ukrainian refugees fleeing from the Russian invasion of their homeland and to offer them somewhere safe to live – but more are urgently needed. Each host household receives a payment of £350 per month, while refugees receive an interim payment of £200 per person. Extensive safeguarding and background checks are carried out beforehand, and the council and its partners provide further support ranging from English language lessons, advice on how to access education, health and financial services, employability, how to apply for a bus pass and more. You can find out more by visiting the Ukrainian refugee support page at the council website or by emailing UkraineResponse@bridgend.gov.uk

COUNCILLOR JANE GEBBIE Deputy Leader Bridgend County Borough Council 01656 643643 www.bridgend.gov.uk

FRESH NEW LOOK FOR EASTERN PROMENADE

Work on the £6.4m scheme to defend Porthcawl from flooding and a potential rise in sea levels is making progress and recently saw the opening of the new-look Eastern Promenade. The promenade area has been transformed by construction specialists Knights Brown into a flat, easily accessible space with new planters and enhanced flood defences which blend into the overall design and run between Porthcawl Marina and Coney Beach. The next phase of the work will see this extended into Sandy Bay and as far as Rhych Point, where additional dune protection works will take place. Much of the work has focused upon the iconic Western Breakwater. As the internal structure of the 200-year-old breakwater still features its original wooden core, extensive renovation and refurbishment was required to ensure that it can continue to stand up to the tides and tough maritime weather conditions. The flood defence work is being jointly funded by Welsh Government and Bridgend County Borough Council as part of the Coastal Risk Management Programme. When complete, it will complement and enhance further regeneration developments, including at Salt Lake and Cosy Corner, while protecting more than 500 homes, 170 businesses and assets and infrastructure worth millions of pounds.

COUNCILLOR NEELO FARR Cabinet Member for Regeneration Bridgend County Borough Council Tel: 01656 643643

LINKING PORTHCAWL TO BRIDGEND

If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget that you have until Thursday 8 September to have your say on proposals for creating an all-new active travel route that will link Porthcawl with Bridgend. Designed to deliver a safe alternative route that connects the two towns, the proposals seek to encourage more people to leave the car at home and to choose alternative ways of getting around such as cycling or walking, which improves health and wellbeing as well as reducing congestion and environmental pollution. While the plans are still at a very early stage, a number of potential options for the new active travel route have been developed. These include placing the route alongside the existing A4106 road; installing it alongside the Porthcawl to Wigfach footpath,

and then along the A4106 Bridgend Road; creating the route alongside the Porthcawl to Wigfach footpath, the A4106 Bridgend Road to Tythegston, and along a footpath to the A48; and finally, establishing it along the A4106 Bridgend Road to Tythegston, then along a footpath to the A48. You can find out more, view routes for the different options and provide your views by visiting the active travel routes consultation webpage at the council website.

COUNCILLOR HUW DAVID Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council Tel: 01656 643643 www.bridgend.gov.uk

BLANKET 20MPH LIMITS

All of us know the costs of driving and high and inappropriate speeds in our local communities. That’s why 20mph limits, when used around schools, playgrounds and high streets can be a really useful way of tackling speeding. But the Welsh Government’s approach of introducing a ‘blanket’ 20mph limit in all built-up areas across the whole of Wales is disproportionate and wrong. Residents in Buckley and Monmouth, both pilot towns for this scheme, have said that it caused gridlock on their roads, no enforcement of these new limits, and actually made some aspects less safe; overtaking cyclists at 20mph for example, can now be a really dangerous pursuit. It also comes at a huge economic cost too, £32million just to administer the new scheme and an estimated massive £4.5billion cost to the Welsh economy. It doesn’t have to be like this - surely it makes more sense to allow councils and communities to introduce reduced speed limits, and crucially, enforcements in the areas they think it’s needed, rather than introduce a one-size-fits-all approach across the whole of Wales. Devolution should mean decisions being taken closer to communities, not Wales-wide diktats from Cardiff Bay.

TOM GIFFARD Welsh Conservative regional Senedd member for South Wales West

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SUMMER OF FUN A SUCCESS

In 2021, our Welsh Government announced a £5m ‘Summer of Fun’ package, providing activities for young people aged 0-25 to support their social, emotional, and physical wellbeing, re-building confidence and integration into the community postpandemic. The success of the scheme brought its return this year, and I was delighted to see many children across Bridgend and Porthcawl get involved. The Food and Fun scheme at Cynffig Comprehensive in Pyle provided nutrition education, physical activity, and healthy meals for children. It was great to visit with Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council Cllr Huw David and Cabinet Member for Education Cllr Jon-Paul Blundell. We were joined by Elaine Winstanley from Awen Libraries who introduced the children to the Summer Reading Festival, as well as Rhys and Emily and 2 calves from Ty Tanglwyst Dairy to learn about farming. The opportunities provided demonstrate the importance of extending to future summer breaks. The schemes have brought about a collaboration of the fantastic services across our community with the purpose of enriching our young people. I will be doing what I can to ensure that the Summer of Fun and Food and Fun scheme are extended in future breaks and enable more children to get involved.

SARAH MURPHY MS Member of the Senedd for Bridgend

GRAND PAVILION UPGRADE GETS MY SUPPORT

I am giving my full backing to plans to upgrade the Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl. I have worked with BCBC to prepare the submission to UK Government for finance from the Levelling Up Fund to carry out works at the Pavilion, which will deal with some issues related to the concrete structure. It will also provide new facilities including function rooms, café spaces, rooftop facilities and better changing rooms. The Fund enables MP’s to work with their local authorities on projects connected to culture, regeneration and transport. Decisions on funding the bids are expected in the autumn. As someone who grew up in Porthcawl and went to school here, I have long associations with the Grand Pavilion. It is an iconic building that dominates the Porthcawl seafront and I know how highly it is regarded both by local people and also by the many visitors who have enjoyed the summer shows and pantomimes staged there in the past. This building must continue to play a central role in Porthcawl’s cultural and social life as well as drawing in tourists and daytrippers. I will be fighting to ensure it gets the funding it needs.

JAMIE WALLIS MP for Bridgend