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More questions than answers – Cllr Mike Powell
January 26, 2012 12:07 AM
At the Council meeting on 25th January I put a number of questions to various Cabinet Members in the, as it turns out, vain hope of eliciting a degree of transparency from the Labour administration on a number of issues.
The attitude of what is apparently the cream of the crop amongst Labour in RCT beggars belief. Take for example the Cabinet member for Economic Development and Safer Communities - the illustrious Councillor for Ystrad Paul Cannon.
Q1. Would the Cabinet Member make a statement on how he sees the proposed Enterprise Zones announced by his Assembly colleague Edwina Hart affecting Rhondda Cynon Taf?
(Enterprise zones were announced last September for Anglesey, Ebbw Vale, Deeside, St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan, and Cardiff. The Minister said that companies investing there would receive rate relief and may benefit from tax breaks to expand.)
His reply was that residents would be able to take advantage of jobs created in the South Wales area.
Obviously a distinct lack of ambition to try and fight the corner for RCT then?
I then put it to Cllr Cannon that whilst at the speed the Welsh Government is currently moving there seems to be no immediate danger isn't it inevitably going to be the case that businesses will be more attracted to these surrounding areas and doesn't that put a huge dent in any plans for economic development here in RCT?
Mrs Hart said at the time that she would be having discussions with other local authorities and partners about possible other enterprise zones. So I asked whether any such discussions have taken place with RCT. After all it would seem a reasonable step.
For some reason he was unable to answer that but I have been promised a written answer - maybe he needs to check if any have taken place without his knowledge?
Q2. Why have there been no Pontypridd Town Forum meetings for over two years?
Minutes of the Corporate Services Committee 12th July 2010 show that I brought this matter up there and expressed concern that the last Forum meeting had been held in 2009 and that little information had been fed back since. I was told that it was because there wasn't a great deal of information to report. Surely since then with all that is taking place then there has been plenty to report on and indeed consult on.
A number of traders in the Pontypridd area have been asking what has happened to it and so I asked Cllr Cannon if there was any intention of reforming this forum or an alternative means of interacting with businesses and other interested parties?
He reeled off an impressive sounding list of ways the Council 'interact' with businesses and residents. The website, the newsletters, his regular updates on GTFM, etc. However, none of these allow for face to face engagement in the way that the Pontypridd town centre forum did - and whilst that may have become something of a talking shop it at least involved people and gave them an outlet for their concerns and ideas.
It seems that yet again Labour in RCT are only interested in consultation if they set the agenda and ask all the questions.
Yet again though Cllr Cannon is going to respond to my follow up question in writing. He must have a lot of time on his hands as it would surely have been so much quicker and easier to answer there and then?
It was a trend that was set to continue however - part 2 will follow soon.
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