Letter to Mr Ieuan Wyn Jones AM regarding Newtown traffic chaos

February 26, 2010

26 February 2010

Mr Ieuan Wyn Jones AM
Deputy First Minister and Minister for Economy and Transport
National Assembly for Wales
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
CF99 1NA

Dear Deputy First Minister,

Traffic chaos

As I am sure you are aware, Newtown has experienced huge traffic problems for many years and, with the opening of Newtown’s Tesco Store on Monday, the problems have become significantly worse. I have been inundated with comments from people talking about their deep concerns over the traffic chaos in Newtown. Police have also received numerous complaints.

There are two issues here: Firstly, the unacceptable design of the new traffic lights system that replaced the Pool Road roundabout. The second issue concerns the failure to synchronise the new system with other traffic lights through the town as was proposed.

To most motorists a green light means ‘go’ and the current layout is causing confusion on priority. There has already been a number of minor bumps and this must now be considered as a major accident waiting to happen. I’ve never before seen a four-way junction without filter lanes. I am now calling on you to undertake an urgent independent road safety audit.

Your Department is responsible for this trunk road. It’s your Department that approved the removal of the roundabout and the layout and design of the new traffic lights.

I was told today that the Assembly’s experiences elsewhere indicates that traffic flows will improve as drivers become familiar with the new layout and that Welsh Assembly Government does not intend therefore to make any fundamental changes immediately. I accept that flow will improve a little as drivers get used to the layout, but do not accept that the people of Newtown will have to wait to see if the problems fix themselves; we need action now. Your department does not seem in touch with what is happening here in Newtown.

I also understand that the software that will synchronise the signals through Newtown will be installed at the beginning of next week, and your department is anticipating that flows will be further improved as signal operation is optimised during the week. Unfortunately, I don’t have the same degree of confidence.

The current chaos is causing huge damage to the local economy and the wider Mid Wales community. Businesses to the West of Newtown are suffering the most. Newtown is a central point in Wales but even businesses as far away as Aberystwyth may be affected by this mess. Running a business in Mid Wales is tough enough already. The last thing we need is a new traffic layout which makes things a whole lot worse. It’s just not good enough to say that the problems may be fixed in two or three weeks, it should be fixed now. Your Department is responsible and accountable for this completely unacceptable situation.

I would therefore request an urgent reply from you, setting out your plans to resolve the unacceptable layout at the new set of traffic lights and your assurances that the new synchronised signals system through Newtown will be an improvement on traffic flow from 12 months ago.

At the Newtown Traffic Study exhibition last September, which revealed three options for a Newtown By-Pass, your department informed me that you would be revealing the preferred route in January. This has not happened. I have submitted my response to the consultation in which I gave my support for the Orange Route Variant 1.

I should be further grateful if you could now confirm which option is the preferred route and set out the timetable for works to begin on the By-Pass through to completion of the project.

Yours faithfully,

Russell George
Cynghorydd Sir / County Councillor – Newtown Central
Office: 01686 626500
Mobile: 07867782727

4 Comments | councillors, environment, highways, newtown, powys county council, retail, shopping, transport | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

Council tax increase – and I voted for it!

February 4, 2010

Well, what did happen on the council tax increase debate? The answer is that it is going to be an increase of 4.25% and what is surprising is that I voted for it!

One of my reasons for standing for election to the County Council two years ago was due to my frustrations in council and business tax going up each year, but the services we receive going down.

Last year, I voted against the 2.99% council tax increase, and supported the Conservatives proposals for just a 2% increase.

Taking into account that inflation is very low at present, the proposed increase of 4.25% seemed high in real terms. Under normal circumstances, I could never support such a high council tax increase, but at last weeks meeting I did support and vote for the 4.25%. I supported this with difficulty as I do find it hard to justify when people have either lost their jobs or are seeing a small increase in there wage packets.

When the 4.25% proposal was first brought forward a few weeks earlier at the council’s board, I didn’t support the increase.

This year’s council budget does seem to be designed to boost reserves, as the belt tightens on Council spending. To maintain much needed investment in our schools is my main reason for supporting this year’s increase.

Let’s not forget that following the forthcoming general election spending cuts will be inevitable whoever wins, and saving our secondary schools and other services, where we can, appears to me to be a valid cause.

Leave a Comment » | conservatives, council tax, councillors, powys county council, public services, taxes, welsh conservatives | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

Happy new year!

December 31, 2009

This year will be an exciting one for those interested in both local and national politics, like me. We will have a general election before July and as a Conservative myself I of course hope we will have a Tory government.

I will also be working hard to get our candidate for the Conservative Party in Montgomeryshire elected, Glyn Davies. I’ve just read Glyn’s new year message and I am particularly happy to see him mention how he will do his best to bring pride, integrity and respect to the position of an MP. No man woman or MP can be perfect, but each can strive to do there best.

Anyway, happy new year. Part of Glyn’s Message is below:

NEW YEAR MESSAGE  from  GLYN DAVIES, Parliamentary Candidate for the Conservative Party in Montgomeryshire.

As I type these words on my computer, our 2 year old granddaughter, Ffion is ‘helping’ me.  In the next room, our week old grandson, Darragh is crying for his mother to feed him. All around me, is the hub-bub of family life.  Inevitably, all this creates context for how I think about the New Year. If all of us are here to celebrate next Christmas together, healthy and content, 2010 will have turned out to be a good year, whatever else may happen.

A General Election will dominate my 2010. The result will be important for the UK, for Wales, and for Montgomeryshire. I hope it brings change. It will also be decisive for Ffion, Darragh and all the rest of us. If I were to be elected Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire in 2010, the responsibility would demand a huge commitment. And it would be given, because Montgomeryshire matters to me. It’s home, and always will be.

As a politician, my aim has always been to reach out across party loyalities. So often we agree about what’s right. My support for our soldiers in Afghanistan, my wish to help the elderly, and those suffering from dementia, from renal problems, from Parkinson’s Disease, my love of Rural Wales, the wildlife with which we share our world, and the Welsh Language, is shared across all parties - as is my determination to always win a fair deal for Montgomeryshire. Most of us want a nation that is fairer, safer, greener, and where every individual matters – even though we may not always agree on the best way to achieve all these things. But most of all, I would do my best to bring pride, integrity and respect to the position of MP for Montgomeryshire.

Leave a Comment » | conservatives, councillors, elections | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

Dark days: streetlighting update

September 28, 2008

The council has already started the big ‘switch off’ across the county, where in most areas, two out of three streetlights are being switched off.

This has all come about as a result of a massive increase in the cost of energy, as the council attempts to manage its budget. The policy will also cut the council’s carbon footprint by over 1,000 tonnes a year, although let’s make no mistake, this is a cost-saving exercise.

The expected date for the Newtown switch off to commence is October 29th, one of the last areas across the county.

I am against turning off streetlights in areas where there are known problems. It also frustrates me to think of streetlights being purchased and installed, then not being used.

However, I also believe that across the country there are areas with more streetlighting than is always necessary.

According to the original plan, some streetlights will not be turned off. These include those in sensitive areas covered by CCTV, pedestrian crossings, areas near hospitals, sheltered housing and where there are known problems.

On this basis I am supportive of the decision as I fear the alternative would have been to pass the increased cost onto the council tax payer which I could not support.

Last month, the electricity contract for my business came to an end. The increase in cost in my new contract was huge; I had not anticipated the extra charges or budgeted for them at the beginning of the year.

I do believe that it is wrong that some are choosing to scaremonger about the crime and safety issues. My other concern is regarding the identification of areas where there are known problems.

In my ward there are a number of known crime hot spots. I met with the neighbourhood police unit on Friday and although they were able to indicate areas of known crime to me, the information they could offer me was limited.

I now intend to talk to the council’s safety officer to find out exactly how, as a council, we are identifying the ‘known problems’ areas across the county.

The streetlights policy is a correct one, as long as it carried out sensitively and according to the original agreement.

1 Comment | council tax, councillors, environment, issues, newtown, street lighting, taxes | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

Making friends

May 12, 2008

I attended County Hall for the first time this week, where on Tuesday I had an induction course which was interesting, but did feel like information overload.

On Friday, I had training on Code of conduct. The speaker made a very good job of making a boring subject very interesting. The session lasted all morning, but if I had to sum it up, it would be “How to stay out of jail”.

The Code of conduct is excellent, and its quite right that if councillors break this code, they should be disqualified from their position. It does however concern me – for example, will I genuinely forget to declare a conflict of interest? – but it is correct, and I would hope that the consequences for not heeding the code would make all councillors take it seriously.

I should also mention the other new Newtown councillors, of which there are five:

Newtown East – Richard John White (Liberal Democrat)
Newtown Llanllwchaiarn North – Francis Torrens (Welsh Conservative)
Newtown South – Robert Mills (Independant)
Newtown Llanllwchaiarn West – Peter Harris (Welsh Conservative)
Newtown Central – Russell George (me) (Welsh Conservative)

I know Peter Harris and Frank (Francis Torrens) and both are good friends. I have got to know them even better this week as we have shared a car from Newtown to Llandod a few times. I probably got to know Frank the best, simply because he doesn’t stop talking - from the point of getting in the car untill we arrive at our destination!

I had heard a great deal about Bob Mills during my own campaigning, people I spoke to either really disliked him or really liked him. I met him properly this week. Bob had invited me to a meeting to save Garth Owen post office, so I was able to form my own opinion of him. I found Bob to be very hospitable, passionate about standing up for his ward and very good at arranging and chairing the meeting he organised.

Bob also called me this week on a planning issue on my ward and was a big help.  From what I now of Bob, he’s a good councillior and I think he will be a good friend and ally. I also met Richard White this week.

Leave a Comment » | councillors, issues, newtown, post office closures, powys county council, training, welsh conservatives | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

Dark days for Powys street lighting?

April 24, 2008

Our local authority has put off a decision to switch off a third of Powys’ 14,000 street lights for a year to save money and energy until next month.

In a few weeks I may be one of the councillors asked to consider this proposal. If councillors vote in favour of the project next month then 5,000 lights will be switched off in June.

The lighting bill is around £500,000 per year and is set to rise by £175,000 with rising costs and a tight budget.

After chatting to people in Trehafren last night, I could be mistaken for thinking the scheme was already underway, as a number of residents told me about lights around their homes not coming on.

Of course I knew that the scheme hadn’t really started, and wondered if it was it worth reporting the problem, given that they may be left turned off anyway in a few weeks!

I’m in favour of finding ways to save electricity, and I’m making this a priority in my shop. However, I’m also in favour of having good street lighting, particularly to increase public security and safety.

I’m not sure how much it costs to install one lamppost and light, but I expect the cost is fairly high. Surely, it doesn’t make any sense to spend money installing street lights, only to then introduce a policy not to turn them on?

3 Comments | councillors, elections, environment, issues, powys county council, public services, safety, street lighting | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

Welsh councillors ‘not getting younger’

April 9, 2008

I read with interest an article on the BBC website today about how research from BBC Wales shows that Welsh councillors are not getting any younger.

A few years ago the Welsh Assembly had a scheme to “pay off” long-standing councillors, in an initiative to get younger men and women into our local councils.

I’m 34 in a few week (27 April if anyone wants to send me birthday wishes!) and if I am elected I will be among the 3.3% who are under 35! The average age of councillors is still 61 in 10 local authorities surveyed some years ago.

I am absolutely in favour of encouraging younger people to get involved in local politics and public services. It does however frustrate me that £1.6 m of the taxpayers’ money (our money) was spent on a scheme that gave councillors a cash incentive if they stood down.

What makes it all the more frustrating is the BBC Wales survey that found four years on, the average age of councillors in those 10 areas remains 61.

I think I should point out that I’m not having dig at old counsellors. For every old and ineffective councillor there is another one thats bring great experience and wisdom. We need a mix of older and younger councillors – after all councillors should be a true reflection of the area they represent.

Encouragingly, the survey found that Powys had the most noticeable drop in the average age of councillors. If I’m elected on May 1st, the Powys figures will look even better!

3 Comments | councillors, elections, powys county council, taxes, welsh assembly | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge