Fire service response times must not be jeopardised

February 16, 2011

Had a meeting  at Newtown fire station last week with senior officers from the fire service and Newtown staff following  proposals which revealed Montgomeryshire could be left without any full time frontline firefighters. I have written to Carl Sargeant AM, Minister for Social Justice and Local Government today – a copy is posted below.

It seems that Powys had been disproportionately affected by the proposals and I was very disappointed that there will be no public consultation. The most important issue to me must be that the response time from that 999 call to any incident must not be jeopardized.

We also need further clarification on what this will mean for the future of the Newtown station if these proposals come into effect. Certain equipment used to tackle flooding and dealing with dangerous waste spillages could be withdrawn and this is particularly concerning.

All sectors have to look at how money can be saved, but it must be done in a fair way throughout the region and priority must be on retaining frontline services especially when it comes to important emergency services.

Carl Sargeant AM
Minister for Social Justice and
Local Government
National Assembly for Wales
Cardiff Bay
CF99 1NA

Dear Minister,

With regard to changes proposed within the Mid Wales Fire & Rescue Service I would wish you to consider urgently the following:-

The proposals involve moving from full time fire officers in Newtown to a retained Fire Service. I am very concerned at this development which will slow down response times and put people’s lives at risk.  Newtown is the only full-time manned fire station in Montgomeryshire and these proposals have not taken into account all circumstances.

The present arrangement has full time fire-fighters located at Newtown Station, but I would question how quickly part-time staff can get to the Llanidloes Road Station during peak times in heavy traffic. There would be serious difficulties including delays with part time fire-fighters navigating through traffic in Newtown which you may be aware is already causing huge concern in the area.

I also understand that if the station is downgraded, certain equipment used to tackle flooding and dealing with dangerous waste spillages could be withdrawn and this is particularly worrying.  I ask for your assurance that any change would not involve moving specialist equipment from the station.

It would seem that Powys has been disproportionately affected by the proposals. As a Local County Councillor, the most important issue to me must be that the response time from that 999 call to any incident must not be jeopardized.

I am further concerned to learn that no public consultation is planned, can I please ask that you look into this matter as I am keen that residents of Montgomeryshire are able to contribute and fully express their views

I fully accept that all sectors have to look at how money can be saved but, when it comes to lives at risk it is a completely different matter and it is critical that a full time service is retained in Montgomeryshire.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Russell George
Cynghorydd Sir / County Councillor – Newtown Central

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Posted by russellgeorge

Council house rent rise

January 26, 2011

The County Council’s Board will be asked to consider proposals to increase council rent by 5.2% next Tuesday.

The Welsh Assembly government has set guidelines for Councils as to what increases they should be asking tenants to pay.

Tenants will struggle to find the extra money. I can’t understand why the Assembly is recommending such a large increase at the very time people are struggling financially

I am a member of the Council’s board; at least I am until May. The Council’s 15 board members are made up of Conservative, Liberal Democrat Labour and Independent County councillors.

Next Tuesday, all 15 will be asked to support a recommendation of increasing Council house rent by 5.2 % to take effect from Monday, 4th April 2011.

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Posted by russellgeorge

Potholes!

January 11, 2011

Going about my business this week, like many others, I’ve become more aware of the significant amount of potholes in the Welshpool and Newtown areas.

As repair works to damaged roads now gets underway, it’s time we had a change in road maintenance in Mid Wales and an end to the culture of continuous short-term fixes for potholes. The Welsh Assembly Government should be providing the correct level of finance to councils; we are now in a position where the Council is continually struggling to get on top of these problems.

It is time for the Welsh government to reassess priorities and get us out of this culture of short-term fixes. Rather than being reactive, we must consider earlier intervention and maintenance of our highways.

I am aware that there has been an increased number of vehicles visiting local garages due to damage caused by potholes. In South Wales there has been investment in a preventative road repair scheme. That decision has paid off, the work has proved a huge success, and money has been saved in the long run.

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Posted by russellgeorge

Happy new year and time for a change!

January 1, 2011

For me, the next four months will be largely dominated with my campaign in the run up to the Welsh Assembly elections which take place on May 5th.

Last July as I was selected as the Conservative candidate for Montgomeryshire for the Welsh Assembly elections. It was a privilege to have been selected by the 300 odd people who attended the public meeting and put their faith in me.

During 2010 I was heavily involved in the General election campaign, playing my part to help Glyn Davies get elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament,  In Montgomeryshire decades of Liberal Democrat representation at Westminster came to an end.

On the 5th May it will be up to the 49,000 people who live in Montgomeryshire to have their say again, and I of course hope they too will put their faith in me. I’ve been involved in standing up for issues important to Montgomeryshire and Mid Wales for some years, so it would be a privilege to serve the people of my home constituency in the Welsh Assembly -  my aim to fly the flag for this part of Wales which has been overlooked for too long.

Wales needs a change this year. In my view, the Welsh Assembly Government has never worked well for Wales or Montgomeryshire. My hope is that 2011 will bring the change we need.

Wales remains the poorest nation of the UK and lags behind other developed nations educationally. We have had twelve years of Labour domination in the Welsh Government and this has not led to improvements in our public services or our economy.

We also need to see Mid Wales recognized. The Welsh First minister was recently asked how many times since taking up his position he had visited Mid Wales. Carwyn Jones replied: “This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost”.

This response just shows what the First Minister’s attitude is towards Mid Wales. This is not a difficult question which requires a load of paper work, it just demonstrates a worrying attitude towards the area of Wales in which I have lived all my life.

If David Cameron can find the time to visit Montgomeryshire on a number of occasions, surely Carwyn Jones who has been First Minister for over a year should be able to be aware of when and why he has visited Montgomeryshire. Surely this is not too much to ask for, and anything less is gross neglect of our region.

As the Welsh Assembly government are not prepared to come to us, I will take our views to them!. This year I intend to take my Newtown Traffic Petition to Cardiff, to present the views of thousands of people from Montgomeryshire to The Minister. The traffic situation in Newtown which affects the majority of our County is a disgrace and needs to be resolved with serious commitment to reducing the current problem and bringing forward the finance for the Newtown By-Pass.

We have so many pressing issues in Montgomeryshire that need addressing; We need to retain and improve our local services and support local business which help create local jobs.

2011 will bring a number of opportunities for people in Wales to have their say. On the 3rd March, we will have a referendum regarding granting more powers to the National Assembly. On 5th May, we will not only have The Assembly elections, but a further referendum on changing the voting system for Westminster elections.

From my own point of view, I of course hope people will have confidence in me this May and that I will be elected the next AM for Montgomeryshire.

The New Year can be hard for many, so I would like to send my best wishes – things will change! To all the people of Montgomeryshire I wish you a happy and prosperous year.

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Posted by russellgeorge

Assembly fails Powys in latest freeze

December 19, 2010

There was ten inches of snow outside my front door yesterday morning! I like snow, but would prefer it next week. As a local Councillor, I’ve had plenty of calls with people reporting empty salt bins etc. The County Council has responded quickly and all praise to the local staff.

Earlier this month the Local Government Minister Carl Sargeant announced he would make £7 million available for local authorities across Wales to spend on repairing potholes and buying road salt for gritting this winter. Good job I thought!

Last week I asked the question – how the £7 million would be distributed throughout Wales and was shocked that Powys County Council would only receive £500,000! Powys covers 25% of the surface of Wales, so the amount we are receiving is not in proportion.

A bit more digging and then I understand that the Assembly Government has simply ‘sought prices’  for further salt supplies, while two ‘strategic salt barns’ in Wales will not be filled until next year!

I do feel we have been let us down, I would have hoped that the Assembly Government would have learnt the lessons of last winter’s salt shortages which put lives at risk on Powys’ roads. We’ve known for months that winter is coming so there no no reason for not being prepared.

Although forgotten about when it comes to the Assembly government, we should be grateful for Powys County Council staff that go out on the salt lorries in cold, unsociable hours, and for all the staff who plan and answer the phones. I think they have done and are doing a great job!

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Posted by russellgeorge

Local Government Revenue Settlement

December 1, 2010

The title sounds boring, but the Local Government Revenue Settlement affects all our lives.

This is the sum of money that the Assembly government gives to local authorities each year. Local authorities (Powys County Council in our case) then have to fund the services for which they are responsible,  which include schools and education, social care services, roads, waste collections, street lighting, leisure services, tourism and planning and so on.

Last week the Assembly government published the provisional Local Government Revenue Settlement. Each year Powys County Council has traditionally received a very poor settlement, and normally receives amongst the poorest settlement of all the 22 Welsh local government authorities.
 
But this year, rather than just receiving only a small increase, Powys County Council has been given a decrease in funding of 1.2%, and if you take into account inflation, the reduction is of course greater.
 
This is all still early and the devil will be in the detail. No matter how much gloss and spin the Assembly Government try to put on these proposals, there is no taking away from the fact that this is a very tough settlement indeed and difficult times for the council and people of Powys lie ahead. The challenge for the authority is to now find ways of retaining and improving local services and to find more efficient ways of delivering them.

In my view the Assembly Government should get its priorities right and support local councils to protect frontline services, freezing public sector pay for high earners and tackling the tens of millions wasted on unnecessary bureaucracy, including a £2.5million bill for loose furnishings at WAG offices!

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Posted by russellgeorge

Empty shops, premises and industrial units in Montgomeryshire

November 2, 2010

Small and independent businesses have been let down by the Welsh Assembly Government. In my view, the WAG have failed to help businesses through the recent recession. It’s disappointing that measures to help small businesses have just not come forward.

I believe that small businesses are the backbone of our economy. I was part of an announcement today by my party in Wales announcing some news to help businesses. The proposals by my party in Wales would mean that 5,383 small business properties in Powys would pay no business rates at all, thus encouraging local enterprise.

Under the new proposals, businesses with a rateable value of up to £12,000 would not pay any business rates. Rates would be tapered for small businesses with rateable values between £12,001 and £15,000, thereby reducing bills for a further 251 small firms in Powys.

The Welsh Conservative proposals to cut business rates will help our small businesses ride out the current economic downturn and encourage small business start-ups by giving people the confidence to invest. These proposals would provide a considerable boost to the local economy and help fill empty shops and industrial units in Welshpool and Newtown. Of course, for this proposal to come into being, the Welsh Conservatives need to get into government next year in the Welsh Assembly.

2 Comments | business, conservatives, council tax, employment, montgomeryshire conservatives, newtown, shopping, welsh assembly, welsh conservatives | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

Spending Review

October 20, 2010

I had the spending review on in the background as I worked in my office this afternoon!

I thought that today’s announcements did provide Wales with a far better settlement than had been expected.

The Assembly Government had been preparing for a bigger reduction than the one announced. The Business Minister had been planning for reductions of £500 million year on year. Instead, the Assembly Government will have to find savings of £500 million over the next four years in total.

I do find it unbelievable the way that Labour are reacting. They brought the UK to the brink of bankruptcy.  If Labour object to the way the coalition is reducing the deficit, they should come up with their own deficit reduction plan to explain how they would have implemented the 20% cuts they were planning before the election.

Anyway, need to digest all what has been announced today.

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Posted by russellgeorge

The future is Orange for bypass

October 13, 2010

The Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy & Transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones has today announced his preferred route for the Newtown bypass – The Orange route.

His announcement is a real step forward and I especially welcome the news that the orange route has been selected as this was my preferred option. This was the longest route of the three choices and in my opinion would be the most effective.

The announcement did fail to provide vital information on a timetable for a start date through to completion. When will the construction start and what can he do to help the traffic problems in the meantime?

We must not forget that a planned bypass route for Newtown has a 40 year history including a protected route dating back to the 1970’s. We need commitment on dates and a timetable which conveys a strong sense of urgency. This must not be allowed to drift in a sea of bureaucracy. A route announcement on its own is not enough.

Neither will today’s news offer much comfort in the short term to queues of traffic through Newtown. We need immediate measures to offer some relief to the traffic problems without waiting until 2016, a date suggested to me by assembly officials as a completion date.

The number of pledges to my Newtown Transport Petition has now attracted over 1000 names, and that’s in just 5 days. It’s my intention to keep up the pressure on the minister and to continue the Newtown Traffic Petition for improvements at the Kerry road junction including a trial roundabout and to demand an early start date for the bypass.

In summary, this is a real step forward, but we need solutions to the current problems and a start date – We must keep the pressure on!

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Posted by russellgeorge

Meeting with business leaders and petition launch

September 29, 2010

Glyn and I met with about 30 business leaders including representatives from the Mid Wales Manufacturing group and the Federation of small businesses the other day. The meeting was to discuss Newtown’s traffic problems and the affect being caused on businesses throughout Montgomeryshire.

We are taking two approaches: I am launching a campaign in which I aim to attract more than 10,000 signatures whilst Glyn is going to ask the National Assembly’s Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones to meet him with a small delegation of business people to discuss the issues.

There was a clear view at the meeting that although pressing for an announcement on the bypass was crucial, the current priority should be on relieving the current traffic issues. We have to find ways of making our anger known to the Assembly Government.

As well as my aim to get over 10,000 people to sign petition cards I am also encouraging people to write to the deputy first minister, I have produced a template letter with pre-addressed envelopes so that all protesters need to do is to complete address details and post it.

The petition card and letter have two objectives. The short term aim asks that works are carried out to improve traffic flow, including for a trial roundabout to be returned on the Kerry road junction and if shown to improve traffic flow, for an improved roundabout with additional lanes to be built. In the medium term we need to have an early start date for construction of a Newtown Bypass and for the works to be “Fast tracked” through to completion.

Had a lot of support at the meeting, Steve Kaye from the Federation of small businesses was supportive and I hope that he can be part of the group that goes to visit the Deputy first Minister to have face to face discussions.

I have always said that this is not just a Newtown problem. Alison Williamson who attended the meeting runs a business in Llanbrynmair. In discussions with Alison, she tells me that as people are now travelling to the coast along the northern route to avoid Newtown, this means they don’t come past her visitor centre and café, as a result they have noticed a significant drop in passing trade from the Midlands.

If you would like to sign a petition card or want a template letter to send, or if you want a pile of cards and letters to give to others, please call into my shop ‘Fuze’ in Newtown, or call the office on 01938 552315 or email me at russell.george@hotmail.co.uk.

Without question Newtown must be provided with a by-pass, and in the meantime action taken to relieve congestion.  This can only be done by persuading the decision makers, the Welsh Assembly Government and in particular the Deputy first Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones AM.

2 Comments | business, Bypass, highways, newtown, welsh assembly | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

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