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What will I do as Powys County Councillor?

What is the general impression of Powys County Council in Llanidloes? I suspect we would probably prefer not to have to deal with it and wish it would go away.

What is the general impression of Llanidloes held by officers at Powys County Council? Probably much the same.

Local government should be a partnership. Town and Community Councillors should work with their locally elected representatives to the County Council, and with the staff of the local authority, to ensure efficient service delivery, the upkeep of local amenities and the best possible value for money for local tax payers.

This is not my experience of how the system works in Llanidloes. There is a tendency for conflict, for animosity, for name calling and finger pointing.

In my role as development officer for L.L.A.N.I. Ltd I have detected a real desire on the part of officers at the County Council to work with Llanidloes, but they feel constrained by the local political climate, which paralyses initiative.

If I am elected to represent Llanidloes at the County Council, I will build on the links I have formed with the Council to encourage the development of new initiatives, in partnership with, not in isolation from, the local community.

Together, we need to be tackling problems such as:

• the lack of affordable, local needs housing;
• energy poverty and the energy (in)efficiency of the local housing stock and public buildings;
• local transport options;
• to name but a few.

These are problems that are only going to get more severe as the price of fuel rises and the demand for housing continues to push up the price of our homes.

At the same time, we can assist locally with the delivery of the services that Powys struggles to provide in the town: public toilets, tourist information, etc.

Delivering joint initiatives in the town will not be easy. The economy is struggling; the money received by the Council from Central Government has effectively been cut (allowing for inflation). This will inevitably affect the ability of the Council to deliver statutory services, let alone invest in new programmes. But it is precisely at such times that Town and County need to work more closely together to ensure the sustainability of local services.

Llanidloes Hospital

What holds good for our relationship with the local authority holds good for the Local Health Board as well. The future of Llanidloes Hospital needs to be secured. Short term cost cutting is short sighted cost cutting and common sense dictates that we need to retain local services. This is particularly the case in regard to healthcare, where quality of life can be so adversely affected by taking people out of their local community during the time of their greatest need for the familiar. This is clearly the message that is being conveyed to the Local Health Board by the Save Llanidloes Hospital Campaign. I believe the long term economic and social case for the Hospital will prove overwhelming, and, if elected on May 1st, I will do all in my power to promote that message and support the Hospital Campaign.

The approaching elections represent a Chance for Change – by choosing a new County Councillor and a new Town Council on the 1st of May, you can set Llanidloes on a course to a more progressive and a more prosperous future. Please don’t pass up the opportunity.