In his regular blog for Caerphilly Observer South Wales East AM Lindsay Whittle gives his take on recent news.
Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr
I’m writing to the chief executive of the Aneurin Bevan Health Board to support the calls from Caerphilly Council’s Cabinet to name wards at the new £172m Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr after the area’s former collieries.
My family history in mining stretches back more than a century. In fact, my great grandfather Evan Hopcyn James died in the 1913 Senghenydd pit disaster – the UK’s worst.
As readers will know that at the Caerphilly District Miners’ Hospital, which is closing with the opening of the new hospital, all the wards are named after pits where mine workers contributed to the building of the hospital.
I’d like to see that tradition continuing with our new hospital and certainly I don’t think the use of something as anonymous as numbers – which are used at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff – is appropriate for our area.
Of course, it is important to move forward with this fantastic facility but we shouldn’t forget the area’s heritage.
The Malcolm Uphill
The JD Wetherspoon pub, The Malcolm Uphill, at the site of the old Co Co’s and Blockbuster buildings in Caerphilly, will open its doors to customers next week.
The investment by Wetherspoon’s has already had an impact on the top end of the town centre. I hope it will lead to a catalyst for further investment in that part of Caerphilly.
But what is a sad indictment of the economic situation today is the fact that more than 1,000 people applied for just 48 full and part-time jobs. It shows how desperate the jobs situation is for many people in society who are struggling to meet much higher food, fuel and energy bills.
WRVS
I visited the tea bar run by the WRVS at Caerphilly Miners’ Hospital recently.
The dedication of the volunteers who work to improve the well-being of staff and patients was very impressive and all profits from the shop have gone back into the hospital.
I’m looking forward to attending the WRVS’ annual awards ceremony later this month where many wonderful people will be honoured.
Lindsay Whittle
Plaid Cymru South Wales East AM
i wonder how meany off the 1000 aplicents were peaple who were layed off by the councle jest so they can balnce the books from not puting up councle tax?
Obviuosly,geraint Reeves missed school when they did the spelling bit, so why should we be concerned about his comments?.
How many of the jobs at Wetherspoons will be filled by locals?, these days many of the bar staff and waiters are Eastern European as in the Maenllwyd also does an Indian Take Away opposite Wetherspoons help Caerphilly, the people employed there by defintion are not local and the residents have to suffer the rubbish discarded by the customers, plus the rats who thrive on spilt takeaways. This is a bad planning mistake and aiding the run down of the town centre.
I may be able to re-assure Ron James, I had a very nice meal at the Malcolm Uphill yesterday, this was part of their staff training before the opening this week. I spoke to five staff members and they all had British accents.
The Maenllwyd is an aberration, it has always bothered me that they do not seem to employ locals and I very rarely go there, for that reason. I do not know of any other pubs, around Caerffili, that seem to employ foreign born workers only.
I remember being admonished by a hotel owner in Italy for buying clothes from a Chinese owned shop, she said it was taking money out of the local economy. Caerphilly is in one of the poorest areas in Europe, and yet the Catering Industry, including Public House chains, such as Chef and Brewer has a policy of employing foreign born staff. This in effect takes money out of the local economy,because local people are not employed and the money we spend gets sent back to areas in Europe that are richer than South Wales. So remembering my Italian experience, I tend only to spend money in shops owned and staffed by locals.
The comments on this site under other news items, about Cardiff Road Caerphilly, where the new Wetherspoons is sited, becoming a clone of City Road in Cardiff is nearer the mark than promoting a local pub chain that is quite capable of promoting its own business.
The fact is that one specific additional pub in the town, five betting offices, six charity shops, six Estate Agents, six Travel Agents, seven banks, six takeaways,twelve premises selling alcohol, and a pawn shop. will not cure the creeping planning cancer which has effected it for at least fifteen or twenty years, not helped by sycophantic planning decisions, and shortsighted planning intentions by Caerphilly CBC.