The former Plaid Cymru leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council has challenged the ruling Labour group to deliver 400 jobs in Blackwood.
Allan Pritchard, who lost his Penmaen council seat in May’s local elections, has said Labour must make good on its promise to bring supermarket Morrisons to Blackwood Gate Retail Park.
The issue became a hot election topic with Labour councillors highly critical of the decision.
Mr Pritchard said: “In the lead up to the council elections last May, Labour candidates and councillors informed the electors that their number one priority if they gained control of Caerphilly Council, would be to bring up to 400 new jobs to Blackwood Retail Park by Christmas 2012 and this had been lined-up with Morrisons.
“The same people also promised to overturn the previous decision of the planning committee which restricted the Blackwood site for bulky goods under the Local Development Plan. The day after Labour took control of Caerphilly council, local Labour councillors stated that this would be their top priority and “commit renewed impetus” to bring Morrisons and 400 new jobs to Blackwood Retail Park by Christmas 2012. We are reminded of this by the giant banner that was erected at the site just before the elections.”
He continued: “Four months have now passed and no progress has been publicly reported. There are now just three months for Labour to deliver on their number one manifesto priority to the residents of Blackwood and the surrounding communities.
“My Christmas shopping list is well on target, so all those local Labour councillors who made their election promises on the doorsteps to deliver Morrisons and 400 jobs, need to pull their fingers out to meet their deadline.”
The council’s current leader Harry Andrews told Caerphilly Observer that he would welcome another planning application for the site.
He said: “Morrisons have signed up to go to Bargoed. We will be delighted when they open later this year.
“I am sure that if there should be any further application for a superstore business in Caerphilly, they would find their way to the appropriate committee for consideration.”
I'm a little confused over this 'dare'by Allan Pritchard. Surely if the planning committee refused permission for a supermarket as recently as March of this year nothing will have changed to alter the reasons for that decision in such a short time?
Labour were very silly, not for saying they would bring jobs to Blackwood, but that these jobs would be in a supermarket that planning had already rejected. Personally I think available land should be used to attempt to attract full time jobs. The trouble with supermarkets is that the jobs on offer are mainly part time, typically from 10 hours to 25 hours per week. Nobody can live on the wages from this kind of job, they either have to have more than one job or top up their income with benefits.
I suppose Councillor Harry Andrews comments, leader of Caerphilly council, shows Alan Pritchard, who was once the Council leader, who is now in charge, Alan Pritchard should get used to it, there is an awful long time to the next local elections.
I guess this will be proved one way or the other by Christmas. Either their will be 400 jobs or there won't. Thanks to the Caerphilly Observer for making sure our politicians don't promise one thing and do another! I hope you carry a report in Dec / Jan letting us know what has happened.
Those waiting for 400 jobs in Blackwood in 12 weeks time may wait in vain. All political parties, Plaid, Labour, Tories and Lib Dems, present a manifesto. This is a political statement of what they would like to do, which normally proves impossible to completely implement when they do hold the levers of power.
This is entirely normal in any democracy, some things are achieved and others are quietly buried. Any re-examination of manifesto policies reveals that the promise is worded carefully and is not really a promise but a statement of intent.
The only government that I can think of that actually carried out almost all of their manifesto was the Labour government of Clem Attlee; an achievment that is often forgotten more than 60 years later.
Anybody who hangs on every word of a manifesto is behaving in a rather naive fashion. It is a wish list, nothing more.
its funny hearing P,C complain about jobs when it was then who axed so meany council workers in the aria. make's this sound less like cearing about job's and more about trying to score points
To be fair he has a point given it was such a big issue locally at the time of the election. Labour seem to have quietly forgotten all about it along with removing the charges for bulky waste collection. No doubt they have other things to champion which they feel will earn them more attention.
Talk is always cheap and never more so than that from the mouth of a politician. Wish list or spin list the end result is the same.
Did the, then Councillor Alan Pritchard,leader of our Council, support the creation of these jobs which he is now encouraging Labour to bring to Blackwood retail park with a new supermarket?.
Seems a little confusing to me and less to do with an interest in jobs for people and more to do with political squabbling and points scoring, it appears to a be home goal in this case.
I think you'll find that he is calling on Labour to stand by their word and challenging them to act upon the pre-election promises they made. Which he has every right to do and I would commend him for doing so.
If you find yourself overly confused yet again, I would suggest you wash the rose tint from your glasses as clearly they cloud your view.
Never, ` overly` confused when it comes to politicians, but,If Plaid and particularly their leader was originally against such a development, they would, of course, as all local politicians do every day, consider all the pros and cons of the issue, and make a judgement on the matter, (sic) having made that judgement and in this case voted against the planning proposal which may have brought 400 jobs to Blackwood, it is rich now to criticise others for following that lead, and, I simply try to understand what on earth has changed, in respect to the conditions which applied then to that which applies now in Blackwood and which justifies such a Damascus moment.
Helen in wrong, My view is not clouded, but, considering the lousy job being done by the Conservative led coalition on all things to do with jobs, borrowing huge record amounts of money to reduce tax paid by their rich friends, and squeezing the rest of populous, particularly the low paid, the disabled and sick, and pensioners at all levels of society, until the pips squeak, it maybe that even with the hypocritical position taken by the former leader of the council, and, the current Labour Administrations failure to act, they would still sleep more soundly together than Clegg and Cameron or Cable and Osbourn, really discreditable partnerships as the total failure of their actions is proving and will continue to haunt them up to and at the next election. What an odious bunch these national politicians are proving to be. Much prefer the respectable spats between Alan Pritchard and Harry Andrews, at least they are principled men who happen to be in politics.
Perhaps if you were a local resident as opposed to merely being pro-labour online, then you might understand the issue being discussed. In terms of political bickering you would do well to look at your own motivation.
Pritchards position on the matter matters not, likewise it matters not what if any changes have subsequently taken place. Labour took the stance of opposing Plaids views on the matter and promised different. Are you suggesting that they are now inline with the views of the former Plaid administration. As that would be remarkably odd would it not. Say anything to get yourself elected then conveniently change your mind after the deed is done. Is this labours policy now?
Again I shall reiterate for your benefit that Mr Pritchard has every right to challenge labour on what was a local election issue. This does not mean he must have changed his view, merely that labour have conveniently forgotten theirs.
As such it is only right and proper for him to call them out. What would be rich would be for labour to suddenly take on the previous administrations view on the matter. Not just rich but somewhat hypocritical too.
As for coalition government such waffle has no relation, I don't recall Clegg or Cameron standing for election to C.C.B.C.
Perhaps you have also very conveniently forgotten that Cameron and Clegg made specific pledges and promises which once elected they also conveniently side stepped, there is insufficient room in these pages to list them, Perhaps we will all have an opportunity to do so sooner rather than later in a General Election, The sooner the better of course and we can rid the country of these odious people.