Plaid Cymru have announced a zero increase in the borough’s council tax in the run-up to next year’s council elections. What a surprise!
What Plaid Cymru are not saying so loudly, or even admitting to, is the fact that they are busy introducing back door spending cuts. There are the increases in burial charges, the rise in charges to remove large items of household waste which has led to a dramatic increase in fly-tipping, and there is the decision to freeze appointments for jobs in the council’s workforce. These are just some of the ‘cuts’ which the Nationalists are busy implementing without a murmur of protest.
At the same time, we learn that the council taxpayers of Caerphilly Borough will have to wait for a good few years before there is any chance of the money which the council invested in the Icelandic Banks being repaid in full. Let us not forget that the council foolishly ‘invested’ £15 million at a time when the international financial system was coming under huge strain.
But don’t take my word about the council. Listen to the respected charity for Cerebral Disability, Scope. They conducted an objective survey of all the Local Authorities in Wales and found that Caerphilly County Borough Council came 17th out of the 22 Welsh Authorities because the impact of its public spending cuts were having such a terrible impact on disabled people. Scope labelled Caerphilly Council a ‘bad’ Council, and they were right.
Wayne David
Labour MP for Caerphilly
Would Mr. David like to comment on why the Labour controlled Bridgend Council were in the bottom 3 council's in the report he quotes, yet BCBC increased Council Tax by 3.4%
It would be more refreshing to hear what Mr David is doing up in Westminster in his capacity as MP for Caerffili to occupy his blog than churn out inaccurate and misleading statements at every opportunity. When Labour was in charge they led the UK to the catastrophic position we now find ourselves in.
Plaid Cymru are bucking the trend in Caerffili and with the residents help are top of the recycling tables for South Wales. Creating 150 new apprenticeships and training places. Investing £48 million into schools (match funded to 96m). Invested 20 million highways infrastructure as well as 4 million to fill pot holes and repair roads this year. New/refurbished libraries for Bargoed, Blackwood, Risca, Caerffili, Newbridge and enhanced school library service and a New Link Service serving 500 housebound individuals.
Finally I note Caerffili and its library service is mentioned in Westminster, but by a Conservative in reply to Mr Evans: –
The Minister, Ed Vaizey, said: “As the hon. Gentleman knows, the duty to superintend the library service is devolved to the Welsh Government. What I would say to Caerphilly borough council, which I believe is led by Plaid Cymru although there is no overall control, is that I am delighted it is investing in its library service and that it has opened or refurbished six of its libraries.”
Since the last Labour Government got us in this mess in the first place with their economic policies aimed at placating their fat cat pals in the City, I think Wayne David is the last person to complain about Plaid`s policies, which are almost socialist, remember Socialism Mr David?. Its what the Labour Party aimed at when it was a party run by the working class for the working class, before Tony (Abandon Clause 4) Blair and his counterrevolutionary chums got their hands it and made it Tory Light, sorry I meant New Labour.
Further to Ron James comments, his boss Ed Miliband shows how far the Labour Party has come from its origins, when he talks of restoring "responsible capitalism". Surely the Labour Party should be reducing the power of the banks, develop manufacturing, take back our energy supplies from foreign control and renationalising the railways, waht used to be called resonsible socialism. We would like to know Wayne David`s opinion on the important matters rather thansimple knee jerk responses to Plaid`s policies in Caerphilly.
It would be a refreshing change if local Plaid Cymru politicians actually attempted to defend themselves against "inaccurate and misleading statements" by tackling what the Caerphilly MP argued full on. If Wayne David stated inacurate information in his blog then it surely begs the question why on earth didn't James Fussel refute every allegation directed at the Council? in the above blog.
The MP quite rightly lists a string of decisions the Plaid Cymru – led council have made to the detriment of local people. Raising of charges to remove large items of household waste,the freezing of appointments for jobs in the council's workforce and the huge increases in burial charges are three points made which go totally unchallenged by James Fussell. This goes to show that either councillor Fussell is disinterested in refuting the claims made against the council or as most people would conclude, he is incorrect to say that Wayne David "churns out inaccurate and misleading statements at every opportunity". The points the Caerphilly MP makes are of public record so why councillor Fussell claims they are misleading beggars belief.
I think another interesting line in councillor Fussels response (without any elaboration) was "When Labour was in charge they led the UK to the catastrophic position we now find ourselves in". It is embarrassing that these words should come from a councillor belonging to a party who purport to be of the centre left. These are the words wrongly thrown at the Labour Party by the right – wing Tory – led Government.
Since the general election Plaid Cymru in Caerphilly have focussed their fire totally on the Labour Party and have refused to apportion any blame to the Tories for the rise in unemployment and the devastating impact of the cuts on the people of Caerphilly and beyond. Perhaps they feel more at home when a Tory Government is in at Westminster. From the responses James Fussell has posted on these pages over the last year he seems incapable or unwilling of attacking anything the Tories do.
Plaid Cymru are proudly boasting about an endorsement from the Conservative Party eh? The party that destroyed the Welsh Coalfield, the party that condemned hundreds of good decent Valley communities to desperate poverty and the bleak nightmare of long term decline, whose leaders sent troops in against striking miners, and whose every act has shown them to be hostile to the aspirations and hopes of the South Wales Valleys. Is this a pitch for Plaid to make a Devilish pact with the Tories after the set of Assembly elections? Good luck Leanne…..
And yes I notice, Councillor Fussell didn't (couldn't) refute any of Wayne's very valid points.
I don't think caerphilly cbc have ever heard of the disability discrimination act take a look at this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6VYy69dDEc
They built a bridge out of keeping with the area that is too long to walk over for elderly and disabled.
People have filled in questionnaires about such things but they keep getting ignored.