Plaid Cymru AM Lindsay Whittle has warned a decision to axe financial support for two major events could damage efforts to attract visitors to Caerphilly.
The South Wales East AM was speaking following the decision of Labour-run Caerphilly council to end support of the Tour of Britain and BBC’s Proms in the Park.
The lack of funding means neither event will return to Caerphilly this year.
Lindsay Whittle backed the bids to bring the events to Caerphilly when he was leader of the council. He said: “These decisions are penny wise but pound foolish. While the council may have to make cuts, this could really backfire.
“The Tour of Britain cycle race really put Caerphilly on the UK map with cycling enthusiasts travelling from all over the UK to watch the event. That resulted in money being brought into Caerphilly, benefiting businesses in the town.
“The BBC event was another attempt to raise the profile of the county borough. Viewers could see what a fantastic background the castle was and might then decide to spend some time in the town. That will now be lost to Labour-run Swansea council.
“This looks like an exercise which will save money but end up being counter-productive.”
Labour council leader Cllr Keith Reynolds defended to decision to scrap funding for the events.
Cllr Reynolds said: “Our Labour-led council’s top priority is protecting jobs and services. Events such as these, while nice to have, cannot take priority over the protection of the vital services so valued by Caerphilly County Borough residents”.
Lindsay Whittle added that up to £40,000 could be saved if the council cut the number of cabinet members by one.
Labour raised the number of cabinet members to ten when coming to power, with the number standing at nine during the last Plaid Cymru administration.
Mr Whittle said: “Clearly Labour think an additional Cabinet member, who will also act as a second deputy leader, is much more important than promoting the county borough. It shows how out of touch they are.”
Labour refuted the suggestion that cutting the cabinet would save money.
A Labour group spokesperson said: “Plaid’s maths are as muddled as their principles.
“Although there have been changes to cabinet and committee structures between the last, Plaid Cymru-controlled council and our Labour-led administration, costs overall are lower now than then.
“And we’ll take no lectures from the Nationalists on our Council’s budget, when Plaid councillors abdicated their responsibility to residents by walking out of Council and refusing to set a 2014/15 budget”.
A Caerphilly County Borough Council spokesman said: “Caerphilly has provided the spectacular backdrop for the ‘BBC Proms in the Park’ and a section of the Tour of Britain for the last three years, and the whole area has enjoyed the many benefits of hosting these popular events.
“Unfortunately, due to the severe financial constraints facing the council, we were not in a position to offer to host these events again this year. We maintain excellent links with the organisers of both events and hope to work with them again in the future.”
So the question now is would Plaid, if in control, commit to retaining the two events? It’s all very well being opposed to everything the ruling Labour group does but lets have some answers from the opposition. Would they commit the neccessary funding to enable the events to go ahead?
Cutting the number of councillors would be a good idea. Withdrawing the £30.000 a month we pay 3 execs who remain suspended awaiting Crown Court trial would also help. Blaming the Tories for everything is not an excuse. You can see the mindset of the new leader of CCBC, Keith Reynolds, when his excuses are aimed at slagging off Plaid.
The Labour administration on Caerphilly council may not be making all the correct decisions, the latest mistake being the selection of a senior Councillor who actually admits voting for, and therefore supporting the unlawful huge hike in pay to his senior executives.
But, the Labour group are making the correct decisions in respect to the saving of ratepayers money on these two, ( Caerphilly Town) events, they cause total disruption to many many town households, they cause the closure of roads, they cause rubbish to be distributed in and around the town, they cause disruption to local traders activities, and they please relatively very few individuals, it does however seem to upset Plaid Cymru People the most that these events are dispensed with.
Caerphilly`s Big Cheese should be next for the chop. I would even vote Tory if the Caerphilly labour Council blamed them and the Lib Dems for having to to do so because of central Government settlements via the Welsh Assembly.
Oh Arthur. you acknowledge your new leader could be complicit in malpractice & yet you blindly support his administration. Labour need more voters like yourself.
Lindsay Whittle says ““The Tour of Britain cycle race really put Caerphilly on the UK map with
cycling enthusiasts travelling from all over the UK to watch the event.
That resulted in money being brought into Caerphilly, benefiting
businesses in the town”.
This Myth of local businesses benefiting from such events is just that, a Myth.
Where are the qualified statistics from local traders supporting such imaginative comments made time after time, by people who do not live in the town do not suffer the disruptions and do not have to suffer increases in lawlessness on such occasions.
Another example of politicians thinking they know whats best for us without consulting us. Could that be part of the reason why Plaid Cymru suffered such a catasrophic cull at the last elections
To save money caerphilly council should axe their highly paid tourism department as they’re doing nothing to attract visitors to caerphilly.
Why are there no real comments in protestation, and support of Lindsay, in his anger at the removal of these events from the Caerphilly Calender, could it be that residents agree with the Caerphilly council and its actions in respect to removing funding for these annual events, and spending the money in other directions or cutting the funding from the budgets altogether?.