The upcoming European Union referendum dominated talk as UKIP’s Assembly candidate for Caerphilly, Sam Gould visited small business owners in the run-up to the Assembly election.
Speaking at the Welsh Innovation Centre for Enterprise (ICE) on Friday April 8, as part of an election event co-hosted by the centre and Caerphilly Observer, Mr Gould also spoke of his concern at the proposed Local Development Plan, and available facilities at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr hospital in Ystrad Mynach.
Mr Gould, whose wife suffered complications while in labour with their first child at the hospital said: “I felt betrayed and lied to about what was promised with the hospital. In 2011 we had an A&E here in Caerphilly. We then found out that the hopsital in Ystrad Mynach would only have a minor injuries unit.
“I, like many others, have spent hours waiting, only to be told that we have to go to another hospital. If elected to the Assembly, I will fight to have a 24 hour A&E in the county, like we used to.”
UKIP plan to relocate funds into the health service, as well as create elected health boards.
As a former business owner, Mr Gould said: “I understand the challenges of business owners, I’ve been there and set them up. I understand the difficulties many of you face in what you do.
“Business rates are a major concern. Look at how many local shops are empty in Caerphilly. We want competitive business rates between counties, encouraging local economic development.
“I firmly believe that in the upcoming Assembly election there are some key issues in terms of education, healthcare and protecting our green spaces, which need addressing.”
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s draft Local Development Plan (LDP) is currently under public consultation, and Mr Gould spoke of his opposition to the plan.
“I am opposed to building on greenfield sites when there are brownfield sites available. It would be a travesty to see hundreds of homes built on the green sites on Caerphilly Mountain, where the last farm in Caerphilly town remains.
“We have major infrastructure issues, a massive lack of funding, and I feel that if we leave the EU, we will have an awful lot more funding which will allow us to spend more within our areas and provide more funding closer to the people in Wales.
Mr Gould was critical of the Welsh Labour government, and said: “Labour have been very complacent in this area. We’ve been let down. We deserve a change. People are calling out for someone who will listen and engage in their concerns. Should I be elected, I will be that strong voice for the people of Caerphilly.”
Well said Sam, lets hope Labour do not win this seat. Otherwise it will be the same old ‘fight the Tory cuts’ and nothing positive done for the people of Caerffili
It will be the same old message from Labour – ” Vote Labour to keep the Conservatives out” nothing better then they impose the LDP and Sandwich tax ….
Yes, I agree with you on that one. Labour have held the parliamentary seat here for 100 years and the Assembly seat for 17 years. The end result is that part of the town is described officially as the most deprived in Wales and a go ahead has been given for developers to destroy what’s left of the countryside that surrounds the town.
Sandwich Tax???? Keep taking the meds, Bless.
yeap sandwich tax: over £2,000 schools are being charged by Labour controlled CCBC
LDP : Labour`s support for developers over the good people of Caerffili County
Make no mistake, UKIP are scum. There’s no way they represent me, or any decent people.
UKIP represents a lot of people in Caerphilly, especially people who have had no one to vote for many years. UKIP was second in the 2014 European election in Caerphilly County and was probably ahead of Labour in the Caerphilly Constituency; second in the 2015 General election, so we represent a lot of very decent people including the unemployed, blue collar workers, professionals and business owners. Labour on the other hand are the party with a number of members who make homophobic jokes about Plaid candidates at election counts. You might want to take a look at your beloved Labour party; as the saying goes “checks your seals, you may have a leak’. There are some very decent Labour Councillors considering whether to cross over due to the LDP sham.
So why did the Labour Councillors vote for the LDP ?
Lisa, I was informed on the night of the vote that it was whipped. The only Labour Councillor given permission to vote against was their then prospective AM candidate Mr. David. Of course it would have been a disaster for his campaign to have had to vote for the LDP that most of us living in the lower end of the Constituency so strong oppose. There are some very upset Labour Councillors and members who want the LDP stopped.
Ian, you are being more than a little disingenuous, in the way you reflect on the vote against the DRAFT plan by Hefin David, and if you were to reflect properly on his position in voting AGAINST the plan you will know that he not only voted against it but laid out alternative proposals for local authorities and LDP`s in the future, something those who Rabble Rouse and support conflict on this Community Plan also, for political purposes, choose to ignore, and NOBODY can get away from the fact the details of the LDP are proposed by Officers and not politicains.
We even saw, at the end of the meeting when the vote was declared, the Grotesque display of planning officers patting each other of the back having got it through the Council. Lets wait and see if those who oppose the plan can apply a professional approach to their opposition proposals at the end of the consultation period TO THE DRAFT PLAN.
Oh so cynical …. Mr David was told to vote against the plan to help his election chances whilst all his Labour mates voted for the LDP which will be an absolute disaster for Caerffili and it’s residents.
It’s no good some Labour Councillors crying now, they have done the damage with their votes. They should have been strong and voted against the LDP and supported the people against the developers.
Labour have had a nightmare of a year and it’s all their own doing
If you knew anything at all about the process, or perhaps you do and are ignoring the facts, and, ignoring the fact this is a process followed by the last Nationalist run Caerphilly Council, because they had to, the Council have a statutory responsibilty to produce an LDP, fact, end of full stop. and all those who follow local politics will know that.
You also ignore the fact that `THE PLAN` is produced by highly paid and professional OFFICERS of the Council, in fact, at the end of the Council meeting which voted it through they were seen on the video record to be congratulating EACH OTHER AND TAKING GREAT PLEASURE IN THE ACCEPTANCE OF THIER “DRAFT” “DRAFT” PLAN.
The Fact is, NOW, if you and your Rabble Rousing colleagues can come up with reasonable alternative proposals, and have enough gravitas amongst those local elected members opposed to the plan, without crude inaccurate and misleading interpretations of the processes which some elected individuals are dishonestly selling to gullable individuals, ( or are politics involved here?), (they know better) Then the Council are forced to think again, The Nationalists Know this because they practically had to rewrite the plan they came up with last time around, all due to proper, measured and justifiable submissions put to them during the consultation process.
Those elected members opposed to the plan, who think that Rabble Rousing will change anything are being dishonest with the public, they know the proper process and they know that current proposals can be altered, if they approach it properly, but if they continue to be dishonest or ignorant of the process they will not properly represent those opposed to the plan.
Ian you say, “There are some very decent Labour Councillors considering whether to cross over due to the LDP sham.”.
Cross over to which opposition party? I can rule out The Welsh Nationalists, I can rule out The Tories, I can certainly Rule out The Lib Dems. Independents? and, I can increasingly rule out UKIP, largely due to the hostile, unfriendly, and misinformed (with policitcal Licence I suppose) of the comments being posted during this election campaign. Ron Davies once said at a time of personal political high, “keep the `friends` you make on the way up, you wil need them on the way back down” , and by god did that sentiment ever resonate with him in later years of his political career?. it would bode well for all elected representatives, in whatever campaigns, to remember Ron`s words. Leave the `crudity` to others who never wont to seek, and who never seek or aspire to elected office of any sort,
I respect you, I respect your politcal position, and I respect your views on lots of things, mostly and increasingly I respect the fact that you make your comments in your own name, and that you do not hide behind some alta ego like an increasing number of Welsh Nationalists on this Media newpaper.
I do not however respect the fact that you are increasing your crude attacks on others with opposing political positions, I think your own policies and respected position as a Candidate for the position of Crime and Police Commissioner stands alone as respected and worthy. The LDP process is not a shame.
My friend, whom I do deeply respect, all I can add is that I was very disturbed by what I saw that evening at the count. It was not of course all the Labour crowd that were engaged in the distasteful micky taking but it was quite a few. None were individuals that I ever have any conversations with. Such behaviour can be considered boisterous banter by some but it is unseemly in my eyes. My comments about the LDP vote were from the horses’ mouths and I find the entire whipping process distasteful, hence a sham. I obviously find the entire LDP process to be ineffective and top-down driven, any expansion of that model to a regional level must be treated with great caution. We are agreed that the behaviour of the Council officers was highly inappropriate – I would have been fired if I when a Head of Service had acted like that. It is a reflection of who actually runs our Councils! We need to meet up for a beer soon.
I am sure you meant to say, behaviour That night at the `vote` not the `count`, ( on the LDP) That being the case you remind me of the behaviour of grown up politicians at various `election Counts I have attended,some of them do realy behave like demented lunatics, and, if their behaviour and attitude were witnessed by some of thier voters they would withdraw their support and votes.
Until the count has been `declared` of course thier behaviour and actions are not covered by the Councillors Code of Conduct. The arragance and behaviour shown by some, now councillors, is nothing less than one would expect to see in a Zoo. I think the entire spectacle should be filmed and made available on line for supporters to see how the people they supported act when the voters backs are turned, and some of these are eventually made School Governers managing schools and overseeing the education of the boroughs students, including very young children.
I think the caution you mention in respect to a Regional Approach to Development and the growth of our communities, the infrastructure and the provision of local services, is valid, I am sure the originator and promoter of the idea Hefin David, must also feel the same way as you do, I am sure, for that reason, he has simply suggested there be a narrative on the issues, there be wide consultation on the issues and that there be an inclusive meaningful debate, much better to see if the current political football the LDP has become can be avoided in future, (he said on The Sharp End on ITV last evening) and if it only encourages service providers to work to fully plan and satisfy the needs of our growing communities, then this has to be a possible way forward.
When did planning officers of the local council last talk to the local Health Board about those planning officers imposing ever increasing communities on GP services? hospital services etc, when did they speak to ARIVA trains and stagecoach buses about the same intentions to enlarge communities? When did they speak to the people of the town about their prefered plan to use the cleared land of the Old Town Police Station in Park Lane for AN 80 BEDROOM HOTEL.first suggested, by a Caerphilly Council Planning Officer, and discussed five weeks ago at a Committee of the CCBC. This is the reason why I support a wider and more inclusive narrative in respect to ALL planning matters in our Borough. Forcing a wider regional remit of the considerations by our planning officers in Caerphilly removing the comfortable, perochial cocoons in which these people currently work, increase the command and control and scrutiny structures over these faceless unelected people who think they can make decisions on planning matters which has the potential to effect us all.
Are you really decent or is that just your opinion? As my late father, union official, church deacon and anti EU socialist used to say “self praise is no recommendation.” Millions of people vote UKIP, they won the European election and came second in Caerffili (a ‘safe’ Labour seat). By all means disagree but keep it civilised.