Daily Post North Wales - Business - News - Spatial Plan yet to deliver result in North Wales say leaders

Daily Post North Wales - Business - News - Spatial Plan yet to deliver result in North Wales say leaders: "BUSINESS leaders in North Wales say that the Welsh Assembly Government’s much-touted Spatial Plan has yet to deliver any discernible results for the region."


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A 'Plan'?

BBC NEWS | Wales | Hain warning on powers referendum

BBC NEWS | Wales | Hain warning on powers referendum: "The AM said Mr Hain was wrong to suggest that only 'the chattering classes' want to see a law-making parliament in Wales."


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No, he isn't wrong!

BBC NEWS | Wales | North West Wales | 'Suitable site' key to new prison

BBC NEWS | Wales | North West Wales | 'Suitable site' key to new prison: "'I'd be very glad indeed if we had a facility anywhere closer to where it is now, because there are considerable problems for all kinds of people getting up to the prisons in Liverpool."


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Would it not be more cost effective to reduce the number of 'criminals' through a review of the mountain of new 'crimes' create by New Labour and a new campaign to raise social awareness and responsibility among the families who produce the hardended 'criminals'?

BBC NEWS | Wales | Wales politics | Devolution report will 'surprise'

BBC NEWS | Wales | Wales politics | Devolution report will 'surprise': "Sir Emyr said: 'I made an offer to the people of Wales at the beginning of this process - any views on any aspect from anyone, anywhere in Wales."


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Your didn't ask me Emyr!

And £1.5 million for 3,000 resposes and 700 pieces of evidence....bit expensive innit!

BBC NEWS | Wales | Wales politics | 'Most want' more powers for Wales

BBC NEWS | Wales | Wales politics | 'Most want' more powers for Wales: "The poll, which was carried out online in early October"


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How many people knew there was a poll? How did they select the voters?

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Politics Show | Regions | Wales | Late-paying councils 'cost firms'

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Politics Show | Regions | Wales | Late-paying councils 'cost firms': "You have a firm in one part of Wales who is able to survive because they're getting paid on time and a similar firm elsewhere that has to close their doors simply because they're not getting their invoices paid"


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Is it time for an overhaul of public services in Wales?

It is a fact that in some counties of Wales you are treated differently to those in other, often adjacent, counties. Whether it be planning policy, contract awards or payment for services as is highlighted here there is discrimination based upon your postcode.

Would it be more efficient, and more transparent, if many functions which are duplicated by way of personnel yet disparate in the manner they are carried out were made available through a central apolitical system?

Housing remains cash priority in Wales - Planning Resource Daily Bulletin - PlanningResource

Housing remains cash priority in Wales - Planning Resource Daily Bulletin - PlanningResource: "A total of £40 million, which was planned for spending on building and buying affordable home in 2010-11, was spent earlier to provide a fiscal stimulus to the Welsh economy."


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Was that wise?

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Influential members expected to endorse Jones’ leadership bid

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Influential members expected to endorse Jones’ leadership bid: "CARWYN JONES’ campaign to succeed Rhodri Morgan as Welsh Labour leader got a significant boost today, with the endorsement of a clutch of influential MPs."


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Carwyn Jones for President, he has a good legal brain so let's get on with appointing him.

Government denies Wales powers over large-scale energy projects - Williams - politics.co.uk

Government denies Wales powers over large-scale energy projects - Williams - politics.co.uk: "“The implication is that Wales can't be trusted when it comes to energy infrastructure projects of national significance, and it opens the door for major nuclear or wind projects to be built in Wales without any elected body having a say."


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And anything else of importance for that matter? I hope so.

BBC NEWS | Wales | North West Wales | Art centre £15m grant announced

BBC NEWS | Wales | North West Wales | Art centre £15m grant announced: "Other projects include £20m for affordable housing, £3.5 for the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea, £8m for the Childrens Hospital for Wales and £5.3m for a new school at Hendre, Caernarfon, Gwynedd."


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How many affordable houses would £15 provide for Gwynedd residents who face decades on waiting lists?

Will mortgage reforms kill off the recovery? - Mortgages, Money - The Independent

Will mortgage reforms kill off the recovery? - Mortgages, Money - The Independent: "Among the expected reforms, the FSA could put the final nail in the coffin of self-certificated mortgages by establishing a rule that will compel lenders to insist that their customers provide clear proof of income."

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Did the FSA have to provide proof of income prior to borrowing all those £millions? many bsuinesses (the self-employed included) rely upon loans attached to an asset, a building for example, quite often the loan is for expansion when income is only a projection forward. a hope rather than reality.

Regulation is in dire need of balance.

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Campaigners want nuclear station listed

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Campaigners want nuclear station listed: "“The National Park is here to conserve the natural beauty of the area. This building doesn’t contribute to that at all.”"


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If the SNPA can list a 50 year old cowshed they can protect a monument to man's ability to build whatever he wants where he wants if he has enough power to railroad the opposition, take an agrigultural worker's dwelling in Dyffryn Ardudwy for example, despite local opposition the applicant, a community councillor, obtained planning for a dwelling in the open countryside and the proposed occupant, his council worker son, demands a house almost four times the size of the brand new social housing he and his family inexplicably occupy, if he can afford to build a house that size he can afford the deposit for market housing. The SNPA membership is dominated by a farming elite who are never challenged by other members, partularly the ones appointed by the Wesh Assembly Government. An unaccountable Oligarchy is causing great unrest among the residents they see as peasants, residents who have no representation whatsoever, there is no democracy in Gwynedd and certainly none the the 'national park', which nation I ask.

Daily Post North Wales - News - North Wales News - Cash-strapped Gwynedd Council bosses give themselves bumper payrises

Daily Post North Wales - News - North Wales News - Cash-strapped Gwynedd Council bosses give themselves bumper payrises: "Last night critics branded the rises 'insensitive and unacceptable', at a time when nationally, chancellor Alistair Darling has announced a planned pay freeze for all public sector managers"


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Ordinary people don't need any more evidence to support the belief that public sector workers are so far divorced from reality that they deserve no sympathy in the future.

The time of reckoning is long overdue.

Welsh Assembly Government | First Minister opens new Aberystwyth office

Welsh Assembly Government | First Minister opens new Aberystwyth office: "“The opening of this new office in Aberystwyth heralds the latest step in our commitment to bringing our services even closer to the people of Wales."



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Dear Mr Morgan and everyone else at the WAG

What the people of wales need is housing and jobs, not more offices.

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - WAG seeks adviser to promote science and technology

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - WAG seeks adviser to promote science and technology: "WALES is searching for a £120,000-a-year Chief Scientific Adviser to deliver First Minister Rhodri Morgan’s vision of a “small, clever country”."

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And I thought Gwynedd County Council were mad for wasting money on an 'ambassador' who would go 'clubbing' in London with a view to persuading 'clever' Welsh people to return to the impoverished hillsides in Welsh Wales. Now we are wasting £360,000 (plus) on a 'teacher'. Good grief.

Betws-y-Coed's ‘spaceship’ toilet designs flushed away by planners - North Wales Weekly News

Betws-y-Coed's ‘spaceship’ toilet designs flushed away by planners - North Wales Weekly News: "They were adamant the design, with oak and glass walls, was unsuitably futuristic and shouldn’t be built in a conservation area."

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What do they want? Mud huts? If they go far back enough in history they would find people urinating and defacating wherever they stood. If something pleases the eye and makes them think then what is the problem? The NIMBY element are once again creating unnecessary expense for everyone apart from themselves.

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Wales’ heritage gems snubbed by ‘at-risk’ list

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Wales’ heritage gems snubbed by ‘at-risk’ list: "But conservationists Mark Baker and Michael Tree expressed disbelief that no Welsh sites have made it onto the list."

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I thought the whole of Gwynedd should be on the list, if xenophobic Plaid Cymru policies are allowed to strangle the communities in the way they have for the last few decades they may have the largest museum on the planet.

BBC NEWS | Wales | 'Unhealthy tensions' at watchdog

BBC NEWS Wales 'Unhealthy tensions' at watchdog: "'This includes so-called 'cherry picking' of staff for projects and allocation of staff without the opportunity to express an interest in the work which contributes to perceptions of nepotism and a lack of transparency.'
'Positive feedback'
The report said a smaller, more coherent executive committee at the audit office could help address some of the issues, but only if its members work together at a senior level within the organisation.
Despite the criticisms, the review found that the body received consistently positive feedback from the organisations it was called in to investigate."
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Our opinion:

Too many organisations providing 'positive feedback' does not inspire confidence in the work of the Wales Audit Office (WAO), is this a direct result of the 'cherry picking' of staff for projects? Having the same auditors going into the same local authorities year after year is unhealthy.

BBC NEWS | Wales | Taxpayers' money for steel plants

BBC NEWS Wales Taxpayers' money for steel plants: "Steelmaker Corus is being given £1.1m Welsh Assembly Government funding in a scheme designed to head off redundancies.
The money is to train workers at plants in Port Talbot and Llanwern.
It is the single biggest payout yet from a fund to help companies retain staff in the recession, rather than making them redundant.
The money comes from the ProAct scheme, which is designed to help companies in Wales cope in the economic downturn.
The funding, a £2,000 training subsidy and £2,000 wage subsidy per worker, is aimed at helping firms keep their staff rather than making them redundant
So far, the scheme has spent £17.3m on helping 129 companies."


Some small businesses could do with some assistance but yet again it is the big boys who receive the cash which evenually pours down the drains at the pub.

Welsh green scheme's impact overlooked says union

Welsh green scheme's impact overlooked says union: "This highlighted a viable and profitable upland farming industry could, in addition to its primary role in food production and environmental protection, deliver a number of wider social, economic and cultural activities."


What did the 'uplands' look like before farmers cleared all the heather, burnt the 'eithin', shot the birds and drained the marsh?

BBC NEWS | Wales | Wales politics | Plaid to tackle its 'false image'

BBC NEWS Wales Wales politics Plaid to tackle its 'false image': "Party strategists have long been aware of the dangers of it being seen as simply a party for Welsh speakers or rural areas, more interested in independence than the more immediate concerns of ordinary voters"

In Gwynedd and the Snowdonia National Park these are not simply perceptions Ieuan, they are facts of life. More acurate would be the statement that it is a party for its own members' interests, a party for bigotry, a party for discrimination and for xenophobic policies. It is a dead party.

Commonsense approach to Welsh language

Peter Hain welcomes commonsense approach to Welsh Language

6 Oct 2009 03:49 PM

Amendments agreed to the Welsh Assembly Government's proposed Welsh Language Order will ensure a commonsense approach to safeguarding and promoting the Welsh language for the future, Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain said today.

Mr Hain said: "As everyone is aware, I am a strong supporter of the Welsh language and I firmly believe that the National Assembly for Wales is the natural home to legislate in relation to the language.

"My aim is to ensure a strong and healthy future for the Welsh language, building on the solid foundations set out in the Welsh Language Act 1993 in a commonsense, evolutionary way, and ensuring that the Welsh language is a source of pride for everyone in Wales - whether or not they speak Welsh.

"Over the summer the Wales Office and Welsh Assembly Government agreed a number of changes to the proposed Legislative Competence Order (LCO) to ensure a more sustainable and commonsense approach to safeguarding and promoting the Welsh language for the future. We agreed these changes after considering the recommendations of the Welsh Affairs Committee and Assembly's Legislation Committee No 5, as well as the views of businesses and the Welsh public.

"I believe we are now striking the right balance in this LCO between the interests of those Welsh speakers who wish to conduct their day-to-day lives in the language, and the majority of people in Wales who do not speak Welsh."

Mr Hain added: "The new challenge mechanism gives strong reassurance to organisations that duties cannot be applied to them unreasonably or disproportionately. This is an especially important safeguard for smaller organisations and charities. Other modifications to the LCO make sensible changes to better define its scope and ensure that only essential sectors of business are included.

"No-one wants to see companies put off investing in Wales because of burdensome duties being imposed on business. The LCO allows the National Assembly to legislate on the language to apply solutions in a variety of circumstances - there's no 'one-size-fits-all' solution for delivering services in Welsh."

A Welsh Grand Debate on the Welsh Affairs Committee report on the Welsh Language Order will be held next Wednesday (14 October). The proposed Order is also set to be debated by all MPs on the floor of the House of Commons later in the autumn.

Notes to Editors

The UK Government and the Welsh Assembly Government have agreed changes to the Welsh Language LCO following the scrutiny of the proposed Order undertaken by the Welsh Affairs Select Committee at Westminster and a Committee of the National Assembly.

The key changes are:

• The Assembly will be able to impose duties on a body only if there is a means for that body to be able to challenge the imposition on grounds of reasonableness and proportionality. This means the reasonableness of duties will be a key consideration in developing an Assembly Measure.
• The minimum threshold for bodies receiving substantial sums of public money is increased to £400,000 a year. This higher threshold ensures key organisations of a national character, such as the National Botanic Garden, come within scope, but local voluntary, charitable and sporting bodies do not. Welsh language duties will not be placed on bodies receiving one-off grants.
• Bus services are to be brought within competence (railway services were already within scope).
• The type of bodies established by prerogative instrument (Royal Charter) which come within scope will be more clearly defined so as to leave out a long list of bodies, including the Girl Guides and Royal British Legion.
• Shops are excluded from the LCO, with the exception of certain retail services such as Post Office counter services and the sale of tickets and timetables for bus and railway services.
• Only training funded wholly or partly by public money will come within scope.
• Electricity and gas production and transmission are to be deleted from the LCO given that they have little direct interface with the public.
• Any Welsh language duties placed on broadcasters may not relate to programming or editorial freedom.

The Welsh Grand Committee will debate the LCO on 14 October. Following that debate, the Secretary of State and Welsh Assembly Government will reflect further and, subject to the Assembly's approval, will present the draft LCO to Parliament later in the autumn.

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Wales Office » Archive » Peter Hain welcomes commonsense approach to Welsh Language

Wales Office » Archive » Peter Hain welcomes commonsense approach to Welsh Language: "“I believe we are now striking the right balance in this LCO between the interests of those Welsh speakers who wish to conduct their day-to-day lives in the language, and the majority of people in Wales who do not speak Welsh.”"

Here, Here, well said Mr Hain.

Daily Post North Wales - Farming - Farming News - We don’t want EU aid in Wales

Daily Post North Wales - Farming - Farming News - We don’t want EU aid in Wales: "Yet the Welsh dairy sector is still worth £350.7m a year"

How much does it cost in taxpayer subsidy whether is be via the EU or elsewhere?