So Will Welsh Labour Give Bridgend Town Ghost Town Status?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have in this blog only as recently as last week chatted about the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town caused I would argue by the arrogant incompetence of the Welsh Labour council.

Well something in the local paper has resuscitated my interest. And interestingly it's something outside of the town.

Work is being started in Leonitd , an open cast mine between Bridgend and Llantrisant (which was a quaint village in the beginning of the Rhonndda Cynon Taff borough). Now of course all of what I'm going to say is Property Developer speak but the proposal is for 5,000 houses with health and leisure facilities plus a railway station.

So let's go hypothetical. Let's assume that everything the Property Developer says is true. And remember that this development is between Bridgend and Llantrisant. For this is a good example of how if you live outside it, Bridgend Town has, with very few exceptions, has become a ghost town for your thoughts (and remember I'm talking about the town and not the overall area).

Where would they go for shopping? Nearby there is a retail park including a massive Tesco as well as an Aldi. Along the nearby M4 there is the Macarthur Glen outlet store.

No reason to visit Bridgend Town.

As I've advised previously how can Bridgend Town compete with the lack of public toilets, the market with it's Christmas decorations in April and empty stalls, the many empty shops, the look of sheer despair?

If you want to go to the beach there's Porthcawl.

No reason to make a detour to go to Bridgend Town.

As far as I see it the only reasons to visit the town are seeing family/friends, watching Bridgend Rugby club and if you have to go to a bank.

Otherwise where is the incentive to visit unless you have to? 

Bridgend Town is the urban equivalent of the effect of Brexit on Britain's image abroad. A place with a proud history now observed as a place for mockery and pity. And that's if people give it any thought at all.

It has become a ghost town because of Labour.

Until the next time.

Bridgend Town. The Urban Tragedy Is Getting Worse

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It has been a while since I've been able to wander round Bridgend Town, a subject that I've chatted about since this blog began. Explaining how a proud place is being brought to it's knees by the arrogant incompetence of the Welsh Labour council.

Well on as always an admittedly unscientific wander round on Wednesday I can only say that things are actually getting worse.

Even the good news isn't really that good. What was the Co-op bank has now been replaced by a Vape shop. Now I've nothing against the Vape shop personally, though I don't smoke. but you know when something is wrong with a town when the opening of such a shop is good news.

Similarly the Phones 4 U shop which has been untouched since the chain when into administration in 2014? Well the hoardings were being taken down. However the TO LET signs were still there. Which suggests that it's the latest in the line of unoccupied stores still seeking a retailer. Plenty of those in the town. But as I've said before it's literally glossing over the cracks. It's like giving a homeless guy a smart suit.

So again it makes this decision odd.

The Old McDonald's Store

Build flats for social housing. Great. But over shops when there are plenty of already empty ones in the town? Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

(Though on the issue of homeless people it's the first time I've seen them in Bridgend aside from selling The Big Issue - Only a couple. But the fact they were there in a small place like Bridgend Town should give you an idea of how bad British society has become)

So as I've said the urban tragedy is getting worse. Let's start with this.

Empty Again

This store was closed down. Opened again last year and has now closed again. To be honest I thought it was in trouble when I last did a similar post in January but didn't mention it as I didn't want to be seen wishing it's decline. I'd noticed that whilst it was the Sales season they seemed to be discounting everything. Not a good sign. Unfortunately some times my instinct is right.

You may remember that one of the few rays of hope was the Bridgend Indoor Market (run by the council) where investment had resulted in a slight increase in stalls. Well nothing seemed to have changed from my last visit. Which is not good.

There still vast swathes of empty stalls and it still has this to deal with.

Christmas....in April

Christmas decorations in April does not help the image of the market or the town. I've contacted the council to see if anything can be done (after all they've been up there for a year and a quarter now). But in all honesty I don't see much hope.

And speaking of things left up for about a year.

That bunting's been up for about a year

I mean there's really no excuse for the council just to get someone to just go and get it down now is there? Ah no perhaps there is. Just like last year the council have organised a World War II event for June. Why? Who knows? Perhaps it's to show everyone Britain after Brexit?

The organisers will say people will come into the town for the event. And perhaps they will. But as last year's events show they will not return if there's nothing different to return to. They really are a waste of money.

Let's talk about a couple of stores together:

A Store My Mother Liked

and

This really was unexpected

Now I know what some of you and the Welsh Labour council will say. Evans and Oxfam have been closing stores throughout Britain. This is not a Bridgend problem.

But you see it is. For if you create a situation, which Labour have done and which I've discussed many times previously, where less people want to come to the town unless necessary, then retail profits will go down. If you're a national chain in difficulties and need to close down stores therefore Bridgend makes itself venerable. Their closure means less people will go to the town which will make ( ouside of Aldi, Asda and Tesco) the situation of remaining shops even more perilous.

It's a vicious circle. Created by Welsh Labour.

In the Rhiw Shopping Centre (which I wonder whether it would have a future without W H Smith) there has been this closure since my last visit.

They were Insurance brokers

They were insurance brokers and have moved to Swansea.

Finally I'll leave you with this.

And this time I'm not going to talk about the statue

Behind the statue are the public toilets, or rather were the public toilets. They were closed down in January. I've written before if you are desperate now you have to go to the nearby ASDA go up an escalator and cross the first floor before reaching the loos there.

Difficult enough if you're able bodied. But to my shame it hadn't occurred to me until Wednesday that Disabled toilets have also been closed (the door on the left of the picture). That trip would obviously be even more difficult. Hence another reason for people to avoid Bridgend Town.

As it's Good Friday I was toying about whether or not to end the post this way but I will.

Truly the Welsh Labour Council have crucified the town.

Until the next time.

Carwyn Jones' Alleged Ultimate Insult To Bridgend.

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

In the life of everybody, but especially a politician, perception is everything. Whatever the actual truth of an issue events might lead people to think in one direction. And it's up to the politician to make sure that it's a perception to his/her advantage.

Carwyn Jones may no longer be First Minister of Wales but he's still an Assembly Member for Bridgend and a prominent Welsh Labour politician. Yesterday (Tuesday) was not a good day for him.

The High Court announced that it was illegal for Carwyn Jones to have made decisions on the inquiry on Carl Sargeant. The Assembly Member committed suicide in November 1987 following his sacking by Mr Jones which in itself followed allegations of sexual harassment. The inquiry was to judge the former First Minister's handling of the incident.

Now I stress as I've done in the past on this that I have absolutely no idea who is even partly responsible for the circumstances surrounding Mr Sargeant's death. But given that the High Court has advised that Mr Jones' actions in the inquiry process were illegal clearly it doesn't put him in a good light.

But other than mentioning it in passing I won't chat about the Carl Sargeant inquiry now. That will be for another day. Instead I'll focus on something else.....for Carwyn Jones has another job.

It was announced that he was to join Business News Wales to boost it's "senior advisory team" (there's a junior one?). I presume (as there's no indication otherwise) that there's a fee involved.

Imagine then that you're an employee of Ford Bridgend Engine plant. A plant that will already have half the current workforce vanish and following reports in the media that it might be threatened further if there is a Hard Brexit. Imagine how you would feel reading that. Your local Assembly Member supposedly fighting (and failing) to protect your interests as First Minister and now Assembly Member apparently feathering his nest whilst your job and indeed your future is breaking down.

As I said Perception is everything. He might be doing it for free. Or giving his money to charity. But until we know otherwise this is the perception we're getting. And if it's wrong it's up to him to put the record straight.

Potentially though it could actually get worse. The allegation, and it's no more than that at this stage, is that he's seeking a seat in the House of Lords. Imagine again that you're that employee of the Ford Bridgend Engine plant. Just think what you'd think of him then. Especially if (assuming the rumour is correct) he decides to call himself Lord Jones of Bridgend. After all as I've posted many times in this blog he does bare some responsibility for the area's decline. Particularly when it comes to Bridgend Town.

As I've also said before the one certain thing about Carwyn Jones since the Carl Sargeant incident is that he lost his skill as a politician. If I was him my next steps would be very careful indeed.

Until the next time.

Porthcawl "Too Rich" Or Bridgend Labour Council Too Poor?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I've read in the local Bridgend paper the Glamorgan Gazette a report about an alleged remark a  county councillor made describing Porthcawl as being basically too rich.

Now as insults go "hold my beer" as they say. Or in my case "Hold my cup of tea". Still it's an interesting idea of (if true) a certain type of attitude.

So let's start off with one simple fact. Porthcawl is not a "rich" town. There are of course "rich" parts in the town, especially near the sea, but nothing I've ever seen that would make it into one of those shows flaunting lifestyles of the rich and famous. Of course all of that depends on your definition of "rich" which I'll come back to in a moment.

No Porthcawl as a town is neither super rich or dirt poor. It's basically a normal friendly seaside town with the normal mixture within it.

Indeed perhaps one thing that the councillor might not have noticed (and if not why not?) is that a lot of the houses close to the sea are guesthouses. The rich are not living there. We're talking about small businesses making ends meet.

Now again assuming that the remark was correct what is perhaps interesting is to work out why it was said. I'd guessed when I started reading the story that the councillor was from the ruling Labour council and represented Bridgend Town. Perhaps subconsciously for him Porthcawl is too rich when compared to the urban tragedy that I've discussed often in this blog that is Bridgend Town.

In the very same edition the Glamorgan Gazette also ran a story that the Welsh government body had given the council to smarten up the town and do up the many empty shops there. Thing is though whilst not a bad thing in itself it's literally and metaphorically putting gloss over the cracks. Literal window dressing will not hide the consequences of arrogant incompetence that Bridgend Labour council have wrought on Bridgend Town for decades.

So perhaps (using the definitions he set) the councillor should ask himself not why Porthcawl is so rich but why Bridgend town is so poor? Perhaps then he will realise that it's a consequence of the policies of the party he represents. Perhaps then he will take the brave decision to move to Plaid Cymru. A party that will take the issue of the state of Bridgend Town seriously.

Perhaps. For if he did. Perhaps the council will sit up and take notice.

Until the next time.

Does Barry In South Wales Need A Rebrand? Perhaps Slightly.......Very Slightly.

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

There is apparently a National Lottery "Great Place" scheme which gives money areas to rebrand and publicise itself to the world out there. Barry in South Wales has apparently received such money.

It posed an interesting question in my head. Does Barry actually need a rebrand? And I think the answer is slightly. Very slightly.

Regular readers may remember that one of my first posts on Barry Town was chatting about a comment made by Cardiff Labour Councillor Russell Goodway who said that Barry Town lacked a purpose (he incidentally lives in the area!). It gives a perception that Barry Town is just....well...there. I suspect Cardiff Labour Council just thinks Barry is there for day trips and a commuting town for people who can't afford the cost of living in the capital.

But I like Barry. No one will ever compare it with Paris or Milan or even Bari (sorry couldn't resist) but it strikes me as having a happy-go-lucky charm and obviously more livelier than it's urban pair of slippers equivalent in nearby Penarth.

Having lived near the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town I can tell you that Barry's problems are small in comparison.

There is I suspect the need to emphasise that there is a difference between what Barry Town and Barry Island have to offer. If you don't know the area (and before I moved to Wales I did this) there is a good chance you'd confuse the two. The Island (not really an island) is the seaside part with all you would expect from such a place.

The town seems drab in comparison. But if you look under the surface it has the ability to surprise. Barry High Street (which I've written about previously) was an absolute revelation to me. I haven't seen this line-up of mainly independent and quirky shops for decades. Really it should become a heritage site it's that unique.

(A quick digression. When my daughter was about two there was a programme on Ceebies called Doodle Do hosted by Welsh comedian Chris Corcoran. In this particular episode I watched with her  he told a story of a guy called Barry who got shipwrecked. One of the first things he did according to Mr Corcoran was to name the place Barry Island.

Well I laughed. My daughter however turned to me with a confused look on her face. As if to say why is Dad laughing at a programme for me?)

So perhaps there is a need to emphasise the differences and qualities the Island and the Town has. As well as keeping the free car parking in the area (Unlike Bridgend Town for example. One of areas I'd argue which has damaged it so severely).

Nowhere is perfect and Barry does have issues. But in terms of branding and promoting itself other than a bit of sprucing up and a lick of paint here and there (both physically and metaphorically) my view is that Barry should be proud at what it is.

Barrybados with hidden gems.

Until the next time

Porthcawl: A Town In Danger Of Lacking Small Change?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Sometimes in this blog inspiration comes in the most surprising of moments. I was going to write nothing today. The sun was shining (unusually for February it was a spring day) and there was really nothing else to say. Especially as I was no where near finishing any of the four books I'm currently reading (most poncey statement I'll probably make this week but there you are).

But yesterday I had this conversation which for whatever reason led to the issue of bank closures in Porthcawl. The Natwest I mentioned before closed last year. It's turned into of all things a betting shop. So if I have my sums right there are three bank branches left....but not for long.

For Barclays Bank in February announced the closure of it's branch.

And what the guy said to me about the situation in Porthcawl was that already some small traders find themselves running out of change because people go to a cashpoint machine, find that the lowest amount of money it will give them is £10. They will then go to a shop, buy the cheapest thing they can see, say "sorry don't have anything smaller" (which of course would be true) and thus the shopkeeper's stock of small change dwindles.

For these small shop owners to get change they would have to drive to Bridgend Town go to the branch there, get a lot of money in change (making them venerable to mugging) and drive back to Porthcawl. This operation would take at the very least the best part of an hour.

You might say "Why don't they change their bank branch?" A statement that's not unreasonable but for all we know a particular business might for example have a loan with Barclays or Natwest so things are not so simple or clear cut.

Now I know full well that bank closures are occurring across Britain. But what makes Porthcawl's situation relatively unique is that it's a seaside town and so come the summer months this small change situation will increase when tourists and day trippers arrive. Indeed irony of irony if  we're lumbered with the long dark Brexit of the soul then Porthcawl actually might profit given that people would stay in Britain during the holiday period.

And with timing that could almost be described as malevolent the Barclays Bank branch is set to close in May.

Let me reiterate one point before I go on. I'm not talking about the big chains (relatively few) or even the arcades. I'm talking about the bakers, the many cafes, the gift shops. Small businesses. Businesses that do a lot of their turnover in cash. Businesses that banks bent over backwards to in trying to get their custom. Announcing the closure in February and closing in May does not give these businesses enough time to plan for this situation.

So whilst the best option is for Barclays to completely stop this closure at the very least there is a case to postpone it until the autumn thus giving businesses an opportunity to know what they will need to prepare for for the future taking into account summer business.

It will also give the opponents of the closure another chance to fight to have it stopped of course.

And of course the greatest irony is that the Porthcawl situation shows that even in a supposedly card based cashless contactless society the old way that is cash is still needed in this day and age.

Until the next time.

Warning : Bridgend Labour Council Are "Consulting" Again

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Firstly apologies in advance that a lot of things I'm going to write about today I've repeated from a previous post. But given that Bridgend Labour are "consulting" (ie asking whether you want your perfectly healthy arm or leg chopped off when the option you'd prefer, no organs chopped, is not on the table) I felt it was worthwhile returning to it.

Bridgend council currently fund certain bus routes mainly from isolated communities to the main towns in the area. This is what they want to withdraw completely and this is what the "consulting" is about.

They say it's because of the cuts in the grant by the Welsh Labour government. So remember. If Welsh Labour blames Welsh Labour then Welsh Labour is to blame.

So this consulting. If you live near the area affected even if you have a car you'll say "keep the route" in case your car doesn't work. If you don't then you wouldn't really care. That's human nature. It means nothing to the relevance of the service.

And let's not forget here that the commercial viability of the service is not the issue here. If it was commercial then the council wouldn't be funding it in the first place. It was there so that the venerable in our society could have access to the main towns and it's relevant services such as doctors, dentists and libraries (obviously the library bit doesn't include Bridgend Town).

So again as in Cardiff the proposed closure of the bus service affects the very people that the Labour party are supposed to support. At least the Labour party aren't throwing them under the bus as there would be no bus rolling over them!

And remember this. At a time when Bridgend Town in particular is on it's knees withdrawing support means less chance for people to spend money in the town shops. So further damaging the local economy.

Again a cut that's not been thought through.

Welsh Labour in Bridgend and Cardiff. Supporting the community....unless you travel by bus.

Until the next time.

The Possible Effect Of The Ford Redundancies On Bridgend Town

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It's been about two weeks since the news leaked out and a week since it was officially confirmed that there would be widespread redundancies in the Ford Engine plant in Bridgend. I've already chatted about the effect on the people there previously. As I've said I only know some of the workers on an acquaintance level and I've not spoken to them about it since. After all you don't start a chat to a person about a possible redundancy. You just don't.

So next to the people who work there the next point of interest is the effect of this news on nearby Bridgend Town. As I've explained practically since the blog began, Bridgend Town is an urban tragedy largely brought on by the arrogant incompetence of the local Labour council. Clearly this is going to make the situation in the town even worse.

In a short space of time the town will face Brexit and the Ford redundancies. It is, as things stand now, in no position to cope.

The situation in Ford's and it's probable effects on the town is in fact another error by the Labour council. I know what you're going to say "How can you ….even as a Plaid Cymru member blame the Labour council for events out of it's control?"

Because as I chatted in this blog the alarm bells were being raised by Ford two years ago. 

The council could have, should have, set up a committee to deal with the possible scenario of plant closure or massive redundancies by Ford regarding it's effects on the town. But it does not appear to have done so. I've written before that the council seemingly runs the town on a crisis management basis. Yet when a real crisis emerges to damage the town further the management seems non existent.

Before the announcement, and I don't know the percentage between the council and private developers, there seems to have been an idea of just doing up the empty shops in the town in the hope of attracting new retailers. "Build it and they will come" as it were.

But for the most part they haven't come. Many of these shops just stand empty with a To Let sign on them and what this announcement means, combined with the Brexit uncertainty, is that it's unlikely to happen soon if at all.  I've no idea how many people being made redundant live in the area. But it's not unreasonable to assume the majority. We will have people going into the town to buy the basics for living in the supermarkets and bargain stores and that's it.

So what can be done to help the town? Well in truth I'm not sure now. The town is facing threats from things outside it's control (Brexit, online shopping, austerity) as well as the consequences of the actions of the local Labour council which I've detailed previously. The only thing I can suggest, as I've suggested before, is that the Welsh Labour council try to persuade the Welsh National Government to reduce the business rates for the town. But whether that will help, especially in the short term I honestly don't know.

For the moment things look grim to say the least.

One final thing for today. The local paper advises that they'll be a committee set up by the council to handle the immediate issues surrounding Brexit including social unrest.

Well judging by the council's history that'll end well.

Until the next time.

The Insomniac Meanderings Post : No Relief For Public Toilets In Bridgend Town Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

You may remember I've chatted about the closure of public conveniences in the Bridgend area due to cuts by the local Labour council which they blame on the Welsh Labour national government in Cardiff.

Welsh Labour blaming Welsh Labour folks.

Well one of the towns involved, Porthcawl has, in the words of the local paper have now found "relief" as the town council are going to take over the running of the public convenience there. Hurrah for Porthcawl

But again it brings into focus the fact that there is no relief for Bridgend Town. The toilets there are closed and there are no signs it will reopen.

So again Bridgend Town is caught short. Not just in comparison with other towns in South Wales but also other towns in it's own area.

This is really manslaughter through neglect. A drip, drip of decline where when you step back you realise is an absolute torrent. As I've explained before, this is due to the arrogant incompetence of Welsh Labour.

Meanwhile Plaid Cymru shadow economy minister Rhun Ap Iorweth has contacted and will be meeting Ford in Bridgend in the light of their announcement of substantial job losses in the engine plant. More than the local Labour AM Carwyn Jones appears to have done. I've also suggested he should walk round the town beforehand so he can understand the urban tragedy Labour have caused and how these redundancies will make the situation even worse.

One of the headlines in the BBC News website here is that in a survey the greatest searches for anti-Semitic phrases on the internet is here in Wales. The picture then is of a rise of intolerance.

And yet.

When you read the report there were just 170,000 such searches in the disunited  Kingdom as a whole for the period from 2004-2018!. I'm not saying anti-Semitism doesn't exist in Wales but really this proves nothing and certainly does not deserve the headline status the BBC gave it. Unsure why that was as well.

At last the snow situation for me has reduced to being picturesque and from a distance. The only good thing about it was that for a while it made me forget about Brexit.

But let's talk about Brexit. I was tweeting on Brexit just this morning when I got a Direct Mail response from a follower in England saying how much he was against it. Thing is. He went the Direct Mail route for fear of being attacked by Brexiteer internet trolls.

Britain today folks.

Until the next time.

On Penarth Town Catching A Bridgend Cold And Barry Town's Quiet Pleasure

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Penarth is the closest town to where we live. Hopefully we will be moving house in the area in a month. I won't say much more about the moving process until it happens but as the last attempt showed nothing is certain until we actually move in.

I haven't really chatted about the place which has been remiss of me. So let me put it this way the town (as opposed to the nearby pier) is the urban equivalent of a pair of slippers. Comfortable, relaxing, slightly old fashioned but then again so am I.

But had to visit the town this morning and found something very disturbing which was this:

Christmas Decorations

Could have shown more along the main street but I'll spare you.

I probably was the only person who looked at this and thought of Bridgend Town. Specifically the Bridgend town Indoor Market with the Christmas lights that stayed there all last year. You might think that I'm obsessed by unseasonal Xmas lights and possibly I am. But as I've tried to explain regarding Bridgend image is king and lights still hanging on after the season of goodwill has long since gone as we're on Brexit long dark midnight of the soul Eve is not a good look.

Next stop Barry Town.

View From Barry Town Car Park

There didn't appear to be much change in the town since my last look. There seems to be two exceptions. Opposite the Windsor Hotel (still closed by the way) is this.

Another empty elegant looking building

It seems to have been a drop in centre for people suffering from mental health issues, It now has been moved to a nearby hospital.

And close by The Royal Bank Of Scotland branch is now no more.

Death Of A Branch

This was Holton street. I had thought it was High Street Barry until about six months ago. Now I know better but this was my destination today.

It's a bit of a walk from Holton Street to the High Street but not difficult.

High Street Barry is actually misnamed unless it was the steep turn to finally reach it because in between the classic terraced houses there isn't any large department stores. Instead it's a group of small shops and with the exception of the grocery store all of them were independent.

But the key thing is the mixture. For between the hairdressers and the butchers there were also this type of modern gift store.

Arty stuff

Or you could see a Deli, other gift stores or.....

...even a toy shop

Many years since I've seen a small toyshop.

Wandering around the street after I did what I went there for was an unexpected pleasure. I decided to go into a shop to buy something. It turned out to be a gift shop called Annie and Lolo,

I got this

The eponymous "Annie"was in the shop and we chatted. Yes chatted. She was originally from the South Wales Valleys and after a roundabout tour round Britain found the High Street in Barry...as you do.

Oh and why did I buy a recipe journal? Well when I'm called upon to cook for a long while later in the year I'll need meals that are simple and quick. Hence the need of something to write down.

It has been a long time since I have seen a town with a relatively large and mixed group of independent shops in one place. Barry Town's quiet pleasure should be spread far and wide

Until the next time.

Bridgend Ford Engine Plant : The News Is Revealed

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

On Friday reports came in about the car manufacturer's plans with regard to the Ford engine plant in the area. Ford's have not confirmed the plans as they are consulting with the unions, but let's assume that these reports are correct.

So what is being reported is that in a two year period roughly half of the current workforce will be made redundant. It's not clear whether all of these redundancies will be voluntary. That's almost a thousand people who will find themselves without a job. They will be affected, their families will be affected, the South Wales area and particularly Bridgend will be affected.

Really the complete plant closure aside this news really could not be worse.

I've chatted about the plant since about March 2017 when it's future became an issue. The workforce have had this hanging over their heads since then. Whilst I do not know people who work there as friends as such I do know some people on an acquaintance basis. One person told me last year that he had been offered voluntary redundancy which he'd turned down but almost instantly regretted because he sensed the atmosphere in the place had changed. I get that. I remember feeling that very sense of foreboding in a call centre I used to work at before it closed down.

The Welsh Labour government has supported the plant through the years only recently in this blog I queried the monies it was giving Ford to support it over Brexit on the grounds that no one really knows what and indeed how Brexit is going to turn out to be. Current First Minister Mark Drakeford has issued what is best described as holding tweets on the issue. His predecessor, Carwyn Jones, who lets not forget is the local Assembly Member has promised to work to continue the plant's future. Again a bland anodyne statement when politicians should be fighting for the people who actually voted for them.

The Welsh Labour government does not appear to have done any planning for Ford cutting back in Bridgend and it's effects on the wider area. Neither indeed have the Welsh Labour council. Only a few posts back I chatted how their actions with regard to Bridgend Town should be considered urban manslaughter. Well this decision is hardly going to help the town is it? Let's assume the majority of the people threatened with redundancy are from the area. They won't be able to spend as much money on local businesses. They have had two years to deal with a worse case scenario and nothing seems to have been done. Shameful.

The council is cutting services because of the lack of grants from the Labour government. This situation needs to be reviewed. If we assume the redundancies take place then Labour needs to attract new investment and this will not occur if they allow the area to be run down.

I have been made redundant. I can remember the paralysing depression it gave me. I multiply that feeling one thousand times, then multiply the effect on their families.

This is not the greatest of moments folks.

Until the next time.

A Short Trip Round Porthcawl Leading To A Chat On Brian Aldiss,Thomas Mann and Hilary Clinton....As You Do

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It was Thursday morning. I'd been to the dentist (surprisingly better than expected) and had about two hours (including lunch) to fill before going to work. I'd been to Bridgend Town before Christmas but hadn't visited Porthcawl for a while and was curious to see what it was like. So Porthcawl it was.

Now let's start with the obvious. It was a nice day. Hence a good picture looking at the sea is required.

I did my best

In my short time round the town the best thing is that nothing much has changed. I've mentioned before of the maritime centre being built and though there were two shops closing down I suspect they will be replaced very soon given that I didn't see any empty shops. Only one place has closed down since my last visit and I'll return to that in a moment.

It's looking good

So after a good sausage sandwich lunch in a café (where the waitress revealed that when she gets angry she's liable to smash things) I went to my favourite charity shop in the area with it's wide display on the first floor of books. But before that let's chat about the one building in the area that has closed down since my last visit. A closure that indeed made the national news.

The public toilets

Now from the outside it's a nice looking building that blends into it's surroundings. Built in the days when councils cared about such things.

From the inside it was clean and (if you excuse the expression) did it's job.

Now for the moment at least it's closed. And it's a disgrace. As I've said before many people come here for the beach over the summer months and this facility is needed.

Bridgend Labour Council in action folks.

Before I chat about the books I bought in the Porthcawl Animal Welfare (PAWS) charity shop a word about the latest book I've read the complete short stories written in the 1950's by (mainly) Sci-fi writer Brian Aldiss.

Regular readers will know that I am a fan. But to be honest less so here. At best OK at worst (and this seemed to focus on the longer tales) a draft for a novel. What I will say is that I've read some of his short stories written in the sixties and seventies and they were (if you excuse the expression again) out of this world.

Anyway to the two books I actually bought. Firstly one had to be a Penguin in a classic coloured spine cover. It turned out to be.

Thomas Mann - Buddenbrookes

Whilst I have some Thomas Mann books in my great unread and e-unread pile I've never actually got round to reading him. Simply because of so many books so little time. Let's hope I read it relatively soon.

You may remember when I started the insomniac meanderings posts I said I was going to get Hilary Clinton's autobiography? Well I might plead guilty to being late on acting out on my promises but I do try to keep them...

Promise kept....at last

I wonder how many people look at Hilary Clinton now since we've had over two years of the Trump presidency and think...."If Only......"

Of course now I have to get round to reading it.

Until the next time.

Welsh Labour : Guilty Of The Attempted Manslaughter Of Bridgend Town

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Apologies for not posting for the past couple of days. A combination of not being 100%, work and an early morning appointment to the dentist waylaid me. Which is why what I'm going to chat about today happened on Wednesday. I was at a petrol station when a copy of the local paper caught my eye.

No guesses where the "Ghost Town" Is

Now regular readers to this blog would not be surprised by this. But it's good to see the local paper catching up.

As I was reading the article it struck me that Welsh Labour were making excuses for their rule of arrogant incompetence. What I felt I needed to do in one post was to go through the reasons I've explained before as to what they have done. So people can understand that they are guilty of the attempted manslaughter of the town. I say "attempted" because whilst Bridgend Town is still alive Welsh Labour has hurt it.

Austerity,Online shopping and out of town stores are trotted out as an excuse. But as I've said before you compare Bridgend Town with somewhere similar like Pontypridd or Caerphilly it fails, and it fails miserably.

So let's go through how Welsh Labour at national and local level have done this:

Business Rates / Macarthur Glen: Shopowners in the town say that the business rates are too high. It's not an unreasonable claim when there is the Designer Outlet facility Macarthur Glen almost literally down the road, offering big name brands with low prices. You would have thought that it should have allowed a lowering of the rates. But no.

The rates are set by the Welsh Labour Government (who remember until last month was led by Carwyn Jones - the local Bridgend Assembly member - I mean why is he still an Assembly member? What has he done for Bridgend?) but did the Labour council ask for a lowering specifically there  because of the Macarthur Glen effect? If not why not?

Pedestrianism: The Labour council insisted that the high streets of the town centre were pedestrianised. Now it intends to depedestrianise them. When? Well who knows? There was a quote in the paper saying that the council does not have the funds to do it.

If correct that is stunning. You cause damage to the town's trade and whether it's too late or not you cannot undo that mistake because you don't have the money? I'm not a lawyer but personally I'd seek legal advice to see whether or not the council could be sued.

Look Of Town: If the many empty shops were not bad enough the general look of the town would not appeal for visitors to return. Things like the bunting which has been around since may, the Christmas lights that have been in the indoor market for all of 2018, the move of the town centre library away from the town centre and now the closure of the public toilets.

Trust me I could go on, but the point is that whilst by itself these examples seem unimportant added to together they just paint a picture of a town on it's knees.

Future Cuts: There is the possibility of future cuts as well. The most notable being to the bus station (no decision has been made). The council do not seem to realise it creates a vicious circle. If the place continues to be unattractive to visit then less people will come which will mean more shops will close which will mean less income for the council which will mean more cuts.

Lack Of Strategy: As I've explained before there seems to be no clear strategy for the future of the town. It appears to be run on a crisis management basis. You know that is the most worrying thing of all. There's no clear escape.

Which all goes to explain why there is only one word for Welsh Labour regarding Bridgend Town.....

Guilty.

Until the next time.

First Toilets, Now Car Parks. Blog Villian Bridgend Labour Council Continue The Misery

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

One of the constant threads of this blog is the arrogant incompetence of the local Bridgend Labour Council and it's effect on Bridgend Town, supposedly the biggest town in the area.

Well 2019 has not started well with the closure of the public toilets in the town as I've discussed before but now car parks, specifically The Rhiw car park enters the fray.

I've spoken about the car parks in the town before. Most people use the one by the ASDA supermarket for as long as you don't go beyond three hours it's free. Occasionally though it's full and hence the need to look for another car park.

The Rhiw car park made a big deal that it's first hour was free. I mentioned before that unless you had a specific purpose this free hour was pointless. It did not attract people into the town and thus boosting it's economy. It should be completely free.

Well now comes news of how Bridgend Council are going to handle the car parking charges there......by taking away the free hour.

By itself it's nothing. As explained previously most will use the ASDA car park. But as in a drip, drip effect it's another reason not to visit the town. After all if the other car parks were free then it would be a loss leader for Bridgend as more people would (gradually) come in and spend money on the businesses there.New shops would open from the many that are empty. But no. The Council go completely the other way by stopping the small incentive they actually provided.

Why do they do this? The urban tragedy continues and by acting as it's doing only three reasons make sense. They want to do it. They're thick. Or they've just lost control of town management.

Bridgend Labour council......Supporting the community...yeah right.

Until the next time.

Why Public Toilets In Bridgend County Could Force Carwyn Jones To Resign As An Assembly Member

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have in this blog previously discussed both the proposed cuts in public toilets by the Bridgend Labour council and the Hobson's Choice facing ex First Minister Carwyn Jones whilst he is still an Assembly Member in the Welsh Senedd. Well today these issues combine.

Because the cuts have happened. Public toilets in Bridgend Town, Maesteg and Porthcawl have closed down. I'll come back to the one in Porthcawl in a moment and I don't know the one in Maesteg but the closure of the Bridgend Town convenience (which I discussed in a previous post) is just another knock for the urban tragedy caused by Welsh Labour incompetence.

The toilets in Porthcawl might reopen. The county council are currently in negotiation with the Town council. But for the moment they are closed. And so let's assume the worst. In cold January weather it probably isn't really a problem. But Porthcawl is a seaside town. In warm weather people come down to the place for day trips and longer. The place is thronging. The public toilets are just not only used. They are needed.

For now though, they are just history (and the Porthcawl public toilets were built in a time when public services were treated by government as important. I hope to visit the town next Thursday and you will see what I mean by history).

As I've explained previously in this blog, Bridgend council have instigated these cuts following the reduction in the local government grant from the Welsh National government, who have in turn blamed a reduction in monies from the UK government in Westminster. Exactly where the blame lies I do not know. But as I've said before if one part of Welsh Labour blames another part of Welsh Labour then surely Welsh Labour is responsible. Also I've read similar complaints from councils across Wales. The most notable being Caerphilly.

These cuts to local government grants were instigated when Carwyn Jones was First Minister. His Hobson's Choice is simple. If he doesn't even try to call for more money for Bridgend County in the Welsh Assembly he will have failed in his responsibilities to his constituency electorate. If he does his past actions as First Minister will mean he's just be slapped down by the Welsh Government.

(It's interesting to remind ourselves that there was a minister in Carwyn Jones' cabinet who said that local councils who asked for more money from the Welsh government were like Oliver Twist from the Charles Dickens novel. That's the sympathy Jones will get if he asks for more money for Bridgend county)

Bridgend County needs an Assembly Member not tied down by his/her past to effectively represent Bridgend County voters today.

Carwyn Jones is not that person.

Which is why he should resign now.

Until the next time.

Bridgend Town : The Urban Tragedy Christmas Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

As regular readers will know, one of the things that has lead me to supporting Plaid Cymru is the arrogant incompetence of the way they have managed Bridgend Town which has I would argue been the main cause of the many shop closures and general sense of the decline that it gives.

Though I no longer live in the area I still work there and yesterday I had a couple of hours being able to wander round the town.

What I'm going to say next is in no way could be considered scientific. It's just what I saw.

Overall then there appears to be no change since I came here last. Improvements in some areas mitigated by decline in others. This is not a good situation for the town as 2019 approaches. It has the potential to be hit by three separate issues and is venerable to them.

Just on the outskirts of the town centre there was this:

It was an employment office

I wish I could say that Bridgend did not need a place to advertise jobs but we all know that's not the case.

There are as I've explained before four points of reference I start with regard to the town nowadays. Let's begin with the Nolton street arcade. A small group of shops where apart from the two that go directly onward to the street every shop in the arcade has closed down. Let's see what's been done.

Pretend It Doesn't Exist Apparently

I'm assuming (though I don't know) that this was the council's doing but really? Out of sight out of mind is that it? As if people will forget the toyshop that was once here. Or the woollen shop. Or the café.

This is really shameful whoever is responsible.

Then there is the McDonald's. Closed in 2000 left to rot for seventeen years before being demolished last year. Nothing seems to have happened to it for a year....

Yay Construction!!!

Thing is of course that you need to remember that the result is apparently social flats on top of shops. It's the shops bit that amazes. Not only does Bridgend Town have many shops that have been closed down and left to rot. It also has a number of these...

Closed Down - Left To Rot - Spruced Up - Unable To Rent

So in view of this why create another place for empty shops to thrive? It makes no sense whatsoever.

The McDonalds was left to rot for seventeen years. The Phones4U store has been closed since 2014. Let's see if it's still there....

Yes It Is

The really good news story was in the Bridgend Indoor Market. As explained previously it's had a makeover and whilst there are still a number of empty stalls there were new ones as well. Of course it's early days but I think it's fair to say that there is an air of cautious optimism.

The Lights Are On

Those lights which don't forget the council kept up for a year without bothering to take down. At least they're appropriate for now.

I saw one new shop. A hairdresser's but two shops were closed. They were...

Bridgend's in the club no more

This was a clothing store. It took a fair amount of space in the small shopping centre the town has so it's closure is damaging in more ways than one.

Betfred

Even the bookies have given up.

The decline shows itself not just in the empty shops but in other ways too...

Have a look at the bunting

I'm sure this bunting has been around since at least May when the council did something to celebrate VE day. No one it appears has bothered to take it down. It's all around the town centre.

And as it's Christmas let's have a look at the town centre tree.

Dull Isn't It?

Actually there are lights (with the look that they've been purchased from Poundland) and put on as if throwing it and seeing where it landed was the new fashion in Christmas decorations.

It was busy. But the town was not last Saturday before Christmas busy. The out of town stores (actually about a ten/fifteen minute walk away) were heaving with customers.

Bridgend Town is in a venerable state. And potentially 2019 will be the year which will decide it's foreseeable future. A combination of Brexit, the (possibly interlinked) future of the Ford Engine plant and the consequences of the local council cuts means that it will be crossing it's fingers for a while.

Until the next time.

Are Bridgend Labour Council Indulging In Political Spin Over Buses?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Now Bridgend as a county is a place not just of towns but also rural villages. And the council, to be fair have subsidised some bus routes from these villages to the main towns specifically to allow easier access to GP surgeries, libraries and the like as well as letting the residents of these communities do other things not available where they live.

But now blog villain Bridgend Labour council have threatened that all such subsidies will be axed as part of wider cost cutting measures. Cheekily though councillors have actually stated that the local residents need to "use them or lose them". Now this is cheeky for various reasons. Firstly because the whole reason for the cuts as a whole is because the lack of direct funding from the Welsh Labour government. That is what the Welsh Labour council stated during the summer. That's why regarding Bridgend Welsh Labour is blaming Welsh Labour.

Consequently to apparently deflect attention/responsibility to the people of these communities is nothing short of Welsh Labour spin.

Also though I would guess Bridgend Labour Council know full well that these communities would not be able to use the routes to the extent that would make it commercially viable. Why? Because they've been subsidising it. You don't subsidise something that makes money.

So the question is why did they subsidise these routes in the first place when they knew that they would not make money in the private sector? Well presumably because the people who would use the services would be the elderly, the unemployed, people finding it difficult to make ends meet. In other words the venerable in these communities. The venerable who when Bridgend Council started publicising these cuts claimed would be protected.

Cut these bus routes and it might be more difficult for a pensioner to visit his or her GP, or an unemployed person to go in a library to be able to look for a job online. These are the sort of people that the state should be helping.

There is though one other factor that needs noting. If these cuts occur then less people will visit the towns in the area spending money on the local economy. Particularly in the case of the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town that will not help business.

Perhaps Bridgend Labour council will have damaged Bridgend Town further if this goes ahead.

Until the next time.

Why Does Welsh Labour Not Take Pride in Bridgend Town?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish that when I'd gone to Bridgend Town centre on Monday I'd taken more pictures. At the time it seemed pointless. After all they would have just shown the very same swathes of empty shops, the neglect and the general look of a tired town which has become an urban tragedy.

But what has made me regret that decision a few days later is the front page of the yesterday's Western Mail which led in to the towns on the shortlist for Wales' best high street award. And you knew, you knew that Bridgend Town wasn't going to be there.

It led me though to the question: Why does Welsh Labour (which on a national and local level has controlled Bridgend for decades) not take pride in Bridgend Town?

I've discussed since this blog began the empty shops as well as the stalls in the indoor market. Some of these shops let us not forget that that were closed down and left to rot not just itself but the look of the town The classic which I'm sure will be urban myth in years to come was the McDonalds which was closed then left for seventeen years. The Phones4U shop, rotting for four years now has a lot of catching up to do.

There are some shops where renovation work is being undertaken. However from what I could see most of them have a TO LET sign on them afterwards

It's also the neglect. If Welsh Labour had any pride in the appearance of the town it would not have left the Christmas decorations (as I've discussed previously) in the indoor market for nearly a year. Or the bunting hanging along the town following a World War Two VE event in May. It's September and it's still there.

As I've explained previously Welsh Labour have caused the problems through the numerous mistakes the council/national government have made through the years. The pedestrianisation of certain streets proved to be unpopular for example. And crucially the effects of the Macarthur Glen outlet store on the town were not properly thought through.

Thing is of course this situation is going to get worse. Welsh Labour in the form of the council are blaming Welsh Labour in the form of the national government  for the reduction in the monies they receive from Cardiff. Rats fighting amongst themselves there. However this wouldn't be so important if it wasn't for the fact that the council as I've explained before are proposing a series of cuts to accommodate the shortfall.

These cuts include the closing of the public toilet, the bus station and the reduction in the collection of rubbish. How I ask you does that make the town attractive to look at? How does that attract visitors that would spend money that would help make the town thrive?

Other than proposed cuts there seems to be no Welsh Labour plan for the town. It's all crisis management hoping no one will notice.

Welsh Labour have betrayed Bridgend Town. If the town was a child it would have been taken away from Labour's clutches and put in a home with people who would care for it's future. In this case it would be Plaid Cymru.

Labour cannot say it cares for Bridgend Town. For like the Phones4U shop under their stewardship.....it's been left to rot.

Until the next time

Bridgend Town : The Decline Continues

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Regular readers to this blog will know that even though I don't live in the area anymore I make occasional trips to Bridgend Town to look around. As I've discussed previously I believe it's an urban tragedy mainly brought on by the arrogant incompetent management of the local Labour Council.

After visiting it yesterday nothing appears to have changed. Still vast swathes of empty abandoned shops or redeveloped shops no one wants to rent. Indeed it's got slightly worse with a clothes outlet in the local shopping centre closing down.

With one exception I haven't bothered to do any pictures. Simply because there would be no change from the position in July, or when I chatted about it many times beforehand.

Bridgend Town is...let's face it...seemingly being slowly tortured.

I have four indicators re the town that I refer to when I visit. Let's chat about them.

Nolton Street Arcade: This is the small shopping arcade where apart from the two shops that go onto the street every single shop in the arcade has closed down. Well nothing has changed.

Bridgend Indoor Market: The Christmas decorations (it's September!) are still there.

You may remember that there was a plan to revitalise the market but I promised the blogger who first explained it that I wouldn't mention it until September out of fairness to him? Well it's September now so the plan is basically to cut the rents.

Trouble is. Whilst it's fine in itself judging on things as I went there yesterday it doesn't appear to have worked. If anything (though I'm not sure) there may be even more empty outlets.

I think I know why. If you have difficulty in attracting visitors to the town then you will consequentially have difficulty attracting people to the market. Bridgend Council should realise that. And yet nothing appears to either have been done or has been apparently successful.

The Old McDonald's: That is the old McDonald's that had been closed down and left to rot for seventeen years until demolished last year. Well last time I visited there was machinery. Today just a space, a portaloo and three men in high vis jackets.

I mean...what are they doing and why has it taken them so long to do it? Will we have to wait another seventeen years for a building to emerge from it all?

Phones4U: With the demolition of Mcdonald's this I think is the oldest disused space in the town. Four years since it closed down and still nothing.

This was the one I wanted to take the picture of:

Have A Look At The To Let Sign On The Right

Above the actual To Let wording it says in smaller lettering "Prime Shop". Really? If it was a "Prime Shop" it would have been let out a long time ago.

So you see the urban tragedy continues. What it shows above all is that Labour, who helped cause it, should be thrown out and people with, what are the words? Ah yes common sense should take it over. And as I've argued before that should be Plaid Cymru.

Unless anything unexpected happens I'll return again in December.

Before I go and relating to absolutely nothing I wandered round the local W H Smith for a bit and two books caught my eye.

Firstly in Bridgend I give you proof that perfection comes cheap

Told you

And probably the most astonishing book I've seen this year.

I see it. I've taken a picture of it. I still don't believe it

Until the next time.

Word Of Mouth On Tonypandy,Treorchy......And Bridgend Town

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

What I'm going to say has absolutely no scientific basis on it whatsoever. Just word of mouth. But I would contend no less interesting because of that.

Yesterday friends from the Valleys came down for the evening. Given that it was the first opportunity for them to come down and give my daughter her birthday present. It was a pleasant time, and as these things go the conversation led to one thing and then another till suddenly for no obvious reason Tonypandy came into the conversation.

I have not been there for many years. Before indeed my daughter was born. I remember buying something from a greengrocer's (can't remember what) and the shop assistant's surprise that I was speaking with an English accent.

Well apparently that shop has closed down. Along with a number of others. The ASDA's nearby is blamed. Note to self. Have a look next time you're up there.

From then on the conversation moved onto Treorchy and how that town has relatively survived the effects of austerity. Daughter's and wife's eyes rolled upwards. For as I've said on this blog before if my wife dies before me that's where I want to move to.

"But..." said I moving it onwards "surely Tonypandy can't be as bad as Bridgend Town?"

And the answer?

"Umm Someone else has told me Bridgend Town's not that nice".

And that's the point Bridgend Labour Council. When a town's reputation spreads beyond the borders of the borough, then things are really serious.

It may be word of mouth Bridgend Labour Council but it spreads rapidly.

And Bridgend Labour Council you are to blame.

Until the next time.