Readers Letter . . . .
Open Letter to Cllr Haydn Jones
Dear Cllr. Jones,
In the 2008 Election, 646 of the 1657 voters in the Cenarth Ward voted for you and you became our County Councillor. In 2009, over 500 people wrote to Carmarthenshire Planning Department to oppose the Cawdor Supermarket planning application. You have accepted the first vote as the voice of the people but you will not accept the second vote. Why not?
You are our elected spokesman on Carmarthenshire County Council, but I am at a loss to understand who are you speaking for on this issue. Were you elected to represent our views, your own views, or someone else’s views?
Your electorate has expressed itself clearly and overwhelmingly, but you seem to be struggling to understand them and I just can’t fathom out why.
Strong opposition to a supermarket on the Cawdor site has been expressed at a public meeting, in emails, letters and in a record number of planning objections. Yet you still appear not to be getting the message.
You claimed in a Tivyside newspaper interview a fortnight ago that there may be a “silent majority” in favour of the Cawdor Plan. You instigated a newspaper poll in which 82 per cent of respondents were against it. But instead of graciously accepting the result as conclusive, you have again refused to recognise the will of the people, dismissing their opposition as “noise”. You even claim to be researching the effects of supermarkets in other places. Anything it would seem is preferable to actually supporting your electorate.
“I am currently looking at what is happening in Lampeter where there is a large supermarket in the centre. Look also at the recent development in Cardiff where local shops in the area were last night saying how much increased trade they were having.”
What relevance does Lampeter – a large university town – and Cardiff, have to Newcastle Emlyn?
You appear determined to find evidence – no matter how flimsy and irrelevant – for the possible benefits that a large central supermarket might bring to this small town. At the same time you downplay or ignore environmental, financial and social arguments about the harm that would be done to the very unique character of Newcastle Emlyn.
Why?
Why are you an ‘Executive board member for the environment‘ if you aren’t prepared even to protect the environment of your own town?
Why are you not condemning the County over its possible sale of the Cawdor car park to the developers or enquiring into why the authors of the retail assessment reports are using such inaccurate statistics to try and make their case?
Why are you continuing to invent excuses for not representing the overwhelming view of your constituents?
In short Cllr Jones, why are you not doing what the people elected you to do?
Jeremy Clulow
Cwm Morgan
Newcastle Emlyn
You really are getting desperate are’nt you! What relevance does this picture have on the discussion. Both our and Mr and Mrs Davies’ sons play for the Scarlets, which is why we attended the opening of the new stadium. You obviously have far too much time on your hands, you need to get a life and at least get the names right!
You make a good point. The photo from page 173 of WM Magazine at the opening of the new Parc y Scarlet Stadium in November 2008 and captioned (rightly or wrongly) as Kevin Davies, Meinir Thomas, Emyr Jones Coun Haydn Jones & Anne Davies is not directly relevant to the questions raised in my letter.
As Mr and Mrs Thomas’ and Mr and Mrs Davies’ sons play for the Llanelli Scarlets, then it is only natural that their parents should attend the opening of the new stadium together. Cllr Jones as the local councillor and rugby fan is also in attendance. I have therefore removed the photo.
I apologise for the obvious distress this has caused at least one person in the picture. I don’t want the distraction of a mere photo to get in the way of discussion of these important issues.
Hmmmmm! How many supermakets does a small market town need? Unless it’s possible future is to be a bigger town?
Perhaps the solution might be to obscure the faces of those in the picture apart from Mr Davies and Councillor Jones, as this picture is providing a valuable public service in reminding people that Mr Davies and Councillor Jones are in fact two different people, even though it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell them apart from their public utterances.
One minute Mr Davies is comparing Newcastle Emlyn with Lampeter, and the next so is Councillor Jones. Councillor Jones says that despite all the public consultations and opinion soundings, he doesn’t know what people think, and now Mr Davies is saying the same thing in the Tivyside.
Councillor Jones is worried about the devastating impact a new Debenhams in Carmarthen will have on Newcastle Emlyn, and now so is Mr Davies. And so on – plenty more examples exist, but I won’t bore you any more than I have.
It’s a funny old world.
Totally agree with the open letter – shame it cannot be published in the local newspaper. Everyone I have spoken to have all said WE DONT WANT ANOTHER SUPERMARKET IN TOWN so what part of NO doesn’t Cllr Hayden Jones understand. It is clear by his attitude which side of the fence he sits. We need to vote for someone else who will be honest in representing what Emlyns community want.
What happened to the Vision of Emlyn that was held a few years ago where people were asked by Carmarthenshire Council to visit the Holy Trinity Community Hall to express their opinions? Apparently those opinions have been lost by the council. Is it all lip service? Is anyone listening/caring at the council. Don’t get me going on that subject!
‘Community and town councils are the grassroots of government in Wales’ (Welsh Assembly website) NCE Town Council recently had vacancies for two councillors for a period of almost six months. Regrettably but not surprisingly, we were not swamped by a deluge of applications to help us with the myriad of responsibilities, often tedious, but necessary, within our remit.
The County Council is for town and community councils also, a frustrating bureaucratic machine seemingly at times unaware of the issues in their rural hinterland. Whilst applauding the effectiveness of the local protest group and the new chamber of commerce in their particular single issue focus, it is a great pity that many other important concerns do not generate the same energy.
County Councillors have a vast number of issues to deal with right across the board and they cannot be expected to always get it right for everyone. Their constituents will be people with diverse backgrounds and interests. Those of us lower down the democratic line who were elected to help resolve community concerns cannot do so unless we have informed comment and criticism, not rant.
You can attend the monthly meeting, you can email, you can write or telephone. There is currently another planning application in the centre of the town that should be raising eyebrows (and letters of concern) Where is it? Do you know? What’s happened to the youth club? Do you want the kids back outside Spar?
The Playing Fields Committee needs new members to keep a fantastic new facility going and growing. So, don’t get me going – I could go on, but it’s beginning to sound like a rant… !