Proposed Closure of Public Toilets by Powys County Council:
Having been alerted to the decision by Powys County Council Cabinet on 30th July 2013, via an article in the County Times, that unless Town and Community Councils, or others, were prepared to take on the operation of the Public Toilets in their Towns and Villages, they would be closed by 31st October. This was confirmed by our County Councillor Darren Mayor, who had also been informed after the event and supplied us with copies of correspondence he had received. Following on from this, an Extraordinary Meeting of the Community Council was convened on 6th September, to consider the impact of this proposal on our village, as the deadline for a decision on this matter was 30th September. As a result it was resolved to seek clarification of costings and other points contained in Powys CC’s Guidance for Transfer document, highlight the fact that it was extremely unlikely that we (either financially or practically) were in a position to take this on, the subsequent impact it would have on tourism and to express our concerns that there was no prior consultation or advance warning that this was being considered and to highlight the fact that our Clerk had not received any official correspondence from them. It was also resolved to invite the Author of the Report to the Cabinet, Councillor Barry Thomas, to attend our next Community Council Meeting on 17th September, to discuss the matter face to face. As it turned out, he was unable to attend on that date but undertook to meet with the Community Council on a future date. (This will now take place on 1st October 2pm). At our meeting on 17th September, after consideration of the response from Powys CC to our request for clarification and additional information, it was resolved strengthen our case by sending a press release to local newspapers, TV companies and the Welsh Tourist Board, highlighting the impact this would have on tourism, as our Toilets are probably the busiest in Powys, at a long established stop over point for travellers and tourists from Shropshire, the West Midlands and beyond (a random survey conducted on the car park on a daily basis, confirms this beyond any doubt). We will endeavour to persuade Powys County Council and Welsh Assembly Government to include our toilets in the Group adjacent to trunk roads, that are already part funded by WAG and are scheduled to be kept open until March 2014 and beyond. Our Assembly Member Russell George has tabled a question about this in the Assembly Chamber, this week.
Damage to Cwm Rhiwarth Road: Some repair work has now been carried out on Cwm Rhiwarth Road. Concerns were expressed about the lack of edge sealing on patches and County Councillor Mayor undertook to follow this up."
Community Website (Llangynog online): John Wilson of Dol Eglwys would like to thank those who have submitted potential content or suggestions but would like to hear from anyone else who might have something to submit. Possible content he has in mind: Facilities – News – Tourist Accommodation – Local Businesses – Village History – etc. The site will be bi-lingual, so help with translation would be very welcome. John can be contacted via E-mail: llangynog@yahoo.co.uk.
Any Other Business:
Affordable Housing:
Correspondence received from the Rural Housing Enabler advised that both Housing Associations approached so far had declined to take on this project. There was a possibility that another Housing Association might take a look at this after March 2014.
Hedge and Verge Cutting, Road Sweeping and Gully Jetting:
Concerns were expressed that some hedges and verges, especially those going up to the Cattle Grid on the Bala Road, had not been cut. The Road Sweeper and Gully Jetter had not been to the village this year and it was resolved that a request be put to Highways to ensure they came before the onset of Winter. County Councillor Mayor undertook to look into this.
Date of Next Meeting: Tuesday 15th October 2013 at 7.30pm. If anyone has concerns about anything affecting the village or any suggestions for improvements, please contact the Clerk or any one of the Councillors on the list displayed on the Public Notice Board.