Town councillor attacks MCC’s lack of action
Abergavenny Chronicle - 16 October 2003
LIZ DAVIES REPORTS
AN Abergavenny town councillor has launched a bitter attack on Monmouthshire County Council claiming that
since Abergavenny lost the status to control its own affairs many facilities had been lost and opportunities to provide new ones missed.
At a recent town council meeting, Councillor Douglas Edwards said the demise of Abergavenny Borough Council the town had seen:
• Its swimming pool lost
• The opportunity for a community centre at Pen-y-Fal missed
• Bailey Park deteriorate
• Cleanliness in the town deteriorate
• Roads poorly maintained and subjected to needless traffic calming
• Local schools facing closure
• The Market Hall deteriorate.
In a no holds barred attack Councillor Edwards said the town was also facing the loss of its livestock market and was still waiting for
action to be taken to provide a long-awaited skateboard park and cinema.
He criticised MCC’s town regeneration scheme, asking why a firm of Cardiff based solicitors were employed to advise on the legal
aspects of the sale of the livestock market site, when the council had its own legal department? “Is there any point of
having this expensive legal department if they are unable to handle these issues - perhaps we would be better off
closing the department and hiring legal help when it is needed as this could prove cheaper,” said Councillor Edwards.
He called for MCC to take action on Bailey Park and the Market Hall.
“What happened to the money put aside to finance the regeneration of the Market Hall? It leaks, it needs refurbishing and it needs a heating system.
“It is a fact that the gross takings of the Abergavenny markets is £350,00 a year and the net takings simply disappear into the coffers of
Monmouthshire County Council.
“It is also a fact that the gross takings from car parking in Abergavenny are now £400,000 and once again this disappears into the coffers.
Bailey Park was to have some work carried out at a cost of £1.5million and I understand this is now
put off for another day due to an overspend of £1million on Monmouth’s new bridge,” he said.
Councillor Edwards refuted there was support for a supermarket on the cattle market. But there were, he said,
requests for a skateboard park and a cinema.
He expressed concern that the town was not cleaned sufficiently and said many of the traffic
calming measures installed had been branded a ‘waste of money’ by residents.
“It is said that £39million is needed to sort out the roads in the county, so was it necessary to plan a traffic
calming devise every 50 yards in Llwynu Lane, Chapel Road and Avenue Road?” said Councillor Edwards.
He criticised the authority’s cabinet system, which he said did not ‘reflect the wishes of the council overall or the
way in which the electorate voted’.
“We were told two months ago by a senior MCC officer if we want things to happen we should chase up our
county councillors and I think it’s time this unpaid council did just that,” said Councillor Edwards.
“We should invite all five county councillors to a meeting with the town council and in partnership plan the
goals we need them to achieve and formulate a joint policy for progress,” he said.
Councillor John Prosser agreed with many of Councillor Edwards’ sentiments and added he often felt like a ‘shark with no
teeth’ when presented with problems which had no solution other than recourse to the county council.
Jeff Martin, Monmouthshire County Council’s corporate director of environment, defended the authority’s
relationship with Abergavenny Town Council, saying the two organisations enjoyed an ‘excellent working relationship’.
“There are many examples of where we have worked together for the benefit of the people of Abergavenny,” said Mr Martin.
“Councillor Edwards refers to some issues that happened 30 years ago; there is little point in looking back. I believe
Abergavenny is a wonderful place and has a very bright future but we all recognise there is still a lot of work to do,” he said.
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