Rocke
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Another Week That Was Rolls BySpecial Regeneration Scrutiny last Monday, in the VITCC, one of the more modern buildings we occupy in the Tredegar Business Park.
The subject - a 20-year Regeneration Strategy for Blaenau Gwent.
You might recall one of my first 'reports from the Chamber' regarding Abertillery and all other towns apart from Ebbw Vale becoming vibrant communities centred around the main centre which is to be er... Ebbw Vale.
OK, so you probably won't so I'll put the whole lot together.
A draft strategy put up a few years ago is to make Ebbw Vale the focal point of Blaenau Gwent with the other towns being localised centres for retail etc.
In a way it makes sense, since EV has the land etc. for industrialisation.
Where, eg. could a hospital be built in Aber.
However, what we have to be careful of is that the other towns suffer from lack of investment.
They would be targetted for smaller levels of investment due to their 'downgrading' ( and while that might be emotive I believe it is a word that is appropriate without going into semantics ) but we must ensure that they get investment.
Anyway, politics is a bit like a relay race. We've taken the baton from the previous administration and are committed to moving forward with it. However, at least we can decide the tactics for this part of the course.
As the only Member from any of the 'greater Abertillery' wards I had plenty to say ( not that that would have stopped me anyway ).
Our local communities have lots going for them, not least in the huge amount of community spirit that abounds - the Ebbw Fach Trail Group of 13 very localised organisations, CLEAN, Residents associations etc. etc. and these are powered by the CF teams.
I've suggested that these are the means by which to start on local strategies.
Each community is individual and each area topologically different.
You wouldn't try to market EV as an are of outstanding natural beauty, with loads of interesting walks, pleasant watersides etc., any more than you'd convince a major employer to build a mega factory employing 5,000 people in Abertillery.
I think this is the key.
I've already mentioned Aber as a centre for tourism. Delwyn Davies, one of my fellow ward members, tells me of people who come from Bristol to visit the Lakes a few times a year. They come 'because it's a lovely area'.
That's the key to it - horses ( and investment ) for courses.
Brynbach Park has been a big success and there's no reason why Cwmtillery and Brynmawr shouldn't complete the 'industrial sandwich', nicely surrounding industrialised EV.
Brynmawr has the added advantage of industrial land right on areas of outstanding natural beauty.
There's also another advantage to this type of strategy, as I stated.
We're all parochial, sticking up for our own patches.
How many times has been writen about EV getting things at the cost of Aber, or other towns.
Well, if Aber isn't competing with EV in the industrial stakes, and EV isn't competing in the tourism stakes there can't be no competition for resources and investment, implied or otherwise.
I'm hoping that my views, though well received, will help construct the principles by which we go forward as a borough, individually and collectively.
We have a document that has crystallised the issue, condensed all that's lacking in Blaenau Gwent into a readable and manageable document. Hopefully now we can see the wood we'll see which trees need chopping down and which areas need new seedlings.
Tuesday was Licencing Day ( where do the weeks go I ask ? ).
The Chair ( Cllr. Jim Watkins ) and myself did what is becoming a good double act and both declared an interest in the first item, knowing the applicant personally.
We had to do the same a few meetings back.
Unlike then though our colleagues' deliberations took over 30 minutes, after interviewing the applciant. Phew !
So, meeting started at 11 and at 11:40 Jim and I returned.
Most of the time we have the enjoyable task of seeing the smile on an applicant's face when they're told they've been granted a licence, something which will hopefully help them get some well-needed income. That happened a few times last week.
Unfortunately one item was to look into the possible revocation of a licence due to a major breaking of licencing regulations. Although trying not to let someone down by using a private vehicle when one's licenced taxi has engine trouble would seem to be a good thing regrettably it means the car is not only unlicenced by uninsured in the event of an accident while carrying the passenger(s). This will almost always result in the loss of a taxi licence, and in this case it did.
I learned on Thurday that Cllr Abbott, my Chair of Ed & Leis, will be on holiday for the next meeting, so yours truly gets to chair the meeting.
Due to the complexity and probably contentious nature of at least one item I'm rung up and invited to a briefing by the Executive Member, Cllr. Steve Bard and 3 of our Education officers.
8am !! - and I'm on the evening shift.
Then later, due to the number of items on the agenda I'm rung by Christine, our highly efficient and hardworking committe clerk ( they're called something else these days, but you'll know what I mean ) to see if any need to be pulled.
A few calls to determine how contentious items might be, a read though the emailed agenda and 7 reports and I've decided to let it all run.
I must be mad.
Had a bit of fun where for 3 days I thought I was also on Planning.
It seems there was a hiccup somewhere in the system, so I'm not up for the title of Cllr. Most-fingers-in-the-pies.
Having said that I got a call from the Leader ( now I know how MPs feel with an impending cabinet reshuffle ).
Cllr. Des Hillman has asked me to sit on the Community Council Liaison Board.
That will be interesting.
Been involved in someone's project to bring Community Radio to the Valleys, following the failure to save Valleys.
Hopefully I'm going to be talking to a few people to give the person the right contacts and perhaps even prepare the path.
Finally, no Gazette entry this week !
No, I didn't write to them.
A couple of people have made some very nice comments this past weekend regarding my contributions. As I've mentioned to them I'm only concerned that you get facts, on as even a basis as I can.
I think a conversation I had in Tesco a few week's back sums it up.
'Rocky, I haven't seen you in The Gazette for a few weeks'.
'No', says I, 'that's because no-one's potentially misled you'.
( And I'm not talking about The Gazette, of course, but the attack sheep that seem to be roaming around ).
Cheers.
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