Voices of Colwyn Bay

THE WHITE LION

2011-10-15T11:17:00.000+01:00

A massive congratulation to Simon and Nina at the White Lion for their Best Beer Award, well done!

Simon and Nina not only keep exceptionally good beer they, themselves, are fantastic hosts and there is always a warm welcome to anyone who enters…..surprisingly that includes me! There is a warm, friendly atmosphere throughout the pub and restaurant and the staff do an exceptional job of serving up some really tasty grub from a varied and full menu, there is always local produce on the menu and some really delicious “specials”. If you haven’t tried it I fully recommend it and guarantee you’ll make a second visit.

Well done again to them and I look forward to a free pint for this plug!!!

In all seriousness I strongly do advise you to give it a try, you won’t regret it.

CLLR MARGARET LYON

2011-10-12T14:24:00.001+01:00

This blog and therefore I have, in the past, openly criticised Cllr M. Lyon and what I called the “Lyon Clan” but I raise no cheer for the way she was treated by the Conservative Party whom she as served well over the years, their actions speak volumes and goes to show the back-biting and stabbing that is prevalent in local politics.

As a contradiction to that I will also say that it is perhaps better that she may not be a Councillor for much longer, to my way of thinking Margaret epitomises all that is wrong with the Council and it’s deeply entrenched “career” Councillors.

For too long now the “old-boy” network of stuck-in-the mud diehards have ruled the roost of the Conwy hen-house, stuck in the glory days of ages past with barely a good or new idea between them. They have allowed Council Officer after Council Officer to dictate the terms to them, allowing the tail to wag the dog, it should be that people tell the Councillors what they want, the Councillor tells the Council and the Council tells the Council Officers. Unfortunately we (the Council) have now allowed the Council Officer so much power that he/she tells the Council what the people cannot have!

It is high time for a changing of the guard, the old fuddy-duddies have had their day and out lived their usefulness, time to change the sheets and bring in a new freshness, Councillors with enough bollocks to stand up to the ever demanding Officers who through glory, power or high wages think they are in charge and not the people who pay their very high wages and perks.

As for Margaret, I don’t know her personally, but I wish her well. I do know her daughter-in-law, Lynn, through the Town Council on which she sits. After a frosty few weeks I found her to be a mine of information on local commerce and we, as a Council, could do well to listen to her and the local trader’s input on many issues…but that is another story!

TOWN MANAGER

2011-10-09T14:42:00.003+01:00

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2011/10/06/colwyn-bay-councillor-questions-funding-of-town-manager-55243-29545202/

The “unnamed Councillor” was, of course, me but I didn’t ask to be unnamed I merely stated that because it was a closed meeting I could not make an official statement, the Weekly News chose to “dress it up” the way they did for their own reasons, I don’t hide behind anonymity.

Chris Perry is right; we cannot afford to throw £10,000 at a Town Manager and that money could be a lot better spent elsewhere in drawing people into the town, his example of an ice-rink is a good one but so are many more.

The shopkeepers and traders of Colwyn Bay are the ones to ask if a Town Manager is worth the money and I can tell you their answer right now…”No”. On speaking to a few of them they do not know nor have ever met the Town Manager, the Chamber of Commerce do not even have a member on the Town Management Board denying them any voice in the progress of Colwyn Bay as a shopping destination.

The Town Manager, in her latest report, cited a list of initiatives she claims were hers but they were not, she may have had a hand in them but most were the work of other people. The one initiative that was hers, that she failed to mention in the report, was All the Little Shops, an internet based website for Colwyn Bay businesses. Ingrid Lewis came to us last year and asked for, if I remember correctly, £15,000 to set it all up, when asked she said a survey of shop keepers interested was very high but didn’t have the figures to give us but her enthusiasm was backed by her line-manager Rob Dix so we gave her the money. As of last week there were 18 shopping categories, 137 adverts, all very good until you look deeper and see that out of all that only 13 shops/businesses are actually doing the advertising! Works out it costs the council £1,153.84p per shop, not bad ‘eh! One of the shops has emailed the Town Manager to say they will not be re-advertising next year but so far haven’t received a reply, mind you they only sent it two weeks ago!

The Town council is requesting a job description from the County Council of the Town Manager as we believe her duties do include Rhos-on-Sea, the West End and Old Colwyn but again the shop keepers in these areas have never heard of her. An argument was put forward that she has sourced funding for the town but to me that doesn’t hold water, there should be a Council Officer appointed to source funding for the entire area not just town regeneration. She came to us not long ago to ask for £10,000 to pay for a consultancy firm to carry-out a survey to see where 3 pieces of art should be placed within the town! AGAIN why isn’t there a Council Officer employed to carry out surveys instead of spending 100’s of thousands on companies that come back and tell us what we already know? (she didn’t get the £10,000 by the way!)

To my way of thinking the County Council is full of none-jobs, jobs that are created when there is no real need for it, a creation of talking shops, where none jobs get together and talk about things that never come together but cost us, the tax payers, £1,000’s every year….what a very sad state of affairs.

Since posting this I have been reliably informed and have the paperwork to prove it that CCBC also put in an additional £15,000 to set up All The Little shops, that is a staggering £30,000 of tax payers money spent on what I believe to be a total wasteful project.

Don't take my word for it, check it yourself but don't count the adverts, count the shops...

http://www.shoppingcolwynbay.co.uk/

TAKE A LONG WALK....

2011-09-21T11:05:00.001+01:00

The Pier saga rolls on yet there is no real end in sight, nobody seems to have a long term plan and the personalities involved seem more intent on back-biting, mud-slinging and personal insults than in finding a solution, here is how I would like to see it resolved…

We allow an energy company to build an underwater barrier from Rhos Point to Llanddulas Point, this barrier will contain turbines that work on the rise and fall of the tide and not the in and out flow of it, the depth of the sea just off shore will allow for this and, unlike wind turbines, power is guaranteed to be produced at least twice a day.

As a concession the Power Company along with private investors fund the lengthening of the Pier by 250 to 300m and a crescent shape is formed at the end to allow for shops and accommodation to be built. At the end of the pier will be a pontoon marina, making it the only non-tidal marina in North Wales, down the sides will be docking and storage for jet-skis.

Down the centre of the pier will be more shops with accommodation above and where the old theatre stands a new casino could be built. You may wonder why a casino; if you think about it the only private investors capable of funding a project like this would be somebody like a gaming company and there has to be a little give and take if a venture like this is to succeed.

The benefits of a project like this are plain for all to see, cheaper electricity locally, an increase in local revenue, more and future employment and an increase in footfall to Colwyn Bay of affluent people mooring their boats.

If we are to be successful as a town we have to be more far-sighted than the next couple of years, we have to look at a time when the regeneration money runs out and we have to be self-funding, it’s all very good doing a quick paint-job and sprucing-up a couple of streets but if nobody comes to Colwyn Bay to see them then what’s the point ?

We, as a county, cannot afford the so-called millions of pounds being talked about to demolish or restore the pier and why should the people have to pay for it’s upkeep for years to come or finance someone’s personal folly, the Council’s lack of understanding and business acumen over the pier has brought us to this point and it is their utter stupidity that will lead us further into the dark smelly stuff, you really do have to ask yourself; who got us into this mess and why were they allowed to do it?

BIRD FEEDER

2011-09-21T08:58:00.001+01:00

This was sent to me after the recent riots.....

The Bird Feeder

I bought a bird feeder.. I hung it on my patio and filled it lovingly with seed... It was indeed a beautiful bird feeder. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue..

Then came the bird sh * t. It was everywhere; on the patio tiles, the chairs, the table ...everywhere!

Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket.

And other birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.

After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. So I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio.
Soon, the back yard was like it used to be ... quiet, serene and no one demanding theirrights to a free meal...

Now let's see ....... our government give out free food, subsidised housing, free medical care, and free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen.

Then the illegals came by the millions. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for the free services; small flats are housing 5 or more families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by a doctor in an emergency surgery because it is filled with illegal non tax payers; your child's year 12 class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English.

Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to 'press one' to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than 'The Union Jack' are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.

Its just my opinion but:

maybe, just maybe, it's time for the government
to take down the damn bird feeder.

SHEEPISH RETURN

2011-09-20T18:53:00.001+01:00

Wow! I cannot believe it was December when I last posted, time surely waits for nobody.

I will not go into a drawn out reasoning for my absence save to say that I’ve had a couple of related illnesses, one quite serious, that have left me incapacitated for some months and also an injury that trapped the sciatic nerve.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the well-wishers and also the Councillors who contacted me offering their support, it was refreshing to learn that I had more friends in Council than I thought, a big “thank you” to all of you.

A question that was sent to me during my absence……

“Hi can anybody tell me who owns the old indoor market in colwyn bay? i wish someone would do it up and rent the units out to small businesses who can't afford the silly prices being charged in the bayview shopping centre.

By baz”

Baz, I can tell you that CCBC bought it on a CPO and although they will deny it I still think it is their intention to turn it into Council offices or some other Civic Building, this will go along with the rest of their plans of turning Colwyn Bay into a Civic Centre during the day and a Ghost-town by night.

My disappointment of CCBC continues with their purchase of the pier, another millstone around the council-tax payer’s neck. When will they realise that it is our money they are playing with and not theirs, if the council was run as a business and not as someone’s private little empire then the piers purchase would never have arisen and we would have been saved from years of upkeep costs on a white elephant. I am all for saving the pier, if it’s economically viable but not at the cost of more important issues.

On a final note; a quick thank you also goes out to Oscar, it was his comment on… thoughtsofoscar.blogspot.com that prompted me to step back into the blog, thanks….. mate!

MERRY CHRISTMAS...ANYWAY

2010-12-25T10:45:00.002Z

REMEMBRANCE DAY

2010-11-12T18:50:00.003Z

Remembrance Day is a day for us to reflect on those friends, family and loved ones who paid the ultimate price in protecting us and keeping us safe from the perils that haunt this earth. A time to remember the sacrifices they made in our name and of the bravery it took to make those sacrifices.
We wear our poppy with pride, it is a symbol of our gratitude to those who died or suffered horrific injuries in carrying out their duties as our nations protectors, that pride is mirrored in our hearts when we see servicemen and women, past and present, march past the cenotaph with memories of lost or injured comrades.
It is not shameful to shed a tear when we think of those friends we will never see again, or to grieve at their passing, they were men and women of the highest order who I, for one, will never forget and they will live, eternally, within my heart.

I have posted a couple of pictures of how a group of Muslims demonstrated their views of our fallen heroes and I could follow it with my thoughts of them....but I wont. I will leave you to decide for yourselves why it is that we protect, house and feed these vermin.

THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT

2010-10-31T12:51:00.001Z

The article in the Weekly News had a rather surprising twist to it; not only have friends and family rallied around me, complete strangers have stopped me in the street and said various things of support and encouragement, a couple of times people even said I was brave to be so open about what many others think but dare not say for fear of being branded in the way in which I have. I do not think of it as being brave, bravery is not saying what you believe to be the truth, real bravery is that shown by our lads on the front line.
Here, in North Wales, we are mainly protected from the influx of Muslim extremists, other parts of the Country are not. We had, recently, a case in Wrexham where a man was charged with racially aggravated language, he verbally abused two Muslims as they left a Mosque, if he is guilty, then fine, so be it, let the law run it's course but what is good for one should be good for another. The Muslims that attend rallies and spout mouthfuls of abuse about a country that cares for and feeds them, Muslims that call homecoming soldiers “Murderers” and “Baby Killers”, UK Muslim leaders who call for a boycott on Poppy Day should these, then not, be treated in the same fashion?
Is it so wrong to question these things; if a country lives in fear of what individuals may do, in the name of Islam, then should that religion not be questioned, if the members of that religion do not feel sickened by the atrocities carried out in the name of their religion should they not be questioned?
I am all for equality, but you cannot have it whilst one set of rules governing us is flaunted and spat on by others, no other religion in the UK, there are many, is shown the appeasement given to Islam, if we are to have equality then give us a level playing field in which to play upon.
Locally there are many more things for us to worry about other than religious fanatics but as time progresses, as it will, we too, like other parts of the UK, will see changes to our neighbourhoods that we do not like, will it then be too late to question what we should have questioned now? And is it so wrong not to be an ostrich?

BECAUSE OF A PHONE CALL.

2010-09-28T18:06:00.001+01:00

As you can see it's been quite a few months since my last entry, mainly due to work and family commitments, so it came as a bit of a surprise yesterday when I received a phone call from the Weekly News informing me that they had had numerous complaints about my Blog and the fact that I am anti-Islamic, something I have never made a secret of.
The reporter went on and asked “Did I not think it wrong for a Councillor to have these views?”, well, no I don't. I explained everybody has a right to their opinions, the only thing difference is that I voice them and am not afraid of the name calling that usually follows.
He informed me that the complainants had said I was uneducated and ill informed and knew nothing about Islam or indeed Muslims; he was equally surprised when I told him that was not true and that I had lived amongst Muslims for several years in Africa and knew not only their religion but was probably more aware of their culture than most UK born Africans.
He questioned my right to say that, in my opinion, Islam is an archaic and wicked religion, which I certainly think it is, any religion that suppresses the basic human rights of it's followers is more akin to a cult than a religion. Any religion that seeks to assimilate other religions through acts of violence is wicked and vile and should be questioned at every opportunity.
The reporter went on to ask if I was racist or if I thought my comments were racist? I explained that Islam is not a race, it's a religion and that there are white Muslims as well as black ones and that I had left the BNP because race and religion are two different things, in my eyes, but not, necessarily with the BNP. This shocked him, not because of what I said but because I was ex-BNP, now come on, the Weekly News took so many pot-shots at me when I was in the Party it would be impossible for them not to know this, he didn't, which begs the question “where's the research before you start asking questions”.
The West's appeasement to Islam has been unbounded and we are now paying the price for our soft approach, other parts of Europe have had, are still having, problems with Muslim immigrants and they are now having to toughen their laws against them. France's banning of the abhorrent burka, the banning of full-body swim suits in Holland and the stopping of building minarets in Sweden are all signs that we have left it late in the day to stem the growth of Islam.
As I said to the reporter my argument is not with the individual Muslim as such, but you have to question their religion when it allows atrocities to happen that they will not condemn.
Religion, throughout history, has been to blame for nearly every major conflict we have had and I do not hold, personally, with any religion, there are good and bad in every religion and there are the extremists who push it way past reasoning and that is the problem with Islam... extremism.

There are plenty of people out their who agree with my views but, for whatever reason, never voice them, perhaps, in this ever increasing Politically Correct society I am a dinosaur but I have earned the right to speak as I find and reserve the right to do so, whatever my position in public life I am first and foremost an individual who has the right, for now, of freedom of speech.

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2010/10/07/colwyn-bay-councillor-brands-islam-as-vile-55243-27416763/

JUST A QUICKIE

2010-05-20T20:58:00.000+01:00

Once you stop blogging for any period of time it is extremely difficult to get back into the swing of things. Work has kept me away not only from the blog but from most other things too, fortunately the contract is coming to an end which will mean I’ll have more time to spare and so enable me to get back to the blog. I have, of course, been active with Council matters and have kept an eye on other local blogs so I haven’t been completely dormant, honest.
I announced it on Oscar’s blog that I intend to stand in the By-election for Mostyn Ward and I will keep you fully informed of any progress regarding that. I also believe that during my absence there was a General Election, congratulations to David Jones on retaining his seat although I’m not too impressed by his Governors choice of bedfellows, it will all end in tears before bedtime.
I am now convinced that Victor is Craig or a very close, older, relative of his, it is only a shame that he cannot let bygones be bygones and enjoy his new life in Blackpool without all this muck-raking.
Jason Weyman is turning out to be the best County Councillor we have and I have to applaud his openness and honesty, something more experienced Councillors could and should learn from.
I will go into greater detail on all the above and more when I return in approx two weeks, for now I’ll sign-off again but I wont be far away!

BYRON GOT LIFTED FOR....

2010-03-27T06:22:00.000Z

I have it on good authority that Byron Davies has not been lifted in connection with some missing cannons or for living off immoral earnings (although the latter is still being looked into!)
Nor is it true that Byron is really Oscar, Ronnie Hughes in disguise or Carneades.
Shergar was mentioned but quickly dispelled and the Brink Mat robbers have denied knowing him, sale of the Great Orme to an oil-rich Sheik is totally unconnected, although two offers are on the table.
The drive-by shooting at Steve Hunt, David Jones MP and the Pier steering group is also thought to be the work of some deranged nutter but not this one as he was helping the police with their enquiries at the time of the alleged offence, on this point the police are focusing on an individual who was told-off for wearing his baseball cap in church during the Pier meeting and gave his name as Chameleon.
An officer at Wormwood Scrubs said the cleaning of Britain’s last remaining gallows was totally coincidental and had nothing to do with a Byron Davies, but he would check and get back to us later.
All in all the mystery deepens as someone claiming to be “Mrs Byron” was overheard offering sexual favours and a bung to police officers in return for “turning a blind-eye” and return of their passports and snowboards.
Like you and every other nosey bugger in Conwy I am in the dark on this one....... over to you Oscar.

NO JOB OFFER FROM THE CONS

2010-03-27T05:50:00.000Z

At the moment local politicos avoid contact with me in case it evokes the kiss of death to their political careers; even long-term friends have said “No offence John but.....” so it came has a bit of a surprise when Councillor Mervyn Thomas came knocking at my door, at first I thought, wrongly, to offer me the position of Chairman, or at least vice-chair, of the local Conservatives Party (that evokes so many wicked thoughts!) but it was not to be, not even a membership offer which was, slightly, ego-deflating. Instead Mervyn wanted to discuss his proposals for affordable housing for local first-time buyers (what about the Secretary’s job?).
Mervyn has put forward a proposal that I blogged about months ago and one that I fully endorse. Locally first-time buyers are finding it harder and harder to get on the property ladder, housing costs and mortgages lenders being the main obstacle. Mervyn’s proposal is that the Council give away building land on a 999 lease, a sub-contractor, that he has sourced, builds 2 and 3 bed roomed houses that are then sold to local people only, the houses, costing between £70-80,000, come with certain restrictions attached, they cannot be sold for a number of years and if and when they are they can only be sold at a certain percentage of profit to other local people. There are other certain legalities attached that have to be thrashed out but, in principle, a very good idea that would be of immense benefit. Mervyn has promised to keep me in the loop with what happens to his proposal which he intends to see out to the very end, even if that means standing for another turn of office (that blows one of my predictions out of the water).
I shall, of course, keep you all informed of Mervyn’s progress, ......now, about the Treasurer’s job.....?

150 FOOLS

2010-03-27T04:41:00.001Z

The results of the Glyn Ward by-election were, to say the least, disappointing; not only because of the result but also that it shows there are still people in Colwyn Bay stupid and ignorant enough to vote for Labour. These are the same people who whinge and whine about the state of the Town, the County and the Country yet, like sheep, they continue to vote for the same old same old, when will they learn that change has to start at grass root level?
If we look at the results....

AUSTIN Martin (Independent) 26
BURROWS Margaret (Plaid) 121
FORECAST Keith (Lib Dems) 78
HUNT Steve (Independent) 62
PORTER Donald (Labour) 150
Trueman James (BNP) 35

The trend shows that the Political Parties took the main share of the votes, yet these are the parties that most of us complain about; pure and simple “Sheep voting”. At this level of local Government Independent candidates do not have to follow party lines and can, therefore, say and do what their constituents want and not what the party tells them, there is too much politics in local Government which is exactly what there shouldn’t be, it should be about what the people want and not what the political parties think they should have. Labour are the worst offenders and, for over a decade, have rammed down our throats their lies and sleaze, eroded our very way of life and led us into unprecedented debt YET 150 members of Glyn ward were pig-ignorant enough to go out and vote for it to continue, 150 Midland Bankers who deserve to feel totally ashamed of themselves for their utter stupidity. You really do have to think about the mentality of these tossers and it makes you wonder if they are really worth banging your head against a wall for.
The people of Glyn Ward had the chance to send a message to the “establishment” but they blew it, they rolled over like whipped dogs and said “come back and kick me some more, I like it”, what pathetic, foolish people they are to allow themselves to be deluded into thinking Labour will be any different than they have been already with their secrecy and deceit.
The next time a road is dug up in Colwyn Bay and replaced with grey waste land or a traffic warden gives you a ticket or you get mugged by a bunch of feral youngster whilst treading in dog shit stop for a minute and say “thank you” to the 150 ham-shankers in Glyn Ward who voted for it to continue.

REPLY TO WEEKLY NEWS

2010-03-05T05:33:00.000Z

I have replied to the article in the Weekly News about the cost of the repairs to Victoria Pier.

In response to your article regarding the repairs to Victoria Pier; the frequency in which the Council use the term “Commercially sensitive” appears to be on the ever increase, a new catchword, if you like, when they do not want to tell us what they are spending OUR money on. Openness, honesty and transparency are three words our Council, neglectfully, seem to have forgotten, replacing them with subterfuge, deceit and oblique.
Under the Building Act 1984 section 78 (Dangerous Structures) the Council can carry out the repairs require and then seek redress from the owners, in this case Royce Peeling Green of Manchester, here is the sub-section...

(3)Subject to this section, the local authority may recover from the owner the expenses reasonably incurred by them under this section.

Surely then Councillor Chris Hughes is wrong when he suggests that the tax-payer will have to foot the bill, the legal onus being on RPG, they were eager enough to take responsibility for the Pier when they thought they could make money out of it, claiming they have no money for the repairs is, as Mr Hunt found out, no excuse. The Council was quick off the mark in making a dubious bankruptcy case against Mr Hunt, for a few thousand pounds will we now see them do the right thing and bring bankruptcy proceedings against those legally responsible or, as I expect, cop-out and hope that nobody notices, perhaps too Commercially sensitive for their liking.

ISLAMIC INTOLERANCE

2010-03-03T10:10:00.001Z

In today’s Daily Post Steve Bagnall writes about a “Sick” anti-muslim web-site condemning the building of a super-mosque in Wrexham. I have not seen the web-site nor do I intend to, but Steve Bagnall’s branding of “sick” just because a site is anti-muslim I find excessive.
I come under frequent attacks because I am anti muslim, I think Islam is an archaic, barbaric and dangerous religion that has no place in a modern world, I have felt this since witnessing some of the worst atrocities carried out in Africa by muslims on their own people.
I have continually warned that, in my opinion, Islamic idealists will seek to undermine the very structure of our society, in third world countries, the home of Islam, the basis of survival is corruption and we see that being brought into play here, now, in the UK. Muslim politicians use any method at their disposal to get elected, the postal voting system is a God-send to them, the Channel 4 programme Dispatches showed how Islam is infiltrating the very core of our political fabric and using it to influence political decisions.
The appeasement shown to this vile religion is unprecedented in comparison to the many faiths that occupy our tiny island, Councils ban Christian literature because it may offend them, they re-name Christmas events because it may offend them and we must walk on egg shells in case we offend them WHAT ABOUT US BEING OFFENDED?
If, for one moment, we put the boot on the other foot, how long would a Christian Church last in down-town Islamabad, what would happen to the proprietors of a pork-pie shop in Karachi and how many atrocities have been carried out against Christian missionaries throughout the muslim world, one law for them and another for us.
I have been harping on about this for decades and withstood the barrage of name-calling, verbal and physical attacks, threats and innuendoes. I do not consider myself a racist, nor do my many coloured friends, I do not decry any man or woman coming to this Country to better themselves or their families, anybody would try to do that. If you come to the UK you must accept it as it is and not try to change it for your own dangerous agenda, if you do not like our system then go back to the one that you do, we are not and never will be a muslim state and the harder they push for it to be the greater the intolerance will be.
I believe that many more people are starting to realise what I have said over the years is, was and always will be the truth, the only difference is that now more people are prepared to put their head above the parapet and actually say it and face those that immediately brand them as racists for pointing out those truths. The Government backed Searchlight and the UAF have long been proven to be left-wing anarchists so their opinion counts for nothing and the sooner they are made an illegal organisation the better.
As for Steve Bagnall; well, the sooner he starts to live in the real world he will realise who and what is really “Sick

OUT OF THE RUNNING

2010-02-27T09:31:00.002Z

In Clwyd West and Aberconwy both UKIP and the BNP are out of the running for the General election. In both places the BNP cannot afford to stand a candidate due to lack of money and in Aberconwy, as predicted, UKIP will not be standing through lack of interest. The UKIP candidate they had has had to stand down for personal reasons, which I fully understand, but for a political party to be unable to find a candidate speaks volumes for the local leadership or distinct lack of it in this case.
Despite my continual blogging on the matter the local UKIP still hold their meetings in a church hall, preaching to the converted month in, month out. The people and the members have lost interest in them, there is no fire in their bellies, the flame of hope has flickered out and the spark of life has died, for what good they are now they may as well pack it in, go home, have a re-think and come back again in 3 or 4 years time, their contribution, locally has been pathetic, a total waste of all the good member’s time and effort.
Our local UKIP candidate will be Warwick Nicholson and I would have liked to have voted for him but I cannot, not only is he the UKIP Chairman for Wales he is also the local Chairman too, if his organisational skills, leadership and choice of Officers locally is anything to go by then I’m afraid he is not up to the job, he is the one that dithered about for three months on whether I could attend a meeting or not, granted he was badly advised by Kevin Mahoney but that is not the point, if he is as indecisive as that on a minor problem what would he be like in Westminster?
Everyone I speak to is against being in the EU and UKIP are our best chance of getting out of it but until they can pull their socks up and learn to tie their shoe laces I’m afraid they are going nowhere and we are stuck with the LibLabConmen.
Never mind, there is always retirement to look forward to and the thought of a villa in some warm and distant country watching on as Britain sinks deeper into the smelly stuff.

UPDATE: It turns out that UKIP have got a candidate for Aberconwy his name is Mike Wieteska, I believe he is from a small village on the other side of Caernarfon although he used to live in Australia. To my knowledge he was one of the founder members of UKIP and is a devout Christian.
This, at least, gives the voters in Aberconwy an alternative to the mainstream parties and any of you who, like me, are vehemently opposed to the EU may want to take a look at him, I wish him well.

IS THERE NO COMMON SENSE AT CCBC?

2010-02-26T02:11:00.000Z

5 shop windows broken in Seaview Road, the same thing last year and the year before that in Abergele Road, the shopkeepers have a never ending battle with drunks, yobs and total idiots yet we, the Council, take away the right for them to defend themselves.
They are not allowed to install shutters because they are in a conservation area; what a load of bollocks, this is Colwyn Bay, Councillor Chris Hughes is on record as having said “Colwyn Bay is dead as far as tourism is concerned” Referred to by one Councillor as being like Beirut and another said it was occupied by the Benefit under classes; is this what we are conserving?
When are the Council going to see sense and do something to help these shopkeepers, they are quick enough to demand Business rates from them and bankrupt them if they cannot pay, they have turned Station Road into a bland, featureless expanse of grey, they are soon to do the same to Penrhyn Road, if anything they are the biggest vandals and idiots we have.
Common sense should dictate what is required not some bureaucratic title shoved on us by people with less sense than a plank, it is the shopkeepers who have to front up the cash when this happens not them and not the Council, they know what they need to protect their businesses, for God’s sake give it to them and stop hiding behind poxy red-tape.

LIB........ WHO?

2010-02-20T13:47:00.000Z

I’m not a great admirer of the Lib Dems, by the mere membership of the party an individual gives off the impression that he/she doesn’t mind coming second or third, not a party of winners, if you see what I mean. Couple that with the fact that most of them are strong on Political Correctness and left-wing action groups has the effect of turning one’s stomach and evoking a feeling of nausea. The support give by them to UAF (Unite Against Fascism) is another worrying factor, by their actions they are, in fact, supporting anarchy and endorsing the use of violence as a means of protest.
It came as no surprise then when I read that our Lib Dem candidate Michele Jones, who has only been in the party for a year, was put forward as the candidate after completing an initiative called “Women in Public Life”.
She will also be fully aware of the problems we are experiencing here in Colwyn Bay, being locally located in Flint, she will be fully versed on our drug issues and will certainly have her finger on the pulse of our anti-social elements, as she is also no stranger to throwing her dolly out of the pram when she cannot get her own way. Here.
It appears the Lib Dems are so well versed in losing that they can no longer be bothered to field viable candidates, not to worry I’m sure there will be another initiative along in a minute or so!

THE TRUTH IS WRONG

2010-02-19T16:13:00.001Z

The trial of Geert Wilders has now been adjourned to a date to be fixed, the date being fixed by the Court!
This trial, although being held in Holland, has far greater effects on the rest of Europe than may first be realised. This is actually a trial against free-speech. Whether you agree with what Mr Wilders says or not, for the record I do, is not the issue, it is his entitlement to say it that is on trial.
He has had 15 of his 18 witnesses disallowed and the Court’s reason for that is incredible “The Court accepts what your witnesses will say is the truth..... But the truth itself is wrong”. How can the truth be wrong? What they mean to say is “Yes; everything you say about Islam is correct but we (the authorities) do not want everyone to know it”.
The roads outside the Court are packed with members of the public supporting Mr Wilders, Holland has a General Election looming, the Court have done everything in their power to gag Mr Wilders and his witnesses and now the “Establishment” are panicking because they know they have overstepped the mark and this could just push the election Mr Wilders way.
A very good piece on the trial can be viewed here

HAZEL WINS TO THE LYONS EMBARRASSEMENT

2010-02-14T17:52:00.002Z

Utter embarrassment and a strategic re-think in the local Conservative Party following Hazel Meredith’s victory over the Lyon clan. Hazel won her appeal at the Conservative HQ in London, it was thought by the local grandees, that Hazel would just let the matter drop but to their horror and amazement Hazel took it all the way and gave them a good spanking.
I have been told, by sources within the party, that Chris Lyon is contemplating resigning and is deeply angry at the decision which forces a total re-think of their election plans and candidates. Hazel, who stands to be Mayor next term, can hardly now be stood down as the Rhiw candidate, squashing the idea that Chris and Lyn could both stand in the safe seat. This will, I am told, also force a re-think on Ma Lyon standing in Rhos and she could be forced, against her wishes, to stand elsewhere, once again, I am told that Deganwy has been mentioned.
All in all it’s not looking too good for the Conservatives, after the result of the appeal Merfyn Thomas re-affirmed his decision to stand-down at the next election and is considering his options, the in-fighting continues and, I believe, Hazel has been removed from the Lyons Christmas card list. On the plus side my mate Chameleon will be highly delighted, he was loathing the thought of Ma Lyon being his local Councillor!.

ARMED ROBBERY

2010-02-12T21:12:00.000Z

The Weekly News and Insp Ahari must be a little red-faced this evening following the report that Colwyn Bay is one of the safest places in Britain...
http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2010/02/11/colwyn-bay-one-of-the-safest-towns-in-britain-55243-25807590/
To-day we had an armed robbery of a tobacconist in Abergele Road with the two thieves carrying what was described as “Knives or Machetes”. The two then made off and hid in a flat in Lawson/Belgrade Road, followed by a siege with armed police and the entire area cordoned off, with the police helicopter flying overhead the two were, obviously, going nowhere.
They eventually surrendered and were taken away but the armed police later returned with a convoy of other police vehicles and re-entered the property, to what ends we will have to wait and find out.
The police and Government are very good at manipulating figures to suit themselves, today was a prime example of that, the people who live in Colwyn Bay and those of us that are part of the real world already know that we will never be totally safe but it would be nice if, just for once, the authorities were honest with us and told us the real facts.

ATTACKED BY PLAID

2010-02-09T20:23:00.000Z

As yet I have had nothing to say that was detrimental to Plaid, that was until I found out that Plaid have used me to attack David Jones MP, they have linked our joint concerns for the Pier, my previous membership of the BNP and David’s use of “Voices of Colwyn Bay” as one of the headings on his blog. A very, very tenuous link from the one policy party I agree but it shows their desperation.
Plaid Wrecsam and Syniadau both carried the story, the latter having a personal twist to it because the author and I frequently locked horns on the Wales on line forum. Once again they try to associate me as still being in the BNP, what more I can to do to prove this a lie I do not know, I freely admit there are some aspects of the BNP I agree with but there are others I am not. I am a firm believer that the biggest terrorist threat to our national security comes from Muslims already living here; I also believe that Islam is a wicked, oppressive and dangerous religion. I honestly believe these things and will not change my mind about that regardless of the arguments put forward by MH, the author of Syniadau.
Plaids call for an independent Wales is probably going to happen but not for many years, we already know the shambolic performance of the Welsh Assembly under Labour/Plaid leadership, they have proved, beyond doubt that they are incapable of leading a donkey never mind a Country. Plaid are proud people, in a country and heritage to be proud of but they lack the core values of leadership and the people to lead them.
If the best they can do is play dirty tricks and enter into mud slinging matches then it only goes to prove the point I am trying to make. Once they have matured, thought out their policies and risen above church hall action group status then they may enter the arena but, until that time, they really do need to get their act together.

TIME TO CALL-IN THE POLICE

2010-02-09T10:57:00.001Z

I am looking for guidance in some research I am doing; approximately three years or four years ago I read in the newspapers of a young child who was killed whilst playing around a derelict house, I believe it was Liverpool, Manchester or some northern Town/City.
The outcome of it was that the Local Council and its Chief Executive were taken to Court and found guilty of manslaughter by neglect, the neglect being that they did not safeguard the property after numerous complaints, thereby allowing the child access to a dangerous structure and so, by neglect, caused his/her death.
I am trying to find out under what law they were charged and any links to the case or precedents that were set. I know that, to now, nobody has died or been injured by the neglect of the Pier but, in my opinion, it is only a matter of time until such a tragedy will occur.
The complaints I sent to the Ombudsman had little effect, the Council did a very small amount of remedial work and that was it, they failed to remove the danger to the public. I am having the Pier independently inspected and have engaged a photographer to record the condition of the rapid decline of the Pier’s sub-structure once that is done I intend to present the evidence to the Police and report the Council for gross negligence likely to cause death, an offence under British law. I believe this fiasco as gone on for too long now and it is time that someone was brought to account, they are playing with the lives of anyone, young or old, who has the misfortune to venture near to the Pier.
Any assistance you can give me in this will be most appreciated and all information will be treated in the strictest of confidence.

I have reproduced, below, the surveyor’s recommendations; the Council cannot say that they were unaware of the danger to the public, they are, therefore, negligent as to the safety of the said public.
The full report and estimated costing can be read here

8.0 Recommendations
8.1 An inspection and assessment of the pier structure should be
undertaken, if necessary on a sample basis, to gain a more accurate
view of its form and condition.
8.2 A Cost Plan should be prepared from the findings of the Structural
Assessment.
8.3 The public should be excluded from beneath or at least warned of the
dangerous nature of parts of the Pier. The unsafe areas should be
secured as matter of urgency.

St David’s RC Primary School

2010-02-07T19:52:00.002Z

Trawling through the other local blogs I came across an article on the Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Local entitled “They did make love to this Employment”, which I believe is a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet
llandudno-and-colwyn-local.blogspot.com/2010/01/they-did-make-love-to-this-employment.
It was not the article itself that caught my attention but the responses to it. At first glance the article, as I say, is not that noticeable and was picked up from one of the local papers but Carneades, author of the blog, did his usual, in-depth analysis of the story regarding a head teacher dismissed from St David’s RC Primary School,putting his own, unique slant to it, nothing new there then. Suddenly poor Carneades is attacked and ridiculed by what can only be other teachers, parents or others associated with the school, they, obviously, do not want further publicity, preferring to sweep it under the carpet and, hopefully, pretend it never happened. The big question is why? What is there behind this story that would trigger such a response from those concerned, some dark and tainted secret perhaps?
If there is anyone with further information about this story, sordid or otherwise, then it may quench my thirst for answers, for once... even I’m baffled.

THE LDP

2010-02-07T11:46:00.001Z

The Local Development Plan (LDP) that is being forced upon us is, of course, very worrying; 6,500 to 9,000 new homes will have to be created to fulfil the requirements placed upon us. Arguments still continue about “Projections”, “Initial Reports” and “Forecasts” but if we cut through all the hype and jargon the reality is we are being forced to increase the size of our communities whether we like it or not.
Continued, uncapped, immigration into the UK means there is a monumental housing shortage, this shortage has to be met, so these houses have to be built somewhere, regardless of who eventually occupies them, we, for the first time, are now starting to see why I am so opposed to this unchecked immigration.
My argument is not with the immigrant, he/she is only trying to better their way of life for themselves and their families, my argument is with the people that are allowing it to happen and will continue to let it happen if they are re-elected, Labour.
We, here in North Wales, have been extremely lucky so far as immigration is concerned; the worst that has happened has been the arrival of families from major UK cities who, themselves, have sought refuge from the take-over of those cities by immigrants.
If we now look at the LDP and the underlying issues that it raises we may get a better insight as to why those families came here from the major cities. 9,000 homes mean 9,000 families with all the wants and needs of any family, employment, education, medical care and transportation. At the moment we are struggling locally with employment so a further 18-20,000 job seekers is going to be a nightmare and will lead to further unemployment and a drain on our Social Services. Queues and waiting times at our hospitals will increase dramatically as will the need for specialist medical care, requirement of GPs and Dentists, how easy is it now to get a NHS dentist!
Education and transportation speak for themselves, we all know what it’s like trying to get through Colwyn Bay at school start and finish times already, imagine another 18-27,000 kids being picked-up and dropped off.
This LDP is going to change the quality of our life, whether we like it or not, it will change, forever, the landscape surrounding us, the employment we attend, the infrastructure we have grown accustomed to and yet it will not end there; as the increase in immigration rises so to will the need for more and more housing, we are only just starting to see the tip of the iceberg created for us by Labour, now that the demands have started it will not be long before those demands increase, our Labour led Council are only too happy to follow their party line and allow this to happen. The only way to stop it is to stop the Labour lie machine in its tracks, the time of lying and deceit must end now, truth, honesty and openness are but words to Labour but they are words we must make them eat; by voting them out at any opportunity we get we can show them we are sick of the abuse they have subjected us to.

IS THAT REALLY THE BEST YOU CAN DO?

2010-02-04T12:21:00.000Z

I don’t know whether to chuckle, giggle or laugh at the plain stupidity of some people. It is not long ago that I mentioned, on this blog, that I was expecting some sort of smear campaign against me from certain quarters. What I didn’t realise, at the time, was how amateurish it would be. I received a phone call this morning asking me if I’d heard the latest rumour about me, the caller went on to explain that I was still in the BNP, I attended an anti-Islamic demo in Wrexham and that it was me who called this by-election on behalf of the BNP and I also arranged and attended the BNP meeting in our Town Hall. (what a busy chappie I must be!)
During the latter part of my Army career I was involved in “Intelligence” we not only gathered it we also spread it, not the true facts of course but true enough that it contained enough credible facts to be believable and so confuse and incite reaction within the enemy’s ranks, counter intelligence.
If this pathetic attempt at a smear is the best they can do then I have no worries because, if I so desired, I could shoot all of it down in flames but I will not give the politicos or their lackies the satisfaction of that response, I will leave it to the people to decide if I would be that stupid or not.
If someone has an allegation about me then, by all means, come to me and say it to me man to man, don’t play school yard whispers, have the conviction to stand up and be counted but, more to the point, be like me and make sure you have the proof behind you before making your accusations.

NON-JOBS

2010-02-04T11:30:00.000Z

It may come as a surprise to some of you but I do have a few “friends” who work for the Council in various positions throughout its long, laborious network and they quite often and openly tell me of their concerns about internal issues.
I am often told of staff being promoted beyond their capabilities, lazy colleagues or unnecessary usage of overtime for menial tasks. One common cause of complaint is “Non-jobs”, positions created when there is no real need for it, these involve managerial staff going from one meeting to another all day long and yet achieving nothing, “talking-shops” as you and I would call them.
These non-jobs are given impressive titles like “Social Cohesion”, “Racial Awareness” or “Strategy Reorganisation” impressive titles certainly but, in reality are a lot of talk about nothing and cost us, the tax payer, hundreds of thousands of pounds annually.
At a time when our Council are trying to save money perhaps they should be a bit more inward looking; if these mini-quangos are as useless as I am led to believe, and I do not doubt that they are, then it may well be time to start trimming the Council’s middle management workforce, if the Council was run more like a business, instead of a money-pit, then these people would have been out on their ear long ago. The attitude of “Well; its not our money we’re wasting” has to stop, get out the pruning shears and start trimming.

A LITTLE WHISPER

2010-02-03T17:36:00.001Z

It is interesting to see how political parties close ranks when there is an election looming, how they try to keep things quiet until the last moment and then spring the candidate on us as if he/she will be the great saviour of our crumbling society. It appears to be the same locally, although locally we have a better insight into the minds of our politicos. It is, by now, no secret that the local Conservatives are having a hard time keeping their act together amidst in-fighting, resignations and expulsions.
With the BNP having called for a by-election in the Glyn Ward the Conservatives turned to a long serving member of the party to be their candidate, having considered how he was stabbed in the back at the last by-election, in which he was replaced by Lyn Lyon, he promptly and politely told them to get stuffed.
What will their next move be? If you remember back in November I predicted that Margaret Lyons would move from Llandudno and stand in Rhos Ward at the next Council election, I also said that the Conservatives would get rid of a long standing Conservative from Rhiw Ward, which they have by expelling Hazel Meredith, and replace them with the other two Lyons, Lyn and Phil, which they will. So it will come as no surprise to see Phil Lyons as their new candidate for the Town Council by-election, this gives him time to get his feet under the table and his picture in the paper prior to the County Council elections due in eighteen months or so.
Rhos and Rhiw wards are strong Conservative seats and are almost certain walk-ins for the Lyon family but it would be something of a set-back should both Liebour and the Conservatives come behind the BNP at this by-election, there are also three other candidates, to date, to deal with, one of them being Steve Hunt, the owner of the Pier, should public support be behind him and against the establishment then he, too, has a chance of winning.
Public feeling, at the moment, is against mainstream political parties, especially the lying and deceitful Labourites, so, one wonders could this by-election be another nail in the Conservative’s coffin? If they lose to the BNP it most certainly will be but a more worrying aspect would be if it affects Phil’s County Council chances. Both he and Lyn have one other problem that the Conservatives have not considered, they may have got rid of Hazel to make way for the couple but they haven’t taken into account Hazel’s tenacity, I predict she will stand as an Independent and beat one of them, now that will be one in the eye for the Lyons.

WOULD TEW BELIEVE IT

2010-02-03T00:19:00.000Z

The fox is well and truly in the chicken coop, feathers flying everywhere and the odd headless one running around clueless. I am, of course, talking about the local Conservatives. What a disastrous few days they’ve just had.
First problem was their candidate for the forthcoming Town Council By-election gives back-word and won’t be standing, which left them in the awkward position of not being able to contest the BNP in an election that the BNP called for. Poor Merfyn Thomas came under pressure to find a new candidate but even that got put on the back burner after the truculent Dennis Tew announced first his resignation from the Conservatives then his joining of Plaid.
Now it has to be said, the Conservatives should have been ready for this, for some time now the Conservatives were getting a bit peeved with some of Dennis’s behaviour and his name was mentioned at more than one meeting, in their opinion Dennis was getting off at the stop above his station. They, themselves, elevated him so they only have themselves to blame but the real kick in the nuts was his endorsement of Plaid’s Phil Edwards, that hurt them more than they care to admit. No names, no pack drill, one senior Tory was heard to say, in her shrill voice, “He was voted onto the Council as a Conservative; he should step-down and have a by-election called”. Well, I’m afraid, that isn’t going to happen my love, Dennis is well ensconced in his role as “Councillor Tew” and, of course, those extra pennies each month are what he’s there for.
There will now be a bit of shifting around of committee members, just to keep the balance of blame proportionate and the Tories will be sharpening their claws but, at the end of the day, nothing will really change; we will still have a Council that is defunct, deceitful and as much use as a chocolate fireguard. The only real winners are Liebour who, for once, are not the brunt of the joke.

News just in from “Spy HQ”: There is now great indecision in the Tory camp, consideration has been given that Margaret Lyons should stand in Deganwy at the next Council election but she is adamant that she wants to stand in Rhos. Perhaps it’s not all over yet, there may well be another battle of the wills to be fought!

MY TUPPENCE WORTH

2010-01-23T16:00:00.001Z

I am probably the last of the local Bloggers to report on the Public Meeting regarding the Pier, unfortunately work kept me away from the keyboard until now; however, my report comes from a totally different perspective than the others considering I couldn’t get in!
I arrived quite early, accompanied by Steve Hunt, I was quite surprised to see the place already busy, by the time I’d gone through a few pleasantries with people and acquaintances people were crowding in and I had to direct them to sit where they could.
By the time we reached the 150 mark I was asked to inform the people outside that we were full, struggling against those trying to get in I made it to the Town Hall steps and was greeted by approx 250-300 people queuing to still get in!
We managed to squeeze in a few more but in the end I had to turn away approx 200 people, calls for a photographer were answered and the press came outside to take pictures of those unlucky enough not to have gotten in, I heard demands for another meeting in a bigger venue, calls for Councillors to resign and I was even called “Scum” when asked if I was a Councillor! (A lady with the gentleman quickly pointed out and said “No! He’s one of the good ones” to which the gentleman apologised and followed it with”But they are Scum”)
By the time I’d turned people away you could not move inside the Town Hall and trying to get back into the chamber was a complete waste of time. Instead I fielded questions and complaints from those left in the hallways.
Feedback was fantastic, everyone has their concerns and this was more than evident in some of the questions poised. It wasn’t a Chris Hughes witch-hunt and, hats-off, he did attend as did quite a few other County Councillors. I was pleased to see “Oscar” in the crowd along with other local Bloggers.
I had a very informative chat with Councillor Stuart Anderson regarding our mutual interest in an off-shore lagoon but I won’t bore you with the details.
Suffice is to say it was an excellent result, it all hinges now on whether CCBC listen to what the people had to say. It is not too difficult for them to bite the bullet and sit down and talk....... is it?

A MESSAGE FROM STEVE HUNT

2010-01-22T23:20:00.000Z

Hi John, could I ask you to please publish the following on your blog - as I know many people from the bay read it who do are probably not on the pier mailing list:

Please pass on my thanks to everyone who made the effort to attend the meeting, particularly those who couldn't get in. I thougth a lot would turn out, but even I was astonished when I went outside to see people had filled the road.

I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to more of you personally, especially of course those who had travelled some distance.

I did have a lovely chat with the lady who had come all the way from Huddersfield! - who was delighted to have met up with a childhood friend from the bay at the meeting who she hadn't seen for many years!

It has at time felt like a bit of a lonely battle over the past few years, but now I am re-invigorated due to the overwhelming support of people as passionate about the pier as I have always been.

I hope this massive momentum will now be put to good use, and pressure piled on CCBC to TALK TO ME (or even my lawyers!) so we can resolve the legal issues and get back on with the job of trying to do something with the Pier.

Please everyone do your bit to lobby your Councillor, and even better still the Local Government Ombudsman for Wales whose details are at www.ombudsman-wales.org.uk

If anyone would like to keep updated directly, please join the mailing list on the pier website at www.victoriapier.com

Lastly, it would be very remiss of me not to thank David Jones MP for all the time he has spent on this issue over the past couple of years, and to the Newspapers, Radio and TV for doing their best to keep the public informed under such tight reporting restrictions.

Keep it up - CCBC cannot possibly ignore the people who pay their wages any longer.

Thanks one and all,

Steve Hunt.

WHAT A TO DO?

2010-01-21T16:13:00.001Z

It appears that my announcement in regards to the BNP calling a by-election has caused a few feathers to be ruffled.
Word has it that any Labour candidate put forward will be viewed has having links to Labours Chris Hughes and will therefore be viewed with suspicion. The prospective Conservative candidate has now decided not to stand and has pulled out. Plaid, as yet, hasn’t got a candidate and the BNP are already busy canvassing.
Labour have a tough decision to make, dump Chris Hughes and retain credibility or keep him on and risk losing to the BNP, their third option is; not to stand a candidate in a Labour stronghold, this would be viewed as capitulating to the BNP and bring them in for extremely strong criticism from all parties, including their own. I, almost, feel sorry for them, not really, they made a rod for their own backs by allowing Chris Hughes to continue in the way that he has so now they must pay the consequences.
The Conservatives can, at least, fall back on the old story of it being Labour’s responsibility but that is old news and will no longer wash, I believe JFS will be having a strong word with Merfyn Thomas to find a new candidate and quick!
Plaid; being Plaid, they will wait patiently until asked and then say “By-election, what by-election?”

BNP CALL BY-ELECTION

2010-01-21T13:11:00.001Z

It pleases me to see that there are other people who do not agree with our co-option process of new Councillors. The vacancy on Colwyn Bay Town Council will now be decided by a costly By-election and not by the normal co-option process.
The election has been called by the BNP; their candidate, James Trueman, told me that he felt it was the only way that democracy stood a chance against the system of co-option now adopted by the Town Council, currently any candidate must have 51% of the vote to win as opposed to the old “First past the post” system, which I wanted to keep but was out-voted.
As James said; “The system you have now favours those with friends or political allies already on the Council, people like me wouldn’t stand a chance unless we go to the trouble of calling a by-election”
I agree with him, our current voting process is flawed and because of that we now have to go to the very expensive process of a By-election. It is not the BNP or James Trueman that is to blame for this expense but the short sightedness of Councillors, by voting for this undemocratic process we opened the gates for complaints, we called the tune; we must now pay the piper.
The BNP’s actions will now cause a flurry of activity from the other major parties who will try to keep the BNP out, thus causing them headaches that could otherwise have been avoided had they not tried to be clever in changing our co-option process.
Me; I’m going to sit back and watch the likes of our Labour Councillors run around like headless chickens trying to find a candidate whilst decrying the BNP as a Racist, Fascist Party who have no place in our politics, then, at the end of it all, I’m going to vote for James who I know is a honest and decent person.
Stuff ‘em!

READ TO THE TUNE OF PINK PANTHER

2010-01-21T03:44:00.001Z

Printed below is a copy of a letter sent to me by Steve Hunt.
I’m not sure where he gets his information from, neither, apparently, are CCBC but if concerned Councillors are spilling the beans on the “QT” it is a sure sign that all is not well in the Fun Factory known as Bodlondeb!
I understand my name has been banded about as the culprit but how can that be?......... I was told I couldn’t attend, so how would I know, I didn’t even get the right room (I believe it was being swept for bugs!)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello!

1) PUBLIC MEETING ABOUT VICTORIA PIER - this Friday evening
2) LIARS, CHEATS, FRAUDSTERS, PERJURERS - Names to be revealed!
3) Friends of the Pier, and the TRUTH about Cllr Chris Hughes
4) The Way Forward...
5) ITV Wales Thursday...

PUBLIC MEETING ABOUT VICTORIA PIER - this Friday 22nd January, 6.00pm Town Hall, Rhiw Road, Colwyn Bay

Just a reminder about the meeting, I hope as many of you as possible will come along and show your support - please spread the word! It is not every day an MP calls a meeting like this, and it has caused ructions at the Corrupt Conwy County Borough Council! (CCBC)

CCBC has BANNED any of its members attending in an official capacity, and if any of them want to turn up as members of the public, they have been TOLD they must not answer any questions - nice to see democracy in action isn't it?

This morning, CCBC held a special, secret, emergency meeting to discuss me and the Pier. After I threatened to gate-crash the meeting, the room it was held in at CCBC headquarters was changed at the last minute! - Bless 'em.

Anyway, the main topic of conversation from County Councillors Brian Cossey, Abdul Khan (who is also Mayor of Colwyn Bay) and Chris Hughes (who is supposedly Chairman of "Friends of the Pier") was how news of this top secret meeting had leaked out!... they got their knickers in rather a twist over this, and have now demanded an enquiry into the "leak" - remember dear taxpayer, all this nonsense is where YOUR council tax money is going...

Interestingly, CCBC claimed to know nothing about the various offers I'd made over time to find a resolution to the problems surrounding the pier. It was pointed out that I had made an offer, in writing, to the LEADER of CCBC for him to send a delegation of himself and the appropriate officers to the Pier to see what work had been done, what was needed, and how myself and CCBC might work together for the good of the Pier. A copy of an internal memo in which the Council leader's response to my offer was stated as being "not worthy of any response" was also made available to the assembled Councillors... Council lies shown up yet again - I HAVE always been open to any discussion, however, certain Councillors like Chris Hughes have done their best to paint a very different picture of me over the past 6 years.

Interestingly, the discussion after this revelation was not "Oh, so Mr Hunt is more than willing to chat about the pier then, let's set up a meeting..." NO, instead yet more questions were asked on how on earth the person who revealed my offer, and a copy of the Councils internal memo, had come into posession of these documents... You see, the Council do not give a damn about the pier, and never have done... all they care about is their own filthy dirty secrets, and keeping them secret!

I can assure you of this: If they are worried about that one memo, they are going to have an awful lot more sleepless nights in the coming weeks...

LIARS, CHEATS, FRAUDSTERS, PERJURERS - Names to be revealed!

On Friday night, I shall be publicly naming and shaming a number of Council Officers / Councillors all involved in the utter scandal surrounding the completely illegal bankrupting of myself. The offences committed by these scumbags include FRAUD, PERJURY and PERVERTING THE COURSE OF JUSTICE. I have full details of how someone at CCBC CHANGED COMPUTER RECORDS TO CONCEAL MONEY, and how in actual fact CCBC owe ME money! Details of how CCBC knowingly LIED to the Courts all the way through legal proceedings against me, even instructing their lawyers to make FALSE written statements to the Judge!

Naturally, CCBC will be free, indeed challenged, to sue me for Slander / Libel if they want to allege what I say isn't true... after all, they seem to just love taking me to Court... BUT as I am only quoting from their OWN documents, internal memos, emails and computer records, I think they might just have a little bit of a problem when they get into a courtroom, don't you?

Friends of the Pier, and the TRUTH about Cllr Chris Hughes

I will also be asking all those interested to consider the resurrection of the "Friends of the Pier" charitable group, whose first mission will be to get rid of Cllr Chris Hughes, who alleges he still has authority as Chairman of this group.

Let me make a few facts very clear about Cllr Hughes:

He has REFUSED to call a meeting of the Friends of the Pier in over 3 years.
He has REFUSED to resign as Chairman.
He REFUSES to sign any cheques, thereby rendering the funds held in the Friends bank account worthless.
The other member called a meeting when he wouldn't, and voted him out as Chairman... He turned up at the meeting, declared it unconstitutional as he had not called it in his capacity as Chairman, and REFUSED yet again to resign. At that meeting (nearly a year ago now) he stated he would call a "proper AGM" where his chairmanship could be discussed, but surprise, surprise, he REFUSES to call any such meeting, knowing he will get voted out!
He REFUSES to respond to letters from the Secretary of the Friends sent to his house by recorded delivery.
He REFUSES to respond to letters sent to his official Councillor address at CCBC's Headquarters by recorded delivery.
AND YET... even at this mornings meeting, he was still bleating on about how much good HE has done for the Pier! - how he has the nerve is quite beyond my, or anyone else's, comprehension.

I can't wait to see if he has the nerve to turn up at the meeting on Friday! - there are a lot of very, very passionate people just waiting to ask him questions...

The Way Forward...

The purpose of Fridays meeting is officially to gauge the level of public support for regenerating the Pier, and to discuss what ideas people have for the kinds of things they would like to see on it.

As anyone who regularly visits the prom will know, the Pier is suffering badly from the 18 months of wilful neglect by the people who are currently, technically, the legal owners IE the Insolvency Practitioners. They have been warned numerous times by myself and my Lawyers that the pier is now dangerous in several places, but they do nothing about it. Is this all part of some cunning plan designed to allow the Pier to fall into such a bad way that demolition is considered?

In the recent big press articles in all the local papers, much prominence has been given to the idea of "demolition" - as if someone is trying to direct public opinion in that direction - and although I have been interviewed by every newspaper, there is hardly a line of quotation from me about anything - quite simply the Editors are under "pressure", shall we say, NOT to publish anything bad against CCBC in relation to the Pier.

Now, what the papers keep failing to mention is that the Pier CANNOT be demolished - it is a Grade II Listed Building!! - We don't go around demolishing old Castles just because they have holes in the walls do we?!

There have been a few good suggestions floating about of ways to help fund restoration of the Pier, which is what SHOULD be being discussed. These include building a hotel on it, a casino, cinema, bowling alleys etc. CCBC have had discussions about the availability of funding from the Welsh Assembly, but chose to keep all that secret from me and the people of Colwyn Bay.

It has been suggested that nPower should invest money into the Pier as "compensation" for ruining the coastline with all their electricity generating windmills, and then they could have some kind of information centre on the pier about the windmills. nPower have been approached directly about this, and are open to discussing the idea further... The thing is, if CCBC had a single brain-cell between them, they could have made investing in the pier a condition of planning permission for building the windmills in the first place! - this kind of arrangement is commonly used when, for example, Asda build a new primary school classroom in exchange for being allowed to build a supermarket etc. It is commonly known as a "Section 106 Planning Agreement".

ITV Wales Thursday...

I'm being interviewed Thursday morning, so keep your eye open on the ITV News bulletins throughout the day / evening... What I will say about the Corrupt Council, and what ITV will dare to actually broadcast remains to be seen!

Anyway... I could rabbit on for hours, but won't bore you any further.

Please do you best to show your support in person on Friday night - and tell as many people as you can - we want to pack out the Town Hall to standing room only!

If you do blogging or twittering or facebooking or any of those kinda things, let people know!

See you there!

Steve Hunt
www.victoriapier.com

PLEASE DO NOT WASTE THIS CHANCE

2010-01-15T17:59:00.000Z

A week from today and we have the Public Meeting in regards to the Pier, David Jones, who is chairing the meeting, would like the people thinking of attending to let his office know, it’s a local number..... 01492 535845.
CCBC, the people most likely to benefit from this meeting have not yet, officially, declared whether they will attend or not, unofficially you can bet your bottom dollar it’s the later, whenever have CCBC been interested in what the people of Colwyn Bay have had to say?
They are, however, holding their own, by invitation only, meeting on Wednesday 22nd January at 8.30am in the Medium meeting room at Bodlondeb. The meeting is for Colwyn Bay County Councillors and Councillors involved in the Seafront Regeneration, no idea what the agenda is because the meeting does not appear on their calendar but, by law, should be minuted..... stop laughing at the back. I tried to get an invite, being a local Councillor, but was firmly put in my place and told “the meeting is for COUNTY COUNCILLORS only” which, translated means; “We don’t want obnoxious little Town Councillors here”.
This will be CCBC’s chance to hear what the people want to see happen, the chance to see how much it is affecting local people and the biggest opportunity yet to show the people of Colwyn Bay that they really do care what happens to us and our town. If, as I suspect, they do not turn up then this will be further proof, if it were needed, of the utter contempt that the Council and it’s Councillors show to the people of Colwyn Bay.

JUST SO YOU KNOW

2010-01-12T14:56:00.001Z

In light of what’s been happening and in answer to some questions that have been asked of me I intend to put the record straight.
I have no political aspirations whatsoever, I am not standing in the next General Election; I do not see myself barnstorming into Westminster and putting the world’s wrongs to right or indulging in shoving my snout into the overflowing trough of expenses. I have no thoughts about standing for the Welsh Assembly, yet more parasites feeding off the backs of the general public and doing bugger all for it. I will, however, stand at the next County Elections.
I have been asked by members of the public to stand in the Glyn Ward, I was going to stand elsewhere but, after hearing their concerns, and seeing the performance of some Councillors I have decided that I will stand here in the Glyn Ward if only to see that other Councillors do not get re-elected, if I can take enough votes off one certain Councillor to ensure he isn’t re-elected then I will consider that “job-done” regardless of who else gets elected.
When I got into this lark it wasn’t for fame, glory or money, I, naively, thought I could put right some of the wrongs that, as a tax-payer, I could see happening. I wasn’t prepared for the bureaucracy, politics and bullshit that go with it. Whatever happened to honesty, decency and openness? We, as Councillors, should not be told don’t tell the people this or that; you voted us in there you have a fundamental right to know what we are doing on your behalf, how we are spending your money is, and should be, important to all of us.
If I see something is wrong I say it’s wrong and if I upset other Councillors by doing that then tough shit, I make no apologies for it, I would much rather incur the wrath of some of these overstuffed oafs than sit back and do nothing. That is another problem, Councillors who just “go with the flow” because it’s so much easier than arguing, if you don’t want to argue about what is right then get the hell out of there and make room for someone who is prepared to stand up for what’s right, it’s as simple as that.
I carry the baggage of my old political affiliations with the BNP, so what? Does that make me blind to what is going on, or to the injustice perpetrated by the Council... does it buggery it just makes me more determined to prove that you don’t have to be a snob or a plank to be a Councillor.

BENEFIT SYSTEM

2010-01-05T02:21:00.001Z

I’ve been away from the blog for a few days. Not long ago I helped someone locally fill-in some forms and housing applications, spoke to some people on their behalf and they were successful with their applications, they were very grateful and thanked me for my assistance. So happy were they that they told their friend who had had his DLA (Disability Living Allowance) stopped. He was receiving it for over 12 months when it suddenly stopped and he was put on a Job Seekers Allowance, the person involved is so severely disabled and would be unable to walk never mind “Jobseek”. It transpires that they sent him a letter that was so full of official terminology he couldn’t understand its contents and so discarded it; the wrong thing to do I know; but they didn’t. After speaking to the people at the DLA and filling in the relevant paperwork they are now reinstating it so all’s well there. Another person has been having problems with his housing, another was a Crisis loan and another was an application for a grant.
Most of the people I helped for one reason or another had originally been turned-down or refused their application because they didn’t understand the system and, I have to admit, neither did I. It wasn’t without speaking to people and asking them to explain the question that I was fully able to understand. Not everybody will do this, they maybe to embarrassed or they may not know you can do it. It showed to me, and gave me a better understanding of, our benefit system, it’s not without its flaws and genuine people do slip through the cracks. There are also those who I would call “Professional Benefit Claimants” they DO know the system and they know how to milk it and they are making it harder for those who do have genuine problems.
My advice to anybody making a claim is DO NOT ignore letters that are sent to you and if you don’t understand phone up and ask them to explain, I found them very helpful and they even told me of other things these people were entitled to.

IN RESPECTFUL REPLY

2010-01-01T02:10:00.000Z

Anonymous said...
Well, here we are, 2010, the end of what must be the most disastrous decade to have hit our country in half a century. Maybe worse than that, in terms of the effect which the first decade of the 21st Century has had upon the native population of these Islands, the last ten years may have caused more lasting damage than any our people have ever lived through.

In the first decade of this century we came closer to being replaced within out homeland than we ever have before.

What has been done to us we allowed to be done. In the past, our people stood together and faced down war, plague and hardship. This time we neither stood together nor faced up the the threat before us, indeed, most of our people surrendered and laid down their children's future, their children's heritage, for temporary comfort and for fear of a word.

In the past we have always survived what our country faced, yet because this time we surrendered, for the first time in a thousand years, it is by no means certain that we will survive what has overtaken us in the last ten years.

We are a wounded people, we are an occupied people and most dangerously we are a disunited people.

Rejoin the ranks John.
31 December 2009 23:27

Anon 23.27,
As I creep into the 2nd year of writing this blog you have been the constant burden I have had to carry; I have lost count of the number of your comments I have had to reject, you have cajoled me, incited me and, at times, inspired me. Your dogged determination is, begrudgingly, inspirational, you have hung-on in there and brought the fight to my very doorstep, your persistence is nothing but creditable. You are, without doubt, a sincere Nationalist with a pride and a passion for your Country, it is you, and the very people like you, who stand tall and shout for what you believe in, you face the taunts, the insults and the slurs but yet you come back for more, you, and those others like you, are what enthused me into joining the BNP, the people I met and the fervour they showed drove me to a new determination but there is a darker side to the BNP and by exposing it I burnt my bridges. I have no regrets of being in the BNP, the same way I have no regrets about the way I have lived the rest of my life but it is a period of that life that is now over, like the parting of old friends, it was sad but inevitable. I wish you well in your struggles old friend and I hope you have many victories but, alas, I will not be there to celebrate them with you, that is something that you and the other Nationalists must do together. God’s speed.

2010-01-01T01:23:00.000Z

A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL

THE LAST CHANCE SALOON..... JUST CLOSED

2009-12-29T10:55:00.000Z

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, CCBC’s inept, amateurish and inward thinking will cause us to loose the main share of the Regeneration Grant. They, through Bethan Jones’s leadership, were so keen to house their new offices in Colwyn Bay that they hardly glanced at any other proposal put before them.
Where did Bethan Jones go? Director of Modernisation, Denbighshire County Council and what happens? A brand new £85m seafront development in Rhyl complete with private investors waiting in the wings....

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2009/12/29/buyer-revives-hope-for-rhyl-s-85m-ocean-plaza-seafront-scheme-55578-25483888/

It couldn’t have been more blatant; the person in charge of our pitiful regeneration proposals decides to jump ship and lands on her feet and suddenly, out of nowhere, the proposals that were shelved for Rhyl miraculously have a new private investor, you couldn’t make it up, I know it’s pantomime season but someone is having a laugh.
The moment CCBC knew that tear spilling Bethan was moving to Denbighshire, months ago, she should have been removed from the Regeneration Board and given some menial task to do that would not include knowing about our, rather lame, regeneration proposals.
Never mind, the good news is Councillor Chris Hughes is Chairman of the Regeneration Quality Assurance Team..................... tickets for the Titanic anyone.

2010 AWAITS

2009-12-29T02:23:00.002Z

Just before we get to see the New Year in I thought I might throw-in a few predictions I have for the forthcoming year.
1. The vacancy we have on Colwyn Bay Town Council will not be decided by a co-option, it will be a by-election. This is because of the new voting system we have; a candidate has to have 51% of the vote to be elected, so the more mates you have on the Council the more chance you have of winning. Obviously no-one likes that so, instead, we will have the expense of a by-election for a Town Councillor.
2. CCBC will refuse to send a representative to the Public Meeting regarding the Pier stating they had been legally advised not to attend.
3. Councillor Booth-Taylor, Eglwysbach, will not resign from the Council even though she has moved 150 miles away.
4. Prior to the General Election we will see race riots in some of our major cities; prompted by immigration, asylum seekers and illegal workers being high on the agenda of all parties plus the rise of far-right groups such as the EDL.
5. CCBC will unveil plans to turn half of Eirias Park into a car-park for the Sports Stadium
6. The Conservatives will not get the landslide victory they were hoping for despite a failed attempt by Labour to depose Gordon Brown
7. And finally: We will see a rise in the use of “Public and Press exemptions” by CCBC, the verdict on the Officers involved in the Douglas Road fiasco will never be made public.

OOPS! ONE MORE......
Sometime in January UKIP North Wales will find someone capable of updating their web-site; the last entry being made on the 20th of November. Either that or nothing interesting has happened in the Church Hall Action Group.
http://www.ukipnorthwales.org/

HAVE A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR AND MAY THIS ONE BE BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE: GOD BLESS.

WHAT A PUT DOWN!

2009-12-28T04:02:00.001Z

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of meeting up with an old Army mate, he, because of injuries sustained during tours in Northern Ireland and in the Falklands, has to use a crutch and wear a leg brace so I gave him my usual loud greeting of “Hello; you miserable old bastard, how are you, you old cripple” Knowing the man the way I do, and what we went through together, gives me the honour of being able to address him that way without it being insulting.
Anyway I was overheard by a young WPC and she turned to me and said, in a very officious manner, “Excuse me! I heard what you said to that gentleman, do you realise you are breaking the law and, if the gentleman wishes to make a complaint I could arrest you”. Before I could answer my mate chirped up “That man you are threatening with arresting and I served our Queen and Country together and he once carried me for two miles, he has earned the right to talk to me anyway he likes, unlike you, in your fancy dress. Now, may I suggest that you go and confer with someone much higher than your pay-grade to find out if you have enough coppers on duty to arrest the pair of us and if you have we’ll be in that pub over there; now be a good girl and leave us alone” Rather disgruntled and shame-faced she walked away, accompanied by a round of applause from those nearby who had overheard the exchange.
As we walked to the pub my mate turned to me and said “I’ve told you before, don’t call me old”

FILTHY SCUM

2009-12-26T04:15:00.000Z

Call me a racist, a fascist even a Nazi but scum like this do not deserve to be in this Country....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1237988/Failed-asylum-seeker-killed-12-year-old-girl-wins-court-bid-stay-Britain.html

Regardless, of whatever awaits him if he is deported, he more than deserves it; and if his fictitious wife and family love him so much he can take them along with him.
This just emphasises what I wrote the other day about “Nanny State”. Deportation would infringe on his Human rights, what about the Human rights of the 12 year old girl he murdered or the Human rights of her grief stricken family.
It is incidents like this that turn people to vote for the BNP, we, as a Country, have got to be the laughing stock of the World. To allow this man to stay here, after what he has done, is an incitement to racial hatred and I fully understand the girl’s father when He says he will not rest until this piece of shite has gone.

SEASONAL GREETINGS AND........

2009-12-24T16:16:00.000Z

SENT IN BY A READER

2009-12-23T16:21:00.000Z

You're walking down a deserted street with your husband or wife and two small children.

Suddenly, a dangerous looking man with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, and raises the knife
and charges.

You are carrying a Glock .40, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family.

What do you do?'

UK Police Officer's Answer:

1) Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!
2) Does the man look poor or oppressed?
3) Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?

4) Could we run away?

5) Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?

6) What does the law say about this situation?

7) Does the Glock have appropriate safety built into it?

8) Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?

9) Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?

10) Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?

11) If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?

12) Should I call 9-9-9?

13) Why is this street so deserted?

14) We need to raise taxes, have a paint-and-weed day and make this a happier, healthier street that would discourage such behaviour?

15) If I raise my gun and he turns and runs away; do I get blamed if then he falls over running away, knocks his head and kills himself?

16) If I shoot him, and lose the court case, does he have the opportunity to sue me, cost me my job, my credibility and I will lose my family home?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Australian Officer's Answer:

1) BANG!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

American Officer's Answer:

1) BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Click....(sounds of reloading)

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!!!!!!!!!!

Click.

Daughter: Nice grouping, Dad! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips?''

NANNY STATE OF THE UK

2009-12-22T11:42:00.000Z

It is no state secret that I am bitterly opposed to the totalitarian regime of the European Union; my main reason for the interest in UKIP, I believe we, as a nation, should be able to make our own laws, govern ourselves and be the ones to choose our own future instead of having it dictated to us.
Membership of The EU divides opinion across the UK but approx 40% of us would like to see a total withdrawal from this federal state. There are those that argue for it being a financial gain to us when, in actual fact, it is not; we import approx £230billion of trade each year but export only £178billion. Regardless of our membership status this amount of trade could not be ignored by the EU and, as none members, we would still be able to trade under the terms of the World Trade Organisations rules.
We, because of EU directives, are becoming a nanny state, how many of us are sick and tired of hearing terms such as Health and Safety, Risk Assessment, Political Correctness and, importantly, Human Rights violations. The rules and regulations being imposed upon us by this corrupt, unelected, faceless bureaucracy are turning us into a Big brother Police State where we are scared to say or do anything for fear of breaching some directive or another.
Control of our Armed Forces, our Fishing Right and our Farming produce are now in the hands of Brussels, how many Farmers and Fishermen are on the brink of or have already gone bankrupt because of their directives and it is now up to 26 argumentative heads of Governments what we can or cannot do with our Forces.
Properly Governed and freed from the chains that bind us we could, once again, stand tall and face the World, we could thrive and prosper as a Free Nation and not be part of the dictatorship we have so many times in the past fought to free others from.
I am now, and forever will be anti-EU.

REASON FOR RESIGNATION

2009-12-21T11:21:00.001Z

Councillor Dave Maratos resigned from the Town Council on Tuesday, the 15th of this month, following a Special Meeting on the Monday; at this meeting Cllr Maratos felt he was castigated by Councillor Chris Perry for being a landlord of properties in Colwyn Bay, this followed a question I asked in relation to Landlords being offered free refurbishments if they then took-in people on the homeless list. Councillor Perry accused me of asking the question on behalf of Councillor Maratos, which was not the case, the question was actually given to me by a lady who was in the Chamber but, being a member of the public, could not ask the question herself. Cllr Perry was, in fact, making an unfounded allegation about my question and, surprisingly, was not pulled up by the Mayor for his actions.
The argument escalated after I had left the Town Hall and Cllr Perry further verbally accused Cllr Maratos of matters relating to properties in Colwyn Bay and Manchester, apparently Cllr Perry accused Cllr Maratos of being a trouble causer and argued with him in relation to Social Services in Manchester
Councillor Maratos HAS told people he believed some unnamed properties were to be demolished, he was merely repeating what County Councillor Bob Squires had said in the Weekly News. Councillor Maratos had already been contacted by County Councillor Chris Hughes who told him to stop relaying the story because it wasn’t true and that Bob Squires had never said such a thing to the Weekly News or the Pioneer and that he, (Bob Squires) had received an apology from the Weekly News over his comments (this isn’t exactly true Cllr Squires received an apology because he never used the term “Benefit Underclass” and not for his comments on demolition). Councillor Hughes then, according to Cllr Maratos, undermined his standing in the community by spreading rumours that he, Cllr Maratos, didn’t know what he was talking about and, to use Cllr Hughes’s words, was just scaremongering. These actions by Cllr Hughes turned public opinion against Cllr Maratos and he found himself and his family subject to harassment from local residents including eggs been thrown at his windows, dog dirt been thrown on his doorstep and malicious texts been sent. The Police were informed and have had to speak to people about their future behaviour.
Councillor Maratos feels he was victimised by Councillor Chris Hughes’s actions and that he has been forced to resign for his and his family’s safety.
Here is what Councillor Bob Squires said to the Weekly News....

“There is a master plan being discussed as part of the regeneration and it will be include major proposals for demolition for some of these properties. Conwy County Council will resist future bedsits, the policy will be dead against it. We will formally resist houses of multiple accommodation, and reduce them and therefore some of the undesirable types that live there.”

And here is the apology published by the Weekly News...

*ON the Letters Page of last week’s Weekly News we ran a headline saying "Councillor’s ‘underclass’ comments spur debate".
This implied Cllr Bob Squire had used the term in relation to people in Colwyn Bay.
This was not the case, and Mr Squire has not used this term in the past.
The term ‘benefits underclass’ was actually from a report from the Welsh Assembly.
We are happy to clear up any misunderstanding this may have caused.

Councillor Maratos, in my opinion, was only saying what he had read a County Councillor say in the papers, the fact that the Council and Councillor Chris Hughes did not want it further publicised is a different matter entirely, if what Councillor Maratos alleges is true, and I have no reason to doubt him as I am in receipt of some emails sent out by Cllr Hughes, then there is certainly a case for the Standards Board to investigate the actions perpetrated by Councillor Hughes who, for too long now, seems to be getting away with some very strange behavior.

EX-SERVICES AND CHARITIES

2009-12-20T14:52:00.000Z

An article from My Thoughts My Country about Tax and Charities got me thinking......

http://mythoughtsmycountry.blogspot.com/2009/12/lets-tax-charities-instead.html

I remember some time ago there was an investigation into donations given to Oxfam and it was calculated that for every £100.00 only £1.00 of it reached the people it was intended for; I do not know if that is still the case but I am sure someone will be able to inform us.
Charities are full of people with good intentions who work tirelessly in their belief that they are helping others, these people, rightly, deserve every credit due to them; most of them giving their time and effort free of charge.... but not all.
Chairmen, Boards and Officers of Charities are sometimes on huge salaries for their meagre input into these organisations and that is why I have become so suspicious of charities.
Ex-Servicemen charities are now springing up all over the place and are taking advantage of our emotional attachment to our serving Soldiers involved in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, some of whom have died, sustained life changing injuries or have developed mental problems. A good friend of mine and an ex- Warrant Officer in the SAS gives his time freely to help ex-service men, and woman, who are suffering from PTSD, they receive no Government or WAG funding, although I believe this is being addressed, they rely on donations from the Services and the public, they are a long standing organisation whose reputation is beyond reproach and they deserve every penny they get.
What worry me are those organisations that set themselves up purporting to be a “Charity”. I do know one organisation that has set-up SOTS (Soldiers Off The Streets), it was started by Bill Murray and his wife, Bill was the Welsh Regional Secretary for the BNP and one of those I argued with whilst being a member myself. SOTS was set-up like so many other “Charities” on a whim, it is not registered with the Charities Commission and, apart from his wife, I do not know who the Officers are. We do not know what salaries Bill, his wife or the Officers are on and we have no idea of what percentage of our donation eventually reaches the person it was meant for.
SOTS is not the only organisation that has sprung up to play on our emotions, there are many others and they all need to be regulated and, if necessary, investigated. Being an ex-serviceman I am the last person to tell people not to donate to organisations that are genuinely for ex-service personnel, every penny you give to reputable charities helps. If in doubt check these charities are registered before handing over your well meaning donation.

FESTIVE SPIRIT

2009-12-19T16:17:00.000Z

What Festive Spirit? Having just given up the rigours of an attempted shopping expedition into the war-zone that Colwyn Bay has become, I can certainly tell you there is no “Festive Spirit” whatsoever. It is sheer lunacy to venture anywhere near the shopping centre, the market or, indeed, any premise that may be offering for sale anything that may have the slightest hint of having anything to do with Christmas.
The worst offenders being women, the moment you put one of them behind a shopping trolley, the whole world is at risk, they do not push them, they aim them; and I pity any poor sod’s ankles that stands in their way. Should you, God forbid, complain you are met with a glare that would put Medusa to shame and a retort of “Well; move out of the bloody way then” followed by a snarl of “Pillock” as they continue lumbering down the cat-food lane with a very apologetic looking husband trotting behind them trying to keep up.
Trying to look into a shop window is akin to being part of the scrum in a Ladies Rugby club and, had I not moved, I am sure my genitals would have ended up as a war trophy nailed to a dressing room door somewhere.
Arguments rained thick and fast all over town, one poor bloke being publically humiliated by his over-weight wife for his choice of baubles; holding them up for her friend to see she shouted “Have you seen these **cking baubles he chose, they’ll look **cking stupid on my tree”, poor bloke. Another hapless individual was laden with about 27 bulging carrier-bags whilst his wife flickered from place to place making more purchases to add to his load, “Remind me to get four loafs of bread as well” she told the poor sod. As I nipped outside to have a cig and calm my shattered nerves another woman was screaming at her husband “Now look what you’ve done, you’ve made me forget the cream” ????. A well used phrase was also heard “I don’t know why I bothered bringing you with me........ give me some money”.
Returning home I was greeted with “Hi Love, did you get what you wanted?” Looking at her now, in a totally different light after seeing what I had, I decided against telling the truth and sidled up into the office for a bit of quiet reflection.

DESPICABLE BEHAVIOUR

2009-12-17T22:39:00.001Z

I have re-printed a copy of an email sent to me today from a gentleman called Matt Hall, I have never met the person and can only vouch for the validity of his claim on his say so, I have no reason to doubt that the email is the genuine article as it appears to ask reasonable questions of the Chairman (Councillor Chris Hughes) of the Friends of the Pier Society. To this date Councillor Hughes has not had the common courtesy to reply to the gentleman’s enquiry.
One has to wonder if this is the way one person has been treated, how many others are there out there who have also been treated in a similar, despicable, fashion. The problems surrounding Councillor Hughes’s prolonged Chairmanship must now, surely, becoming an embarrassment to the County Council and for the sake of their own integrity they must take action against him and force him to resign from the Society or, alternatively, step-down as a Councillor.

From: woulddo@hotmail.co.uk
To: cllr.chris.hughes@conwy.gov.uk
Subject: Friends Of The Pier Enquiry
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:58:03 +0000

Hi Chris,

I have been informed that you are Chairman of 'The Friends Of Victoria Pier' in Colwyn Bay, Which I am interested in joining having recently moved to the area and having a lons standing interest in Piers and their history ,Firstly I am after some information on the group- Is there a membership/joining fee? If so what do I get for this fee? eg. Newsletters, Chance to attend Meetings etc? I have noticed/been told the Pier is closed and heard many different stories in a short time as to how/why, What are the Friends actually doing towards saving the Pier? Any Fundraising/Meetings I could get involved In to help? I would also be willing to make a donation towards any fund etc that is in place for the Piers future.

Many Thanks

Matt Hall

THE PIER, THE PUBLIC AND THE MP.

2009-12-16T12:28:00.001Z

Now that the proposal, by the Council, to house their offices in Colwyn Bay has hopefully been shelved let us now turn our attention to other pressing matters....... the Pier.
Victoria Pier here in Colwyn Bay has, for some time now, been the subject of many conversations, those who want it demolished and those that want to see it restored have all voiced their opinions independently, some are worried others are shocked at the Pier’s decline and there are those, like me, who are extremely concerned at the Council’s refusal to negotiate with the owner or, indeed, refuse to even discuss the Pier publically.
I raised the issue at a Town Council meeting and all the County Councillors stood up and left the chamber, I got the Council to invite Steve Hunt, the owner, to address a meeting to inform us of his position in respect of the Pier, no County Councillors attended it; had they done so they would have heard Steve Hunt tell us that he is prepared to enter into ANY deal that will save the Pier.
Here, on this blog, and on most of the other local blogs you will have read of Chris Hughes, a County Councillor, refusing to call meetings or sign cheques for the Friends of the Pier Society of which he is the CHAIRMAN, of all County Councillors one would have thought he would have shown an interest but he has not, and yet still refuses to stand down as it’s chairman; CAN HE NOT SEE WHAT A HUGE CONFLICT OF INTEREST ARISES FROM HIM BEING CHAIRMAN or is there a secret agenda that by remaining there and stifling democracy he is acting as an agent for the Council?
Public opinion is highly against the Council and Councillor Hughes and concerns are such that our local MP, David Jones, is now calling a Public Meeting to discuss the Pier. This meeting will be held in the main chamber of the Town Hall at 6pm on Friday the 22nd of January. David, himself will, hopefully, chair the meeting and we can, at last, have a full and open debate about the Pier’s future.
It is uncertain whether there will be a CCBC representative present but, if there is not, then that will speak volumes for the Council’s feelings towards the people of Colwyn Bay. I would also like to see Councillor Chris Hughes attend the meeting to defend his despicable actions towards the Pier Society but, once again, I doubt he has the integrity to do the right thing and be open and honest.
I would like to urge all of you to attend this meeting and show your support for the Pier, it shows the level of concern when your local MP has to do all the work, well done David.

REMEMBER; 6PM ON THE 22ND JANUARY AT THE TOWN HALL........... BE THERE!

ATTACK ON UKIP?.... NO; A KICK UP THE ARSE

2009-12-15T13:28:00.001Z

I have been asked if I am attacking UKIP over sour grapes in that they refused to let me attend one of their meetings.
That is not the case at all and I do not consider what I have said as an “Attack” it was meant to be a kick up the arse so they would extract the digit and get on with doing what they should be doing.
I still believe that Nationally UKIP can be a great challenge to the mainstream Parties; they could be here too but they need to brighten their ideas up, let me refresh your memories...
You will all be aware that I had an interest in the UKIP Party; I wanted to attend a meeting to find out more about them and get to know the local members, a dip of the toe in the proverbial waters, so to speak. This sent their Political Advisor, Kevin Mahoney into orbit, making false claims and assumptions about me, he even told the membership, WRONGLY, that an NEC directive forbids ex-BNP members from attending their meetings. You are all aware of the farcical episode that followed and the indecision of the local leadership, truly amazing really that they get anywhere.
(I have been asked to point-out that the paranoid Kevin Mahoney is not the North Wales UKIP Political Advisor he is John Bufton, the MEPs, Political Advisor..... Poor John.)
These are not attacks they are observations and I certainly believe that locally they are poorly led (my observation) and badly advised by a man who seems paranoid about BNP infiltrators (my observation). To any of those in UKIP who, like the MEP Political Advisor, suffer from paranoia in regards to infiltrators may I make this observation; who would you be more suspicious of? A Councillor who serves his community and gives his time freely to help others OR Kevin Mahoney, who within two to three years of joining your party has climbed his way up the ladder to become an advisor to one of your MEPs and a PPC, gives false and misleading information to party members about an ex-BNP Councillor who shows an interest in the party and is, I believe, the brother of Brian Mahoney; leader of the entire BNP in Wales. Your choice!
Start looking on your own doorstep before knocking on my door; neither I nor my observations are your problem; the fact that I point them out to you is a bit like shooting the messenger.
UKIP are capable of so much more, get out there, meet the people, be decisive and bold and show people you are a party with enthusiasm not, as I have likened you to, a church hall action group. You have the capability of so much more, I honestly believe you yourselves do not realise your potential and that is half the problem. WAKE-UP! Before it is too late.

MEETING..... REGENERATION

2009-12-15T10:37:00.001Z

Last nights meeting, in my opinion, was full of what I call “Managerial spiel”; they talked a lot but in essence said very little.
The Centre for Sporting Excellence was glorified and hailed as the best thing since sliced bread but everything else was glossed over and any difficult questions such as “Ultimate plans for Douglas Road” were responded to with “Refer to the Master plan”. This was the first I’d heard of a “Master plan” (outside of spoof spy film), apparently the Council will be employing a firm of Consultants, costing around £100,000, who will draw up this “Master plan”. Why, after all this time, are we only now employing consultants? I’m not against spending £100,000 if they are successful in bringing home the bacon but it seems a little late in the day to be calling them in, they should have been employed at the very beginning instead of amateurish hopefulness.
I asked about plans for a multi-storey car park in Ivy Street the answer was “As of today, there are no plans for that” I pursued it further “ Are there plans for a multi-storey car park anywhere in Colwyn Bay” the answer again was “As of today, no”. As of today could mean a multitude of things, we may change our minds as of tomorrow or we were but only up until yesterday!.
There is a Quality Assurance Team (QAT) set-up (full of County Councillors or Council employees) to oversee the regeneration and I groaned inwardly when Councillor Chris Hughes piped-up and informed us, gleefully, that he had been voted Chairman of the team, if it’s anything like his chairmanship of the Pier Society or his vice-chair of the Daniel Cleverly Trust (Dan’s den) then we are doomed to disaster.
Arguments followed the meeting and I received a phone call or two from other worried Councillors, one, who’s name I wont mention, said that they felt it was time to call it a day; he/she is sick of the back-biting and name-calling and feels that we are banging our heads against a brick wall and has had enough of it, despite my call for a cooling-off I think he/she may carry out the threat of resigning and I cannot blame them really; if you are not used to threats and intimidation it can be very disheartening and I will admit to having, fleetly, considered it myself.
Good intentions are all very well but I believe Samuel Johnson once said “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” I only hope this time he is proved wrong.

BAH HUMBUG

2009-12-14T16:29:00.000Z

I’m sorry but I can no longer get into, understand, the Joys of the Christmas feel good factor. To me the innocence and anticipation of Christmas has been dragged into the commercial arena where it isn’t the thought behind the gift that counts but how much of your hard earned cash you spent on it.
Kids no longer rush off to bed early on Christmas Eve, hoping it will make Santa come quicker, they no longer eagerly await the surprises wrapped up in paper under the Christmas tree; the fact that they chose it from the Argos catalogue may have something to do with that. Kid’s noses are not pressed against cold windows hoping to get a glimpse of Santa and his reindeers flying past, they know that once Dad has snaffled the mince pie and drunk the sherry, which they blatantly left for Santa, then he’ll sneak up the stairs in his drunken stupor and dump the prezzies at the bottom of the bed.
Carol singers banging on your door and asking for dosh during the last week of November is another sign that things are no longer taken in the festive spirit, they’re just taken. Christmas Fayres now being called “Seasonal” just in case we upset some other religion, if it upsets you then sod-off we are a Christian Country that used to celebrate Christmas long before you came here.
Weeks before Christmas you could walk into your local and the atmosphere was thick of anticipation towards the coming event; now it’s just anticipation. The local butcher would have been taking orders weeks ago for the Christmas turkey; now you’ll probably see him in Tescos, like you, buying a turkey crown.
She who should be obeyed has already put up the Christmas tree, or should I say, taken it out of the box and assembled it, strung some new lights on it, the old ones having refused to work, thrown some tinsel at it and shoved a few crackers under it’s artificial branches. Standing back and admiring her work with a tear in her eye and a lump in her throat; get over it woman it’s artificial and the lights cost twice as much as they did eight years ago.
It’s all gone to pot; agreed there are still some who cling to the last vestiges of Christmas, hoping beyond hope that they can rescue the remnants of long lost sentiments but even they realise that it’s nothing like it was and that maybe next year they’ll bugger off to Spain until it’s all over.

Merry bloody Christmas everybody.

THE GOOD NEWS IS..........

2009-12-13T01:21:00.002Z

Some good news for a change; John Dew the person sent by WAG to advise CCBC on their Office Accommodation has recommended that the Council extend their offices at Bodlondeb and the Civic Centre and DO NOT build their new offices in the centre of Colwyn Bay.
This is great news in respect of the town but also slightly worrying; Councillors are now concerned that due to the single sightedness of the Regeneration Board towards these offices other proposals for the town had not even been considered.
Bethan Jones, Director of Regeneration and Improvement, is now moving to Denbighshire, following the money, they have a host of proposals being put forward and concerns are that with her knowledge of our limited proposals Denbighshire will get the lions share of the Regeneration Grant. Her role there, Director of Modernisation, puts her in an ideal position to take advantage of our Council’s (Her) relaxed attitude towards the grant.
Trouble is; time is fast running out, proposals have to be put forward now otherwise we will loose the grant entirely and, with Bethan Jones knowing all of our plans, she will be able to advise her new bosses of how precarious our position is, allowing them to take full advantage.
This should put an altogether different aspect on Monday nights meeting, one of the questions sent to me was “If public opinion is against the Council Offices what other plans have the Council got?” this is no longer just a question but reality and I, along with many others, will be anxious to know the answer!

Denbighshire Council seem interested in what I have said about the Regeneration Grant and Bethan Jones; they have already viewed this comment 8 times to-day. Conwy CBC has also viewed it 4 times, good job they revoked their “No viewing blogs “policy.
I can only hope that by making public this information, which by rights we should be informed about, that it spurs the Council into action and that they treat this Grant with the urgency that is needed. This is the towns last chance please do not waste it.

IT'S ABOUT YOUR FUTURE

2009-12-10T13:16:00.000Z

On Monday 14th December (this coming Monday) at 6pm Colwyn Bay Town Council has a Special Meeting. There is only one item on the Agenda; to receive an address from Bethan Jones, Corporate Director Improvement and Development CCBC, in regards to the SRA Regeneration.
This is, basically, an update on what the Council’s intentions are in regards to spending the Regeneration Grant. No doubt it will include spending the money on the Council’s new offices and not necessary on what is good for the town. We will hear about the good work being done already and that that is yet to commence but, what this really means is; these are the scraps thrown to the peasants whilst the Council sits at the top table and gorges itself. The biggest proportion of the Grant will be spent on their offices and car parks to facilitate their staff and any remaining money used to placate the public. We will hear about the centre for Sporting Excellence and an integrated transport system (new footpaths and cycle routes) and we will even hear about “Public Consultation” not that I have been consulted about my feelings of having a block of offices for 600 Council staff in the middle of town.......... have you?
I would suggest that anyone interested in the future of Colwyn Bay attends this meeting and hears for themselves the proposals being put forward by the Council. You will not be allowed to speak or ask questions at this meeting, unless invited to do so, but I am more than willing to put forward any questions you may have for Bethan Jones in respect of the regeneration, email them to me at...

cllr.johnoddy@yahoo.co.uk

BOND; JAMES BOND OF BODLONDEB

2009-12-09T14:27:00.001Z

I don’t know if CCBC is full of wannabe James Bonds or thinks of itself as an off-shoot of MI5 but they appear to use the LGA Schedule 12a (public and press exempt) rule so often that it does make one wonder.
Yesterday’s Cabinet meeting had no less than three exempt items; one, the award of the Waste Transport Contract, I can understand as being “Commercially sensitive” but the other two, The Chief Executives Annual Report and Job Evaluation/Modernising Employment are a different kettle of fish and certainly smell like it too.
The latter two are issues that affect us as tax payers, the CEO’s annual report will, undoubtedly, give us all a clear picture of the Council’s successes and failings over the last 12 months; why should we not be allowed to know that?, after all, are these services not what we pay them for?, it may well be that it is too embarrassing for them to want us know but that is no reason for not informing us. It may even tell us what services and works have been put on hold to pay for the massive cock-up on the costing of the Maesdu bridge repairs. Why do they want to treat us like mushrooms?
Job Evaluation/Modernising Employment; If someone is not doing their job correctly we have a right to know that too because, when all is said and done, we pay their wages. We also need to know if employment is being “created” for non-job personnel earning huge salaries. Perhaps, if we shed enough tears, we can all get a £10,000 wage rise for doing nothing.
Openness and transparency is not this Council’s forte, this may come from its Labour Party influence, I’m sure, but the one thing I do know is that it is about time we were treated with respect and honesty by our Council and Councillors; hiding behind rules and regulations is, at the very least, contemptible.

COUNCILLORS OPPOSE CUTS

2009-12-04T14:28:00.001Z

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2009/12/04/conwy-county-opposes-cut-in-councillors-55578-25318479/

I DON’T!
I believe we are over represented by, in some cases, those on the gravy-train. If County Councillors were honest with themselves they too would be able to see it from the public’s point of view. There are Councillors who have told me other Councillors have said “I’m only here for the money” Well name and bloody shame them! Get rid of the useless pieces of shite and replace them with people who have an ounce of decency and care about their community; don’t go along with the old-boy network just because it’s the “done thing”... name them!
Hardly anyone has a good word to say about our Councillors probably because we don’t believe a word they say when they complain that they do a worthwhile job. They surround themselves in secrecy and a “need to know” policy in which, to some of them, knowledge is power. Get off your high horses, stop being full of piss and your own self-importance and start representing what the people want and not what Council Officers say they can have.
If we had less “yes-men” and more people prepared to argue for the rights of the public then I could understand their whinging, but we haven’t, they go along with a minority of Councillors who are “Council brained” and influence them with their leftie rhetoric. It is this minority that give all Councillors the reputations they have.
We actually do have some very good Councillors but they are bogged-down in the mire caused by these few bureaucratic career Councillors who believe “Democracy” is something that only they can decide upon.

GOOD DECISION.... ON MY PART.

2009-12-03T14:45:00.001Z

I think my decision to look at UKIP before joining it was a good move; whilst I agree with what they stand for nationally, locally they appear to be a damp squid.
The fact that their new party leader, Lord Pearson, was prepared to do a deal with the Tories, denied by some members, is also very off-putting, imagine being told you cannot stand in this election because the Conservatives are standing, not what you paid you’re party fees for, is it?
UKIP, locally, which is what I would have been involved in, appears stagnant and without enthusiasm, something I know the members feel, and in a letter from their Chairman, Warwick Nicholson, confirmed it “ The membership showed no enthusiasm for a December meeting”. There is an election looming, they have 6 months to get ready for it and they cannot be bothered to hold a monthly meeting!
You cannot blame the members if they are poorly led and ill advised for their apathy. It is up to the local leaders to lead by example, if you look at their North Wales web-site there as only been 5 entries since the beginning of November....
http://www.ukipnorthwales.org/
Not, exactly, encouraging, is it?
Holding their meetings in a draughty Church Hall is not my idea of a party going anywhere any time soon; they need to brighten-up their image, get out and meet the people and be bold and decisive. Their reliance on poor local leadership, bad advice from under qualified and over titled political advisors and their inability to climb above their local action group status is going to cost them dearly in the forthcoming election.
I can only wish the local membership well, but I fear it may already be too late for them; unless there is a monumental transformation soon; then they will be in the same position after the election only a lot more deflated than they already are.

COMMUNITY COUNCILLORS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

2009-12-01T14:40:00.000Z

Before I start I am not insinuating that there is any link between Colwyn Bay’s Communities First and the one in the news item. What I am trying to get across is that Town and Community Councillors can, if they are persistent, make a difference.
The Community Councillor who instigated this investigation was ridiculed and, no doubt, criticised for what was called “Unsubstantiated claims”, nevertheless her persistence paid off and two officers, the Co-ordinator Miriam Beard and Monitoring Officer Andy Bunning, have both been suspended following initial investigations by WAG and the Welsh Audit Office.
“Minor” Councillors can, if they are open, honest and vocal enough, get things done; they may have to put up with harassment, political and personal verbal attacks and false accusations but, at the end of the day, if they feel morally right then they can succeed. My admiration goes out to the Community Councillor involved in this; Mandy Bostwick.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2009/12/01/north-wales-community-bosses-suspended-55578-25291628/

BY ALL MEANS.....REPORT ME!

2009-12-01T11:36:00.002Z

I have been sent copies of emails sent between Councillor Hughes and Pat Jackson, they include personal details of Councillor Hughes so I will not publish them, and in them Councillor Hughes gives “personal problems” as an excuse for not calling a meeting.
I have also received numerous phone calls; one informed me that despite being sent cheques to countersign Councillor Hughes refused to sign them, rendering the Society unable to spend any money. The Society’s bank account only holds between £5-600, not a lot but they are still unable to put it to use and because of that members have ceased donating to the Society.
Once again I have been asked to publish the address of the Pier’s petition site which I have signed along with Councillor Maratos....

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/colwynpier/

Amongst the phone calls I received was one saying that Councillor Hughes is out and about telling people I am telling mistruths about him, you, the readers, can decide that for yourselves; but if that is the case then I am prepared to answer for my actions to any Standards Committee that he wishes to complain to. I stand by EVERYTHING I have written and am in possession of documentary proof to support it.

THE SHAME CONTINUES

2009-11-30T13:46:00.001Z

Councillor Chris Hughes once branded me short sighted over my proposals to regenerate the Town centre and claimed that the Council had “An exciting development planned for the old indoor market” when questioned about it he told us he would not tell us because it was “Commercially sensitive”. It was his smug, superior attitude in the way he delivered that comment that made me want to find out more, so, basically, I have him to thank for leading me on to the road of discovery over Council misdemeanours. The latest post on him brought a good response, a lot of which even I didn’t dare publish! It also brought to me a copy of a letter sent to him by Pat Jackson, Secretary of Friends of the Pier Society (copy below). In it she asks Councillor Hughes to confirm his position in regards to his Chairmanship of the Society, note the date, 7th October, she has still not received a reply.
The Pier is in dispute with the Council; Chris Hughes is a prominent member of that Council and yet still refuses to resign as Chairman of the Friends Society. If Chris Hughes himself cannot see the CONFLICT OF INTEREST is there anyone else on the Council who can? Surely if the Council wish to retain any credibility at all over the sorrowful issue of the Pier then someone on it must pull Councillor Hughes to one side and say “Okay Chris, you’ve damaged them enough, people are now starting to notice we are playing dirty, time to call it a day”
The more I look at this case the more I believe Steve Hunt’s claims that he was “fit-up” and the more the Council allow Councillor Hughes to “blunder” around the more people that will agree with me, it is no longer disgraceful; it is shamefully disgraceful.

Cllr Chris Hughes
Conwy County Borough Council
Bodlondeb
CONWAY
LL32 8DU 7th October 2009

Dear Councillor Hughes

Re Friends of Victoria Pier, Colwyn Bay

I refer to your e-mail of the 7th May 2009 when you stated, as Chairman of the Friends of the Pier, that you would arrange something i.e an AGM of the Friends within the next two weeks. There has not been an AGM for the past three years.

Previous to that when a meeting of the Friends was called by others you attended and branded the meeting as unconstitutional and refused to stand down as Chairman. You then informed me that it was the Chairman’s duty to call AGMs.

The point of this letter is that it appears from your Register of Members Interests at the Council, that you do not list any interest in ‘Friends of the Pier’. I do not appear to have had any official resignation letter from you.

Please, therefore, would you please explain by return of post your position with regard to the ‘Friends of the Pier.’

Yours sincerely

Pat Jackson
Secretary and Treasurer
Friends of the Pier.

OSCAR'S IDENTITY FINALLY REVEALED

2009-11-27T17:37:00.000Z

http://llandudno-and-colwyn-local.blogspot.com/2009/11/twinkle-twinkle.html

OSCAR, CLLR HUGHES AND THE CONSERVATIVES

2009-11-27T12:06:00.000Z

After an article appeared on Thoughts of Oscar today...
http://thoughtsofoscar.blogspot.com/search/label/Cllr%20Chris%20Hughes

... in which he criticises Councillor Chris Hughes for his comments one has to wonder if Councillor Hughes will actually name the Council Officer who made the comment he referred to, or is it, once again, more Labour spin and deceit? The local Conservatives have remained remarkably quiet about it, perhaps, like me they missed the original article..... http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2009/11/19/huge-cuts-planned-at-conwy-council-55243-25200572/

When Councillors make such claims they should, at least, be able to substantiate them; which, once again, begs the question why haven’t the Conservatives been demanding answers from Councillor Hughes, are they scared of taking on the might of Councillor Hughes or was he speaking the truth? If the Conservatives wish to hide behind a wall of silence then so be it but if Councillor Hughes was using deceit then, surely, this would be the ideal opportunity for the Conservatives to gain Brownie points with the electorate, they must question his comments or appear weak and powerless.
If they need ammunition to fire at Councillor Hughes they could also ask him why he remains as Chairman of The Friends of the Pier Society; having not called a meeting in over three and a half years and closed down the meeting called by the membership to remove him. Even I can give them that information and the society’s Secretary’s details for confirmation.

Not long ago Oscar was thinking of calling it a day and packing-in blogging, what I think he failed to realise was just how much information he puts into the public domain that would otherwise remain unheard of or commented on. His blog is a mine of information that anyone of us can tap into; his decision to continue, undoubtedly, caused a few Councillors to groan out aloud, after this I think Councillor Hughes might be one of them.

TAKE AWAYS

2009-11-26T15:57:00.001Z

There is something fundamentally wrong with the mindset of our County Council when it comes to what is good and what is bad for Colwyn Bay.
A recent decision was made to allow a change of use at 19, Abergele Road, from a retail outlet to a Kebab and Pizza take away; this is despite there being two other Kebab and Pizza take away premises within 100 yards of it. We have, I am reliably informed, already got 19 take away establishments between East and West End, nearly double what Llandudno has. By allowing such an application not only are the Council putting extra strain on existing take away businesses but they are turning us into the “Take away Capital” of North Wales.
Take away owners are, obviously, up in arms about this decision; they were advised to form a petition when news of the application reached them, which they did, stating that a new take away would be bad for their business, this alone is not a legitimate reason for complaint, they, along with every other member of the public, would have been far better writing individual letters of objection to the Case Officer, they were badly advised.
Once the decision is reached by the Case Officer there are no grounds for appeal, their only option is to take it to the High Court and who, in these economic times, can afford to do that.
Here, in Colwyn Bay, we are fast becoming a collection of Charity Shops, get rich quick seasonal shops, £ shops and now take aways; there appears to be no thought, on the part of the Council, for other businesses or the people who live here. This all falls nicely into place when you consider the Council would like to see the town become an Administration Centre, the less attractive it becomes as a tourist or shopping destination, the less complaints the Council will have to their proposals.
I have to question myself and wonder if I am the only one who sees it this way, am I, perhaps, paranoid, or would the Council stoop to such levels to achieve their goals; I think we may only have to wait a short time to find out the answer.

OMBUDSMAN COMPLAINT RE: DOUGLAS ROAD

2009-11-24T12:56:00.003Z

Below is a copy of the covering letter I have sent, along with my complaint to the Ombudsman for Wales, I honestly believe that the Council should not investigate its own misdemeanours, that is akin to you or I appearing in Court and finding ourselves innocent!

On the 12th of October 2009 Mr A. Jones, a local buyer, put in an offer to Stirling Estate Agents, of £65,000 to purchase 10, Douglas Road Colwyn Bay.
On the 13th of October 2009 Rob Dix a CCBC Officer and member of the Regeneration Board working under Bethan Jones Deputy CE of CCBC, submitted, under a schedule 12a LGA (attached) a proposal to the Council Cabinet to purchase 10, Douglas Road, stating there was a “tight timetable”.
On or around the 15th October 2009 Gareth Peters, Principle Property Manager CCBC, put in an offer of £119,000 to Stirling Estate agents to buy 10 Douglas Road.
Mr Jones was informed of this offer and contacted CCBC to tell them that he had had a valuation done on the property and it had been £70,000. After negotiations Mr Jones upped his offer, he was then told that if he withdrew from the negotiations and remained silent about the deal and CCBC were successful in their purchase he would receive £1,000 as a “consultant’s fee” Mr Jones had already employed a solicitor and surveyor and was already out of pocket so refused to withdraw. Offers went to sealed bids and Mr Jones was informed his offer of £82,001 had no been successful. (Email attached)
I draw the Ombudsman’s attention to the fact that Rob Dix would have had to have permission from Bethan Jones, his superior, to make such a proposal to the Cabinet, I suggest the Cabinet, because of the Schedule 12a, were informed a private buyer had already made an offer on the property and so were party to what was to follow. Gareth Peters was the negotiator and was the one who made the offer to Mr Jones but I surmise he colluded with his superiors before doing so.
I wrote to Byron Davies CE CCBC urging for an Independent Enquiry as this incident was all over the local papers and that in the interests of the public and the Councils credibility this should be as open and transparent as possible. On the 21st of October 2009 I received a reply from Mr Davies stating that the Enquiry was to be an internal one. My fear of this is that those truly responsible for this appalling incident will not be investigated and, if they are, the results will not be published. This enquiry is about CCBC investigating itself, there can be no justification in this as they will, undoubtedly, find themselves innocent or use Mr Peters as a scapegoat. For that reason alone I believe the Ombudsman should investigate this case.

John Oddy

Within the comments are emails sent to me from and reply to the Ombudsman in which they say my name will be passed to those concerned. Unlike the Council I am open about what I do and am not scared of them knowing their accuser.

YOU HAVE TO LAUGH

2009-11-22T13:25:00.002Z

DOES THE BOX CARRY THE FOLLOWING WARNING....

"Barbie in a Burkha must not come into contact with Action Man due to possibility of stoning!"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1229760/Its-Barbie-burka-World-famous-doll-gets-makeover-hammer-50th-anniversary.html

AT LAST........... A DECISION.........NO!

2009-11-21T20:10:00.002Z

North Wales UKIP has finally responded to my request to attend one of their meetings with a refusal.
Here is a section of that response...

Mr Oddy
There was little enthusiasm for a December meeting at our last meeting, the next will be in January 2010.
You request to attend the next monthly meeting of the North Wales branch was put to the UKIP Wales commitee at its meeting in November.
The unanimous decision was that as a former prominent member of the BNP you should not be allowed to attend.
Your request was further discussed at the North Wales branch meeting three days later with the decision being reached that you should not be invited to attend our meetings and that the result of any application that you may make to join UKIP be awaited. I am therefor unable to extend an invitation to you for you to attend.
Several members made the point that most if not all of us had joined UKIP without ever having attended a branch meeting.

I am not angry at their refusal, slightly bemused and bewildered but not angry. They are worried that I may be a BNP infiltrator, but I could only be that after joining the Party and not by attending one meeting. I could understand close scrutiny if I joined them but what harm could be done at a branch meeting?
I am now left to decide whether to join them or not; it has given me a reminder of how petty political parties can be, we only have to look at our local Conservatives to see that. As an Independent I can do and vote as I please, in a Party I have to toe a line and I don’t know if I could do that.
I do feel sorry for the local members of UKIP if this type of dallying is common practice, good leadership and decision making is crucial to the success of any branch and I don’t think we’ve seen either in this decision.
I have stated I believe UKIP can be a good challenger to the mainstream parties but I think I have gained more information about them through this episode than I would have through attending a meeting; They are weak on decisiveness, still at the Church Hall level in regards to meetings and not pushing themselves on publicity. When it comes to politics you have to be decisive, members and votes can be lost if you are not. Credibility as a Party is fundamental and by meeting in church halls you give the impression more of a local action group rather than that of a political party, the Town Hall hires out the Committee Room and the main Chamber, get in there and show people you have arrived. By now every home in the area should have had a UKIP leaflet, every Saturday the market should be full of activist handing out leaflets and talking to the people and instead of me going to UKIP to find out about them they should be coming to us, you cannot win votes by sitting on your arse and talking about it to the already converted. Perhaps, in a funny way, they may have done me a favour in their refusal.

WHY ARE THEY SCARED OF TRANSPARENCY

2009-11-21T11:57:00.001Z

To-day (Saturday) I received a reply to my letter sent to the Chief Executive, Byron Davies, in it he has confirmed that the Enquiry into the gazumping of 10, Douglas Road and the subsequent “Hush money” (Consultants fee) offered to Mr Jones, the original buyer, is being dealt with in the form of an Internal Enquiry.
This means that whatever the outcome of such an Enquiry you, the public, will never be informed of it, the Council can deliberate on it, discuss the details of it and come to a conclusion on it and we will not be told any of it. This, to me, is totally wrong; we have a right to know what the people, whose wages we pay, are doing.
Let me remind you of one section of my letter to Mr Davies....
“In the interests of the public and the Council’s integrity this enquiry should be totally open and transparent without the stigma of any cover-up being attached to it.”
This Enquiry now calls into question the Council’s integrity, what is it that they are scared of us knowing and how far up the Council tree does this climb, remember I called into question the actions of the Cabinet in all of this; are they going to enquire into their own actions and find themselves innocent? What is it about Openness and Transparency that our Council fear? There are so many question and not enough answers.
I’m afraid I, for one, cannot accept this, I have spoken to Mr Jones about the letter, he is the ultimate loser along with his disabled son who the house was being bought for, he is in agreement with me and I shall now be forwarding this complaint about CCBC staff and Cabinet members to the Local Authority Ombudsman, if nothing else we will then see the results of the Enquiry.

FERTILE UKIP?

2009-11-19T23:09:00.001Z

I have been corresponding with some UKIP members and am quite surprised at how inactive they are in this area, which really is fertile ground for them.
Labour have shown themselves to be the traitors we always knew they were, they have ruined whatever they have touched, just like our Labour led Council, they have lied to and deceived the working classes and sold us all down the river. Their chances of re-election, like their candidates, are a non-starter.
Cameron’s u turn on the EU has shown us what to expect from the Conservatives; broken promises and another Labour Government but dressed in blue.
The Lib/Dems themselves do not even know what they want so the rest of us have no chance of knowing, they are weak and leaderless, pro political correctness and a bunch of socialist do-gooders to all the wrong people.
So, out of all the minority parties, there is not much other choice. UKIP have strengthened up their policies, they are now much tougher on immigration and, of course, they want out of the EU. I realise that is not good for you poor misguided pro EUers but even you must now be wondering what the hell we have let ourselves into.
With some real effort UKIP could collect all those disenchanted Labour and Conservative voters, the Lib/Dem voters will remain confused until polling day and still be confused after that, the mainstream parties have shown themselves to be the liars, cheats and thieves that they really are so it is now time for something different, the only real option is UKIP.

A MINUTE OF YOUR TIME

2009-11-19T11:37:00.000Z

As you will know and as the Weekly News reported I get a lot of information from the Council’s own web-site, dates and agenda of meetings, what is to be exempt and usually why. One also gets a lot of information from the minutes of a meeting, which is why I trawl through them; I have now noticed that the minutes of meetings are now extremely slow in being published. Such things as the Cabinet and the Planning Committee are on the ball; they have to be because they contain things that the public will be looking for. If we start to search further we find it is completely different; there are two Cabinet Sub Committees; Anti Social Behaviour and Council Tax Hardship Relief; according to the agendas and minutes these Committees have never met, they have a full compliment of Councillors who, I presume, are being paid extra for being on these Committees (I’m sure someone will correct me if I am wrong) yet they have done nothing.
Back to the minutes of meetings;
The Constitution and Maladministration Review Committee last printed its minutes on the 11th May
The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Office Accommodation, last printed its minutes on 25th August
The Cabinet Sub-Committee Personnel, last printed its minutes on 29th June
The Standards Committee, last printed its minutes on7th September
The Audit Committee, last printed its minutes on 28th September

These are just a few, but by no means exceptions, to the many committees and sub-committees that our Council has.
One has to wonder why our Council find it so hard to publish the minutes of its meetings, 5 months in one case, do they not want us to know what’s going on?, do they have anything to hide? Or could it simply be that the secretary forgot to put them up?; will we ever know?

BRAVE? NO, CONCERNED: YES.

2009-11-18T11:53:00.002Z

Today, on “Thoughts of Oscar”, Oscar highlights three Councillors as being brave, Jason Weyman, Bob Squires and me, an accolade in itself coming from Oscar. The real truth, however, is that there are a lot of good and, indeed, brave Councillors it is only a minority who are not, it is this minority who, for whatever reason, bring down the others. There are those on the Council who influence other Councillors for different reasons be it political, private or an unknown agenda.
The vast difference between a Town or Community Council and those on the County Council is, of course, the pay; Town and Community Councillors are unpaid and most of them do what they do because they actually care about the people and area in which they live. County Councillors, on the other hand, are well paid for what they do, or, in some cases, do not do.
We are very often critical of our Council and I admit to being one of the worst offenders when it comes to that and I shall continue to be so as long as the County Council remains as secretive and deceitful as it is being.
I believe it is part of the duties of a Town or Community Councillor to challenge the actions and decisions of the County Council if they are detrimental to the people and communities. This is extremely difficult to do when you have County Councillors sitting on these lower Councils, they can influence the debate or outcome of a vote. This dual representation is very dangerous as it stifles the democratic process; the County Councillors may well have voted in favour of the very proposal we are arguing about, for example the pier, offices or regeneration projects. At County level they have already made their decisions so by influencing members of the lower councils their proposals are pushed through unquestioned. To me this is totally wrong and I think dual representation should be ended, this would allow the lower councils to argue with the County unimpeded.
Without the input of the County Councillors I’m sure that more arguments would be raised from the lower councils and that more Councillors would be vocal; it is not a question therefore of being brave it is more a point of being heard, so many Councillors do good things quietly yet other Councillors use the same stealth to hide their secret agenda.

OFFICES OR TRAM SYSTEM

2009-11-14T10:01:00.000Z

Conwy County Borough Council and some of it’s more clever Councillors believe that Colwyn Bay is finished as a tourist town; in their eyes they see fit to take advantage of the downturn by turning the Town into an Administration Centre. Using the Regeneration Grant to feather the Council’s nest is such an easy way out; but what about the people of Colwyn Bay?, what about the businesses and what about the future?.
With a little bit of thought and some practical ideas Colwyn Bay can be put back on the map. If we used the Regeneration Grant, in association with other grants and private funding that is available and waiting, we could implement the proposal to run a Tram System from Old Colwyn all the way through to Llandudno and beyond. There are now enough influential parties who agree with me and have expressed their interest in the project that it concerns me why the Regeneration Board are not amongst them. If people like David Jones MP, Arriva Buses and Trains, Mostyn Estates, Colwyn Bay Civic Society and a host of other individuals are keen on this idea why, in heavens name, aren’t the Council and the Regeneration Board?.
Of course we would have to regenerate the Town itself, I put that in under a different proposal, the Town would need an attraction such as a week-end market and we have all the activities with watersports and jet-skiers, join them all together and we will have a thriving town again. The Tram System will not only be a Tourist Magnet in itself it will ferry them up and down between here and Llandudno, a saviour for both places.
We have to stop CCBC and it’s inept County Councillors from selling Colwyn Bay down the river, they need to look at this Tram System with new eyes, their old and antiquated ways of doing things are in the past, we have to look to the future and that includes sustainable modes of transport that are emission free, cheap to run and environmentally friendly.
The Council and Councillors, for once, need to look at what is best for the people and not for themselves.

CONSERVATIVE SHAME

2009-11-13T10:05:00.006Z

I believe what happened to Councillor Hazel Meredith was an absolute mockery; suspended from the local Conservative Party because she wouldn’t vote for their candidate in a Town Council co-option. The Conservative Party, by their actions, are trying to force the opinions of the “elite” few onto the majority and this is their way of saying “Do as we say or else!” The fact that the person she voted for was another Conservative seems to be irrelevant, her choice of the two candidates has been in the Conservative Party for over 30 years and had previously been a Councillor, and the Party’s choice was an unknown entity apart from the fact that she was Margaret Lyons daughter in-law and Colin Lyons wife. IT STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN.
The shameful thing is I do not think the Conservatives have finished yet; they desperately need to get Margaret Lyons out of Llandudno, she stands no chance of re-election there and, as I said previously in another post, she will stand in the safe seat of Rhos; unless Merfyn Thomas retires then the Conservatives have only two choices; They can stand four candidates and hope to oust Phi Edwards or de-select a candidate. The two that could be in line for this is Dave Roberts or Roger Parry. Both are long term Party members so who is it going to be, my money would be on Dave Roberts, he’s the type that would stand-up to the “elite” so they will want rid of him, it lowers the argument against them.
Unfortunately this is the level the local Conservatives have stooped to; it is gutter politics and has no right, at any level, never mind Local Government level, the interests of Councillors should be on the people, not playing politics with their interests.

TUESDAY 17th
This morning I received a phone call informing me of a few inaccuracies in regards to this post; Merfyn Thomas called to correct my mistakes and told me that Hazel was not suspended she was expelled from the Party, she was not expelled for not voting for Lyn Lyon but because she exceeded her authority in that she informed people she had the authority to select candidates.
Cllr Thomas also said that he would probably be retiring at the next election, he is unaware of where Margaret Lyon will be standing but other than a few personal comments I made about him this post is factually correct. Those personal comments I have removed at his request.
The fact that Cllr Thomas phoned me speaks volumes for his integrity, he accepts criticism when it is due but wants the facts to be correct, I hope, in adding this, I have complied with his wishes.

INDEPENDENT ENQUIRY OR NOT?

2009-11-12T14:47:00.000Z

Having had little or no response from my complaint regarding the Council’s actions and involvement in the property in Douglas Road, I have sent the following letter to the Chief Executive, who cannot talk to me about the incident because an enquiry is ongoing, I believe this to be an Internal Enquiry of which the public will not be privy to the outcome of.
You will see I have urged for an Independent Enquiry; I believe the public have a right to know who was behind this incident and the lead-up to it.

Cllr John Oddy,
4, Dundonald Road,
Colwyn Bay,
Conwy LL29 7RW
01492 531511
12.11.09.

RE: 10, DOUGLAS ROAD
Dear Mr Davies,
I was informed by your secretary that you would contact me on your return from leave; I have serious concerns regarding the Council’s involvement in the above named property.
When it was brought to my attention by the original buyer, Mr Jones, I referred the matter to Cllr G. Jones, Chairman of the Council, he has since written to me informing me that an enquiry has been started.
My questions to you are;
1. Is this an Internal Enquiry
2. Is it an Independent Enquiry
My belief is that this matter includes Bethan Jones, Rob Dix, the Cabinet and Gareth Peters; in light of that I strongly urge that an Independent Enquiry is held.
In the interests of the public and the Council’s integrity this enquiry should be totally open and transparent without the stigma of any cover-up being attached to it.
I am withholding my complaint to the Local Authority Ombudsman until I receive your assurances in regards to this Enquiry.
Yours Sincerely.

JOHN ODDY

HAD ANY GOOD IDEAS RECENTLY

2009-11-11T08:51:00.001Z

The ideas to regenerate Old Colwyn are great, so too is the proposal to involve the people it will affect, Councillor Brian Cossey is excited about it and so he should be, it is only a shame then that when the exact same regeneration was proposed for Colwyn Bay the Town Council rejected it......
http://voicesofcolwynbay.blogspot.com/2009/04/regeneration-not-political-gain.html

HOW CAN WE GET RID OF COLWYN BAY'S SHOPPERS

2009-11-09T20:56:00.000Z

With everything that is happening in Colwyn Bay it makes one wonder what the next great Council backed scheme will be to attract shoppers into the Town. A good idea is the free parking leading up to Christmas but surely with the good must come some bad; how can you stop Colwyn Bay from being prosperous?
Someone, somewhere will come-up with a harebrained idea, you never know, the Council may even decide to sell back their concessionary car parking spaces at the Bay View Shopping Centre which would then allow the Centre owners to start charging shoppers to park their cars whilst using their facilities..........No?............nobody is that stupid............are they?

THE DANGER WITHIN (NOT GORDON BROWN)

2009-11-06T12:15:00.000Z

I was against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, I believe we only entered because we were the lap-dog of the Americans, now we are there I have to agree with Gordon Brown that we should stay BUT there should be equal input from our allies. Apart from us and the Americans every other nation has a date for withdrawal, you cannot put a date on a state of safety, you have to continue until the enemy is dead or captured. When we eventually do pull-out we must leave behind us a safer, more stable Country, free from terror and corruption.
Continued training and mentoring of the Afghan Army and Police is, obviously, dangerous but necessary; we must ensure that once we do leave they are capable of defending themselves and policing the country, allowing the Taliban to take control is not an option.
The sad recent events of the Policeman murdering our troops and today, in America, the Army Major who killed 13 and wounded many more is a stark reminder of the enemy we are fighting. To quote a relative of the Army Major; “He was a devout Muslim but not an extremist”. The terrorists we are defending against are not from the foothills of Afghanistan or the valleys of Pakistan they are home-grown, from within our own borders or being trained and taught by us. The tube and bus bombers, the attack on Glasgow Airport and the conspiracy to blow our airliners out of the skies were all English Muslims.
I realise I run the risk of being called a racist for raising these points but, eventually, someone has to, I have never denied my dislike of Islam, an archaic and dangerous religion, but we have to raise ourselves above the smokescreen of political correctness and face the facts, the tighter we embrace this religion the more damage it does to us. The incident of the Army Major proves that it is only a short step from being “devout” to “extremist” we, as a nation, have to learn this and be as wary of the way we appease the Islamic religion, especially, within our own shores.

THE FACTS DO NOT ALWAYS MATTER

2009-11-05T11:06:00.000Z

Last nights Policy and Finance meeting was the busiest I have know since joining the Council; I believe most of them (non-members of the P&F Committee) were there to witness or take part in the public flogging that was to follow.
I had raised the issue that the County Council had made moves to purchase properties in Colwyn Bay prior to the promised Public Consultation given to the Town Council by Bethan Jones and I wanted an explanation as to why that promise had been broken.
Getting information out of the County Council or its Councillors is akin to getting blood out of a stone, so with no information forthcoming I publicised the FACTS that I had, the County Council were making moves to secretly buy properties in the Town. Consequently, it turned out, they also gazumped and tried to silence a local buyer, Mr Arthur Jones, these FACTS were also published. Nothing I have published or made available is not already in the public domain, one only as to search the Council’s own web-site to find the information. In the case of Mr Jones he approached me after getting no satisfaction from his County Councillor in relation to what had happened to him.
At last nights meeting I was accused of stating falsehoods because some of my claims have not yet been agreed by the Cabinet, they have not yet decided (the Cabinet) that they will build their offices on the old indoor market or that there will be accommodation for 600 staff, these are just suggestions that the Council have spent thousands of pounds on researching but, when I asked for guarantees that this wouldn’t happen, none could be given. An accusation that I was still a BNP member was hurled at me, my previous political affiliations has got nothing to do with this issue and should never have been raised. I will accept one remark that was made about me; yes I am a “Maverick” but rather that than a sheep. The suggestion that I was wrong for going outside of the Council with my revelations was the main theme of the debate but if the County Council were open and honest with the public then I wouldn’t have to.
The FACT that a full enquiry as been started into the actions of the County Council because of what I published seemed to be of little consequence. The FACT that the County Council had entered into secretly purchasing properties was of no concern. The FACT that Mr Jones had been gazumped and offered money was of no importance. The only real concern was that I had behaved inappropriately in getting the truth out, it was no more than I had I had expected, as a very good Councillor said to me the other day “Whistle-blowing and telling the truth, you will never prosper”.

BOTTLED IT.

2009-11-03T20:54:00.001Z

Now that David Cameron has lost his bottle on an EU Referendum one has to wonder how that will affect his chances of winning the next election. Thousands of voters, me included, were looking at the Conservatives as the only real hope of voicing our concerns regarding our continued membership of the hateful EU. It would have been the only reason I would have voted for them, other than that they are the same as Labour or the Lib/dems. The only real alternative now is the protest vote and that must surely go to either the BNP or UKIP, the only two anti-EU parties, but this split may well damage the Conservative vote sufficiently enough to give Labour a fighting chance.
I do not hide the fact that I am anti-EU, there are thousands like me and they are growing daily. Europe’s intrusion into our daily lives is, without doubt, costing us millions of pounds, £46 million a day to be exact, and the enforced restrictions put upon us is killing our farming and fishing industries. I only hope this Conservative U turn does not allow this Country to be driven back into a new term of Labour lies and sleaze.

WASTE OF TIME.

2009-11-03T19:49:00.000Z

I know I am not the only Blogger experiencing it, just recently there as been more unwanted and unwarranted comments that I have had to “reject” than usual. I still have my Jewish Conspiracy theorist who haunts the comments board but now there appears to be unsubstantiated attacks on past and present Bloggers and people from the area. Apparently, although I have not seen it, a new blog was set-up purely for that purpose, it as now been removed, I think. I have made a comment on the Council Chamber.....
http://www.thecouncilchamber.blogspot.com/
... in regards to these personal attacks, which I regard as puerile. Even Oscar....
http://thoughtsofoscar.blogspot.com/
.... has had to remove comments sent into him.
All I can say to whoever it is that is sending in these comments is; Don’t bother, I do not believe them and, even if I did, I would not post them. If this is some sort of attempt to set one blog off against another then you have failed miserably and comments in regards to Craig Ollerton will not be published either.

BIRTHDAYS

2009-11-01T00:06:00.000Z

Birthdays are greatly over-rated and once past 21 should be banned; imagine not having to remember everyone’s birthday or the feeling of guilt when you realise you forgot someone’s or that frantic, frail excuse you give when you have to phone to apologise for your forgetfulness.
Banning them would give us all the excuse for not knowing how old we are or whether we are wearing well or not, a state of agelessness; how tranquil. Instead we are reminded yearly that we are yet another year closer to the knacker’s yard, the mantelpiece strewn with cards, some, even, attempting to inject humour into the occasion, rather sad really.
The only people to benefit from birthdays are the shops that sell cards and those that sell socks and slippers, complete waste of time, banning them is not quite strong enough; they should be dragged out, kicking and screaming, and put on the bonfire. I’m sure there are those that disagree with the idea but we live in a democracy and I am entitled to my opinion.

FULL ENQUIRY

2009-10-30T20:41:00.000Z

I have been informed, by Byron Davies’s office, that a Full Enquiry as now been started; I would like it to be an Independent Enquiry as I believe this incident has far reaching implications. It was started by an application by Rob Dix, of the Regeneration Panel, his boss, Bethan Jones must have okayed the application; it went in front of the Cabinet under the Local Authority Act Schedule 12a, public and press exempt, they must have been informed that there was an offer on the property due to the urgency and the “Tight timetable”, they approved the application. It then befell on Gareth Peters, Principle Property Manager to make the offer and enter in to negotiations. So, as far as I am concerned, this reaches to the very top of the tree.
I believe the Mayor of Colwyn Bay has sent out an email accusing me of “Self promoting”, I, myself have not seen the email yet but I wait in anticipation for its arrival. My answer to the Mayor will be quite simple; “If CCBC kept their house in order and were not so secretive and deceitful then there would be no need for me to go public with such information, if this is just one incident that I have uncovered, Mr Mayor, how many other incidents have gone undisclosed?”.

ANYTHING ABOVE £65,000 IS A WASTE OF TAXPAYERS MONEY

2009-10-28T17:11:00.001Z

Fw: RE: 10 Douglas Road
RE: 10 Douglas Road
21 October 2009 09:14:28
From:
"Gareth Peters"
To: ********** *****************
Dear Mr J****
The £70,000 offer was our offer on the table when we spoke on the phone and when I emailed you last week.

Our increased offer was made after you countered ours.

Yours sincerely
Gareth Peters DipSurv MRICS
Pen Reolwr Eiddo / Principal Property Manager
Gwasanathau Peirianneg a Dylunio / Engineering and Design Services
Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol CONWY County Borough Council
E-Bost / E-mail: gareth.peters@conwy.gov.uk
01492 574218

-----Original Message-----
From: ************ ****************
Sent: 20 October 2009 16:26
To: Gareth Peters
Subject: 10 Douglas Road

Dear Mr Peters
I didn`t increase my offer of £60,000. until I was informed by Mr
Crabtree that you had offered £70,0000. and I then counter offered .
If Mr Crabtree has told you that I have offered anything more before you
offered the £70,000. then it is a lie. He has also told me that you have
put an offer in of more than £75,000.
Yours sincerely
****** *****
-----------------------------------------
"Mae'r neges e-bost hon ac unrhyw ymgysylltiadau yn gyfrinachol, ac
wedi eu bwriadu ar gyfer yr un sy'n cael ei h/enwi yn unig.
Gallent gynnwys gwybodaeth freintiedig. Os yw'r neges hon wedi
eich cyrraedd ar gam, ni ddylech ei chopio, ei rhannu na dangos ei
chynnwys i unrhyw un. Cysylltwch efo Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol
Conwy ar unwaith. Nid yw'r Cyngor na'r un sydd wedi anfon y neges
yn derbyn unrhyw gyfrifoldeb am feirysau, a'ch cyfrifoldeb chi yw
sganio unrhyw ymgysylltiadau. Mae’r Awdurdod yn monitro’r defnydd o
e-bost/rhyngrwyd a chynnwys y rhain i ddibenion busnes. "

"This email and any attachments are confidential and intended for
the named recipient only. The content may contain privileged
information. If it has reached you by mistake, you should not copy,
distribute or show the content to anyone but should contact Conwy
County Borough Council at once. Neither the Council nor the sender
accepts any responsibility for viruses,
and it is your responsibility to scan any attachments. The
Authority monitors e-mail/internet usage and content for business
purposes"
Fw: RE: 10 Douglas Road
RE: 10 Douglas Road
20 October 2009 15:47:18
From:
"Gareth Peters"
To:
Dear Mr J****

I have been fully open and prepared to discuss the matter with you.

Regrettably we established that rather than discussing the matter further you in fact increased your offer over our offer and emailed me stating that my offer and conditions was not acceptable. I was left with no option other than to try and acquire the property through the normal channels.

You stated that we could have acquired the property for £65,000. But before that was ever discussed you upped your bid over ours.

I was more than willing to enter into a legal binding contract that your fee would be paid once CCBC exchanged contracts. I felt it was in both our interests to work together and that is why I was more than willing to discuss the arrangement.

Gareth Peters DipSurv MRICS
Pen Reolwr Eiddo / Principal Property Manager
Gwasanathau Peirianneg a Dylunio / Engineering and Design Services
Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol CONWY County Borough Council
E-Bost / E-mail: gareth.peters@conwy.gov.uk
01492 574218

-----Original Message-----
From: ******** **********
Sent: 20 October 2009 15:07
To: Gareth Peters
Subject: 10 Douglas Road

Dear Mr Peters
If you had been completely honest with me you could of had the property
for £65,000.00,
£60,000. for the property and £5,000. for my consultation fee. You are
now in excess of the valuation and we haven`t finished yet.As it is the
cost to both of us is rising.
No consultation fee will be accepted after completion as the trust has
gone, any fee would have to be deposited with my solicitor before I
withdraw my interest.
Yours sincerely
***** *****
-----------------------------------------
"Mae'r neges e-bost hon ac unrhyw ymgysylltiadau yn gyfrinachol, ac
wedi eu bwriadu ar gyfer yr un sy'n cael ei h/enwi yn unig.
Gallent gynnwys gwybodaeth freintiedig. Os yw'r neges hon wedi
eich cyrraedd ar gam, ni ddylech ei chopio, ei rhannu na dangos ei
chynnwys i unrhyw un. Cysylltwch efo Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol
Conwy ar unwaith. Nid yw'r Cyngor na'r un sydd wedi anfon y neges
yn derbyn unrhyw gyfrifoldeb am feirysau, a'ch cyfrifoldeb chi yw
sganio unrhyw ymgysylltiadau. Mae’r Awdurdod yn monitro’r defnydd o
e-bost/rhyngrwyd a chynnwys y rhain i ddibenion busnes. "

"This email and any attachments are confidential and intended for
the named recipient only. The content may contain privileged
information. If it has reached you by mistake, you should not copy,
distribute or show the content to anyone but should contact Conwy
County Borough Council at once. Neither the Council nor the sender
accepts any responsibility for viruses,
and it is your responsibility to scan any attachments. The
Authority monitors e-mail/internet usage and content for business
purposes"
Fw: RE: 10 douglas road.
RE: 10 douglas road.
19 October 2009 13:11:31
From:
"Gareth Peters"
To:
"********* ********
Dear Mr *****
Thank you for your email.

Naturally I am disappointed that you were not able to agree the terms of
my offer.

In the circumstances the offer is withdrawn.

Yours sincerely

Gareth Peters DipSurv MRICS
Pen Reolwr Eiddo / Principal Property Manager
Gwasanathau Peirianneg a Dylunio / Engineering and Design Services
Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol CONWY County Borough Council
E-Bost / E-mail: gareth.peters@conwy.gov.uk
01492 574218

-----Original Message-----
From******** ********
Sent: 19 October 2009 10:22
To: Gareth Peters
Subject: 10 douglas road.

Dear Mr Peters
I have spoken to my solicitor and I cannot agree to the conditions
you`ve set out. My solicitor is holding on to the contracts for the time

being and myself and my son wish to arrange a meeting with yourself and
all relevant parties asap.
Yours sincerely
****** *****
-----------------------------------------
"Mae'r neges e-bost hon ac unrhyw ymgysylltiadau yn gyfrinachol, ac
wedi eu bwriadu ar gyfer yr un sy'n cael ei h/enwi yn unig.
Gallent gynnwys gwybodaeth freintiedig. Os yw'r neges hon wedi
eich cyrraedd ar gam, ni ddylech ei chopio, ei rhannu na dangos ei
chynnwys i unrhyw un. Cysylltwch efo Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol
Conwy ar unwaith. Nid yw'r Cyngor na'r un sydd wedi anfon y neges
yn derbyn unrhyw gyfrifoldeb am feirysau, a'ch cyfrifoldeb chi yw
sganio unrhyw ymgysylltiadau. Mae’r Awdurdod yn monitro’r defnydd o
e-bost/rhyngrwyd a chynnwys y rhain i ddibenion busnes. "

"This email and any attachments are confidential and intended for
the named recipient only. The content may contain privileged
information. If it has reached you by mistake, you should not copy,
distribute or show the content to anyone but should contact Conwy
County Borough Council at once. Neither the Council nor the sender
accepts any responsibility for viruses,
and it is your responsibility to scan any attachments. The
Authority monitors e-mail/internet usage and content for business
purposes"
Fw: 10 Douglas Road, Colwyn Bay
10 Douglas Road, Colwyn Bay
16 October 2009 16:10:11
From:
"Gareth Peters"
Dear Mr J****

Re: 10 Douglas Road, Colwyn Bay

Thank you for your valued input and help in us trying to secure the above property.

As discussed if Conwy County Borough Council were to secure the property then your Consultant Fee of £1,000 will be paid to you.

As you will appreciate the above offer is of a commercial sensitivity and is subject to the following conditions:

* that no offer is made by you, or your family, for the property and that any previous offer is withdrawn
* that Conwy County Borough Council exchange contracts with the Vendor of the property
* that neither you or your family release any detail of our discussions between us or the sums being offered by any party to any third party

Again thank you for your attention to this matter to date and I look forward to your acceptance of these terms.

Yours sincerely

Gareth Peters DipSurv MRICS
Pen Reolwr Eiddo / Principal Property Manager
Gwasanathau Peirianneg a Dylunio / Engineering and Design Services
Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol CONWY County Borough Council
E-Bost / E-mail: gareth.peters@conwy.gov.uk
01492 574218

-----------------------------------------
"Mae'r neges e-bost hon ac unrhyw ymgysylltiadau yn gyfrinachol, ac
wedi eu bwriadu ar gyfer yr un sy'n cael ei h/enwi yn unig.
Gallent gynnwys gwybodaeth freintiedig. Os yw'r neges hon wedi
eich cyrraedd ar gam, ni ddylech ei chopio, ei rhannu na dangos ei
chynnwys i unrhyw un. Cysylltwch efo Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol
Conwy ar unwaith. Nid yw'r Cyngor na'r un sydd wedi anfon y neges
yn derbyn unrhyw gyfrifoldeb am feirysau, a'ch cyfrifoldeb chi yw
sganio unrhyw ymgysylltiadau. Mae’r Awdurdod yn monitro’r defnydd o
e-bost/rhyngrwyd a chynnwys y rhain i ddibenion busnes. "

"This email and any attachments are confidential and intended for
the named recipient only. The content may contain privileged
information. If it has reached you by mistake, you should not copy,
distribute or show the content to anyone but should contact Conwy
County Borough Council at once. Neither the Council nor the sender
accepts any responsibility for viruses,
and it is your responsibility to scan any attachments. The
Authority monitors e-mail/internet usage and content for business
purposes"

THE EMAIL

2009-10-28T14:13:00.000Z

Dear Mr J****

Re: 10 Douglas Road, Colwyn Bay

Thank you for your =alued input and help in us trying to secure the above property.

As =iscussed if Conwy County Borough Council were to secure the property then =our Consultant Fee of £1,000 will be paid to you.

As you will =ppreciate the above offer is of a commercial sensitivity and is subject to=the following conditions:

* that no offer is made by you, or your fam=ly, for the property and that any previous offer is withdrawn
* that Con=y County Borough Council exchange contracts with the Vendor of the propert=
* that neither you or your family release any detail of our discussions=between us or the sums being offered by any party to any third party

=gain thank you for your attention to this matter to date and I look forwar= to your acceptance of these terms.

Yours sincerely

Gareth Pet=rs DipSurv MRICS
Pen Reolwr Eiddo / Principal Property Manager
Gwasana=hau Peirianneg a Dylunio / Engineering and Design Services
Cyngor Bwrdei=tref Sirol CONWY County Borough Council
E-Bost / E-mail: gareth.peter=@conwy.gov.uk
01492 574218

GAZUMPED BY THE COUNCIL

2009-10-27T18:39:00.001Z

Once again the Council have shown their contempt for the people in Colwyn Bay. I informed you, the readers, of CCBC intentions to secretly buy properties in Colwyn Bay, namely the old indoor market and a property in Douglas Road; what I didn’t know at the time was that an offered had already been made by a local buyer (I will not print his name as I feel that would be unfair) on the house in Douglas Road, his offer of £60,000 had been accepted by the vendor and the sale was proceeding. The estate agents were Stirlings of Colwyn Bay but, somehow, CCBC must have got to hear of the offer because at the Cabinet meeting the reason for a Schedule 12 was.... “NONE DISCLOSURE- Disclosure could prejudice the negotiations between the Council and the Owners and potentially delay the acquisition of the properties for which there is a tight timetable for purchase.” NOTE: tight timetable”
Gareth Peters, CCBC Principal Property Services approached the buyer and offered him £1,000 as a “Consultation fee” to pull out of the deal, as the buyer pointed out, his expenses and solicitor’s fees came to considerably more than that and to accept that would leave him out of pocket. CCBC then put in an offer of £70,000 thereby gazumping the local buyer who immediately upped his offer. This resulted in the vendor asking for sealed bids, the local buyer took his bid into the solicitor’s office where it was immediately opened, why? The information inside was commercially sensitive as the amount of the offer could be passed-on to interested parties and thereby negating the reason for a sealed bid.
From day one I have said this entire issue stinks, it is full of secrecy, lies and deceit now, if I am correct in my assumptions, a breach of the Council’s own Code of Conduct. It appears there is no depth to which the Council will not stoop to push through their inward looking proposals in using the Regeneration Grant, all to their own ends.
I am in receipt of all the documentation that backs-up my allegations and I have forwarded copies to the Chairman of the Council demanding a full explanation into the, at least morally corrupt, conduct of the Council and its Officers. The least the Council can do is compensate the local buyer or pull-out of the deal and allow him to continue with his original purchase.

WOMAN POWER

2009-10-25T12:51:00.001Z

Political Correctness gone barmy; Labour have decided on this Women Only Shortlist for some of its Parliamentary Candidates. Reading between the lines this comes out as “You will probably be totally crap as a politician but at least you’re a woman”. Good old Labour; stupid as buggery. Does it not occur to them that, regardless of sex, we want the best person for the job, if one looks at Betty Williams, a woman MP, she is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard, I cannot remember when she last got involved in local issues or spoke out for Wales, she is totally, totally useless.
Next thing you know Labour will wheel-out Donna Hutton and ask us to vote for her because she is also a woman, not the best person for the job but by voting for her you, at least, will be politically correct; what a load of tosh. Labour lost the plot a long time ago, they turned their back on the working class and pampered to the immigrants instead, once again being politically correct; now this slimy attempt to woe the female vote with “Sister Power, vote for Donna, she’s a shite politician but she is all woman”
Labour have lied to us, cheated us, led us into illegal wars, failed to deliver the basic needs of the people and run this Country into the ground; BUT, given the chance, they will do it all over again only this time they’ll be able to blame the women.

BETTY WILLIAMS AND UAF

2009-10-24T15:45:00.001+01:00

Having seen Betty Williams was on the list of supporters of the previous post I thought I would ask her outright if she supported the use of violence. Below is a copy of the email I sent to her via the HOP, she has taken her personal email off of her web-site.
Are any of you prepared to offer odds that I do not get a reply to the questions?...

Full Message View
UAF
From: John Oddy
Add
To: bettywilliamsmp@parliament.uk
________________________________________
Dear Mrs Williams,
Having looked on the Unite Against Fascism web-site I see you are on the list of their supporters; in light of that may I then ask you if you condone the use of violence, civil unrest and assaults on our police?.
In recent days and weeks members of the UAF have been involved in many cases of civil unrest in which a significant number of their members have assaulted the police (6 officers injured at the riot outside the BBC), 30 of them arrested for public disorder in Birmingham, Manchester and London in which members of the public had to take shelter from them.
I realise you are not particularly liked by your constituents due to your lack of care on local issues spanning many years but I do believe you owe it to them to explain your support of such a criminal organisation such as the UAF.
I understand you will be extremely busy compiling your report on climate change that you studied so well out in Fiji, a report many of us look forward to reading, but, if at all possible, (I know your aversion to doing it) I would much appreciate an answer to the question.

Cllr John Oddy

QUESTION TIME

2009-10-24T00:33:00.000+01:00

Question Time itself was, for me, a bit of an anti-climax, it didn’t conform to the normal format of the show and appeared to be aimed purely at Nick Griffin’s past comments or at him personally, there was none of the usual questions on current affairs.
What I did find interesting was the demonstrations outside the studio. These members of the left-wing groups, such as Unite Against Fascism and Searchlight, call the BNP violent and dangerous yet, whenever they turn-up, they are the ones that turn violent, policemen were injured, demonstrators arrested and members of the public scared out of their wits.
The founder of Searchlight is Gerry Gable, a convicted burglar with a long history in Communism, he once fabricated a story about the Conservative Party that landed his employer, the BBC, in court for libel, they eventually settled out of court. Both Searchlight and the UAF are allegedly funded by the Labour Party . Here is a list of their supporters, who by supporting them are condoning the use of violence against our police, rioting on the streets and open hostility towards people who do not share their views.....
UAF supporters include:
Ken Livingstone
Tony Benn
Peter Hain MP
David Hanson MP
Adam Price MP
Barbara Follett MP
Diane Abbott MP
John Cryer MP
John Trickett MP
Keith Vaz MP
Peter Bottomley MP
Alice Mahon MP
Alan Meale MP
Ian Gibson MP
Sir Teddy Taylor MP
Harry Cohen MP
Betty Williams MP
Ken Purchase MP
Alistair Carmichael MP
Laura Moffatt MP
Peter Bradley MP
Vera Baird MP
Bill Etherington MP
Edward Garnier MP
Roger Berry MP
Angela Smith MP
Brian Iddon MP
Anthony Steen MP
Mike Hancock MP
Colin Pickthall MP
Clive Betts MP
Janet Anderson MP
Neil Gerrard MP
Jane Griffiths MP
Brian Donohue MP
Helen Clark MP
Terry Davis MP
Janet Dean MP
Adrian Bailey MP
David Cameron MP
Louise Ellman MP
Eric Illsley MP
Kelvin Hopkins MP
Ernie Ross MP
Rob Marris MP
Martin Caton MP
Jim Sheridan MP
Martin Jones MP
Paul Tyler MP
Colin Challen MP
David Wright MP
Rudi Vis MP
Tony Worthington MP
Derek Watts MP
Julie Morgan MP
Rev W Martin Smyth MP
Diana Organ MP
Doug Henderson MP
Barry Gardiner MP Brendan Barber
TUC General Secretary
Roger Lyons
TUC President and
AMICUS Joint Gen Sec
Dave Prentis
UNISON Gen Sec
Tony Woodley
TGWU Gen Sec
Billy Hayes
CWU Gen Sec
Sir Bill Connor
Gen Sec USDAW
Andy Gilchrest
FBU Gen Sec
Gordon Taylor
Chief Exec PFA
Adrian Askew
CONNECT Gen Sec
Bob Crow
RMT Gen Sec
Doug Nichols
CYWU Gen Sec
Ed Sweeney
UNIFI Gen Sec
Janice Godrich
PCS President
Jeremy Dear
NUJ Gen Sec
Judy McKnight
NAPO Gen Sec
Kevin Curran
GMB Gen Sec
Mark Serwotka
PCS Gen Sec
Paul Mackney
NATHFHE Gen Sec
Peter Pendle
ACM Gen Sec
Rosie Eagleson
AMO Gen Sec
Steve Kemp
NUM Gen sec
Sally Hunt
AUT Gen Sec
Glenys Kinnock MEP
Gary Titley MEP
Linda McAvan MEP
Glyn Ford MEP
Chris Davies MEP
Chris Heaton-Harris MEP
Claude Moraes MEP
Phillip Whitehead MEP
Stephen Hughes MEP David Seymour
Political Editor,
Daily Mirror
Mark Seddon
Tribune Editor Afzal Khan
North West rep Muslim Council of Britain
Dr. Richard Stone
Lawrie & Ruby Nerva
Poale Zion
Kashmir Singh
General Sec British Sikh Federation
Benjamin Zephaniah
Poet
Beresford Mack
Choice FM
Bobbie Miles
The 1990 Trust,
Asst. Director
Carolyn Jones
Director, Institute of Employment Rights
Clive Mardner
Director Essex REC
Dr. Siddiqui
Muslim Parliament
George Anthony-Maggie Bowden
Liberation
Hilary Wainwright
Editor, Red Pepper
John Haylett
Editor, Morning Star
Leroy Logan
Metrpolitan Black Police Association Chair
Louise Christian
Human Rights Lawyer
Louise Hutchins
NUS/SAAR,
Luciana Burger
NUS
Paul Foot
Journalist
Mark Steele
Journalist
Roni Size
Musician
Michael Rosen
writer
Laurie Heselden
Acting Regional Secretary SERTUC
Essex Racial Equality Council
Liberal democrats North west Region
Mohammed Azam
Coalition Against Racism – Unite to Stop the BNP
Jason Fraser

CCBC DO HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOUR

2009-10-19T01:37:00.000+01:00

Below is a sectional copy of Jason Weyman’s diary for this week....

Thursday 22nd October
10am: Cabinet (Special Meeting)
This meeting is one of the events that has been arranged to celebrate Local Democracy Week in Conwy. (I haven't been informed of any other events !). Young people from various schools and Llandrillo College have been invited along to observe the Cabinet meeting. One of the agenda items is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). After the official agenda has nee dealt with, Councillors and the young people will spilt into discussion groups focusing on the 3 categories in the UNCRC: Provision Rights, Protection Rights, Participation Rights.
I will attend as to make this Cabinet as real as possible, so the young people can see the contributions to debate from backbenchers.

I have underlined and highlighted the part that had me rolling around in fits of laughter; will somebody please poke a Councillor with a pointy stick and inform them that “Local Democracy” is long dead, buried and forgotten about, it has been since our Labour led coalition slunk into the driving seat.
There are some County Councillors who would love to see democracy die an agonising death, they believe knowledge is power and to share that knowledge is to loose that power, they cling onto the hope that Labour’s continued lies will see them through and democracy is not something they want to take with them. The shame of it is; some of these Councillors do believe they are being democratic, but only when the old-boy network tells them they can be.

RAILWAY COTTAGES

2009-10-16T19:35:00.000+01:00

CCBC Planning Committee has, all but, agreed to allow the building of a 54 bed roomed hotel on the site of the old Railway Cottages. The wording of it is “Minded for Refusal unless conditions met” those conditions are being looked at by Travelodge to see if they are financially viable but don’t hold your breath hoping that they wont be. I will be writing to Phil Hardwick, Head of Planning, to voice my disapproval and ask for a list of the imposed conditions, one, I hope, is that should it fail as a hotel, or ceases to be a going concern then it must be demolished; otherwise we have a purpose build, 54 bed roomed, ready to go Rehab centre or homeless accommodation, which I believe is what CCBC wants anyway. The owners of Bay View Shopping Centre are the actual applicants and I , for one, will now do as little shopping in there as possible; this may be a cutting off of the nose to spite the face but sod ‘em, this application shows the contempt they have for local people so I shall reciprocate.
Every time this application came in front of the Town Council it was refused, the local community groups said they didn’t want it and the people of Colwyn Bay didn’t want it either but, apparently, Councillor Brian Cossey spoke strongly in it’s favour and the weak Planning Committee decided to go with him as apposed to all the other voices, a sure sign that democracy is alive and well but just not living in the minds of our County Councillors.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972

2009-10-15T01:48:00.001+01:00

At the Council’s Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday 13th of this month certain items were exempt from disclosure under the wonderful guise of “Schedule 12a of the Local Government Act 1972” an Act our Council seem to hide behind more and more.
There was only one Exemption that really interested me “Purchase of Properties in Colwyn Bay”, these properties, one in Douglas Road and the other being the old Indoor Market, the latter was asked to be exempted by Rob Dix, a member of the Regeneration Board. The reasons given were...
FACTORS IN FAVOUR OF DISCLOSURE- None- other than general public interest.
NONE DISCLOSURE- Disclosure could prejudice the negotiations between the Council and the Owners and potentially delay the acquisition of the properties for which there is a tight timetable for purchase.
This is extremely interesting in that the old Indoor Market is the site ear-marked for the proposed Council Offices for 600 of its staff, note the word “proposed” because I was at the meeting where Bethan Jones stated to Colwyn Bay Town Council that nothing was “set in stone” and that lengthy Public Consultation would take place prior to any decisions being made. Also note “ tight timetable for purchase”. I have said, in the past, that the County Council are secretly trying to push through this office development as quickly and as quietly as they can, this is more proof of what I said being correct, it also shows the deceit and falsehoods given to the Town Council by the Regeneration Board.
Is it any wonder then that the public perception of the Council is one of mistrust?. I can assure you that this will not end here and I shall be putting these findings in front of our Council at its next full meeting and demanding an explanation.
Before certain Councillors or Council Officers start running for their Code of Conduct or shouting “Standards Committee” everything I have said is already in the public domain, you just have to know where to look.

BAY LIFE ( SECRET) INITIATIVE

2009-10-14T14:17:00.001+01:00

The Bay Life Initiative and the Bay Life Quality Assurance Team (QAT), both set-up to oversee the redevelopment and improvements to Colwyn Bay but who are they really?
If we look on the Bay Life website,
http://www.colwynbaylife.co.uk/
This gives us no clue; it does not even tell us who runs “Bay Life”, how many staff it has or, indeed at what cost it is to us, the tax-payer. If you were to do a Google search of “Colwyn Bay Initiative” it will lead you right back to the Bay Life site, a search of CCBC’s web-site for the QAT reveals there is no information available or, indeed of its existence.
Fortunately I have the minutes of the first QAT meeting held in May of this year and, from it, I can tell you the membership consists of...
Cllr Gwyn Hughes, Colwyn Bay Town Council and CCTV engineer
Cllr Chris Hughes, Labour County Councillor, quoted as saying “Tourism in Colwyn Bay is dead”
Cllr Bob Squires, Independent County Councillor, wants to knock-down housing
Cllr Abdul Khan Plaid County Councillor, Chairman of Chamber of Trade
Cllr Janet Finch-Saunders, Conservative County Councillor, lives in Craig-y-Don
Alan Smith, works for CCBC as Corporate Improvements Officer
Patti Fitton, works for CCBC as Customer Service Manager
Communities 1st, a CCBC imitative
Apologies were received from; Mochdre CC, Llysfaen CC, Janet Finch-Saunders, Communities 1st and the Chamber of Trade (see Abdul Khan).
The first comment of the first meeting was made by Cllr Chris Hughes...
“It is generally accepted that there will be occasions for the need to have confidentiality, especially where potential projects could be at risk should information be distributed.”
Basically that means that not only do we not want to be open and transparent we don’t want what we discuss to be either. This is hardly surprising as our Labour/Alliance led Council have implemented the LGA 1972 100a, schedule 12 (exclusion of press and public) rule on, literally hundreds of occasions.
We only have to look at what the Council are doing /proposing to do to Colwyn Bay to realise that they want to turn the town into an Administration Centre, kill off tourism and trade and make it all offices, rehab centres and sheltered housing. These “Initiatives” and “Public Consultations” are a load of bull, for a start they are Council controlled and when was the last time you were “consulted” for your opinion?, these groups they set-up are mere puppets doing the Council’s bidding, they must think we are all as blind as they are stupid.
Colwyn Bay has got a future in tourism, not in the way it had of family holidays, but we can hold our own to the day and week-end visitors, we have the best and busiest of beaches, we have the pier, if the Council ever find the guts to be straight with us about it, and we have a great little town. Yes, we need restoration; yes we need to improve our access from the beach and yes we need to restore our pride but don’t write us off because of these. Instead of hiding your intentions from us ask us what we want or listen to our representatives. The public are against the Council and the only way to change that perception is for the Council to inter-react with the people, being murky and secretive is not the solution; honesty is.

COUNCILLOR BOOTH-TAYLOR

2009-10-10T21:35:00.002+01:00

The case of Councillor Booth-Taylor; she has now moved to Pembrokeshire, which is hardly what one would call local to her constituents in Eglwysbach, reminds me of the case of Conservative Councillor Steve Wolfe, he moved to London and was reported to have kept claiming his allowance even though he never attended a meeting for over 6 months. It was also reported that he never returned his Council owned lap-top computer, perhaps only a few hundred pounds but, after all, our few hundred pounds.
Steve Wolfe was well reported in the local papers for his absence with fellow Councillors demanding his resignation and return of lap-top, which, I seem to recall, he never had. The papers actually covered this story for quite a few weeks causing a large percentage of embarrassment for the Council. So, one wonders, will they have learnt their lessons about Councillors who move well away from the area or are we going have another episode like the Wolfe one? As a lay-man one would expect a Councillor who moves away to be sacked, in reality that cannot happen, she must resign. So will she do the honourable thing or, as is expected, keep drawing her allowance and attend on the odd meeting or two to stop the Council forcing her to resign; she has her snout in our trough, why should she take it out, after all; think of the mileage allowance.

UKIP MEETING

2009-10-07T10:12:00.000+01:00

Last night, Tuesday, I attended, by invitation, a UKIP meeting........................................
That’s it; I cannot tell you anything about the actual meeting because I was thrown out!
I attended the meeting in Old Colwyn and at the start attendees introduce themselves, I did, as the others and gave my name but then their Political Officer asked “Ex-Councillor John Oddy, ex-BNP Councillor?” I replied, quite honestly “ I sit as an Independent Councillor and yes I am ex-BNP, I resigned from the BNP prior to taking my seat on the Council”.
Their Political Officer then informed the meeting that their NEC had indicated that no BNP members or ex-members were allowed to attend their meetings and that I would have to leave; he then continued to describe the BNP as an odious and racist party and that I had been a major factor in it, he described my writings on here as “Racist ranting”, using his fingers to count with he reeled of a list of known BNP activists who, in the past, had committed crimes and then, mistakenly, linked me to them saying that in my position as NW Wales Organiser I must have associated with them. He continued by saying that the members should read what I write to establish for themselves what a racist I am.
The Chairman said that following the PO’s comment he had no alternative than to follow the NEC directive although because it had been a personal attack on my character he gave me the right of reply; I went through the normal denials of knowing the people he had mentioned, explained that to question open-door immigration was not racism but realism, yes I did and do believe that Islam is a dangerous and archaic religion that presents a threat to our stability, I am a firm believer in the return of the death-penalty, corporal punishment and national service. I concluded by asking had I been an ex-Labour or Conservative member would I have received the same welcome?.
Now to be fair to the UKIP members the majority of them wanted me to stay, there were comments such as “No wonder UKIP never gets anywhere”, “We have a UKIP Councillor in mid-Wales who crossed the floor from the BNP” and one that I had to answer “We want to vote to allow him to stay”, I explained that if it was a NEC directive then the Chairman had no other option than to ask me to leave. The last question was aimed at the PO “Show us where this directive is or tell us what it says” the PO could not answer that and, for once, only mumbled a reply.
As I put my coat on to leave apologies were sent my way and a comment of “How undemocratic” floated across, as I walked out nods and sympathetic smiles followed me, I liked the UKIP members, they were honest, down to earth people. Their PO, however, is a different kettle of fish, I believe he has a deep-rooted hatred of the BNP, his brother, apparently, is a member of the West Wales BNP, only he knows if there is a UKIP NEC directive, only he knows if this was personal, I certainly believe it was, and only he knows whether his attitude was wrong, personal feelings should not stand in the way of a party’s progress. With people like him holding office within UKIP one has to have serious doubts about the party’s future in Wales, truthfully I hope not because UKIP have the ability to be a major challenger to the mainstream parties.

PENRHYN ROAD PROJECT

2009-09-29T14:27:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, Monday, I attended the consultation in regards to the Penrhyn Road refurbishment, I have no objections to it in theory but I do have a couple of points and questions to the Council’s reasoning behind the project, for example they say it will increase business to the area, I don’t think it will, why should it?, that Road is mainly banking institutions and even the Council cannot dictate which bank we use. The same applies to their claim that it will increase footfall to the area, as I have said, this is a banking area and regardless of how it looks people will still use the bank. The strangest claim of all is that it will increase tourism to North Wales, really? how?. I cannot see how one “done-up street” will improve tourism, especially when the Council and Councillors suggest that tourism is not the future for Colwyn Bay. Cynical, maybe, but would it not have been easier to tell the truth... it looks tired and dated and needs refurbishing, simple as that.
My other concerns are; they are using the same imported Chinese granite that was used on Station Road, I know it’s a lot cheaper but cheaper is not always better; looking at Station Road now we can see this cheap import has started to stain and already looks grubby. Locally sourced material may be more expensive initially but the financial benefits are not solely in the material itself, local quarries would have to keep employing their workforce, hauliers would do the same and the finished product would not only look better it would instil a sense of local pride, these factors should be considered before costing.
Talking of “costing”, I do not know the overall costs of this project but I would like to know if it is coming out of the tax-payers pocket, and, if so, why?. Why spent Council money when this project could easily form part of the Regeneration Scheme, ie; be paid for out of our Regeneration Grant instead of Council coffers and, ultimately, our pockets. If it was done through the Grant why not go the full-hog and continue the existing covered walkways all the way down, part of my original suggestion along with cast-iron lampposts and bollards. It just seems a shame that whenever the Council do a job they go into it half-hearted and instead of doing a full project they only do half of it, perhaps they should take on board the old saying “If a jobs worth doing, its worth doing it right”.

BUSY MONTH

2009-09-26T10:27:00.000+01:00

It’s been a very eventful month, up to now, and looks set to continue in the same vein as we slip towards October. We’ve had all the kerfuffle in regards to the Pier, Town Council meeting with the owner, letters sent to the County Council and the Local Authority Ombudsman, I’ve had a comment from “Birdseyeviewofwales” on the local forum that he/she saw “Important looking people” inspecting the Pier, which, hopefully, may mean the Council are extracting the digit and getting on with their legal responsibilities. I’ve had a good meeting with David Jones MP in regards to the Pier, the Councils intent to build offices for 600 of it’s staff in the centre of town, and about proposals that are sent to the Regeneration Board that are never heard of again; the Bermuda Triangle of Wales, so to speak.
The Ecological Friends of Colwyn Bay has also kept me very busy, the amount of people volunteering and showing an interest has been staggering and I have to thank Dave Roberts and Jennifer Geddes for their enormous input and support, without them there is no way this would have got off the ground. We’ve had meetings with potential funding sources, local media and I even appeared on ITV Wales, the Environmental Dept of the Council have yet, despite numerous calls, to furnish us with the letter that gives us consent to work in the park but, I’m sure this is only an Administrative error, I had heard that one local County Councillor was against us doing the work but I doubt the Council would side with one Councillor against the enthusiasm of the entire community, it would, after all, make them out to be extremely unwise and undemocratic. Our first day of action will be midday on the 3rd of October, we intend to have a big clean up of our project area, so any of you that want to attend and give help or support then please do so.
It would also appear there is a rumour being circulated that I have resigned or will be forced to resign from the Council; I can assure you I have not, nor do I intend to, being forced to resign is an improbability but I am aware I have upset more than a few members of the Council. I would like to thank those of you that phoned me with your concerns about the rumour; it is calls such as yours that make this job worthwhile, many times it feels like we are banging our heads against a brick wall and getting nowhere, you do start to feel despondent and wonder if you should continue or is it worth all the hassle?; it is the calls, such as yours, that make you realise there are some that appreciate your efforts, thank you.

I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF INACTION.

2009-09-18T12:10:00.003+01:00

Here is a copy of a complaint sent to the Local Authority Ombudsman for Wales. CCBC's inaction over the Pier may cost the life of someone and I, for one, cannot stand by and watch that happen.
I have written this letter as an individual, not as a Councillor or member of the Council if I have broken the Code of Conduct or breached any rules then so be it. I am prepared to accept responsibility for my actions and any punishment that may result from them. We cannot stand by whilst this Pier becomes a Death Trap for any child that may wander underneath it, my only hope is that my actions may force CCBC into doing what they are legally obligated to do.

Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to report Conwy County Borough Council for breach of their Duty of Care by their inactions over Victoria Pier in Colwyn Bay.
Colwyn Bay Town Council wrote to CCBC on the 25th of August informing them of the dangerous and potentially fatal condition of the Pier. As of yesterday 17.09.09 CCBC had not officially replied to that letter but did say in the local paper that they had served notice on the receivers..
http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2009/08/27/it-could-be-too-late-to-save-colwyn-bay-pier-55243-24538342/
CCBC have been made aware, in the letter sent to them, that they are obliged under the Building Act 1984, sections 77 and 78 (Dangerous Structures) to carry out any and all repairs necessary to a structure to maintain the safety of the public, it is then their responsibility to seek financial redress through the Courts from those responsible for the buildings upkeep, in this case the receivers.
Victoria Pier is in a very dangerous condition, this has been admitted by CCBC. CCBC have, so they say, issued an enforcement order on the receivers, this order has not been acted upon it is therefore the Council’s responsibility to carry-out the work required under the above act but they continue to deny this responsibility. I therefore ask the Ombudsman to make a ruling against CCBC for their Breach of Duty of Care.

Yours Sincerely
John Oddy.

MEETING REGARDS THE PIER

2009-09-17T17:52:00.000+01:00

Last night saw an informal meeting of the Town Council and Steve Hunt, the owner of Victoria Pier, the meeting was marred by the absence of our County Councillor members who, I believe, had been advised not to attend, who gave them this advice and why I do not know. As Councillors they have a duty to their constituents to be their eyes and ears, any information gained from the meeting is now lost to the members of their communities.
Steve Hunt and the County Council were both invited to give their separate accounts of the situation regarding the Pier, the County Council declined to speak to the Town Council but Mr Hunt agreed and gave us his version of events. He started off by telling us that on Tuesday of this week the Council were ordered by Conwy County Court to pay Bailiff costs incurred when Mr Hunt had to send Court Bailiffs into the Council Offices to collect Costs awarded to him against the Council, although a trivial matter we must remember that all these cost and findings against the Council are coming out of the tax-payer’s pocket.
By all accounts Mr Hunt has already won Court cases against the Council in matters regarding the Pier, the Council even being ordered to release documentation sent between them and their legal representatives. The version we heard was, of course, only one side of the story but the one underlining factor that came out of it was the reluctance on behalf of the Council to enter into mediation with Mr Hunt, the Council totally refuse to talk to him or his representatives about the entire matter. Mr Hunt is prepared to discuss such things as selling the Pier, working with a Trust and/ or the Council, in fact he only really wishes to see the future of the Pier safeguarded. The reluctance of the Council is, somewhat, perplexing; they appear to be behaving like ostriches and hope that by ignoring it the problem will go away when, in honesty, it wont, it will only get worse. We, as a Town Council are very limited in what we can do, it was agreed that all we can do is add to the agenda of our next formal meeting a motion urging the County Council to enter into talks with Mr Hunt to try and resolve this current situation that is of their making. I only wish we could do something more stronger and positive because the longer this goes on the worse the condition of the Pier becomes; that may well be the Council’s intentions, if they wait long enough the Pier will collapse and that’s the end of their problem!.