Andrewmackembailey
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
[quote quote=143440]Forget the million plus figure being thrown around,
They’ve not spent more than £538K on it since 2010, and that includes hundreds of thousands on demolition and asbestos removal, gas and electric, legal fees etc. oh and £35.72 on Security ….[/quote][quote quote=143430]Derek Fisher, It was Not Plaid Cymru who instigated the saving of the former Groves and Grove Park Girls Grammar School. Rather it was a group of people who were and are concerned at the disappearing heritage of Wrexham and area. That group of people are now known as SOH or Save OUR Heritage. They have many many supporters in the Wrexham area. They are people who know more than a little about History, Architecture, and Worth, unlike some folk. As for the Listing… I put the request in for the Building to be Listed on their behalf. I too know more than a little about the history of Wrexham, the Worth of Buildings and especially in this case, the history, heritage, architectural worth, and past individuals involved in the building, the teaching and the actual construction of the School. I could say more, but do not intend writing a book here, nor will I get into fractious arguements with those who have no knowledge of the historic worth, and the architectural worth of that building.
The figure of £1.1 million spent since 2015 is a lie .. a total lie. As for Asbestos, do you realise that before a building can be demolished any asbestos has to be removed from it. That, is LAW. This present arguement is a futile attempt by a Council Exec board who are not worth their salt.[/quote]
As you say Monitor it was SOH ( an apolitical group) that fought for the heritage and I am aware of a number of politicians – apart from the present Tory-Independent-Independent cabal – both Labour and Plaid who stopped the demolition.. incidentally there were plans being developed by the minority Labour administration 2012- 2014 ( September) to use these buildings productively for education but literally weeks after 10 councillors found their “ Independence these were shelved – hidden agendas were developed and the council ( in my opinion) wasted both time and money on a failed strategy of challenge!
[quote quote=141024]Listen guys, I know you are having a laff, but I really don’t think its the real thing. Sorry to have to correct you, Again.[/quote]
It will probably do more good than ” the real thing”. This should help crops grow healthily whilst the other grows your gut and rots your teeth. So much for ” healthy eating” and don’t gene going on ” Holidays are coming.” Bah Humbug!
[quote quote=136355]Absolutely spot on Adam. It’s beggar’s belief that the Exec Board leadership have gotten away with pulling the wool over the general public’s eyes for so long. The independents all got voted back in off the back of doing local favours in their respected wards. I learned in this year’s council elections that the very low turnout of people who actually bother to vote, do so on a ticket of who they know in the local area rather than any merits of putting together a stable council to push forward an agenda for the greater good of Wrexham.
The absolute crock I heard about people’s voting intentions were things like: “Ooh well our man standing fixed me mam’s gate last year” or “I knew Councillor T’s Grandad and his family have lived in the area for generations, everyone else on the ballot are outsiders, I won’t be voting for them”.
Because they are independents there is no coherent party-line or coalition line to adhere to governing Wrexham, so literally we have to put up and suffer with Mark Pritchard’s cloak and dagger approach (I really believe he hides in the shadows) of creating an antagonising element in Wrexham that he pushes all the blame and focus on and then whilst the rest of the town rots, all the issues can be blamed on this one thing and the rest of the town’s shortcomings can go jump. Unfortunately the majority of townsfolk who don’t really drill down into the nitty gritty of what’s going on, will see national headlines about druggies and homeless and lay all the blame right there, after tutting about how bad the place they live in has become, but then won’t want to lift a finger or make a call to action to actually do anything.
[/quote]spot on Matt but somehow the myth persists that this current ( and immediately previous ) council are Labour run. Let us be clear – in the space of time May 2012 -September 2014 when it was a Labour run council the focus was on working with partners ( Coleg Cambria) to make use of the site after the Liberal-Independent coalition ( 2005-2012) had sat on it. The gyrations of this council since 2014 are well documented and it is incredible that security is so lax. As I said in the executive board meeting earlier this year ” not that I am advocating it but given the will I could easily access the site and I am 68. Why is there no security?”
[quote quote=131887]So the staff are not the general public then?
[/quote]The staff ,as you put it are an administrator and caretaker. The Memorial Hall is run by volunteer trustees -I have been one since the early nineties. This was very much a “closed event” and PURELY a commercial booking by those in the know at the trust and (for security reasons) held in high secrecy with most trustees not aware of this event. I have even heard of nearby residents finding it hard to return home on that morning and I had to make a detour to get to a hospital appointment.
It should be stressed that the charity endorses no candidate or party and undertakes booking from all parties in line with their booking policy.[quote quote=130638]Leanne Wood advocates avoiding case work, using the considerable budget to only employ staff two to three days a week so they can spend the rest of the time on political activity. It says it all really doesn’t it I bet the ones who make it on May 4th will be exactly the same.
[/quote]
Isn’t that what Annette SandbachMP does thus releasing her employee to spend the rest of his time trying for this or that as the will takes him.
Just a thought but if I had turned up for a job interview and said I had also applied for a job 200 miles away at 5-6 X the dosh I wonder if I would have been successful!?[quote quote=130639]Got to love it when someone calls Plaid ‘hypocrites’ and then says ‘give me Labour any day’.
You must have forgotten that 10 Labour councillors left the party to be become independents a couple of years ago. At least with Plaid people know what they are voting for. Seems not to be the case with Labour!
Also your comment about Plaid doing nothing but ‘attend the protests’, well at least they did so. No one from the Labour party was collecting signatures in the town centre about the maternity services (that was just Plaid and the Conservatives) and Labour were once again conspicuous in their absence when Plaid were fighting to save the town’s fire engine.
Perhaps it might be better if Labour attended a few protests in future instead of just turning up at election time which seems to be the usual story with them?
[/quote]cmrdson,
I can confirm that myself and a number of fellow Labour councillors and many activists did attend the ” save the fire engines ” rally. Because you don’t jump up and down aboard a fire tender ,conveniently forgetting it was the Authority chaired but a Plaid colleague and dominated by Plaid and Independent councillors does not mean you were not there.
As to those who left the Labour group- having pledged their loyalty in 2012 it is THEIR shame that they did so and not those who stayed loyal. To compound that by taking 2.5 years of allowances ( some pretty tidy) is to their eternal shame.[quote quote=130312]At the time of posting there are 6 of the previous Executive Board members who have not bothered to reply.
Joan Lowe, Mark Pritchard, Ronnie Prince, Hugh Jones, Bob Dutton and David Kelly. David Kelly is being returned unopposed but nevertheless, you think they would engage.
We have put up with this bunch for the last 5 years. Maybe changes could happen, lets hope so.[/quote]jimbow
What makes you think the executive board wants to engage. Look at the (secret) sorry meetings no non executive councillors were aware of they held before trying to demolish the Groves in January 2016 so they could accommodate their own ( secret ) sorry see above, agreement with their mates. And a board member had the gall to criticise budget proposals in February 2017 because of lack of consultation !
You couldn’t make it up.
Also since the defection if the ( we’ve discovered red again ) brigade the response to any members questions has been curtailed and debate stifled and members of the public have to be aware of the content of executive board reports before they are published Wednesday afternoon so they can put their questions in by noo! Anyone spot the flaws and lack of democracy in that?[quote quote=130126]Well, the 3 main parties seem to have got their campaign buses sorted already.
[/quote]meanwhile a dozen or so Tory MP’s have had their 2015 expenses limit referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for incidentals such as the ” battle bus ” – hotel expenses and the like. Should they be allowed to stand with such question marks over their electioneering?
[quote quote=130077]Conservative Andrew Atkinson
Plaid’s Carrie Harper and Marc Jones
Lib Dem’s Rob WalshAll previous candidates, all wannabe career politicians. So the question is will they stand again? If so what impact does that have on the local elections and does it mean they would need to step down to become a candidate for the National elections? Anybody know the answer?
Personally believe that this has been called 12 months too early for the Conservatives. I think or hope Labour retain Wrexham and Clwyd South. As a past Conservative voter I would now rather walk on glass than vote for them. The under funding and covert privatisation of the NHS, austerity cuts whilst maintaining fat cat bonuses etc. Etc. But we will see what the people of Wrexham want.
[/quote]the date for withdrawal from the local contest is past and anyone declaring for the snap election who is standing for council sends a clear message of priorities and what they rate as second rate!
