We were fascinated to see in tonight's Evening Post a report of a visit by Home Office Minister Tony McNulty to Blaenymaes. Mr. McNulty was joined on his walk around the estate by Swansea East MP Sian James, Swansea East AM Val Lloyd and local Councillor, June Burtonshaw.During his tour he was told by local Councillors about a new sense of optimism and purpose in Blaenymaes and Portmead. In return he told the paper about "the enthusiasm there was from both police and local community leaders in driving crime down and working on a positive way for the area.
"The absolute vibe is that this has been done from the ground up. This has been achieved with the police, so people in Blaenymaes get a real sense of being part of the solution in tackling crime rather than something being done from above."
Val Lloyd said: "The whole community has come together to fight crime in Blaenymaes. Good results in Swansea show that local people are serious about tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and that partnership working is effective."
Could this be the same community that only a few months ago local Councillors were lambasting as a notorious place, crime ridden and not a place for a children's home? Is this the same place that Ray Welsby described as one of the most notorious areas in Great Britain? I think we should be told.
You would think that these Labour politicians would at least be a little shame-faced at their blatant u-turn. Fortunately for them, the community that the Home Office Minister saw yesterday is the real Blaenymaes and Portmead, not the fictional badlands invented by local Councillors in an attempt to undermine an important Administration initiative. We are sure that local people will not be fooled when it next comes to vote.
