Partnership is working

Whilst the Spinning around Swansea website rather predictably scoffs from the sidelines it is worth reflecting that the 1200 Amazon distribution jobs coming to Swansea have not just come out of mid air.

The partnership working between the Council, the Assembly Government and local businesses have played a significant role. The growing confidence in the Swansea Bay area has helped tremendously in attracting this investment. As Swansea Council's own strategy for transforming the area comes into play we can expect more announcements soon.

Labour must now cough up the dosh

Like the Spinning out of Swansea website we are puzzled by the small amount of coverage given to the stock transfer ballot. After all the behaviour of some opposition Councillors in spreading misinformation and downright lies should come in for some scrutiny.

In compiling our own response we can do no better than this on the South Wales West Liberal Democrats website:

"Swansea tenants have made it very clear that they wish to remain with the Council as their landlord and that view must be respected.

We believe that it was right that the option of stock transfer was put to them as the only one that could have delivered the resources to improve their homes. However, the Council has always been clear that it was the democratic right of tenants to reject that solution if they wished.

The problem facing the Council now is that they still have a £195 million shortfall in the money needed to bring homes up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard. A 'No' vote does not change that fact, nor will it get tenants the new windows, kitchens and bathrooms that Tawe Housing would have delivered. It is now likely that many will miss out on having their homes improved.

It is our strong view that the campaign conducted by Defend Council Housing and the local Labour Party was dishonest and misled tenants into believing that they could have the benefits of stock transfer whilst remaining with the Council. That is not the case. Both the Welsh Assembly and the UK Governments have ruled out the possibility of a fourth option.

Labour has let down Council tenants. They have set housing standards which cannot be paid for and restricted Councils to a single choice in how to meet them. Their behaviour during the recent ballot was a disgrace. At a Welsh Assembly and UK level they are advocating stock transfer, they supported that solution in Torfaen, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Monmouthshire and Bridgend and yet in Swansea they jumped on the opportunist bandwagon and campaigned for a 'No' vote. It is now up to Defend Council Housing and the local Labour Party to get the resources they promised to improve tenants' homes."

All Kinds Of Everything

Further to the last post it appears that Eurovision Fever has hit Castle with two ageing sitting Councillors facing their Waterloo in a selection re-run.

The Puppet on a string and her counterpart the Sandfields Lordi have reportedly had second thoughts about Making their minds up and are withdrawing their names before the poll ratings reach Rock Bottom and their reputations go Boom Bang a Bang.

Congratulations!!!

Eurovision

It is the time of year for selecting candidates. Some say that the spotlight is on Llansamlet at the moment.

This particular contest has a history. It has always provided amusement to the trained onlooker as it normally involves deselecting sitting Councillors.

Those with long memories will recall 2004 when the outcome was that Labour's head count went down from 4 to 3 in the big game.

Early indicators point to a re-run of the Eurovision result announcement chaos.

This term's spectacle is bound to provide many with more free entertainment - if it hasn't happened already (guffaw, guffaw)

Follow the Money

A new political independent club has opened in the city. In the frenetic build up to the unveiling somebody let slip that it wasn't so politically independent after all.

Apparently, it was funded by a local Labour Party that had the misfortune of being exterminated in 2004. It appears now that all references to this donation have disappeared without trace.

(Or have they?)

Same old refrain

Tory leader Rene Kinzett does not appear to have been paying attention in class. He claims in today's Evening Post that he has not been kept up-to-date on the Council's e-government scheme. Yet a Council spokesperson points out, he is chair of the Councils' e-government working group, which body receives monthly updates.

Kinzett seeks to use this alleged shroud of secrecy as an excuse for confusion over issues such as cost:

He said: "In these circumstances, where information is given out on a less than timely basis and where members are kept in the dark and given half the picture, is it any surprise that the media print stories which may not be entirely accurate?"

Well actually Rene, the real reason why recent media stories have been inaccurate is because you have been feeding them misinformation. Maybe the problem is not that nobody is telling Kinzett what is going on, but that he does not understand it.

Bus Station will be built

As at least one contributor to the Evening Post's on-line comments reminded us, if Labour had been on the ball the new bus station would have been built in 2004. Instead the Administration has been left to pick up the pieces again.

Despite the scepticism shown by the Evening Post today's news is a step forward. The moment that the Labour Transport Minister decided the Council could only have half the money it needed to build the bus station and that it must bring some private cash to the table then a delay was inevitable. After all, no Council can jump those sort of hurdles overnight.

However, what is positive is that the Council is determined to overcome those obstacles and make a start at some stage in the next financial year. The new bus station has been a long time coming, not least because of Labour's incompetence at the start, but it will be delivered.