people's manifesto for ynys môn

8/9/2019 People's Manifesto for Ynys Mn

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The Druid Blog: A Peoples Manifesto for Anglesey

The Druid Blog:A Peoples Manifestofor Ynys Mn

The Druid Blogwww.druidsrevenge.blogspot.com


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Kingdom. At 10,998 per head, Angleseys

GVA is just 55.1 per cent of the UKs

average.2

Anglesey is poorer than some of the poorestparts of rural Poland according to the 2009OECD Factbook.3

Data for full-time employees show thataverage earnings in Anglesey were approx.

396 per week in 2007, compared with

415 per week in Wales and 456 per week

in the UK. It should be noted that gross

average earnings on the Island were

distorted by wages paid to employees at

Wylfa and Anglesey Aluminium, which are

substantially higher than other wages in the

area.4

However we don't have to worry aboutAnglesey Aluminium distorting averageearnings on the Island anymore because it

was forced to close in 2009 wiping out at

least 450 direct jobs and an estimated

further 240 jobs through indirect and

induced effects.

In addition Anglesey has also lost Octel inAmlwch, Eaton Electric in Holyhead (240

jobs), Peboc in Llangefni (100 jobs), Menai

Electrical in Gaerwen (50 jobs), Readileads

(35 jobs) and Vion/Welsh Country Foods

The Druid Blog: A Peoples Manifesto for Ynys Mn 3

2 Regional, sub-regional and local gross value added 2009, Office for National Statistics, published 9 December 2009

3 OECD Factbook 2009: Economic, Environmental and Social Statistics, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD)

4 Anglesey and Meirionnydd Priority Action Plan, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, published June 2009

A Triple Whammy: Anglesey has the lowest level of employment coupled with the highestrates of job-seekers claimants and economic inactivity in North Wales.

Employment Rate

(year to Sept 2009)

Job Seekers Allowance Claimant Count

(year to Sept 2009)

Economic Inactivity Rate

(year to Sept 2009)

Source: ! Regional Economic & Labour Market Profile North Wales ! ! March 2010, Statistical Directorate, Welsh Assembly Government


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has restructured in Llangefni and Gaerwen

(191 jobs). These are on top of the countless

other jobs lost at small businesses

throughout the Island which arent reported

in the local press.

In fact, according to research by theUniversity of Wales, since 2001 there has

been a decrease of 2,100 jobs in private

sector employment on Anglesey and the

proportion of those employed in the private

sector has decreased from 74 per cent to 67

per cent.5

Anglesey is currently suffering from anemployment triple whammy, with the

lowest level of employment coupled with thehighest rates of job-seekers claimants and

economic inactivity in North Wales (see box

above).6

Remarkably farming in North Wales hasfared even worse than business. During the

period 1997 to 2007, the economic

contribution of agriculture to the North

Wales and Anglesey economy fell by a

staggering 67 per cent compared to an

overall UK decline of just 7 per cent.7

On top of all this, Anglesey County Councilis poorly managed, riven with infighting,

and planning on raising Council Tax by 15%

over three years.

Anglesey County Council isnt

working

Faced with problems like this Anglesey cannot

afford a County Council which does not

function. Unfortunately that is exactly what we

have. Indeed Anglesey County Council has a

long history of not being properly run as

highlighted in the 2009 Auditor Generals

report on Anglesey County Council:

There is a history of personality politics

based around mistrust, suspicion and

personal animosity. Attempting to deal

with it saps a huge amount of energy and

distracts people, including successive

Managing Directors, from the major issues

of providing the Council with a real sense

of direction, a strategy for continuous

improvement and a means of achieving

efficiency savings at a time of increasing

financial constraint.

The majority of councillors are well

motivated in their approach to Council

business and it important to recognise

their contribution, but their efforts have

not been enough to counteract poor

behaviour by a small number of councillors

over a significant period of time.

Conflict has led to a rift between politicaland managerial leadership, preventing the

corporate management team from

exercising its legitimate role of challenging

and supporting members in developing

policy and direction.

Also, twelve months after the current

Executive came into power there is still no

agreed sense of direction or comprehensive

and consistent policy framework.Successive administrations have been

characterised by the pursuit of a number of

internally focussed issues.


5 Comment left on The Druid Blog by Prof. Dylan Jones-Evans, Director of Enterprise and Innovation, University of

Wales. 13 April 2010. Trackback URL: http://druidsrevenge.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-llangefnis-three-towns-fund-

cash.html?showComment=1271143978626#c5771433035904981286

6 Regional Economic & Labour Market Profile North Wales March 2010, Statistical Directorate, Welsh Assembly

Government

7 Table 1.5, NUTS1 GVA (1989-2008) Data, Office for National Statistics


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Weak political group structures contribute

to a lack of control and sanction at the

Council. Weak self regulation has also

created a culture that not only tolerates

inappropriatebehaviour but is seen by

some to reward it. The Councils reputation

has been seriously damaged by these

problems, which has undermined public

confidence in the Councils ability to run its

affairs properly.8

As the Auditor General correctly identifies, one

of the major reasons why Anglesey County

Council is dysfunctional is because our

councillors lack both a shared vision for the

Island and a policy roadmap of how to get

there. This is in large part due to a significant

number of Independents who are elected

without issuing to voters in their wards either

individual or group manifestos, i.e. a

statement of where they stand on various

issues and what they should like to do if

elected. Such a situation is intolerable because:

Voters are denied the opportunity to vote ona political vision and set of policies instead

they must try to make their decision based

only on the personalities of the candidates.

However when you consider that the current

average councillor to elector ratio on

Anglesey is 1:1,270 people, it is laughable to

think that each of those 1,270 voters are able

to make an informed decision on the

personalities of each of the candidates.

Furthermore this situation will worsen at

the next council elections when, following

Local Government Boundary Commissions

changes, the number of councillors will be

reduced from 40 to 35, and the councillor to

elector ratio will increase to an average of

1:1,451 people. 9

Independents, once elected, are effectivelyaccountable to nobody but themselves and

are certainly not constrained by any kind of

group manifesto or party discipline. As a

result they are free to behave pretty much as

they please leading to the myriad

problems of ill discipline we are currently

witnessing at the council.

Independents do attach themselves to anumber of opaque groupings (the Original

Independents, the Menai Group, Anglesey

Forward, and, recently, Llais i Fn),

however these groupings also fail to (i)

produce or publicise their aims or policies;

and (ii) often fail to impose any form of

party discipline. As such they are better

regarded as factions not parties.

As voters do not know in detail what theyare voting for, it is impossible for them to

then evaluate their councillors performance

when the next council elections come

around.

We note that the WAG Local GovernmentMinister has now required that all of these

groupings be required to produce a statement

of their aims and values. This is a step in the

right direction however as of April 2010,

only Menai Group had reportedly completed

this task10; and as of the release of this Peoples

Manifesto (July 2010), none of the groupings

have released any finalised statements of

Aims and Values to Anglesey residents.

Accordingly this Peoples Manifesto aims to

give both individual Councillors and Groups

an insight into the demands of their voters and

a resource for them to use when compiling

their own Statements of Aims and Values.

Accordingly we encourage Councillors to

plagiarise this document as much as they like!


8 Corporate Governance Inspection - Isle of Anglesey County Council, Wales Audit Office, July 2009

9 Review of Electoral Arrangements Draft Proposals - County of Isle of Anglesey, Local Government Boundary

Commission for Wales

10 Report to the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, Anglesey Recovery Board Minutes, April 22, 2010


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The Peoples Manifesto

1. Council ManagementThe people of Anglesey want a Local Authority

they can be proud of, not ashamed of.

Unfortunately we currently have the latter.

Action needs to be taken over and above the

recommendations of the Welsh Assembly

appointed Recovery Board for the Council to

regain the trust of all of Angleseys residents.

The watchwords need to be: Transparency,

Openness, and Cost Effectiveness.

All Parties and Political Groupings mustpublish an updated and Anglesey-specific

manifesto of their aims and values at least

two months prior to local elections. To save

costs these can be hosted on the Anglesey

County Council website.

All Independent candidates standing tobecome County Councillors in Local

Elections must either:

- state which Political Grouping they intendto join if elected; or

- publish a personal manifesto of their aimsand values at least two months prior to

local elections.

All new Councillors must attend a formally-arranged schedule of training on local

government best practice and good

governance, including an introduction to all

relevant legislation affecting them. Existing

Councillors should also attend regular

refresher courses. Attendance should be

seen as a mandatory pre-condition to

continuing as a Councillor.

The functions of running of the Council andpolicing of the Council should be separated

by establishing an Anglesey Good

Governance Commission. This commission

should pick up from where the current

Welsh Assembly Anglesey Recovery Board

leaves off. Any complaints not satisfactorily

resolved by the Council (including Freedom

of Information requests) should be referred

to this Commission. It should be led by

someone from outside Anglesey who has not

been tainted by recent problems.

Committee Members and Chairs should bereshuffled at least on an annual basis

(especially the controversial Planning

committee) to increase transparency and

reduce claims of cronyism and bias.

Chairs and vice chairs of committees shouldbe elected by secret ballot, by full Council.

In order to continually renew the Councilwith new talent, ensure the flow of fresh

thinking, and reduce the potency of pastconflicts, the council should investigate the

feasibility of:

- introducing term limits for electedcouncillors;

- introducing compulsory retirement ofsitting councillors at the first local council

elections after they reach the age of 65;

- encouraging more people (in particularwomen) to stand at council elections

though explaining the procedures better

either online or through arranging

suitable seminars.

In order to eliminate potential conflicts ofinterest, Councillors who are members of

the Executive Board should not also be a

Governors of a school.

Anglesey residents are currently being askedto pay one of the largest Council Tax rises in

the country whilst Council services are beingcut. Accordingly the Council needs to

explore all ways of making it more cost-

effectiveness, including investigating the

feasibility of entering into partnership

arrangements with neighbouring authorities

in order to reduce cost, duplication and

functions (for example by sharing Chief

Officers).

There should be a critical review of senior

officers. Many are seen as being ineffectual,indifferent, lazy and/or arrogant towards

the public and Members alike; the Council



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may like to consider a scheme of early

voluntary retirement.

New officers should be recruited who are

proactive and ambitious, through anationwide recruitment drive.

There must be complete transparencyregarding the salaries of senior Council

officers over certain threshold no ifs, no

buts.

The major reason behind Anglesey CountyCouncils proposed 15% rise in council tax

over the next three years is due to Anglesey

receiving the joint smallest increase in its

annual settlement from the Welsh AssemblyGovernment this year. Despite being the

poorest sub-region in Wales, Anglesey was

awarded a derisory 1% increase compared

to rises of 3.1% for Newport and 2.9% for

Cardiff City. This is due the fact that the

Welsh Assembly determines the annual

settlements based not on need but on

population. Anglesey County Council, in

conjunction with our AM and MP, must

lobby the Welsh Assembly to review itsformula to take into account need.

The Council should investigate thefeasibility of devolving certain powers down

to local community/parish councils.

Wherever possible, the decisions which

effect residents everyday life should be

taken as close as possible to them.

Furthermore Councillors should attend local

Parish Council meetings within their wards

as a matter of course. Anglesey residents need to be given

improved control over setting the priorities

of our local police. For example there is

strong public support for more visible

policing in Angleseys major towns on

Friday and Saturday evenings.

A fundamental re-design and re-structuringof the Anglesey County Council website is

necessary to make it easier to navigate and

find relevant information. The new web siteshould be fully compliant with the measures

included within the Disability

Discrimination Act. The current website

largely ignores the needs of disabled

persons.

2. Economic Development

Having lost over 2,000 private sector jobs in a

very short period of time. Anglesey needs jobs

and economic development has to be the

absolute priority of Anglesey County Council.

However, the council needs to completely

rethink its current economic development

strategies as they are clearly failing and the

Economic Development Department is widely

seen as lacking entrepreneurial experience andflair.

The councils economic developmentpolicies towards town centres in particular

have been disastrous. The increasing

number of large supermarkets which have

been granted permission to open in the

majority of Angleseys main towns have

gradually led to the decline and closure of

many local shops and have destroyed as

many jobs as they have created. They have

also led to a hollowing out of Angleseys

town centres. A new approach is needed

which recognises that sustainable, long-

term economic growth will only come from

funding unique developments which attract

visitors and shoppers from outside the

Island - not from generic developments, like

supermarkets or retail parks, which do not

attract outside visitors and merelycannibalise existing businesses. An example

of a unique development which could have

the potential to attract visitors from outside

the Island and not cannibalise existing

businesses is given in the Tourism section

below.

Accordingly a public and independentreview should be held into (a) the

effectiveness of the current policies being

implemented by Anglesey County CouncilsEconomic Development Department; and

(b) its leadership and staffing. This review



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should highlight failures and make

recommendations for the future.

An Advisory Panel made up of leading

Anglesey business and professional peopleshould be set up which can:

- undertake the above review;- advise and review the policies of the

Economic Development Department as it

moves forward;

- Encourage innovation andexperimentation regarding policy;

- Mentor the head of department.

Furthermore the Council needs to recognisethat the Islands economic future rests onpromoting and supporting multitudes of

small businesses - not just one or two large

employers. Accordingly the Council must:

- avoid supporting developments whichmerely contribute to the cannibalisation

of sales from existing small businesses

and shops;

- prioritise reducing the bureaucracy andcosts involved in running smallbusinesses on the Island;

- provide meaningful and high-qualitysupport to encourage both the growth of

existing small businesses and the

establishment of new ventures.

Anglesey is a recipient of both WelshAssembly and European Union funding

earmarked for regenerating communities,

e.g. the Three Towns Fund. In deciding

how to use these funds to regenerate towncentres, the Council must as a matter of

course constructively consult with local

people and responsible civic groups (e.g.

Cwmni Tref Llangefni). Consultation

should mean real consultation not sham-

consultation exercises where local people

are asked for their opinions after the

Councils Economic Development

Department has already decided (with the

help of expensive external consultants) howto spend the funds.

Angleseys location on the periphery of theUnited Kingdom makes the provision of

excellent internet connections an absolute

necessity. However the Anglesey

Connected programme has only delivered

high speed connections to specific centres

whilst many Island communities still suffer

from appallingly slow data transfer rates,

which hinder business, learning, and

entertainment activities. The Council must

aggressively promote broadband speed

improvements for the whole Island.

The inward migration of forward thinkingentrepreneurs should be promoted.

Better training opportunities should also bepromoted on the Island.

3. Tourism

Anglesey has been blessed with incredible

scenery, fascinating and diverse historical

remains, and over 120 miles of coastline. Yet,

despite this, our Island currently punches

below its weight in attracting tourists - as

highlighted by the fact that the majority of day

tourists brought to Holyhead by cruise ships

currently get on coaches and travel right off

the Island for day trips to Caernarfon and

Betws-y-Coed. Anglesey does not suffer from a

lack of things for tourists to do and see what

it suffers from is a lack of imagination in

understanding and promoting what we have.

In the immediate short term Anglesey mustdevelop a tourism strategy specificallydesigned to attract visitors from Liverpool,

Manchester, the Midlands and elsewhere in

North Wales i.e. people who live within

2 hours drive of the Island. This can only

be achieved by understanding what makes

Anglesey unique and then promoting that

uniqueness relentlessly.

Angleseys uniqueness lies in the fact that it

is a rural island with over 120 miles ofcoastline this uniqueness needs to be

promoted by the strategic, long-term



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positioning of Anglesey as an ideal

destination for water sports such as

yachting, surfing, fishing and so forth.

These are activities which are ideally suited

to Anglesey yet are currently woefully

underdeveloped. Council support should be

available to any private sector businesses

which wish to promote water sports.

Furthermore a big event such as a Around

Anglesey Yacht Race should be considered

as a strategic investment and opportunity to

draw attention to the Island whilst also

promoting its uniqueness.

Promote Angleseys unique prehistoric,

Celtic, and Druidic past by developing a

high quality visitor centre / museum to

provide more information and better access

atBarclodiad Y Gawres orBryn Celli Ddu.

The treasures found atLlyn Cerrig Bachwhen clearing earth for a runway at RAF

Valley during the second world war

represent some of the finest Celtic Iron Age

implements ever discovered in Europe.

However, they have been housed in Cardiff

at the National Museum of Wales since their

discovery. Cardiff already has enough

tourists and visitors. Anglesey should

campaign for theLlyn Cerrig Bach

treasures to be permanently returned to the

Island in order to boost much needed

tourism here.

All promotions should be measured fordegree of success.

Bring an end to the proliferation of poorly-managed Anglesey tourism/attractions websites that gives a confused and generally

inadequate view of the islands image and

attractions. Create a privately-run official

site, paid for partly from advertising, partly

from subsidy, containing regularly-updated

and reliable information to those who wish

to visit and spend. The Councils current

efforts are inadequately presented and

maintained.

Angleseys windmills should be restored andpromoted rather than closed down.

Anglesey was calledMn Mam Cymru due

to its flour production and therefore these

windmills are an important part of our

Island heritage

The Council should consider promoting thecreation of a unique, big attraction

somewhere on the Island which combines

Angleseys strengths (its suitability as a

water sports venue coupled with its

proximity to the Snowdonia National Park)

and has the potential to attract new visitors

from Liverpool, Manchester, the Midlands

and elsewhere in North Wales - without

cannibalising existing businesses in the way,

for example, a retail park would. One

suggestion would be something like a

Centre Parc crossed with the Eden Project

crossed with the Coed y Brenin Mountain

Biking Centre. Such an attraction could

offer visitors boating, walking, riding,

various cycling paths, swimming pools with

slides and waves, etc. - and all within a short

distance from other activities in Snowdonia

National Park. The facility would also offer

tiered accommodation and a network ofshops and restaurants. The councils role

would be to identify a suitable site, provide

access roads, car parks, drainage, and then

find a suitable private company to build and

operate the site. The old Shell site at

Rhosgoch might be a suitable location for

this attraction - it belongs to the council, has

remained unused for 20 years, is fairly

tranquil and is close to the sea. I modestly

propose that the attraction should be calledParc Derwydd / Druid Park.

There has been a large increase in horseownership on the island leading to many

interesting touristic possibilities. The

council should investigate the possibility of

introducing a horse bridleway around the

coast of the island, including overnight

stabling.

Promote the existing policies to control lightpollution by installing only down-shininglamps to create a dark sky, but not dark

streets. Tranquility-seeking tourism,



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including the enjoyment of a truly dark,

starry sky, is big business and Anglesey

needs that money. Indeed Anglesey is

already attracting attention for its sky

thanks to the success of John Rowlands

Notilucent Cloud Experiment, currently

being conducted from Llanbadrig Church.

Rowlands is one of the four finalists of this

years BBC Radio 4 So you want to be a

scientist competition.

4. Highways, Transportation

& Maritime (including the

Port of Holyhead)

Angleseys location on the periphery of the

United Kingdom has a direct effect on business

development and tourism on the Island.

Accordingly it is essential to recognise that

improved transport links which bring Anglesey

closer to the business and population centres

of the United Kingdom are absolutely crucial

for encouraging businesses to set up on the

Island and further economic development.

Campaign for an upgrade to the NorthWales costal main line. Although it

currently takes a not unreasonable 3 hours

20 minutes to get to London by rail, why

should it take an hour just to get to Chester?

The Council, our MP, and AM shouldactively lobby for Holyhead to be linked to

the proposed High Speed Rail link this

would further cement Holyheads positionas the prime gateway to Ireland, whilst

simultaneously bringing Anglesey

dramatically closer to the Midlands and

London.

Campaign for the North South Airlink whichcurrently flies exclusively from Anglesey to

Cardiff to also offer flights to an extended

destination list, particularly major economic

centres such as London, the Midlands and

Ireland. This could be achieved through, forexample, introducing triangular flights.

The re-opening of the full Amlwch BranchLine should be fast tracked, enthusiastically

supported and prioritised as a vital means

of regenerating Amlwch and stops along the

way, including Llangefni and Llanerch-y-

medd.

With relation to Holyhead Port, it isnecessary to continue building on the good

work already achieved by working closely

with Stena Line and others to develop the

port commercially and encourage trade as a

gateway to Wales and North England.

In order to alleviate the traffic bottleneck

forming at Britannia Bridge during peaktimes (i.e. morning / evening rush hours

and ferry traffic) investigate the feasibility

of introducing a third traffic lane on the

bridge. As per successful schemes operated

elsewhere, traffic on the third lane could be

set to flow in different directions during

different periods of the day (e.g. 2 lanes

towards Bangor during morning rush hour

and peak ferry traffic times; 2 lanes towards

Anglesey during evening rush hour).

Provide Holyhead with a semi-orbital roadfrom Junction 2 (TMawr, Holyhead) that

links round to Holyhead Marina in order to

alleviate the bottleneck at Black Bridge as

the town centre is too constrained.

5. Planning

More than any other single issue, matters

relating to planning create flash-points

between Anglesey residents and the council.

The slow progress in completing a Local

Development Plan for Anglesey is holding

back development, policy making is not

transparent enough, and - whether it is true or

not - many residents perceive a double

standard to be at work whereby councillors

and senior officers are treated preferentially.

All of these matters need to be addressed

urgently.



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Following the Planning and CompulsoryPurchase Act 2004, each unitary authority

in Wales is required to prepare a Local

Development Plan (LDP) which will then

form the basis for all planning decisions in

that area. However as Anglesey County

Council has not yet completed its LDP,

present policies are based on the adopted

Ynys Mn Local Plan (1996) and the

stopped Unitary Development Plan (2005).

Both of these documents are seriously

outdated in all areas: industrial,

commercial, housing, affordable housing,

local needs, town centres etc. Considering

the current economic plight of the island, anew LDP is not only necessary - its a

statutory requirement. Accordingly

Anglesey County Council should as a matter

of urgency fast-track the pre-deposit draft

Local Development Plan in order that it can

be adopted by January 2012.

The lack of progress in progressing the LDPfor Anglesey indicates that there could be

staff problems within the Planning

Department. A staff review should beconducted and new staff hired if necessary.

More consistency and transparency needs tobe applied to planning policy formation and

execution.

Planning officers need to receive bettertraining on how to give proper advice and

engage more positively with the public they

serve.

All substantive advice given by planningofficers (including that given in pre-application meetings) needs to be recorded

correctly.

Councillors and senior council officers mustset an example by fastidiously following

planning regulations. It is not acceptable for

councillors or senior officers to be seen to be

either bending the rules or receiving

preferential treatment. Accordingly, if

planning regulations are correctly followed

in advance there should be no need for

councillors or senior officers to apply for

retrospective planning permission.

To avoid any seeming conflicts of interest, a

Councillor on a planning committee shouldnot vote on a planning application in his

own ward. The Councillor should be allowed

to speak once to either show their support

or opposition to the planning application,

but not take part in the debate. A similar

system is already being operated by

Wrexham County Borough Council.

Any Councillor speaking in support oropposition to a planning application shall

limit his comments to the relevant planninggrounds on why the application should be

approved, refused or deferred.

A independent and fast-track system shouldbe set up for dealing with complaints when

the Council does not adhere to its own

policies, or is in some other breach.

Lessons need to be learned at the councilfrom the debacle caused by their decision to

grant planning permission for the siting of a

methane burning biodigester close to thevillage of Bodffordd. Such developments

need to:

- take into account the unanimousopposition of local residents;

- be sited in the most appropriate locationwhere communities downwind of the

development will not be subject to

unpleasant smells not, as in this case,

just in the most suitable (or cheap)

location for the developer.

Review whether industrial agriculturerepresents unspoilt natural landscape

which currently prevents planning

permission being given to build on this land.

Consider introducing a scheme wherebynormal planning restrictions are relaxed if

proposed new houses are built using

traditional materials in a vernacular style.

Planning permission for modificationsrequired by disabled soldiers returning from



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Afghanistan should not be unreasonably

withheld or delayed.

6. Housing (includingAffordable Housing)

Due to the current poor economic situation

and the difficulty in obtaining mortgages from

banks, getting on the first step of the housing

ladder has become increasingly difficult.

Anglesey County Council needs to recognise

these problems and address them through a

clever Affordable Housing policy.

There are 3,000 people on Angleseyregistered with Anglesey County Council as

in need of accommodation. The council

needs to increase its housing numbers to

4,000 units in the plan period of 2006-2021

to allow for Wylfa B and the demand for

new homes.

Affordable Housing policies should be basedon current economic realities. It is

necessary to recognise that even highly-paidyounger people wanting to buy a home for

the first time are likely to encounter

enormous difficulty in:

- obtaining a sufficiently large deposit, nowmuch higher than historical values; and

- getting a mortgage at all, owing to theeconomic crisis.

In order to reach affordable housing targets

Anglesey County Council should considerallowing housing densities to be increased.

Homes are currently defined as affordablebased on a policy of marking the resale

value at 75 percent below market value. This

system does not recognise the current

average earnings of residents or the fact that

market value will gradually creep upwards.

This system should be rethought so as to

create an equitable formula which takes into

account both market value and averagewages - thus making an affordable house

affordable in perpetuity. It may also be

necessary to consider attaching a strict local

person only planning condition to

Affordable Housing, such as in Gwynedd

and the Snowdonia National Park.

Reassert the need and rationale for publicly-owned housing which are affordable to rent.

Establish a policy framework to supportlocals to buy, lease, or staircase-purchase

through a Registered Social Landlord.

Anglesey County Council should prioritisehousing for those people with much needed

skills and can make a greater contribution

to the island.

7. Wylfa B

Since opening in 1971 the Wylfa nuclear power

station has been one of the largest private-

sector employers on Anglesey and has made an

inestimable contribution to the local economy

through providing hundreds of stable, well-

paid jobs for almost 40 years. It is now

approaching the end of its working life and is

scheduled for decommissioning in the nearfuture. Hopefully the huge void this will create

will be filled by Wylfa B - a new generation

nuclear power station operated by Horizon

Nuclear Power Ltd.

The majority of Anglesey residents supportWylfa B and our representatives to the UK

Parliament and Welsh Assembly must do

everything in their power power to ensure

that it goes ahead. Similarly AngleseyCounty Council must move quickly to

upgrade the necessary roads (in particular

the A5025) to Wylfa to support its

construction.

Although Wylfa B must be supportedbecause of the employment it will bring to

the Island, it is also important to recognise

that there are also inherent dangers

attached to the siting of a nuclear power

station station here. Accordingly, theCouncil must insist that Horizon Nuclear

Power Ltd. makes a wider contribution to



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Anglesey above and beyond the jobs it will

create.

Examples of such a wider contribution

could take various forms, such as:- the foundation by Horizon of a multi-

million pound charitable fund similar

to the Isle of Anglesey Charitable Trust

set up by Shell which can used by

Anglesey County Council to provide

support to certain activities, such as

economic development, education and

leisure on the Island;

- a reduction in electricity bills forresidents and businesses on the island;

- a scheme whereby local people can applyfor renewable energy technology to be

installed at their property, so helping the

environment, setting a positive message,

and reducing peoples energy bills

enormously. Such a scheme would create

energy-efficient affordable homes, a

whole industry to support it, and revive

traditional building skills.

8. Education & Leisure

Any future cuts to either Education or Leisure

services should be based on a thorough

understanding of the Islands current and

future needs.

Commission a public review of all Angleseyprimary and secondary education needs in

the short and long term so that any

rationalisation of services is taken based on

an understanding of what the Islands

educational needs are to prepare for the

future.

The Welsh language should be protectedand nurtured wherever possible.

Protect local libraries as they provide themeans for residents to enhance their

knowledge and skills in this area of great

economic deprivation. Enhance libraries

with coffee franchises to attract new and

existing users whilst attracting revenue.

Extend and improve free internet access,

essential for those with no bank accounts

and poor credit histories who cannot set-up

internet connections for themselves to

access the outside world and its

opportunities for improvement. Examine

the case for libraries to opt-out of Local

Authority control, like schools now can, and

set themselves up as their own Library

Authority.

Commission a review of all leisure facilitieson the Island, both in the public and private

sector. Keep foremost in mind that, in

deprived areas, health is poorer relative to

wealthier areas, so shutting leisure facilities

would be a highly retrograde and

counterproductive step.

9. Social Services

The Council needs to prepare for future

demographic changes by finding ways to

provide quality services at lower costs through

working in partnership with adjacent local

authorities and eliminating duplication.

Work in partnership with adjacent localauthorities, the NHS, voluntary and private

providers, in order to identify and eliminate

costly duplication of services and encourage

and support good working practice.

Current projections show that the numberof older people will increase as a proportionof the total population. It is important that

policy makers take this into account when

planning the amount of public services

provision needed in the future. Ynys Mon

has a Social Health and Well Being plan,

however not all departments appear to be

aware of the aims and policies contained in

this document. Provisions within this plan

should be made applicable across all

departments of the council. Establish a system of identifying high-

performance managers that get the job done



14/19

properly whilst also caring for overworked,

stressed staff.

Drive the citizen directed services agenda

in Wales, inviting active involvement fromthe people who use social services and

aspiring to provide personalised services

that really do meet local needs.

10. Environment, Property

and Smallholdings

Anglesey's landscape largely consists of

industrial farming landscapes, however green

they seem to the eye. Current planningpolicies wrongly see fields as 'unspoilt

countryside' putting unnecessary obstacles in

the way of creating a living, economically-

active landscape. Many families make a living

from agriculture by renting Council-owned

smallholdings, but these are now under

immediate threat of disposal. There is a need

for a fresh, imaginative new direction on

property policy, including the reintroduction

of quality social housing.

Anglesey County Councils tenant farmsare a valuable public asset and provide an

opportunity for much needed younger

farmers to learn the ropes and become

independent with minimal capital outlay.

However, many of the councils tenant

farms are currently in poor states of

disrepair. Resources allowing, the council

should endeavour to renovate them sothat they will continue to serve the island.

In order to generate money to renovatethe majority of the councils tenant farms,

it may be necessary to value and sell off a

small proportion of such to tenant

farmers, or even offer part ownerships of

smallholdings.

Smallholdings are not optimised as publicinvestments: they are let at less than their

rental value, on sentiment almost, toencourage farming. Rent reviews are

overdue.

A dynamic new head of Property shouldbe recruited to manage, optimise and

develop the Council`s substantial land

portfolio, including its smallholdings.

Examine the case for increasing the areacovered by the Anglesey Area of

Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The

current doughnut arrangement is less

than satisfactory.

Within the AONB, consider moreintelligent and creative planning policies,

rather than just added restrictions. This

helps public acceptance of and benefits

from the designation. Promote and subsidise at a local level

renewable technology so that as many

people as possible can be lifted out of fuel

poverty whilst setting a green example to

the rest of the country.

11. Procurement

There needs to be greater transparency behind

Council procurement projects and more helpgiven to local firms to compete.

In line with proposals by the currentgovernment, Anglesey County Council

should begin publishing details of all

procurement/spending over 500 on the

Anglesey County Council website.

The council must endeavour make it easierfor local firms to compete for procurement

contracts by providing support such as

- seminars for local companies explainingwhat tenders are on offer and how to

tender;

- support for local companies to completeand submit tenders;

- relaxation of unnecessary box ticking Tenders to be opened by two lawyers from

North Wales companies so as to avoid price-

fixing or rigging of tenders and tenderersmust be at least 4 of which two are off-

island.



15/19

Relaxation of some ridiculously over-the-top box ticking which currently prevents

smaller Anglesey firms from being able to

bid for IAOCC contracts

Procurement of Social Care services must bemade on an at least 65% Quality to 35%

Cost basis so that we have quality services

that meet needs rather than cheap services

that do not.

12. Isle of Anglesey Charitable

Trust (the Shell Fund)

The Isle of Anglesey Charitable Trust wasfounded in 1990 to manage a capital fund

which had earlier been negotiated from Shell

(UK) after it ceased to operate an oil terminal

at Amlwch and the associated tank farm at

Rhosgoch. The total assets of the Trust are

currently valued at 15 million. The money

was given by Shell to Anglesey and its

people.

Re-assert the publics right to be involved inthe decisions of the Shell Trust by allowing

for up to three members of the public,

independent of Councillors, many of whom

have failed to demonstrate good

representation of the people, to sit on the

Trusts committees for a two years stint

each. At the moment, the public have

essentially no meaningful input into these

discussions, many of which appear to be

behind closed doors. Insist that the Trust files its reports on time;

not doing so smacks of contempt for those

whose money it is and breaches Charity

Commission legal requirements.

The Council is the sole trustee of the ShellFund. It currently gives an annual grant of

270,000 (some 70 per cent of its annual

grant money) to the Oriel Ynys Mon gallery

- a Council-owned and run facility. It is

time to evaluate if this is the best use of themoney.

On a related point, commence a scheme ofpublic involvement into what use the former

Shell land at Rhosgoch should be put to.

For the Rhosgoch site, consider dividing itinto 100,000 squares or other suitablefigure and asking subscribers to buy a

square to keep the land in the ownership of

the people through a Trust not the IOACT.

As things stand, the land could be handed-

over to a private owner at any stage. This

fails to recognise the potential for public

ownership.

13. Provision of CouncilServices

Working with the Post Office, other localproviders and community councils establish

where possible one stop shops in the

provision of council services. Provide

funding to develop training for non-council

staff in provision of such services.

Examine proper alternatives to services,especially tourist attractions, being provided

by Councils. Ensure such alternatives

include a system of staged detachment, and

not a here are the keys, its your problem

now approach.

14. Town Improvement

Grants and Empty Homes

Grants

The restriction that those benefiting fromhousing grants cannot sell for 5 years may

require review and more imaginative and

constructive solutions. It is accepted that

the benefits conferred by the grant scheme

should mean some form of restrictive

obligation upon those taking those benefits

towards the public purse. Grants could be de-restricted save that if the

property is sold within 5 years the



16/19

freeholder must pay half of the increased

property value to the Assembly, the scheme

funder, as they have a caution on the

property.

The net effect of this policy in North WestWales would be to massively improve the

property stock in a relatively short time.

This would provide a qualitative

improvement to town centres.



17/19

Afterword

It is clear that Anglesey's residents, subjected

to a dysfunctional Council for over 15 years,

are not just mere 'armchair critics'. Islanders

have a plethora of constructive, intelligent and

novel solutions to problems that have gone

ignored or poorly addressed for long periods of

time.

The era of petty, parochial politics is over on

Ynys Mn. The people demand a bigger idea, a

focus on the needs of the whole island and, in

particular, those large numbers of families and

individuals who live daily with low incomes.

The people demand a better island, a better

future and, above all, a better Council.

Get Involved

If you like and agree with the principles

contained in this Peoples Manifesto, you can

get involved too.

Email this Anglesey Peoples Manifesto to allthe residents you know and ask them to do

the same.

Contact your local councillor and ask him orher to support the Peoples Manifesto (see

contact details attached)

Contact our MP and AM and ask them tosupport the Peoples Manifesto (contactdetails opposite).

Join the debate on The Druid Blog(www.druidsrevenge.blogspot.com)


How to contact our AM and

MP:

Ieuan Wyn Jones AM

Email:[email protected]

Telephone:01407 76522301248 72359901248 723631

Postal Address:

2 Stryd William,Holyhead,LL65 1RN

TElwyn Roberts45 Stryd y Bont,LlangefniYnys Mon,LL77 7PN

Albert Owen

Email:[email protected]

Telephone:020 7219 841501407 769777

Postal Address:

House of Commons,London,SW1A 0AA

Ty Cledwyn,18a Thomas Street,Holyhead,LL65 1RR


18/19


War

d

Councillor

Groupin

g/Party

PhoneNo.

E.mail

Aberffraw

OGynJones

OriginalInd

ependents

01407842200

[email protected]

Amlw

chPort

DylanJones

PlaidCymru

01407830886

[email protected]

Beaum

aris

RichardLO

wen

OriginalInd

ependents

01248811370

[email protected]

Bodffordd

WilliamHughes

PlaidCymru

01407720307

[email protected]

Bodorgan

RobertLlH

ughes

LlaisiFn

01248722170

[email protected]

Braint

JimEvans

OriginalInd

ependents

01248714246

[email protected]

Bryng

wran

BobParryO

BE*

PlaidCymru

01407720437

rgpau@ynys

mon.gov.uk

Brynteg

IeuanWilliams

OriginalInd

ependents

01248851070

[email protected]

Cadnant

KeithEvans

Menaigroup

01248712464

-

Cefni

FflurHughes

PlaidCymru

01248724992

fmhau@yny

smon.gov.uk

CwmCadnant

EurfrynDavies

PlaidCymru

01248713464

[email protected]

Cynga

r

RhianMedi

PlaidCymru

01248722184

rmxau@yny

smon.gov.uk

Gwyngyll

JohnPenriWilliams

PlaidCymru

01248712319

[email protected]

Holyh

eadTown

CliffordEve

rett

Labour

01407760167

cexau@ynys

mon.gov.u

k

Kingsland

WJohnChorlton*

Labour

01407860216

wjcau@ynys

mon.gov.uk

Llanbadrig

WilliamTH

ughes

AngleseyFo

rward

01407710007

[email protected]

Lland

dyfnan

CliveMcGregor**

LlaisiFn

01248724568

cmxau@yny

smon.gov.uk

Llaneilan

AledMorris

Jones

LibDem/O

riginalIndependents

01407832640

[email protected]

Llanerch-y-medd

ElwynSchofield

Unaffiliated

01248853306

esxau@ynys

mon.gov.uk

Llanfaethlu

KennethPH

ughes

OriginalInd

ependents

01407730269

[email protected]

LlanfairynNeubwll

GwilymOJ

ones

OriginalInd

ependents

01407740105

gojau@ynys

mon.gov.uk

LlanfihangelYsgeifiog

EricJones

OriginalInd

ependents

01248421667

[email protected]

Llangbedrgoch

BarrieDurk

in

Unaffiliated

01248689182

[email protected]

Llangoed

LewisDavie

s

PlaidCymru

01248490248

ldxau@ynys

mon.gov.uk

LLanidan

HywelEifio

nJones

Menaigroup

01248430145

hejau@ynys

mon.gov.uk

LondonRoad

RaymondJones

Labour

01407760796

[email protected]


19/19


War

d

Councillor

Groupin

g/Party

P

honeNo.

E.mail

Maesh

yfryd

TreforLloyd

Hughes

PlaidCymru

0

1407764801

[email protected]

Meche

ll

ThomasJon

es

LlaisiFn

0

1407710888

[email protected]

Moelfre

DerlwynHu

ghes

AngleseyFo

rward

0

1248410816

-

Moraw

elon

JArwelRob

erts

Labour

0

1407742498

arxau@ynys

mon.gov.uk

ParcarMynydd

JohnVictorOwen

OriginalInd

ependents

0

1407762695

[email protected]

Pentra

eth

HefinWynT

homas*

Menaigroup

0

1248450566

[email protected]

Porthy

felin

RobertLlJo

nes

Unaffiliated

0

1407763718

rljau@ynysm

on.gov.uk

Rhosn

eigr

PhilFowlie

OriginalInd

ependents

0

1407840654

[email protected]

Rhosyr

PeterRog ers

Unaffiliated

0

1248430241

prxau@ynys

mon.gov.uk

RuralAmlwch

GarethWinstonRobertsOBEAngleseyFo

rward

0

1407832273

[email protected]

Treaddur

EricRoberts

Conservatives/OriginalIndependents0

1407860601

erxau@ynys

mon.gov.uk

Tudur

BryanOwen

*

OriginalInd

ependents

0

1407840667

[email protected]

Tysilio

SelwynWilliams

WelshLibD

em/LlaisiFn

0

1248716370

[email protected]

Valley

GoronwyOParryMBE

Conservatives/OriginalIndependents0

1407741092

[email protected]

*=GroupLeader

**=CouncilLeader

people's manifesto for ynys môn

Documents