My five pledges to my constituents at this election:-
1. To continue to be a hard working and diligent local councillor whose main objective is to assist residents get the services they deserve from the local Council. My priority always has been and always will be to serve the people and put their needs and wishes first. As an independent non-political candidate, I can do this free from party political interference.
2. To assist the regeneration of Llanelli Town Centre. In the short term, a more attractive short term parking solution for the town centre with, as a start, a regular free parking period in Council-run car parks once a week. The Council needs to task a specific regeneration officer with the responsibility of promoting and regenerating Llanelli a Town Centre as the town of the largest settlement in Carmarthenshire with the objective of attracting national chains to the Town Centre through the “Opportunity Street” master plan as well as nurturing local independent businesses through the provision of affordable start-up units in vacant Town Centre properties.
3. To support the devolution of as many front line services from Carmarthen back to Llanelli. Services like street cleaning, dog wardens and grounds maintenance could be better provided locally in Llanelli. Llanelli Town and Llanelli Rural Councils are two of the largest community councils in Wales. Together, we have the capability and infrastructure in Llanelli to do what the County Council do. But better. I cannot help but feel that treasured assets like Llanelli Town Hall and Parc Howard could also be better managed locally and kept in the public sector.
4. I have been working hard to bring a major highway safety project to our area. Thought the “Safer Routes in the Community” scheme, I have led a group of community groups, schools, local councils and residents to land a major investment in highways safety in the Elli ward. In these times of scarce resources, the opportunity to bring a substantial amount of investment into the area for a highway safety project won’t come alone that often and one of the main reasons I want to be re-elected is to see this project completed to make our area safer for local residents,
5. To work with others to change the culture of County Hall. I think there urgently needs to be a change of the culture in County Hall with more openness, transparency and more democratic decision-making. The current structure of the Council puts too much power in the hands of the Executive Board and the senior officers. More decisions and debates need to be made by the elected Councillors and not delegated to officers and Executive Board members. If Councillors do not feel they have much influence over the direction of the Council, how can the people feel reassured the Council is responsive to them through the democratic process? That is the culture I want to help change if I am re-elected.
