The private sector does a better job 9 times out of 10
The real issue - I suspect - is whether the private sector would do a better job. I always remember that the mess next to the Grand is a result of private ownership.
The real issue - I suspect - is whether the private sector would do a better job. I always remember that the mess next to the Grand is a result of private ownership.
almost everything was built in the first place by the private sector, trouble is modern generations have failed for various reasons to look after it.
this is interesting about the Pavilion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llandudno_Pier_Pavilion_Theatre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llandudno_Pier_Pavilion_Theatre)
I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw ALL of them were occupied by teenagers on FACEBOOK!! And I'm paying for that!!!!It is ridiculous, and Llandudno Library is the same. Why cannot access to social networking sites be blocked?
Why cannot access to social networking sites be blocked?
It's a fair point. For example, CCBC own the Freehold of the Aberconwy Caravan Park on the Morfa in Conwy, which is valued at £1.7m - why not sell it? The Rhos Fynach pub in Rhos On Sea - why not sell it?
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/18413/response/50145/attach/html/2/FOI%20880%2009%20Non%20County%20Occupied%20Assets.xls.html (http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/18413/response/50145/attach/html/2/FOI%20880%2009%20Non%20County%20Occupied%20Assets.xls.html)
The private sector does a better job 9 times out of 10. In the 1 out of 10 instance where it doesn't, then the public sector has the power to step in to deal with the problem. In the case of the Pier Pavilion, of course, neither the private or public sector emerges with any glory!
A third way, of course, is for local people to step in and take over these facilities. A group of motivated, community minded, individuals can achieve far more than the dead hand of council bureaucracy. Take the Happy Valley Cafe, Llandudno, as an example. It could be owned by a community group (maybe even the elusive 'Friends of Happy Valley' ;D ), still run by the Parisellas, but all revenues ploughed back into improving Happy Valley park.
The problem there is it doesn't make enough money to be kept afloat as a viable business.
Dave, There is only one thing I think you overlook. You state it is always busy when you go there in the summer months. Agreed. Proviso---on nice sunny days when you probably visit. When its sheeting it down with rain it wont take a penny. Same applies in every tourist business anywhere in the country. Unfortunately the overheads, wages, rent, rates the lot, they come rain or shine. Dont think I am critising your judgement. Virtually everybody makes the same mistake. How many times have I heard it said "Its always heaving when I see it." But I know they only see it at the good times MikeI take your point, Mike, I'm struggling to think of days this Summer when I would have wanted to walk though Happy Valley but didn't because it was raining. I have been there on many overcast days and it's certainly quieter but still doing a fair bit of trade. The cafe is on one of the main routes up the Orme (and of course to the ski slope), so there are always people about.
When its sheeting it down with rain it wont take a penny.
QuoteWhen its sheeting it down with rain it wont take a penny.
But that's a comparatively rare occurrence at Happy Valley. The Orme has one of the lowest rainfall figures in the UK.
You can run a cafe in the remotest of locations in Llandudno and make a profit, but you need to make sure it's warm for the cold days and - as Dave says - make sure there are plenty of tables. Mostly, however, it's down to the folk who serve you. They need to make you feel as though you matter.
Actually, it's on teas and coffees where you make the most, so that doesn't ring true to me. Thing is, it doesn't matter if they sit around for a while; that's the nature of cafes, and it's always going to happen. But what did strike a warning note was your comment that "the manager would be asked to close up the cafe for 3 months" Running a tiny cafe like that you can't really afford to have a manager. It has to be owner-driven, and that's what makes the difference. An engaging owner, who's hands-on and makes the folk feel important and valued will soon have repeat business and locals tripping up there, just for the pleasure of chatting. Then you eliminate the problem of "Tourists bringing picnics or eating elsewhere and just stopping by the Cafe for an ice cream. "It's actually repeat trade where you make the margins. 99% of the customers at Happy Valley were tourists who just stumbled upon the place so it was really luck of the draw. The location isn't really conducive for locals wandering over a couple of times a week like they do in town.
In fact, you've told us why it didn't work when you said "Parisella's was doing well elsewhere and used the cafe as a place for his less productive offspring to attempt to run". That's it in a nutshell.
I know a few folk who could make that place work - and work well.
In addition,
6, Make parking easier, its a nightmare round there on busy days.
And there's no where to tie up your horses either! >?>??
In addition,
6, Make parking easier, its a nightmare round there on busy days.
When the Council applied for and got the “cursed” Lottery grant to restore Happy Valley Gardens to its Victorian splendour, one of the conditions was to remove all the Parking from behind the Café because in Victorian times they didn’t have Car Parks.
Before they got the grant, we were in discussions with the Council to rent some of the proposed 54 place car parking spaces for our guests use.
Another thing the “cursed” Lottery people were insisting on was the removal of most of the mature trees from the Gardens as again in Victorian times they didn’t have any.
Have any of you noticed how the Valley has changed from a lovely secluded garden of old, into open Parkland of today. It makes you want to weep.
The Councils are obviously cutting the services they think will make the public squeal the most, so they can blame central Govt,
There are only two options: they raise council tax - again - or they cut services.
Hello NWPO, Whats this about losses on the tram? I'm a new boy in Llandudno, but this is the first I have heard of this.Mike
Given that CCBC staff were doing exercises to see how they would manage cuts of 5%, 10%, 20 % etc... (each more painful than the last), then this years deficit of 3.6% should be relatively easy to implement.Also, looking at the lists posted by BlongB and others, cutting back on waste, or being more careful who they dole money out to should attend to the matter.
Anyone ever asked about salary levels in Welsh Government or why a third of the edifice in the Junction is empty.
What about the tennis courts on Abbey rd or was that in last years accounts,No mention of it, oddly enough?
What about the tennis courts on Abbey rd or was that in last years accounts,
What about the tennis courts on Abbey rd or was that in last years accounts,
Masonic cover up! :laugh: :laugh:
No chance, they did it for Love ;DWhat about the tennis courts on Abbey rd or was that in last years accounts,
Masonic cover up! :laugh: :laugh:
Did you expect a "net" profit? )*)&
were the tennis courts owned by loretto [catholic church]
Wonder what happened to the report made by a company from Bangor. We could see from the hospice that they were drilling down in what used to be the tennis court to ascertain what the rocks under were etc. and eventually came upon sea water . It remained for sale quite a while after that.
Is that a recent article Ian?
You see, despite being a Bradford Lad, I am certain that Mr Pickles has been lambasted for wasting similar sums of public money in the past. Not long past either.
Now, I'm not suggesting Cllrr Ronnie Hughes is out of touch or anything but his comments are slightly odd:
"We've had partnerships (with Denbighshire) in the past over highways - it was a disaster."
...given that the joint Conwy/Denbighshire Highways dept received a major award for their collaboration a few years ago?
Conwy and Denbighshire's Joint Highways and Infrastructure Service has been awarded the 'Best Public / Public Partnership Working Initiative' at the APSE Service Awards 2010.
Councils throughout the UK compete for a place on the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) winners list.
Now, I'm not suggesting Cllrr Ronnie Hughes is out of touch or anything but his comments are slightly odd:
"We've had partnerships (with Denbighshire) in the past over highways - it was a disaster."
...given that the joint Conwy/Denbighshire Highways dept received a major award for their collaboration a few years ago?
Conwy and Denbighshire's Joint Highways and Infrastructure Service has been awarded the 'Best Public / Public Partnership Working Initiative' at the APSE Service Awards 2010.
Councils throughout the UK compete for a place on the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) winners list.
I have it on good authority from someone inside the Highways department that the collaboration with Denbighshire was a complete disaster and wasted shedloads of money. Stuart Davies has long since departed his post so I doubt he still thinks the pioneering approach to collaboration is quite as fantastic as he did three years ago.
Councillors voted by a large majority for an alternative motion, which said that no merger talks would begin yet, but the authority would set up a committee to monitor the situation.
QuoteCouncillors voted by a large majority for an alternative motion, which said that no merger talks would begin yet, but the authority would set up a committee to monitor the situation.
_))* _))* _))* _))* _))* _))* _))*
Having meetings, projects, committees etc, about the mergers, is a terrible waste of time and money.
I'm led to believe all the plants have gone over to Colwyn bay in an attempt to brighten up the area around 'Port HairyArse' ( the skip)
How much in the way of Business Rates does Colwyn Bay pull in compared to Llandudno, I wonder?I'm led to believe all the plants have gone over to Colwyn bay in an attempt to brighten up the area around 'Port HairyArse' ( the skip)
I believe some of the residents of Colwyn Bay pay council tax and some businesses there pay rates so I think they're well within their rights to expect a few flowers get passed their way. As a council tax payer who doesn't live in either Llandudno or Colwyn Bay I congratulate Conwy CBC on remembering that there are towns other than Llandudno within the county borders. It's about time!
How much in the way of Business Rates does Colwyn Bay pull in compared to Llandudno, I wonder?I'm led to believe all the plants have gone over to Colwyn bay in an attempt to brighten up the area around 'Port HairyArse' ( the skip)
I believe some of the residents of Colwyn Bay pay council tax and some businesses there pay rates so I think they're well within their rights to expect a few flowers get passed their way. As a council tax payer who doesn't live in either Llandudno or Colwyn Bay I congratulate Conwy CBC on remembering that there are towns other than Llandudno within the county borders. It's about time!
in these austerity times the council shouldn't be wasting money on planting flowers when there are far more pressing needs - social care, education, highway maintenance, etc. What Conwy CBC need to do is follow the lead of other councils which have flower bed sponsorship schemes set up. Get the likes of M&S, McDonald's and the St. George's Hotel pay for the flowers so the council can fritter it's money away on trivialities like care homes, social workers and schools.You just don't get it, Andy. Tourism is the lifeblood of Llandudno..and North Wales, for that matter. Without attractive, well maintained public areas, visitors will simply not return. It's that simple.
Here are the stats from the 2011 census for both towns.
Don't you think an MP should live in the Constituency that he serves? Mr Bebb lives in Caernarfon, I believe.
Don't you think an MP should live in the Constituency that he serves? Mr Bebb lives in Caernarfon, I believe.
I agree that what he's saying re CCBC is absolutely correct..QuoteDon't you think an MP should live in the Constituency that he serves? Mr Bebb lives in Caernarfon, I believe.
Not sure it's relevant that much in this day and age. But what about what he's saying?
As far as living in the Constituency goes, I believe an MP needs to be out and about in the Community every day, not just holding formal sessions once a week etc.
Many councillors criticised the timing of the restructure claiming it would be a costly exercise when local councils were already battling huge budget cuts.
"I always said we should stick to the status quo but we can't do that,” he explained.
with the thought of having to go to Conwy, we're going to be left out on a limb."
When, Oh when will these supposed ''public servants'' wake up and realise that these County Council mergers are about SAVING large sums of public money, not demanding more of it?
Quotewith the thought of having to go to Conwy, we're going to be left out on a limb."
Pity there's no way to reach Conwy from the Dee valley. What's that? Roads, you say? When were they constructed?
Here's an interesting quote:
"By its very nature local government is bound to provoke more complaints than central authorities. We believe that committee meetings should be open as of right as many councils are too secretive".
Made in May, 1966, by a front bench spokesman for Wilson's Government, it shows how far things have come since then...
Committee meetings are generally a sham, in my view. The real decisions are taken by Council staff, who may have their own agendas to propogate and who, of course, are not accountable in any way to the electorate. &shake&I said somewhere before, just like ...."Yes Minister" :)
there are armies of managers on SIX figures salaries.
Slightly related to the above, I still would like to see a breakdown of the Venue Cymru yearly salary amount of £1.700,000.... >>>Quotethere are armies of managers on SIX figures salaries.How many in CCBC enjoy that level of remuneration?
Quotethere are armies of managers on SIX figures salaries.
How many in CCBC enjoy that level of remuneration?
Yet, CCBC will spend MY money on a public fireworks display. How can this be justified?
All this talk of cutting fundamental services, and also increasing Council Tax bills.
Yet, CCBC will spend MY money on a public fireworks display. How can this be justified? $angry$ $angry$
WTF has Bridgend got to do with us? WWWI do not know a lot about local politics, and as you know, I search for info....Bridgend came up, as the only council I could find with a (IRPW) based financial breakdown and "transparency", and I was surprised by the difference in the basic salary of £13,300 and the other salaries up to £48,000 plus "daily rates", bearing in mind that their might be others in a similar ignorant state, I thought I would share my info. so thats WTF I put it on here. WWW :)
Quote ,, mike priestley , we have a great team here they all know how to waste Our money , north shore and they are back again ,reforming the rocks ,they will be back after Xmas , venue Cymru and the biggest waste the big skip in the bay.Maybe the "Team" will finally have a look at the Venue Cymru £1.700.000 wage bill........ >>>
Council members and politicians are broadly all as bad, (these days), but this gravy train will rumble on because we let it continue.
It appears Councillor Dilwyn Roberts leader of Conwy County Borough Council conveniently forgot to pay his Council Tax, which has been revealed by information obtained by The Freedom of Information Act.One rule for them...another rule for us... &shake&
Aberconwy Assembly Member Janet Finch Saunders has called for Cllr Roberts to consider his position and said "As leader of Conwy County Borough Council and someone who earns over double the average income for the area, it beggars belief that it took a court summons to make him cough up his legal dues".
It appears Councillor Dilwyn Roberts leader of Conwy County Borough Council conveniently forgot to pay his Council Tax, which has been revealed by information obtained by The Freedom of Information Act.Not such an isolated occurrence.......
Can I just say how much I despise the Daily Post website these days? It's practically impossible to read an article, with all the videos, adverts, surveys on the page. &shake&
Can I just say how much I despise the Daily Post website these days? It's practically impossible to read an article, with all the videos, adverts, surveys on the page. &shake&Totally agree, at first I thought that it was my computer playing up. The Daily Post website is a complete buggers-muddle; I now ignore it.
If you dropped a hundred grand through everyone's door some of them would moan their doormat got dirty! &shake&
I see some numpties are complaining about this in the comments section $angry$I read the comments and can't see any mention of Llandudno? A lot of these events take place in Conwy and Colwyn Bay, not just Llandudno. You really are a moaning middle aged goat, b2r... :laugh:
Llandudno really does take the biscuit for moaning old goats - If you dropped a hundred grand through everyone's door some of them would moan their doormat got dirty! &shake&
Conwy councillors undecided on tax increase.
Councillors have failed to make a recommendation on how much Conwy’s council tax should be raised by.
Members of the county’s finance committee were asked to look at options for balancing the cash strapped council’s books when they met recently.
However members could not agree when faced with an increase of 11.6 per cent which was the figure discussed in the past or having a smaller increase of 9.6 per cent.
The council’s finance director, Andrew Kirkham, told councillors they had a thankless task as the authority struggles with a £15,270,000 resource shortfall.
Mr Kirkham said: “You have got a thankless task as members to please everybody because you’ve got the same cash resources from the Welsh Government in 19/20 as you had in 18/19 but a shed load of additional pressures to deal with and there are only two ways you can deal with it.
Cont. https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/17358268.conwy-councillors-undecided-on-tax-increase/?ref=mr&lp=2 (https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/17358268.conwy-councillors-undecided-on-tax-increase/?ref=mr&lp=2)
If the average number of sick days per CCBC employee is 11.67 annually.... and the average in the private sector is 4.3 days, why is the CCBC target being set at 10 days per year?
If that reduction would save £500k, then why not try for what should be logically achievable, and save £2.5 ?
CCBC are looking all the time to cut costs as there has been yet another cut in funding they receive from Cardiff. When Denbighshire CC started charging for garden waste it was only a matter of time before Conwy followed. My daughter has been paying £50 annually in Berkshire for green waste collection, which is one green bin per fortnight. I can see a lot more fly tipping in Conwy County & people lighting bonfires polluting the air.
CCBC are conducting a "Garden Waste Collection Consultation" & are asking residents of the County to tell them what they think about charging for collecting garden waste.Is this service contracted out ? I seem to recall seeing the men in Biffa livery a few years ago, seems expensive considering the waste is sold ? for recycling, to be used to make bio fuel and compost.
Only 27% of Conwy budget comes from Council Tax, 54% from Welsh Government & a small amount comes from business rates & charges.
The funding from Welsh Government for 2019/20 is not enough to meet the pressure facing our schools & Social Services. This means there is a budget shortfall of £15.2 million & the need to make savings.
The garden waste collection is currently costing £620,000 a year & this is not longer affordable & they are considering either stopping the service or charging to cover some or all of the costs.
Gwynedd, Denbighshire & Flintshire are already charging for this service.
What do member of the Forum think of this & will you be contacting CCBC regarding this consultation?
Reminds me of times past, during a training session in the early 70's I was told to close the sale with, "how would you like to pay, by cash or by cheque " do not give another option, sounds like someone on the council has had similar training.
I can understand CCBC asking the question regarding the discounts, but who in their right mind is going to put any more than £30, it's obvious residents are going to choose the cheapest if faced with having to pay. When you think about the months of November to February there are very few people who put out garden waste, so you will be paying for a service you aren't using &shake& Does anyone know how many bags are they proposing to take with these prices?
ME Noooooooo! don't talk about garden incinerators, we had a neighbour who lit one every weekend for weeks last summer, filling all the neighbours houses with smoke if we left windows open. In the end we got up a petition & put it through his door with a reminder CCBC can issue an abatement notice if a neighbours garden fire is causing a nuisance & can be fined up to £5,000 if they persist & we were monitoring how often he lit a fire.
Cllr Milne said: “Many of our residents don’t have a need for this service anyway, so why should they pay?
I'll accept that I have to pay the £30.00 for the garden waste to be collected but I'm happy with the green bags as I couldn't fit the amount I have into a Green wheelie bin.
Surely though all households don't have to pay the charge as there are many flats that have no garden whatsoever
CCBC are looking into replacing the seating in Venue Cymru in the not too distant future. This was mentioned in the last Cabinet meeting.
If it's going to be dealt with on local levels, then surely their own Parks and Gardens depts can do it, with a simple extra body or two to act as Ash Die Back specialists.
If it's going to be dealt with on local levels, then surely their own Parks and Gardens depts can do it, with a simple extra body or two to act as Ash Die Back specialists.
Also if a specialist is needed, I suggest share one among the local boroughs, like an area manager.
The Welsh Government & the unfair way they have of allocating funding. Conwy County have the highest rate of elderly in the world & the Welsh Government refuse to recognise this. Conwy's recent settlement from WG was the 2nd lowest in all of Wales, so the Leader went down to Cardiff to see if he could make them see the problem we have with the cost incurred by the elderly, but they refused to take it into consideration after what was said. The way of calculating what each County gets is most unfair & five of the North Wales Counties got the lowest settlements. So as you see it's like banging their heads against a brick wall.
At the CCBC full council meeting today it was voted that the Council Tax be set at 4.95%, which equates to about £1 per week rise. It was a very lively debate worth watching on the webcast. Cllr Ronnie Hughes brought up the subject again of the unfair distribution of funding by the Welsh Government & proposed that the CCBC give 12 months notice to resign from the WLGA if they will not act on the unfair way of calculation & that it is not fit for purpose. There is to be an open meeting in the next 2 weeks to meet a representative from WLGA, so Cllr Ronnie's proposal has been put on hold for the time being.
This only goes to prove party politics has no place in local government, they should all be Independent. Local government has to be answerable to local people & work together for the good of those residents. To be 100% committed to working for local residents, as one of these Councillors mentions in the article, this petty politics & in fighting in CCBC must be stopped.
How many does it take ? not to mention the ££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££
North Wales 'super-council' plan could mean 'merger by the back door', critics fear
The Welsh Government's proposed new Regional Corporate Joint Committee would cover all six county council areas and the Snowdonia National Park Authority
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-super-council-plan-19603521 (https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-super-council-plan-19603521)
I never hear of the council building houses anymore, is it just me ?
But the owner of this part of the path near West Shore Road is unknown, and the land is unregistered, meaning it’s difficult to recover the costs.
QuoteBut the owner of this part of the path near West Shore Road is unknown, and the land is unregistered, meaning it’s difficult to recover the costs.
In that case some enterprising person should set up a stall and sell bric-a-brac on it. Soon find out who owned it then.
Commenting on the lack of use of the Local Authority?s flagship buildings, Mrs Finch-Saunders said: ?Covid regulations have long finished,
The poorly thought-out and often ignored regulations have, in fact, not been repealed, and if the work can be done just as well from home as in work, then one has to wonder what the problem really is.
Commenting on the lack of use of the Local Authority?s flagship buildings, Mrs Finch-Saunders said: ?Covid regulations have long finished,
I have just watched the CCBC Cabinet meeting that took place this morning & it looks like we will all be paying between 9.9 & 10% rise in our Council Tax, this will be determined on 2nd March at the full council meeting. There is no price cap on what Councils in Wales can charge, in England it's 5%.
What did come to light at this meeting was 15 of the young men housed in the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, Dolgarrog were found to be minors, so came under Social Service responsibility. CCBC had to pay 500 per week for each, so given they were there for 3 months it cost CCBC 90,000. I would be interested to know if the Home Office is going to reimburse CCBC & also interested to hear what fellow members of the forum think, given all the service cuts we are facing in the future to balance the budget.
why do Pound signs show up as question marks on the Forum?
I have just watched the CCBC Cabinet meeting that took place this morning & it looks like we will all be paying between 9.9 & 10% rise in our Council Tax, this will be determined on 2nd March at the full council meeting. There is no price cap on what Councils in Wales can charge, in England it's 5%.
What did come to light at this meeting was 15 of the young men housed in the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, Dolgarrog were found to be minors, so came under Social Service responsibility. CCBC had to pay 500 per week for each, so given they were there for 3 months it cost CCBC 90,000. I would be interested to know if the Home Office is going to reimburse CCBC & also interested to hear what fellow members of the forum think, given all the service cuts we are facing in the future to balance the budget.
I have queried it with a local councillor, will let you know what is said.
Conwy is facing a ?20m to ?30m budget shortfall next year, having already increased council tax by 9.9% last year as well as forcing services to make 10% cuts ? with even schools having to slash budgets by 5%. Conwy?s cabinet rubber-stamped the decision to spend the ?250,000 on consultancy fees in September, hoping to sell the grade-two listed Bodlondeb to cut costs and raise funds.