2012
the year of change?
- The year that computers and TV merge?
- The year of a big GOOGLE development?
- The year of financial turmoil ?
- The year of a new beginning?
Including a new look
Neath Ferret
website - coming soon
Bigger, better and more colourful
with interactive features
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>> www.neathferret.co.uk <<
>> As highlighted on television <<
Neath's Discussion & Private Eye Website
Looking for Community Problems
General Edition
February 2012
PRINTS THE NEWS THAT NEWSPAPERS WON"T
Land grab using old bangers?
Say NO to cold callers
Concern about dog crap!
(please don't be offended with our comments
or terminology)
Hire charge for community service
Should the Empire Neath be demolished
for 12 social flats - or should the building be
used for a community / youth centre?
Councillors to be put to the test.
Email Tax Rebate Fraud
New website for Bryncoch South
We discuss the security concern over shopping bags
Community Radio discussion
Police 101 worry
Cavity Wall Insulation doubts
XS Community Station is
for younger people
Dogs toilet in childrens'
playing field?
No privacy at
school playground
concern parents
Shocking photos of patios
in Dyffryn woods
with a FIRE hazard
Resident speaks up on
Local Development Plan
Name change sign costs council tax payers £650 plus the cost of a 36p. letter to residents it is alleged - see NEWS page
Dates of forthcoming PACT meetings,
all meetings start at 6:30pm
NEXT PACT MEETING in Bryncoch area
Wauncerich Owain Glyndwr Community Centre
Monday, 12th March 2012
6:30pm
Details of meetings in all areas:
www.ourbobby.com/en/fe/area.aspx
Summary:
Should you require any further information then please contact Front Line Support Officer Claire Rogers on tel 01639 640297, mob 07805 301545 or e mail claire.rogers@south-wales.pnn.police.uk
Not Political - Plain Common sense
This is why the community centre in Waunceirch should keep its original name:-
The above plaque is mounted on an interior wall of the Owain Glyndwr Community Centre at Waunceirch. It bears the name that everyone knowns the building to be called since it was opened on 17th June 2005. The name avoids confusion with another hall in Waunceirch. It therefore makes sense for it to be known as:-
The Owain Gyndwr Waunceirch Community Centre
Everyone we have contacted says it makes sense to use a name that has been established since it was opened six years ago.
The Police agree:
NPT CBC agree:-
It makes sense - it is the name on the plaque and it is the name that every one knows from the day the centre was opened.
All sensible people agree about what is plain common sense - the name below clearly indicates the area in which the centre is situated - no-one can dispute that.
The Owain Glyndwr Waunceirch Community Centre
An open letter to ALL Neath Councillors
Dear Councillor
We know that your aim is to to do your best and to serve the community in a fair and just way.
Our aim is to bring matters to your attention so that you can act in the best interests of those you represent.
Sometimes our comments may appear rather strong - that is because of the feelings of those concerned. We assure you that we are acting in the best interests of the community.
Residents regard councillors like you as our guardians and to lay down the policy for the council civil servants to follow.
You have not been elected as a councillor to rubber stamp the decisions of the civil servants, you are not a puppet for the strings to be pulled by others.
It is for the civil servants to carry out the collective wishes of councillors - not the other way around. Remember that it is so easy for the civil servants to pass the buck to you.
We all know that we are not living in a perfect world - so let's move forward and improve what we can. Our editorial team will support your efforts when they are in the best interests of the residents you serve.
The Neath Ferret Editorial Team
Car Parking in Neath is no joke!
See item on our NEWS page and who should be blamed.
Council Grabs Money From Disabled Drivers!
See item on our news page. What are councillors doing about it?
If you are a councillor reading this, can you honestly hold your head up high with the knowledge that disabled drivers have no parking concessions in Neath car parks?
Are you one of those councillors who are driving people to shop out of town?
FACT Residents want councillors who act in their interest and not those who support the money grabbing attitude that seems to prevail with the civil servants who control our affairs.
A visionary approach to
transport in Neath
Read about what was done years ago and what could be done in the future
Do you know...
- That only progressive councillors acknowledge this website?
- That some councillors pretend that this website does not exist? To prove the point ask one - it will prove what we say.
- That one councillor, in particular, is not afraid to air his views on this website?
- That the editorial team of the Evening Post read this website - but are afraid to acknowledge the fact?
Look back at the last General Election -
look at the facts and figures and consider the fairness of the system that allows someone to be elected with less than 50% of the votes cast.
The common sense view is that no member of Parliament should be elected if he/she gets less than 50% of the total votes cast.
It seems that the AV system ensures a fairer way of voting than first past the post. As you will see from the results below, Neath MP., Peter Hain only had 46.3% of the votes cast - this cannot be regarded as an ideal situation by any fair minded person.
There is no doubt that Peter Hain will be elected with the AV system but it will make him (and the other candidates) keener to get electors support. Getting 50% of the votes cast will give the elected candidate the confidence that they have the support of the majority of those they represent - and that must be a good thing.
One final question: What method of voting got David Cameron elected as our Prime Minister? It was certainly not first past the post. The answer surely says it all?
Credit where due
MP Peter Hain agrees there should be a fairer system. The following view is expressed on his website:
"Each MP will have to win a majority of constituency support to get elected under the Alternative Vote. So vote YES on May 5th
Instead of as now just voting X, you have the choice of voting 1,2,3 etc, to express your first, second, third or more preferences as you wish.
Under our current First Past The Post fewer than 1 in 3 MPs are now elected by a majority of their local voters. It is deeply flawed and that’s why I’ve always wanted the better, fairer system of the Alternative Vote. It retains the single member parliamentary constituency but ensures the elected MP must have a majority of local support."
Many are sure to agree that this is fair comment. MP Peter Hain will gain much respect with this view.
Our BIG Question
This week we look at the deceit of a big developer and ask what is our council doing about it?
OUR BIG QUESTION PAGE
The developer is part of a big group of companies who boast of 75 years of building excellence! Now they are building Neath's biggest eye sore. The evidence is there for you to see - and your county borough council is allowing this to be done. Residents are asking if money talks?
New NEWS IN-DEPTH page added to Menu
New CENSUS INFO page added to Menu
Warning about follow-up calls
Coming Soon: Is Tesco getting too big and powerful?
Does 'Every Little Helps' really refer to their profits and not the customers' pocket?
Two top councillors
asked to help residents
Cllr.Janice Dudley and Cllr.Tony Wyn-Jones have been asked to help Waunceirch residents with a short cut path (shown in red on plan) to the new shops to avoid walking through a new development.
This can be done by the developers if they act now, while they are still on site. This should cost council tax payers nothing.
It will benefit the developers by keeping their site more private.
We feel sure that the councillors will act promptly to benefit all concerned.
Community Spirit
I
n our campaign for more community spirit, it was gratifying to hear the headmaster of Waunceirch Primary School praise Cllr.Janice Dudley (left) for the work she does in the community. The words of praise were heard by all those present at Saint David's celebrations at the Owain Glyndwr Waunceirch Community Centre.
Cllr Dudley now claims she is being charged £42 for the use of the centre.
Occasions such as these bring the community closer together and the head master and his staff must also be given credit for their part in the celebrations.
Wack the wicked
A new website with a Welsh flavour
A reader has written to us and has drawn our attention to what seems to be another controversial website. It has just appeared on the Internet and looks at broader issues than us.
See our NEWS page for more details.
LATEST NEWS .... Serious concern by a council employee who has been transferred to the new council housing set up - see our NEWS page.
Status Symbol ?
Websites have become the status symbol of companies and organisations. Government departments, county and community councils are also evaluated by their websites. It goes without saying that websites are only of value if they are regularly kept to date.
A website is only as good as its administrator in a similar way that a football team is only as good as its manager. If a team fails to perform the board of directors sack the manager and replace him with one who they hope will get better results.
Going by the response in READERS LETTERS, many residents are concerned about the items we have published about our community council's website. We feel we would be wrong if we did not bring this concern to the attention of all the residents that the council serves - hence this further mention now.
Websites are not a seven day wonder - they are not looked today and gone tomorrow, forgotten like a newspaper. They remain in view for everyone to see and digest, and residents are very much aware of this.
Those in power may like them or hate them - but one thing is certain, websites are here to stay. It is no good being like the proverbial ostrich which buries its head when danger looms ahead!
FOOTNOTE According to a BBC report, after 1st March it will be possible to make official complaints about misleading advertisements or statements on websites. Details can be found on the BBC News website.
No need for you to
do this
If you look at the top of the page you will find 'log in' - this to update the website and, in our case, for our reporters to have access to the site. In other words it is for our administration only.
Websites like this one can have several 'administrators' and they can work at different levels - some having access to edit only certain pages.
In the case of the Blaenhonddan Community Council's website, the same thing could apply. Councillors could log in with a contribution for the website, or specifically for the clerk, if it were set up accordingly. In addition to this, it could be arranged to have pages with special information that only councillors could see, like privileged accounts, making the website a big asset for the clerk of the council.
Apart from this, anyone can leave a message on the website by going to 'Readers Letters' which is sometimes called 'Guestbook'. When this is done, an automated mail is sent to the website administrator saying that a message is waiting to be published - at the same time a small circle appears next to 'log in' - as shown in our illustration above. When the message is dealt with - the circle disappears.
The website administrator can either publish the message or delete it, if were considered unacceptable. Or putting it another way, the website administrator decides on what is published.
On our NEWS page there is more information to put you in the picture about the Community Council's website and the mystery of non-appearing messages.
NEW SERVER Our hosting service is now using a new server to cope with the record demand for this website. If you observe any bad links or other problems then please let us know for us to pass on to them.
We are grateful to Spanglefish.com for their attention and their efforts to improve the response time during peak viewing periods.
Why did the Neath Guardian
cease publication?
Was it a conspiracy?
Following the ITV (Wales) broadcast on 1st February 2011, (mentioned above) we asked two of our undercover reporters to give their version as to why the Neath and Port Talbot Guardian newspaper ceased publication.
The two versions vary, one puts forward a startling conspiracy theory and the other a case of poor editorial management. Both versions state that other newspapers in the group are still being produced - so why is it only the Neath and Port Talbot Guardian newspapers that have disappeared? It is for you, the reader, to look at the facts and come to your own conclusion. You will find both versions in our MENU.
Duffryn Clydach Community Council
shows up Blaenhonddan
Residents are beginning to see the difference between community councils - the facts speak for themselves as you will see from our NEWS page.
Three community councillors have resigned from Blaenhonddan Community Council in as many months and there appears no harmony among its remaining members.
We have said before that the size and geographical layout of Blaenhonddan makes it difficult for efficient administration. Councillors in Cilfrew are not concerned with what happens in Bryncoch and vice-versa. It is time Blaenhonddan followed the example of the smaller and more manageable Duffryn Clydach Community Council who put their residents first and foremost.
Neath More Expensive Place to Live than
Swansea and Cardiff
claims reader
See READERS LETTERS page
One More Nail in Community Coffin ?
Another Community Councillor resigns
Now it is 3 in three months!
JANUARY 2011 - Another community councillor resigns - is there a common factor a reader asks on our letters page.
Community Councillor Resigns - No.2
and says a few words
See our news page
What do you think?
What political party does this ostrich represent? A reader's letter says it should be replaced by a sheep! We want readers to form their own conclusion. Everyone has the right to reply on this discussion website. We have no intention of pulling the wool over your eyes - and the silent councillors should not do that in their actions either - see our news page.
Councillor on the Spot?
See our news page
Councillor Tony Wyn-Jones claims he was shouted down at a council meeting - see our Readers Letters page
An explanation and
an apology
Due to the high viewing figures this website is experiencing, we feel we must apologise for the occasional slow response and difficulties that may occur from time to time.
However, we are pleased to say that matters are in hand to improve the situation at our server. Until this is done, we hope that you will make allowances for something that beyond the control of the editorial team.
Thank you for your patience.
Help to increase our viewing figures still further by telling your friends and neighbours about this website.
Big clean-up at Dyffryn Clydach
see News page
Lively Readers Letters
The letters on our READERS LETTERS page (see Menu) reflect what residents think about our community and those running it.
have your say - it's so easy to write to us.
COMMENT
The question arises as to why the Owain Glyndwr Community Centre name and logo was vandalised? Many think it was done by adults - it was too high for youngsters.
The only remaining letter is Y - so are those responsible trying to make others ponder over the reason for their actions?
The reason could be political because Plaid Cymru was responsible for the centre being built, and also the name given to it. We understand that the saga goes back 19 years to 1991 when the WDA (as it was) granted £120,000 for the building of the community centre. It was not until Plaid Cymru took over that the building went ahead - 13 years after the grant was given! The building commenced in 2004 and it was officially opened in the summer of 2005.
So now everyone is justified is asking Y the proposed change in name. Is there more to this than meets the eye?
It also seems rather odd that when the Police at a PACT meeting were asked if the incident (of the vandalism) had been reported they appeared to know nothing about it. They were therefore asked to check if a report had been made.
Someone may have seen the vandals at work - someone, somewhere, may know something about it. If you know anything, please let us know. The privacy of informants will be respected,
This matter may very well escalate until all the facts are known. In the meantime you can read our letters page.
Community Councillors refuse to listen to residents - see report on our NEWS page
Bryncoch Area PACT Meetings
Details are given on our NEWS page
Headline News - See News Page for details.
Fear for Trees at Waunceirch
Our news page gives details of a misleading notice issued by the council. Many residents have expressed their concern.
A matter beyond a joke - see News page
Read about 'The Black Path' on our news page
Serious warning to car drivers on news page
Neath Citizens Advice Bureau
44 Alfred Street, Neath.
Website: www.neathcab.org.uk/news.php
Welcome to the website that aims to inform everyone about what is happening in our community and to highlight problems in order to discuss them in a democratic way
We hope that the new format will result in a faster response to local issues that need the attention of those in authority.
NEWS - In addition this, our front page, please see NEWS in Menu
Look out - there's a thief about !
Scam involving the sale of jewellery: Recent incidents have occurred across the County borough whereby individuals are employing two tactics:
- Flag down passing motorists and allege that they are stranded and their vehicle has run out of fuel. They offer to sell ‘Gold’ jewellery in exchange for cash to purchase fuel. (The items of jewellery that they sell are of little value)
- Individuals will approach vulnerable members of the public selling ‘gold’ necklaces and will be persistent in their approach. They will place several necklaces around the victims neck and when removing them they also take possession of the victims own jewellery.
Both of these tactics are also used to distract potential victims whilst a second accomplice will attempt to steal personal belongings.
Members of the public are encouraged to purchase items of jewellery from reputable businesses only.
See MENU on left for READERS LETTERS
The Neath Ferret looks out for problems in the community with the aim of bringing them to the attention of those in authority.
Readers are invited to express themselves on the understanding that they are responsible for what they write. They are requested to be respectful to others - who will be given the right to reply.
The Neath Ferret editor accepts no responsibility for readers letters and does not necessarily agree with their content - or the views expressed or implied as with any other item that appears on this website.
Items are published in good faith to uphold the freedom of expression that is based on the princple of free speech that we are so proud of in Britain.
BRIEF HOUSE RULES
We reserve the right to reject letters that are racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable, contain swear words or other language likely to offend, break the law, condone or encourage unlawful activity. This includes breach of copyright, defamation and contempt of court.
We must request that writers of letters give their name in case we want to contact them for further details. However, if you do not wish to have your name published (and remain anonymous) just say so in a PS and your wishes will be respected. When there is more than one letter on the same subject, priority will be given to those allowing their name to be printed.
Expressing a grievance Readers should write to us directly by using the FEEDBACK form on the page MESSAGES TO EDITOR (see Menu).
They also have the right to reply on our READERS LETTER page and express their own views or make any correction that they think appropriate. This website encourages healthy discussions in a democratic society.
DAI DUST
Dai is a former reporter of the Neath Ferret who now has his own independent website. This is in order for him to expand his reporting beyond local issues. Although this website has a link to this writer, we must state that he is totally independent and is not associated with our editorial team. We therefore cannot be held responsible for his views and opinions in anyway whatsoever.
The Neath Ferret is not responsible for any advertisements that appear on this website and does not endorse them in anyway whatsoever.
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