Council Meeting Part 3

The National Park has been updating its Local List of buildings in conservation areas, which affects several areas of Hay. The Council has been asked for their thoughts on the matter - and one thought was that the Craft Centre should be included, modern building though it is, so that no-one can do anything else with it! Also it would ensure that the toilets stayed open. Steve Like, who has been in the Council for a long time, said that he didn't like the way that consultations were now done by the National Parks and County Council in dribs and drabs, instead of the Town Council getting a complete document to consider - which is how it used to be done. As it is now, it is easier for the consultations to slip information past the councillors without them realising the significance of it until it's too late.

One member of the public then asked what had happened about the South Wales Health Plan, as she hadn't heard anything. She also made a heartfelt plea for the Council to communicate what they're doing to the public - and one simple way to do this would be to have half a page in the WyeLocal every month rather than the quarter page every two months as at present.

A scam was also mentioned - apparently someone has been going round to local businesses claiming to be raising money for something to do with Hay School, but the school has nothing to do with them.

And then we came on to buses and community transport.
This is a bit of a hobby horse of mine, as I rely on the bus service to get anywhere.
Local authorities have had their funding cut for bus subsidies by the Welsh Assembly - so it is the County Councils which have to decide where to make the cuts. This has already begun in Herefordshire, where rural bus services are being cut and the only bus routes which will remain open will be "market town to market town" or even just from market towns into Hereford. The County Council there seem to want volunteer drivers and Dial-a-Ride services and so on to fill in the gaps where they cut the services, to get passengers to "transport hubs" (or "bus stops" as they used to be known).
The future of Hay depends on reliable public transport, Steve Like declared (with me cheering quietly in the background). At the moment people can't get to jobs in Brecon or Hereford because the bus timetable doesn't work for them. I know this from my own experience. When I was unemployed, I lost the chance of two different jobs in Brecon because of the lack of buses. In one, I would have needed to be at the shop about twenty minutes before the first bus from Hay arrived in Brecon, and for the other, I couldn't get home on a Saturday because the last bus to Hay left about half an hour before the job finished.
Gareth Ratcliffe will be talking to Stagecoach soon about the Hay service in the future.
They also mentioned a website called www.tracc.gov.uk which covers Mid Wales and is aimed at providing integrated public transport for the area. They also cover things like car sharing.
And while they were talking about transport - Gareth is also going to be talking about the residents' parking scheme with the County Council soon.

On a happier note, after the dismal prospect of death by a thousand cuts, the agenda covered upcoming events in Hay. These include a Fashion Week, the Dark Skies Festival (astronomy in an area noted for its clear views of the stars at night), a Walking Festival and a Cycling Festival. There were plans for a Water Festival based along the River Wye, but this seems to have fizzled out due to a lack of funding.

Hay Together wanted it to be known that they now have a meeting room available for hire, which will seat sixteen people, and they would welcome donations of office furniture (this is up at the Castle, in the area now being called The Cobbles). A comment was made that it would be helpful if Hay Together would publicise who is involved, because the only contact name that seems to be readily available is Johnny Kramer, and he obviously isn't doing it all on his own.

And back to Community Support - the Luncheon Club will be continuing with volunteers, and there is a possibility that the Travellers Club will be able to continue too, though the other things that the office organises will not be able to continue.

And Rhona Muirhead has an exciting idea for the Clock Tower Toilets! She didn't say what it was exactly, but she did say that it could make the toilets into a tourist destination! Rob Golesworthy said he thinks she's barking mad, but....why not? Hay does have a certain reputation for doing things that are barking mad, but work.

And that was it for the evening, as we staggered out just after half past ten.