Local news BETTER CONNECTIONS FOR PORTHCAWL Porthcawl has had a raw deal for decades as far as public transport is concerned. The town’s railway line was ripped up in the 1960’s and since then it has been reliant on buses. I am hopeful that the Cardiff Capital City Deal, with a special emphasis on connectivity, will benefit Porthcawl especially as a Metro Plus scheme is being planned with a Porthcawl-Cardiff corridor using bus and rail. As part of this, a new bus station with park and ride facilities is to be built on Salt Lake near the new proposed food store. This will enable residents to take a bus to Pyle railway station, which is being upgraded with a large car park. Here, travellers can go east to Bridgend and Cardiff or west to Swansea. This will also benefit the Pyle area especially as there is talk of reviving the Swanline services, which saw the re-opening of Pyle railway station in the 1990’s. This connected to Swansea via new stations at Baglan, Briton Ferry and Llansamlet. Improving transport links is a major part of the UK government’s strategy and it has invested £500m into the Cardiff City deal with Welsh Government and local authorities also contributing. JAMIE WALLIS MP for Bridgend
DO SUMMER DIFFERENTLY Bridgend Council’s Events Team is inviting people to come up with ideas for outdoor events that can be staged at Porthcawl over the summer. At the moment, not all publicly accessible spaces can be used for events. Lockdown is being eased for established cultural and heritage destinations and venues open to the public. The team is asking for innovative suggestions for cultural and entertainment events to be held in the open-air at places like Salt Lake or Rest Bay. They are suggesting that things like concerts, cinema screenings or even disco’s could take place but that will depend on Welsh Government permitting it. Porthcawl’s many hospitality businesses are dependent on the town’s holiday trade and with Trecco Bay re-opened and hotels and guest houses also gearing up to receive visitors, it is to be hoped that people will again holiday in Porthcawl. But one-off events like concerts also bring in people for the day and they provide business for our cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars. Let’s hope Welsh Government confirms it’s safe to do so sooner rather than later. We must also ensure that there is no noise or litter nuisance for residents of Porthcawl if such events go ahead. SUZY DAVIES MS Welsh Conservative Party www.suzydavies.com
SCHOOLS PREPARE TO REOPEN
A NEW NORMAL
Schools across Bridgend County Borough will reopen next month to welcome pupils back in a phased, controlled manner. Only teachers and staff will attend local schools between 1-3 September so that necessary preparations can be made, then priority year groups will return on 4 September. This will cover reception at infant schools, year three and year six at junior schools, reception and year six at primary schools, and year seven at secondary schools. Mynydd Cynffig Primary will also accept year three pupils, while schools will have advised parents directly on arrangements for pupils in other year groups and at special schools. Parents will have also been advised on which year groups should attend between 7–9 September, and then schools will open as normal to all pupils on 10-11 September. I’d like to once again thank our dedicated heads, teachers, governing bodies, teaching assistants, support staff, catering staff, administrative staff, caretakers, cleaners and volunteers without whom the impact of the pandemic would have been far greater. These plans are of course dependent on latest developments in national advice around the ongoing pandemic, but schools and the council will seek to let you know about any amendments as quickly as possible.
We are getting used to a ‘new normal’. As restrictions are eased and Wales gradually and cautiously unlocks, some of the activities that we all enjoyed before Covid 19 are resuming. Alongside the reopening and rebuilding of our economy, work continues looking at how we can safely reopen more of our NHS- more of our primary and secondary care services. Cancer screening services have resumed, dental and optometry practices are gradually re-introducing a broader range of services and our health boards are looking at how they can bring back essential and routine services whilst still being prepared to respond to future peaks. Speaking to health professionals, I know there is a lot of work ongoing to create Covid free zones inside our hospitals so that they can continue to bring patients in for the treatments they need. Indeed, it will not be business as usual as we have to learn to live alongside Covid at least for now. Coupled with this, the NHS is preparing for the winter that lies ahead. This virus hasn’t gone away, and a second spike would be catastrophic for the economy. We all have our part to play in helping to avoid that.
COUNCILLOR CHARLES SMITH Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration Bridgend County Borough Council 01656 643643 www.bridgend.gov.uk
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CARWYN JONES MS for Bridgend
