Before any readers assume that I agree with the proposals being made let us put the issue in context;

1. A steering group to look at the future of LH was set up in 2007. The first meeting was held in July 2007 and the second in October 2007. The papers are available.

2. A review was undertaken by Frank Burns during the period May – Dec 2007. He made 50 recommendations concerning the future of the hospital. The report is also an open document and available to all.

3. A project board was established in June 2008 to consider his report. There were eight working groups established to consider the themes within the report. This included representatives from the League of Friends, CHC and LHAGS.

4. The final report of the Board was published in March 2009. Within this it is recorded that the work group concluded that MIU should close after midnight. It was the project board that decided to investigate nurse led service after midnight with medical support from the GP out of hours services. The board resolved to take advice from Prof. Mike Harmer on the future role of the MIU. The options that he was to be asked to consider were:

• Nurse led with support
• Developed as an out of hours centre – GP’s out of hours contract to be renegotiated in October 2010 and felt that perhaps there was some room to do something creative her.
• Develop as a new build.

5. After the publishing of the report – the Llandudno Hospital project was set up in January 2010. The aim was to consider recommendations of the Burns report and provide detailed plans for;

• Unscheduled Care
• Elective Treatment & Diagnosis
• Rehabilitation
• Women’s Health
• Mental Health

6. To achieve this aim there was to be a project team, a stakeholder group (to include LHAGS), expert support group and a communications group (to include LHAGS).

7. At the meeting of the Stakeholder Group on 24th March 2010 it was AGREED that MIU could not safely be managed without appropriate numbers of qualified staff. It was suggested that doctors were paid more for working at Llandudno but the consultants present said it was a national problem – rather than money. I have investigated this issue since my meeting with the Trust and can confirm that the issue of a shortage of trained doctors / consultants is a current national problem which is worse in Wales at this moment in time.

8. It was AGREED that no emergencies would be admitted after 6pm.

As you can imagine, the paperwork provided by the Trust in support of their decision in relation to the MIU was substantial. I have read and sought advice on many aspects of the recommendations. I continue to be unhappy about issues such as access times and the availability of ambulances in the Llandudno area if the MIU closes as a 24hr facility and as such I have requested a further meeting with the Trust to seek detailed assurances on these issues.

However, it is clear from the paper trail that the proposal to reduce the hours at the MIU has been fairly well documented since 2007 and it is misleading to suggest that this is a bolt from the blue. Even my comments in April alluded to the fact that the cost savings that closure would bring were being investigated in detail prior to the first closure of the MIU overnight at that time.

I have also spoken with or had my staff speak with members of LHAGS and the League of Friends and they have confirmed that the process in their view has been open and transparent. One individual specifically stated that they were “delighted that all the decisions are being made by clinicians and practioners rather than “pen pushers”.

Coupled with confirmation from a Consultant in Cardiff as to the levels of Doctor and Consultant shortage in Wales I have to admit that the case appears to be medically driven rather than financially inspired. And yet….

I remain concerned that the practical impact of the downgrade of the MIU will be a huge blow to the town, the population and the hospital. I will be holding a number of ‘open surgeries’ and ‘public meetings’ during August and September and would ask interested parties to come along and highlight your own concerns. Having read the background papers and copious minutes from numerous meetings I feel that there continue to be questions in need of a response from the Trust and as such will report back following my further meetings with the Trust team dealing with the specific MIU proposal and the wider re-development of Llandudno Hospital.

Guto

On being elected Janet said “I am proud to have been elected as your candidate. I shall work tirelessly to represent the people of Aberconwy. But I can not do it alone. I need you to play your part as you have done tonight.” Cllr. Janet has been a County Councillor for the Craig y Don Ward since 2004 and a Town Councillor for much longer. She currently holds position 3 on the Regional List for the Welsh Assembly. There will be a page on the website with details about Janet, later on this month.

However, having thought about it for more than 24 hours I feel compelled to say that the Llandudno Youth Music Theatre production of ‘Billy Elliot, the Musical’ was simply excellent. It was committed, professional and a delight to the packed house that witnessed the performance on Friday night. I understand that the four shows were all sold out in advance and on the evidence of what I witnessed with my eight year old daughter I strongly suspect that everybody would have had an experience to remember.

The fact that a Youth Music Theatre company based in Llandudno could utilise the professional lighting and surroundings of Venue Cymru is also something which gives us pride in the fact that such an experience, of performing in a professional and challenging environment is an option available to our young people on their doorstep.

I extend my congratulations to all the performers and supporting volunteers from the Llandudno Youth Music Theatre and to the staff at Venue Cymru for what was an excellent evening of entertainment.

Diolch yn fawr!

Recent meetings with various interested parties indicate that some train companies would be willing to invest significantly in capital projects if the length of the rail franchise could be extended. This is a crucial point. As things currently stand the investment in track, signalling and stations falls under the responsibility of Network Rail and this means that the expectation is that there will be less money available to upgrade the infrastructure in the future since we all know how much spare money the Government has available.

At the Welsh Select Committee I asked the Secretary of State if she had undertaken any discussions with interested parties in relation to this issue and whether the Welsh Office intended to make any representations to the Department of Transport on the length of the proposed new franchises which are subject to negotiation from 2012 onwards. The response to both questions was in the affirmative I’m glad to say.

I will, in addition to raising the issue with the Welsh Office, make representations to the Department of Transport. If private companies are willing to invest their funds in the re-development of the railway infrastructure in North Wales in return for a longer franchise period then it is an option that I believe we should consider very carefully.

Guto

The announcement of the success of the consortium led by RWE Npower Renewables in attracting the funding for the project, around £2.2billion, was made a few weeks ago and whilst this was in many ways a disappointment to local protesters and businesses which argued against the development. However, there was also a realistic view expressed by many that “we are where we are” and as such there was a clear need for the area to benefit financially from the development. This potential financial benefit would come in two ways;

1. The opportunities for local businesses to benefit from opportunities to win contracts with the developers.

2. The Community Benefits Package which had been discussed by the consortium with the local authority, Conwy County Borough Council.

I have contacted the Welsh Assembly Government Department of Economy and Transport in relation to the first opportunity in relation to the potential to use the Local Supplier Development Programme to support and guide businesses in relation to what they need to do to access the opportunities arising from the development. In the same way I have, in private meetings with the Secretary of State for Wales, asked her to make representations to the Consortium in relation to the accessibility of contract opportunities for local businesses. I hope to be involved in a ‘meet the buyer’ type event in the area in due course and will keep readers posted on any development.

However, my real concerns at this point relate to the Community Benefits Package. In the original discussions between Conwy Council and the consortium there were two separate strands for support discussed. These were;

1. Tourism support package for Llandudno (subsequently changed to Conwy Council Area) worth £230k per year
2. Community Benefits Package of £1m per annum for a period of 20/25 years

The concerns I have, which are shared by constituents, is that the Tourism Support Package is now been described by the Consortium as a package of support for Conwy and Denbighshire. It was disappointing, but perhaps understandable in many ways, that the initial tourism package which was proposed for Llandudno had been changed by Conwy Council to include the whole of the County. However, this package is now being described by the Consortium as a fund for the counties of Conwy and Denbighshire.

This is contrary to the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Consortium and Conwy Council which stated specifically that the Conwy Coast Tourism Programme (originally for Llandudno only) would be separate from any discussions with other authorities along the North Wales coast. The local population feel that the Consortium have made promises in order to attempt to win the support of Llandudno residents and businesses which are now been significantly changed since public support is not now needed. This change in the Llandudno Tourism package was made know to the Council on the 14th of April.

Secondly, in the same letter dated 14th April 2010 the Consortium informs Conwy Council that the Community Benefits Package will be significantly reduced from the promised £1m to £768k per year. This is justified on the basis of detailed site design work resulting in a project with a capacity of 750mw being reduced to 576mw.

At the Welsh Select Committee I asked the Secretary of State to meet with representatives of the consortium to discuss the unilateral changes to both the Tourism Support Package and the Community Benefits Package. Furthermore I also asked the Secretary of Sate whether she was of the view that there was a need for an agreed level of compensation for communities affected by large scale developments in order to ensure that a consortium such as the one led by RWE at Gwynt y Môr would not be in a position to make promises and then change them without consultation once planning permission had been secured. On this point I was advised to raise the matter with the Department of the Environment and Climate Change which I am now progressing.

ITV Wales and the Daily Post provided coverage for the fact that the issue was highlighted at the Welsh Select Committee – it might be possible to embarrass the consortium into honouring the original Memorandum of Understanding!

Guto

Consultations with local businesses (a slow process due to Data Protection Legislation) found that the increase in business rates vary from two cases where the increase is 35% and 36% to eight cases where the increase is in the region of 50% (most are at 50.6%). There are then two outliners where the increase has been 111% and 83% respectively. All these businesses are in the central Penmaenmawr retail area and all the businesses will, as a result of the new rateable value, face a real increase in their payments despite the change in the multiplier from 48.9p in the pound to the current 40.9p. When I recall the numerous occasions when Plaid Cymru supporters indicated that the changes in business rates would be ‘neutral’ (as many winners as losers was the claim if I remember correctly)it is difficult to see how this can be the case in view of the evidence collected from 14 businesses in Penmaenmawr.

Why the uniform increase in the context of Penmaenmawr? Is it a direct result of the substantial investment that has been made in the retail area over recent years? It seems almost perverse that public money has been spent by several agencies in order to re-vitalise the commercial heart of the village and their investment is now being undermined through the decisions taken by another government agency to increase rateable values by a margin which bears no relationship to the commercial realities of operating a business in the village.

It should also be noted that two businesses within a walking distance of the centre of the village have suffered rateable value increases of 121% and 309%! Whilst not in the central retail area these businesses have also contributed to the renewal of the commercial potential of the area and there is a real question as to how such significant increases can be justified.

I’m aware that a number of businesses are appealing their valuations due to the commercial impact of such above inflation changes on their businesses. In addition to supporting fully these individual appeals I have written to the Valuation Office requesting an explanation as to why Penmaenmawr has been subject to such huge increases. I have also offered to take officers from the Valuation Office on a fact finding tour of businesses in the village to show them that neither rental charges or the level of trade have increased in any way which could conceivably justify the massive increases in rates identified.

On a final note – if readers of this blog are aware of similar circumstances where all the businesses in an area are losers from the rates revaluation then get in touch. I would be delighted to take issue with the Valuation Office with respect to any area where the vast majority of traders are losers and not winners from the revaluation process.

Guto

But for the past few weeks I have finally felt myself to be on top of things. Surgeries are going well with numerous and varied cases coming through the door. My series of local surgeries and public meetings for late August and September are almost agreed and locations for outreach surgeries and dates are in place. Finally I have no excuse for not blogging on an occasional basis.

As the MP for Aberconwy I will endeavour to keep you informed of what is happening at Westminster, comment on Welsh issues and keep you posted on my activities. However, I would also want to see this forum used as an information source for myself. For example, my first posting in my new blogging career is in relation to the issues of Business Rates in Penmaenmawr. It would be interesting and useful to hear of other localities where the alleged ‘neutral’ nature of the revaluation can be called into question. In a similar vein I will be blogging on the situation in relation to the MIU at Llandudno Hospital and would be very keen to hear your views on the announced downgrade of the Unit.

Any local issues or concerns that you have can be communicated to me on my parliamentary e-mail which is;

guto.bebb.mp@parliament.uk

All the best,

Guto

You do not need to be a member of the Welsh Conservative Party. To be eligible to attend and vote at this meeting you just need to pre-register by:

email: office@aberconwyconservatives.co.uk
in writing: 12 Ashdown House. Riverside Business Park. Conwy. LL32 8UB.
or by replying to this post:

Please provide your name, the address at which you are registered to vote, an email address and a contact telephone number.

Regular Constituency Surgeries, by appointment are being held in Conwy and the planning is virtually complete now for roving drop in surgeries which will take place in late August. The dates and times will be posted on the website as soon as they are all confirmed.

We are also planning a series of Public Meeting s in the Autumn, similar to those that Guto held last year. These will be an opportunity for people to meet with Guto and question him on any aspect of his work as an MP. Last year, before the election, they were very successful . We hope that these further “open meetings” will prove a useful way of exchanging views and ideas.

We are going to have to make a few alterations to the website before Guto resumes blogging. Please bear with us whilst we get it sorted out. Hopefully blogging will resume during the summer recess!