Ambition despite austerity

Plaid Cymru Gwynedd's Manifesto

May 2012 Local Elections

Gwynedd Plaid Cymru Councillors Group

Swyddfa'r Blaid, 8 Stryd y Castell Caernarfon , Gwynedd LL55 1SE

(01286) 672510www.gwynedd.plaidcymru.org

plaidcymrugwynedd@hotmail.co.ukFacebook: Plaid Cymru Gwynedd

Twitter: @Plaid_Gwynedd

Published March 2012

IntroductionPlaid Cymru is the party in Gwynedd that has the experience andability to lead and govern responsibly in these challenging times.We need experienced hands to guide the way but we also need aparty that is determined to be ambitious for the county and itspeople, despite the austerity.Plaid Cymru is the party with the vision to create a secure future inGwynedd. Embracing the values of the past ... values that makeGwynedd unique within Wales in its language, culture andlandscape, we will build a prosperous future for the people of thiscounty.

Through no fault of its own, the Council faces a funding gap of £38 millionby 2014 and the outlook is likely to get worse. Plaid Cymru totallydisagrees with the cuts but we will have to find ways of working for thebenefit of the people of the county within shrinking budgets. Under thewise leadership of Plaid Cymru, we have managed to tackle this problemearly on and a detailed strategy is now in place to deal with the severecuts imposed on us by Westminster. Led by Plaid Cymru, the emphasis is on working more efficiently ratherthan cutting services. The Council was praised for its steadfast leadershipby the Wales Audit Office in 2011. It succeeded in saving £1 million bycutting out manager posts and succeeded in increasing the Council’sincome by innovative methods e.g. charging for waste collecting fromsecond homes. But while leading through adversity, Plaid Cymru is also ambitious aboutthe future of the County. We work hard to attract investment from Europeand from the Welsh Government. Only one other council attracts moremoney from Europe than us. Of course, in the long term the aim is forGwynedd to be more prosperous so that we will not need the same levelof support. Plaid Cymru’s progressive policies will make this a reality.

Steadfast leadership

Ambition despite austerity

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Plaid Cymru councillors have the advantage of beingpart of Team Gwynedd, which includes the party’shardworking Assembly Members and Members ofParliament. Team Gwynedd succeeded in attracting£300 million into the County when Plaid Cymru wassharing power in the Welsh Government (until 2011).

Investing in Gwynedd’s future :education, roads, jobs

Since 2008, the Council has attracted a hugeinvestment to improve communications in the county,for example

ROADS• Clynnog and Porthmadog by-pass schemes• improvements to roads in the Dolgellau and

Dolbenmaen areas• Briwet Bridge scheme to link two parts of

Meirionnydd

EDUCATIONIn the field of education, £64.5 million have beensecured since 2008 in order to improve schoolbuildings across the County. This includes money for• a new school for children with special needs (i.e. a

new Ysgol Hafod Lon)• an innovative new school that is almost completed

at Ysgol yr Hendre, Caernarfon• a school that is about to be built to strengthen rural

education north of Tywyn and valuableimprovements will take place in the field ofeducation in the Dolgellau area

• substantial improvements to strengthen education

in the Bala and Penllyn area• a second new school for Bangor in Maesgeirchen

(the first one, Ysgol Cae Top, was opened in 2009,worth £4.2 million)

• a new school for Groeslon• substantial improvements in Ysgol Pentreuchaf,

Ysgol Glan y Môr, Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen, YsgolLlanrug, Ysgol Botwnnog, Ysgol Abererch, Ysgol BroLleu and Ysgol Pont y Gof

JOBS Then in the field of economic development we havesucceeded in attracting major investment, for examplethe Sailing Academy (worth £8.3 million) in Pwllheli,the Eryri Centre of Excellence to develop the outdoorpursuits sector, the Trawsfynydd enterprise zone andthe Pontio scheme in Bangor. This shows clearly that Plaid Cymru councillors aredetermined to be ambitious in challenging times.

Our vision in building a prosperousfuture

We intend to continue with this work and aim to win amajority of seats in the elections in May 2012. Wepresent here just a summary of our vision for the nextfour years in Gwynedd.We have developed this through detailed discussionsincluding a successful conference “Building aProsperous future for Gwynedd” held at the end of2011. We would like to thank everyone who hascontributed to setting out this vision and direction. Itis our hope that the electors of Gwynedd will supportthis in casting their votes on May 3rd.

Team Gwynedd

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Part of the hardworking Gwynedd team

• Plaid Cymru councillors are a crucial part of the team ofPlaid Cymru representatives at all levels of governmentwho are listening to what everyone in our communityhas to say and are working hard to make people’s livesbetter

• Team Gwynedd includes town and communitycouncillors, Assembly Members, Members ofParliament, Members of the House of Lords and aMember of the European Parliament

• Plaid Cymru councillors are committed to working hardevery day for the benefit of their constituents in theirwards

• Plaid Cymru councillors across Gwynedd work with localgroups to improve their communities and promotetheir local areas and their Welshness with pride

• We will help people to help themselves and encouragepride and confidence, empowering our communities totake responsibility for their future.

Wise leadership

• Plaid Cymru’s aim is to win a majority of seats onGwynedd Council in May 2012

• The party’s aim is to lead change for the better bygaining support from the other political groups thatshare our vision

• Plaid Cymru will govern responsibly and lead theCouncil wisely in the face of the Westminstergovernment’s harsh and ineffective financial policies

• The party will press for Wales to be financed more fairlyand for the Local Government funding formula to berevised in order to reflect the needs of rural areas inWales

• The financial strategy will concentrate on workingmore efficiently and maintaining services in new waysthat cost less

• Safeguarding Welsh as the Council’s primaryadministrative language and maintaining a bilingualworkforce to serve the people of the county in theirlanguage of choice will be a priority as we considerworking with others

• Each Portfolio Holder will ensure that arrangements arein place to deal with complaints that will create alearning opportunity for each service in order toimprove the provision for the public.

Jobs first

• Economic development is one of the priorities for PlaidCymru councillors, despite the economic climate

• We will create an Economic Plan for Gwynedd with theaim of reducing the wealth gap between Gwyneddand the rest of the UK

• Attracting investment to improve transportcommunications in the county is a priority (such as thecompleted Clynnog and Porthmadog by-pass schemesand the Briwet Bridge scheme that is underway). Wewill press for an early decision on the timetable forbuilding the Bontnewydd by-pass

• Similarly, creating fast broadband connections in allparts of the county is a priority

• We will continue to try to spread economic prosperityto all parts of Gwynedd including those areas outsidethe Môn-Menai Area (one of the Welsh Government’sgrowth areas)

• Plaid Cymru councillors will implement theMeirionnydd Employment Plan which offers answers tothe huge economic challenges that face this rural area

Plaid Cymru Councillors in GwyneddOur aims for 2012-16

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• The aim is to co-operate with the Welsh Government inorder to develop the enterprise zone on theTrawsfynydd decommissioning site in order to createlocal jobs

• We will develop an Employment Plan for Llŷn (followingthe pattern of the Meirionnydd Employment Plan)

• Plaid Cymru councillors will put the emphasis onbuilding on our strengths as a county giving priority togrowth sectors such as the Eryri Centre of Excellence todevelop the outdoor pursuits sector in Meirionnydd ;the Pwllheli Sailing Academy (worth £8.3 million), thegreen economy and recycling and the creativeindustries

• We will develop the innovative Fund that offers loans tolocal businesses (worth £3 million) (Gwynedd LoansFund)

• Emphasis is placed on attracting exciting events such asRadio One’s Big Weekend (that attracted the attention of9.5 million listeners world-wide to Gwynedd andcontributed £3.5 million to the local economy andcreated an exciting image for Gwynedd). At the sametime we will support smaller events across the county

• We will seek to encourage sustainable tourism thatsupports local workers

• We will continue to support work experience schemesand apprenticeships for young people in the county,working with the local further education colleges

• We will continue to ensure that Gwynedd benefits fromEuropean funding (£120 million was attracted, thesecond largest amount in Wales)

• Plaid Cymru will campaign against the WelshGovernment’s intention to move jobs from Caernarfonto Llandudno Junction and Carmarthen

• We will lobby nationally in favour of raising the businessrates threshold for small businesses.

Emphasis on the local economy

• We will prioritise promoting the local economy : fromproduce and food chains to employment opportunities.

This makes sense environmentally and economically• We will continue with successful schemes such as

Llwyddo’n Lleol (an investment of £1.4 million) andLlwyddo yng Ngwynedd that support small businesses,young entrepreneurs and schemes that help tomaintain Welsh communities

• Creating work opportunities for local companies frommajor public sector contracts is a priority for PlaidCymru. Public contracts worth £4 billion are awardedeach year in Wales: everything from food for ourschools, printing and construction. Only about half thiswork comes to companies from Wales and thereforeonly half of the benefit accrues to workers, owners andthe local community. Plaid Cymru’s aim is to raise thispercentage to 75% across Wales. In Gwynedd there isroom to achieve more. We will therefore attempt: 

1) to award contracts in a way that gives small andmedium-sized companies a better chance to competefor work in the public sector2) to impose conditions in the contracts for trainingapprentices and/or raising the level of skills of theworkers 3) to mentor local companies to ensure that they cansubmit competitive bids4) to encourage companies to develop specialisms andexpertise to make them more competitive5) to ensure that social clauses that benefit thecommunity are included in the contracts

• We will continue to concentrate on improving our towncentres to help them to compete against the power ofthe supermarkets, e.g. investments worth £4.1 millionwere secured in Blaenau Ffestiniog, £2.5 million inCaernarfon and £4 million on an open spaces scheme inBangor

• Vigorous Local Shopping Campaigns will be conducted• Plaid Cymru will conduct a review of car parking

charges across the county in order to try and promotelocal businesses

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• We will develop models that will mean that ourschools/leisure centres/care centres and others worktogether to create networks that use local food

Creating opportunities for a better life for children,young people and families

• Our aim is to improve the attainment of every childwhatever their background and circumstances

• We will continue to develop schemes like IncredibleYears in the foundation phase

• Our aim is to secure a curriculum that is suited to theskills needs of the county’s workforce and encouragesentrepreneurship

• Our aim is to create an education system thatproduces rounded individuals with a strong sense ofbelonging

• Plaid Cymru will introduce an innovative scheme in

the world of education that concentrates on childrenwho are not at present achieving their full potential

• Plaid Cymru believes in developing viable ruraleducation for the future

• Plaid Cymru councillors will continue to lead thediscussions resulting from a reduction in the numbersof children and the need for fewer buildings bynegotiation in order to find local solutions

• Our ambition is to create an education system thatwill thrive in the future with an emphasis on enablingstrong headteachers to lead in their communities

• Plaid Cymru believes that federalisation, lifelongschools, co-operation, building new area schools areoptions to be considered in different circumstances

• Eliminating child poverty completely is a priority andwe will work with all the relevant agencies to try toachieve this

• Plaid Cymru supports families and parents who want

Some of the Plaid members who attended the "Building a Prosperous Future for Gwynedd" conference at Llan Ffestiniog, November 2011

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to develop new skills, including in special centres suchas Plas Pawb (Caernarfon) and the Caban Bach (BlaenauFfestiniog)

• We will continue to lead throughout Wales on ourinnovative work to improve family support e.g. thepioneering Torri’r Cylch (Breaking the Cycle) schemeand the Teams Around the Child, which bring theagencies together in a more effective way

• We will give priority to our responsibility as corporateparent to children in care

• We will continue to develop the Youth Service so that itbecomes an important resource in the lives of theyoung people of Gwynedd.

Supporting vulnerable individuals

• Our social services will be centred around the personand people will be treated with dignity whatever theirdifficulties

• We will work with the health sector, the third sectorand the private sector through partnerships likeGwynedd Together in order to share resources but theemphasis will be on maintaining quality

• Since 96% of older people in Gwynedd want to live athome as long as possible, Plaid Cymru will supportspecific schemes that allow this while also providingreliable support

• In developing new services we will provide details ofthe new model(s) before withdrawing the formerprovision and we will discuss the needs of individualsinvolved in the change in a sensitive and inclusive way

• We will increase the use of Telecare when it is suitableand appropriate (using various technological methodsof maintaining contact between the elderly person intheir home and the care agencies) and Reablement(intensive help to enable people to regain theirindependence after returning home from hospital)

• We will prioritise developing social day careopportunities for older people throughout Gwynedd

• We will ensure that better and more purposeful options

for Elderly Provision are developed in the area • We will support the schemes to improve living facilities

for people with learning difficulties in the Harlech areaand secure affordable housing for local people on thesame site

• The Council will move towards working as acommissioner in the field of care, maintaining publicsector provision where appropriate. It will also promotethe participation of the third sector, local companies andsocial enterprises in providing care. Bilingual provisionand creating a Welsh atmosphere will be essentialrequirements

• We will support unpaid carers, young carers and aservice for carers and we will create a scheme to locateyoung people needing care within the county

• Plaid Cymru will try to ensure that the Supporting PeopleGrant is used to its full potential by encouragingcooperation between the Council and all relevantagencies, including the third sector and the health sector

• We will work with our AMs and MPs to make sure thatthe Welsh Government passes on to Gwynedd anymoney transferred to it from London as a result ofchanging the Social Fund for supporting vulnerablepeople

• Plaid Cymru will seek financial resources from thegovernment to withstand the ill-effects of the cuts tobenefits for disabled people and children

• We will continue to campaign against centralising healthservices

• We will support children and older people with autisticspectrum disorders and will ensure that the clinicalpath is known for these adults.

The Welsh Language : the need for others to followGwynedd’s robust leadership

• The Council’s internal administration is conductedalmost entirely in Welsh – we are determined tomaintain this and we are proud that members of PlaidCymru pioneered this. Gwynedd Council will lead so

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that others can follow in this respect• We will encourage other councils and public bodies

to move towards administration in the Welshlanguage and hold meetings with simultaneoustranslation since it is a very effective way ofincreasing the confidence of Welsh speakers

• Plaid Cymru will continue with the robust educationpolicy that ensures that every child grows upconfident and fluent in Welsh and English, whateverthe language of their home

• Plaid Cymru will lead the work throughout Wales ofencouraging children to speak Welsh outside theclassroom through plans such as the GwyneddPrimary Schools Language Charter. In this way wewill ensure that every school has a Language Plan topromote the Welsh language outside the classroomamongst children, parents and the community ingeneral

• We will introduce measures to strengthen the Welshlanguage in education in Bangor and Tywyn

• We will support work in five communities whereover 70% of people speak Welsh, that have beenchosen to be part of an innovative scheme topromote community life (Sustainable Communities)

• At the national level, we will press for changes to theplanning laws so that the impact of developmentson the Welsh language have a more prominent placeand we will press for a better interpretation andoperation of some of the current planningguidelines

• Plaid Cymru will work to ensure that the new LocalDevelopment Plan gives a prominent place to theinterest of the Welsh language and the local need forhousing. Plaid Cymru will encourage local needssurveys and language impact assessments to beheld and will build on the good practice that takesplace, led by the party, in several places.

Housing that people can afford in theircommunities

• We will use every method available to maximise thehousing for local people including using appropriateplanning conditions so that people can afford theirown homes in their communities

• We will investigate new methods of providingaffordable housing for local people

• We will work with housing associations to promotethe Assisted Purchase Scheme

• Our aim is to turn more empty housing into homes(118 empty homes returned to use in 2011, improvingthe appearance of town centres)

• Our aim is to see national legislative changes to allowrates to be increased on second homes

• Our aim is to increase the number of houses we haveon lease to create temporary accommodation forfamilies in need

• We will introduce a scheme where the Council willhelp some first time buyers who are having difficultyin raising the deposit

• We will develop a scheme which will encourage therelease of public land and undeveloped private land inorder to develop housing schemes for local peoplewithin their communities

• We will encourage the establishment of socialenterprises that renovate empty buildings or developcentres for local businesses and/or affordablehousing/community facilities (as has happened withthe innovative Congl Meinciau Centre scheme inBotwnnog)

• We will investigate establishing a system of loans forrenovating sub-standard private housing in order toimprove them and reduce energy bills

• The aim is to ensure that everyone lives in a goodquality home. We will lobby to ensure that privatelandlords rent good quality housing for a fair price

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• We will encourage private landlords to sublet theirhousing to third sector organisations to be rented outto local people who need them

• We will train the Council’s staff who go out to homesto recognise the signs of Fuel Poverty in order to refercases on to get help.

Safeguarding the environment and green andclean communities

• We will create a Green Gwynedd Plan that will outlinehow we will use the natural resources for the benefitof the environment and the local economy

• The aim is to make communities as self-sufficient aspossible with regard to renewable energy of everytype. This includes geothermal heat (as in ConglMeinciau), biomass, water, solar, anaerobic digestion(which is underway through the GwyriAD project),tidal and wind

• The aim is to ensure over 70 % of the rubbishcollected from our homes is recycled or compostedby 2020

• The aim is to attract more investment for energy-saving schemes in the Council’s buildings and thehomes of the people of Gwynedd throughrenewable methods in order to continue with theCarbon Footprint Plan

• Plaid Cymru councillors will lead on dog fouling andlocal waste collection working with communitygroups across the county

• We will develop public transport creating acommunity transport plan with the emphasis onproviding transport to meet the needs in order toencourage more people to use the bus service andthe County’s cycling networks

• Plaid Cymru supports the Council’s innovativeproject of collecting cooking oil in order to turn itinto fuel for vehicles and we are keen to expand it.

Plaid Cymru Gwynedd Councillors 2008-1012

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