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Local Elections 2008

Click link below to see what is happening in Flintshire

Link The Daily Post

Why Worry?

There are only two things to worry about-
Either you are well or you are sick.
If you are well, there is nothing to worry about.
But if you are sick, there are only two things to worry about-
Whether you will get well, or whether you will die.
If you get well, there is nothing to worry about.
But if you die, there are only two things to worry about-
Whether you go to Heaven or Hell.
If you go to Heaven there is nothing to worry about,
and if you go to Hell, you'll be so busy
shaking hands with old friends that you
won't have time to worry.
So why worry?

I make friends I make enemies

Yesterday I made new friends, today Lisa gets the "the Medusa look" in the Penyffordd Post Office off a Williams family member. Lisa did her own leaflet, it says nothing bad about David.

My leaflet is all my own work.
I say this to the Williams clan. What if one you gets run over in lawless Chester Rd or Hawarden Road? A child, grand child or grand mother. Cllr David Williams has known for a year about the level of speeding.
Would you blame David or put it down to bad luck?
I call it bad village management.

Has he asked Flintshire Highways about the traffic data recorded? -- no

I told him in March about the speeding traffic, we had the meeting in May with Flintshire Highways.
I agree to stuff I know will not work, I had no choice but to go along.
I think the meeting sorted by Colin Bithell and Flintshire Highways before hand.
1. An extra 30 mph speed sign - of no use
2. A rumble strip
3. A possible flashy sign
4. A route to school map to be sorted via Penyffordd Primary School Headmaster

The route to school map was not followed up.

There is progress in the slowing of traffic but it is not fixed by along way.
Are we pressing Flintshire Highways to check traffic speeds again? -- No
All the above applies equally to Cllr Colin Bithell

You Williams clan should be pushing for a safe village, not leaving it wide open for the daily rat run. Do you not have any village pride or do you all live up quiet cul de sacs and can't care less?

20 mph outside schools makes some new friends.

Swansea City plans 20mph speed limit outside all primary schools

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, says the slow zones are effective.

He said, “People, especially children, should be free to use the streets on which they live without the fear of being killed or injured by drivers who are going too fast and 20mph zones can reduce child pedestrian casualties by up to 74%.”

Click here

Cllr Colin Bithell in College Mismanagement talks

Welsh Assembly officials have proposed removing the board of governors from the Welsh College of Horticulture at Northop due to a loss of confidence in their ability to manage the colleges finances.
It would appear the board of governors have had this problem since 2000. It would appear the Welsh Assembly have had enough of the extra hand outs due to the governors inability to keep control of expenditure. Colin Bithell is a governor.

Colin's Political Career

His political career began after his family had moved to Broughton, Chester, and in 1970 he was elected to Flintshire Council.
After four years and boundary changes, Flintshire was taken into Clwyd.
Colin, however, chose to seek a seat on Alyn and Deeside District Council, and served for 19 years, being chairman in 1982/83. After a short period away from local politics, he was elected to Penyffordd Community Council and Flintshire County Council.
Now aged 71, Cllr Bithell is deputy leader of the Independent Group on Flintshire Council and is a governor of the Welsh College of Horticulture at Northop.

Links
Northop College Mismanagement
The Evening Leader

Pivotal Conversations

Yesterday I had two surprising positive conversations with what might be called village elders. Their positive response to my actions emboldens me. There are a few out there who feel I may have puppet masters. This is not true. They have been clever enough to leave me to my own devices. The final nails in the coffin of the the old regime hammered in today?
Or has the postal vote and national politics got in the way. We shall see.

A Positive response from Penyffordd and District residents

On the way around we are finding quite a few residents who are fed up with the Tom Jones / Colin Bithell show. Every 4 years they gang together to keep new blood off the Penyffordd Community Committee also at County Council level.

If any of you are reading this can I ask the following question.

Do you have your own mind or do you always do what others tell you?

Penyffordd and District has consistently missed out on opportunities available.

Is it not time for a change?

Will you consider voting for myself Colin Hughes, Lisa Harding, Linda Vidamour, Cindy Hinds, Jane Hopwood and David Williams for Penyffordd Community Council.
Average age 56 instead of the current 68 years of age.

You do not have to vote for all 10 places just the ones of your choice.

Its time for a regime change, will you help to make it so? Your vote is secret.

A Phone Call from Colin Everett Returning Officer for Flintshire Elections 2008

This is something I have been waiting for. Lisa puts him off whilst we get the rest of our leaflets delivered. I ring Colin back a few hours later.
The problem is not what I think it is going to be but something trivial that needs to be precise.

There is a problem with the wording regards publishing and printing of my electoral leaflet. I have left out the printers or in this case copiers. We changed from using a company in Buckley because their commitment to customers was poor.
Forgot to put copier company in Mold on the literature.
The waters are now calmed I have sent the required data to Colin Everett.

Keep a good eye on your Pet Dogs

A child's dogs have been stolen in Pontybodkin. It would appear a dog has been stolen recently in Penyffordd.
The story here in The Daily Post

The election trail still has hurdles

We have three leaflets to deliver. Lisa has the full amount of 1450 leaflets. Mine however appear to be about 260 down. More hassle trying to fit work in with leaflet delivering and getting more. Wet hair, wet shoes and having my fortune told by Cllr David Williams yesterday. Lisa is walking around with a cold, a sprained ankle. So it was not surprising that she wanted to have a go at David yesterday. I had to send Lisa down the road away from the discussion, David in his car, me on the opposite side of the road with cars speeding in between us whilst David vents his spleen.

I remain steadfastly committed to living in a village centre not a shortcut speed rat run for over a 1000 vehicles a day.

A Chance Meeting with Cllr David Williams

I have just had a 10 minute meeting with Cllr David Williams on Wrexham Road. David is not happy with me. I have not been happy with 2000 cars that speed passed my house every day for the last 14 months and beyond.
David feels aggrieved and feels it is personal. It is not personal . If Colin Bithell and Tom Jones had volunteered email addresses they would have had exactly the same.
I have apologised to David if I have caused him and his family distress. Some of my blog is "tongue in cheek" and not to be taken seriously. This however does not come over on The Internet very well.

I stay committed to living on a road that has a 30 mph speed limit that most of you have in your roads. I should be living in the middle of a village with a bypass, not a road that is a rat run for 1000+ cars and lorries.

After my original push off by Nigel Jones, The Clerk to the Council who explained that speeding traffic was nothing to do with Penyffordd Council I sent an email possibly through Cllr Linda Vidamour or Cllr Cindy Hinds as Nigel will not have an email address saying I would do my best to have a regime change in the elections the following May.
They continue to try to ignore the speeding so it comes to this.

Cllr David Williams did not receive the email to the Penyffordd Community Council but has known of the speeding issue for over 12 months.

Cllrs Linda Vidamour, Cindy Hinds and Edwina Davies have helped and communicated through out the last year.
Cllr Colin Bithell and Tom Jones have tried their best to ignore me for the last 14 months.
Cllr Colin Bithell takes the applause for getting an extra 30 mph sign (doesn't work), half a rumble strip and a flashy sign whilst trying to ignore the dangerous conditions that are in place every school morning between 8.30 and 9.00 am in Chester Rd , a major route to school.

Postscript. David was telling me various projects he has helped with in the village.
He rightly says I have done nothing.
If I can bring about the traffic calming of our village centre by making our politicians sit up I will have achieved extra safety for our children, OAP's and horses.

Penymynydd Sad Person

Posted on a door. "No election leaflets" There are only 4 or 5 for the village anyway. Perhaps they need to try a little Robert Mugabe.

election 2008 banner

Click top of left hand column banner to see postings.

Whilst out delivering election sheets

Click on Image

I run into the Birdman of The Old Warren. Many a tale to tell, a character.

This is his cockrell that follows him around all day like a dog.

David Williams Election May 2008

Click on David's sheet to read.

Since David will not give me an election sheet here is one I found on the road.

David says if you want somebody to represent you who will attend meetings, sit on sub committees etc, he is not your man.
Just to familiarize the reader who may not know the local government system. It is a smaller model of our national government. We have a local government and we have a local opposition. They compete to run Flintshire County.

We currently have a majority to Labour on Flintshire County Council so the Labour Group run the show.

Labour hold all the executive positions. They have something like a two seat majority over the non labours.

The Local Opposition is made up non Labour. Our Cllr Colin Bithell is Deputy Leader of the Local Opposition which is why he gets £16,000 a year instead of £12,500 which is what every county councillor gets plus expenses. Colin gets the extra as he has to spend a lot of time at Shire Hall which may even be on a daily basis.

So David who has attended 3 out of 15 meetings has not supported the Independents at all.
David must ask the question of why would the local opposition as a group do anything to help Penyffordd with his total lack of turning up and reliability. He doesn't even apologise for not turning up.

So David what did we get for your £12,500 last year.
I know a resident who rang you up about a problem and you told them to put it in writing.
Why the extra hoop to jump through.
Not really what you get the £12,500 for David.

Community Councillors get no money in fact there is a negative, my election literature cost £160 and there in no certainty of me getting on the Penyffordd Community Council. My investment is there because I have had 14 months of getting not too far.

On the back of David's election sheet one of David's aims is to raise the profile of Penyffordd at Shire Hall and with councillors. - How can you do that if you do not go too meetings and support the Independents?

David feels that with another 4 years he can make further progress in improving the quality of life in our village.

So you have known about 100's of cars flying through our village each morning on a major route to school for 14 months.

What is the progress on this daily trashing of our village. Not much.

David has mates in the village who can't see the trouble with doing 50 mph passed the Post Office.

Post Script. Cllr Colin Bithell has done his best to ignore the speeding.

To the Printers Part 2

We go to Mold to a fast print shop. Its market day so no where to park legally so I hang out with the car in a private group of houses where Dolly Dog and I meet Albert the dog. Lisa is back within 5 minutes with a proof. We are ready to rock n roll.
The great man Cllr Tony Sharps has been in the day before with his printing instructions. Tony of course has his village tied down traffic wise whilst Chester Rd Penyffordd is still part of Charles Hughes' 60 mph trunk road network.

County Councillor David Williams' Attendance Record for meetings at Shire Hall

So David does three out of a possible fifteen and takes £12,500 home

So that's £4166 per meeting.

Flintshire County Council rules on attending meetings is that you should attend 4 out of 12. I think it should be 8 out of 12.

Cllr D T M Williams - attendance at Flintshire County Council Meetings

1st March 2007 (Ordinary) - attended - P

13th March 2007 (Ordinary) - apologies - x

17th April 2007 (Special) - apologies - x

25th April 2007 (Special) - Didn't attend or tender apologies- x

8th May 2007 (Annual Meeting) - apologies - x

22nd May 2007 (Ordinary) - attended - P

28th June 2007 (Special) - Didn't attend or tender apologies - x

31st July 2007 (Ordinary) - attended - P

27th September 2007 - special - 10.00 am - apologies - x

special - 2.00 pm - apologies - x

23rd October (Ordinary) - looks as though his name was put in and then crossed off

6th November (Ordinary) - apologies - x

5th December (Special) - apologies - x

29th January (Ordinary) - Didn't attend or tender apologies - x

19th February (Special) - apologies - x

I have 2000 cars that speed passed my house everyday.

It also took him 4 months to pass over contents of a letter by Dave Faulkner Acting Director for Regeneration and Environment for Flintshire County Council.

Arrive Alive Turn up anyway

I thank thee for the visit.
You nearly caught me lol
I cant win with Arrive Alive
They can't come enough or have the right strategic places to stop the morning rat run.
They turn up when I say we don't need them because of the traffic lights.
The van was very well blended in with the parked cars.

Dear Arrive Alive please cancel our monthly visit

An Email to The Arrive Alive Partnership of North Wales - Also to the Great and the Good
All the way from Rhodri Morgan First Minister to the village cat.

Dear Rose

Good Morning a new week is upon us and the sun is out.

I bring good news from Chester Rd Penyffordd

West Wales Utilties are digging the road up for 5 weeks

Its quite a good traffic calming tool, someone turned the 3 way traffic lights off last night, it wasn't me honest! A simple set of traffic lights that have more effect than the combined might of North Wales Police and Arrive Alive. Mind you the previously mentioned are really all smoke and mirrors.

Impotent to manage speeding traffic in North Wales due to having no resources

Pity we can't have them for 50 years as Flintshire Highways are determined to use Chester Rd, Penyffordd as a trunk road, I think the term is "de facto" Flintshire County Council thinks Penyffordd a soft touch. I'm sure Cllr Bithell is an employee of Flintshire Highways.

Flintshire Highways are currently the Philistines of Traffic Management in Wales

One can but hope for a change of policy.

Still on traffic lights the Spanish have the right idea.

Traffic lights are put in the middle of the village they are speed activated and turn red.

The more speeders in a certain time frame and the red light time increases.

No grumpy motorists with points and a happy village

Can Penyffordd be the first Welsh village to have them please?

Can you tell Essi to cancel the van for our once in 4 week visit this month.

One of the 800 odd other suffering communities can have our place instead.

Pity we can't have Hugh's Magic box to tell us how we are doing.

I know how we are doing and its not that good.

All this technology and its left in the cupboard

Still I'm going to do my best to tell the whole world about it.

I'm busy with my election literature at the moment

I've got the lawyers going over it

.

One of them says I'll be going to The Tower if I don't alter stuff.

As a non stake holder I'm gung ho!

I married a rich woman, its all Lisa's including the Porsche

One county councillor has been found doing photocopying at Shire Hall

and has been reported to North Wales Police

I'm hoping its one of ours!

One of my County Cllrs is taking credit for half a rumble strip and a flashy sign, I say barsix the swine!

I did all the work!

He says he is now handing the traffic mangement over to North Wales Police.

This is one of the two councillors who have tried to ignore this problem for the last year

When I read this I went into a fit of laughter.

Lisa my wife thought I was having a heart attack.

regards Colin Hughes

Prospective Community Cllr for Penyffordd

No copy to Inspector Alun Oldfield until I've written to Richard to see why I can't

A copy to Cllr David Williams who doesn't want one but who is getting one anyway.

Is that £12,500 for 3 meetings or 14 at Shire Hall last year, David?

I've asked both David and FCC but they are both being a little slow.

So I've put down on my election literature you have attended one, so there!