Local Politics

[Yorkie]

I thought it was going to happen this morning as when I looked out of the window at about 6.30 I saw a squadron of porkies flying over Penrhryn Bay - but alas it was just a dream!

The Town Council are as devious as a wagon load of monkeys, you will never get an answer.  This happens even with those Councillors who profess to be your friends, an experience I have had over the past few years.   They're great when they want help or information or your vote but do sweet eff all for you in return!

And if the Councillors are reading this, you know who you are. 

Every dog has its day and mine is now not too far off!   

[Merddin Emrys]

Bring back Llandudno Urban District Council, it all seemed so much better back then! 

[DaveR]

Merddin's point is a very relevant one - it was the loss of local control when LUDC was scrapped that started the downfall, a process that has continued with each subsequent local govt reorganisation. As a result, we now have a Town Council with good intentions but no money or power to do anything major, whilst CCBC covers too vast an area to allow proper attention to detail.

[Yorkie]

Bring back Llandudno Urban District Council, it all seemed so much better back then! 

The Urban District Councils were responsible for all the things that the Councty Council have taken over such as refuse, lighting, road repairs, planning etc. etc.   These services were taken over piece by piece by the Borough Councils and ultimately the Councty Councils.

This is why the need for a Town or Community Council is now defunct.  They have been left with no money and no power (as has been said) and play at "government" with the piddling little social committees they have, non of which are of any great benefit to the locals or in any way enhance the lives of the community. 

Sack the lot!   

[Fester]

I thought it was going to happen this morning as when I looked out of the window at about 6.30 I saw a squadron of porkies flying over Penrhryn Bay - but alas it was just a dream!

The Town Council are as devious as a wagon load of monkeys, you will never get an answer.  This happens even with those Councillors who profess to be your friends, an experience I have had over the past few years.   They're great when they want help or information or your vote but do sweet eff all for you in return!

And if the Councillors are reading this, you know who you are. 

Every dog has its day and mine is now not too far off!   

Yorkie,  this is a favourite phrase of Greg Robbin's
''Every Dog has its day... today its the day I get put down!''

[Yorkie]

'Fraid I don't know Greg Robbins.

[Llechwedd]

Saw Janet Ffitch Saunders on tv defending Andrew RT Davies. Why does he have to be RT why not just Andrew Davies?  She didn't impress. I hate people who toe the party line and can't think for themselves.  Can't see her doing much for this town.

[Yorkie]

She's a bit like Molly Malone - following in the steps of her Father and Mother!

Cockles and mussels a-live a-live O!    L0L

[Micox]

 ZXZ  Ahh, the days of wine and roses. To my mind, you're right when you say Llandudno Urban District Council's demise is a serious loss. We can now see it all from a distant timeline - how much better managed everything was pre 1974 when Caernarfon County existed. How much everything became ineffective and inefficient with the grossly extended management channels of Gwynedd County Council (and Clwyd County Council) - the loss of local knowledge and influence.

Whereas Mr Robbins might have local knowledge, he is competing with other local interests.  And the Tory mantra of competition having a positive effect is so destructive. In LLUDC he would have been listened to and his wisdom would have been engraved on the local souls, lending force to a thrust for action.

Look at the other organisations now fanned out to the four winds: Llandudno Gas; Llandudno Leckie; Llandudno GPO; Llandudno GPO telephones  etc. How well they worked - ten times better when they were small and local.

Rise up men and rebel.  ^^^^

[SDQ]

The trouble is that they were all nationalised industries that were there to provide a service, now privatised they no longer provide the same service but work solely on the principle of making as much profit as possible whilst providing the least amount of service they can get away with. We are handicapped further being a relatively rural area so will never get the very best of services that the big cities get like super fast broadband etc...

[Ian]

But it's curious: some companies know that excellent service actually increases their profit.  Waitrose and John Lewis, to name but two, and Amazon makes a fortune simply because it is so good with its customer service.

[SDQ]

I think Customer Service is on of the biggest problems we face today with energy & retail companies since the advent of these call centres (usually based in India) where you have to go through an exhaustive amount of menus before you actually get to speak to a real person. You get so wound up that by the time you get to speak to someone (who invariably can't solve your problem) it's all you can do not to get into a slanging match. They're usually badly trained, working from a script in a ring-binder, paid peanuts and are so heavilly accented you can barely make out what they are saying.

[DaveR]

The trouble is that they were all nationalised industries that were there to provide a service, now privatised they no longer provide the same service but work solely on the principle of making as much profit as possible

Ah yes, I remember the good old days of Post Office Telephones in the 1970s. Phone boxes that never worked and a wait to have a telephone line installed of sometimes a YEAR or more. I'll stick with BT thanks.

Then there was British Rail. The service that Arriva Trains Wales provides is far better in my view, with clean, modern trains instead of the clapped out old wrecks that used to get dumped for North Wales lines use.

[SDQ]

You were complaining about the train service from Llandudno a few weeks ago! 

[DaveR]

You were complaining about the train service from Llandudno a few weeks ago! 

I..was..not!  Are you sure that was me?  Might have been talking about the Station itself? Being fair, many North Wales stations have received substantial makeovers in recent years, something that would never have happened in 1970s BR days. Still a lot to do, mind.