SOMERTON 'TARDIS' SAVED BY FUNDING

It may not look like much, but the crumbling former Police Box in Somerton is much loved by the locals, who say it has fallen into disrepair due to lack of money to repair it's damaged concrete walls.

Help is now at hand for what's known locally as 'The Tardis' thanks for a £10,500 Cadw grant to contribute towards it's 'regeneration'.

The RASCAL centre in Somerton have been trying to raise money to repair the building and have recieved the boost as part of a dozen other conservation projects sharing £410,000 in Welsh assembly cash.

Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones, said: "The range of buildings from this famous telephone box to a school and stables shows the rich variety of heritage sites we have in Wales and the range of sites that Cadw helps preserve.

The old police box is currently fenced off for safety reasons."These grant offers will ensure these important buildings are restored and maintained for the enjoyment of future generations."

Deborah Clark of the Regeneration Association Somerton Community at Large (Rascal), who made the application for the grant, said: "We're delighted to receive this money which will help restore and maintain this very popular local landmark.

"Everyone from this community loves this telephone box as do many people from further afield and we will now be able to ensure future generations can enjoy it too."



Paul Heaney

CITY COUNCIL FAILS IN LEGAL CHALLENGE OVER RECYCLING

Newport City Council has failed in its legal challenge over a Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) decision to revise landfill allowances downwards.

Newport claims this could cost it thousands of pounds in fines. According to letsrecycle.com the legal ruling means that, from 2010/11, Newport will have to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste it sends to landfill by around 1,600 tonnes a year more than it has in previous years.

Newport claimed that it is being "penalised" for being one of three councils in Wales to have "genuinely" reduced its waste arisings, and stressed that it had focused its recycling and reduction efforts on reaching the initially calculated figures.

CAMERAS TO PATROL ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY WARDS

A £300,000 CCTV pilot to tackle violent and aggressive behaviour towards NHS workers is being launched today (15 December) by the Welsh Assembly Government.

The one-year scheme will see CCTV cameras installed in four accident and emergency departments across Wales including the Royal Gwent in Newport and five ambulances in Cardiff. I

mages from the cameras will be used to help prosecute people who are violent and aggressive towards NHS staff. This pilot is one of 54 measures contained in a report commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government earlier in the year to crack down on violence and aggression against health-care workers.

The Assembly Government’s health minister, Edwina Hart, said:

“It is unacceptable that NHS staff face wilful violence and aggression while going about their day-to-day duties caring for patients. The introduction of CCTV cameras will help provide more evidence to support prosecutions and act as a deterrent, making people think twice before abusing staff.”

NEWPORT AM SAYS PLAID JOB BAN WAS ‘THE LAST STRAW’

Mohammad Asghar, the Assembly member for South East Wales who sensationally quit Plaid for the conservatives last week, has told Newport City Radio that Plaid's refusal to let him employ his daughter was the ‘last straw’.

In an interview broadcast last night on the weekly news show ‘SPIN’, the only ethnic minority AM in the assembly voiced his discontent with Plaid over a u-turn in the decision to let him give his daughter a job as an assistant.

He said his daughter Natasha was selected by an independent panel and had also offered to work for free, but Plaid Leader Ieuan Wyn Jones refused to let him employ his daughter.

Mr Asghar says there were numerous occasions where he felt Plaid's actions as a party were significantly different to his own views.

When asked about whether he would be looking to employ his daughter in the future under the conservative's, Mr Asghar said "If she's good enough... she can contribute to the community and the party at the same time".

Natasha has also worked for Plaid in the past, standing for the Blaenau Gwent region party in the 2007 assembly election.

After the announcement on Tuesday the former Plaid AM known as ‘Oscar’ said he felt ‘out of tune’ with plaids policies on a number of issues, but chose not to dwell on the employment of his daughter until now.

The switch of allegiance is significant because the seat held by Mr Asghar is ‘closed’, a seat where votes are cast for political parties rather than individuals. There is no legal requirement at the moment in the assembly that an AM must stand down under these unusual and perhaps unprecedented circumstances. An independent panel chaired by Sir Roger Jones some months ago recommended that AMs should not recruit members of their own families to work for them in future.

Welsh Conservative leader Nick Bourne said the newest member of his party was a man who ‘commands respect within the assembly and the communities of South East Wales’.

Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones was shocked at the sudden nature of the announcement and that the party regretted his decision to be the only AM ever to cross the floor of the assembly since its creation in 1999.

Mr Ashgar was elected as the Plaid candidate for South Wales East in 2007.

Hear the piece in full here.

UPDATE: Featured on Betsan's Blog, and in the Western Mail

NEWPORT BASED AM HITS BACK AT CRITICS

Mohammad Asghar, the Assembly member for South East Wales who sensationally quit Plaid for the conservatives last week has told Newport City Radio that Plaid's refusal to let him employ his daughter was the last straw.

Mr Ashgar says there were numerous occasions where he felt Plaid's actions as a party were significantly different to his own views.

Speaking on SPIN last night, the only ethnic minority AM in the assembly says it was 'the last straw' when, after selection by an independent panel and offering to work for free, Plaid Leader Ieuan Wyn Jones refused to let him employ his daughter as his assistant.

When asked about whether he would be looking to employ his daughter in the future under the conservative's, Mr Asghar said "If she's good enough... she can contribute to the community and the party at the same time".

NEW WELSH LABOUR LEADER PLOTS ELECTION PLAN

New Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones was in Newport today to plot the party's plan for next year's general election campaign.Welsh Secretary Peter Hain and First Minister Rhodri Morgan also took part in the Welsh Labour election planning event in Newport.

It aimed to help Labour activists from across Wales prepare for an expected general election in spring next year. The theme of the day was what Wales would be like under the Conservatives.

Carwyn Jones AM was announced as the winner of the election for the new Leader of Welsh Labour earlier this week. The Bridgend AM polled 51.9751% of the votes in the first round of counting in Welsh Labour's electoral college.

SUPPORT FOR CITY CREDIT UNION

Newport Credit Union has been given £36,000 by the Welsh Assembly to help with internal renovations and the purchase of IT and office equipment as part of a £40,000 refurbishment project.

The new funding has been welcomed by Newport West AM Rosemary Butler.

She said: "Many people are still finding it difficult to borrow money from High Street banks, and anything which the Welsh Assembly can do to ease the situation is very welcome. I'm urging residents of Newport West to join their local credit union and take advantage of the facilities which are on offer."