Rip off Service Charges

grangetownlab — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:11:48 +0000

We will be holding meetings with Labour Housing Minster Huw
Lewis next month to discuss unfair service charge issues faced by constituentsin Grangetown, a recent meeting was held and attended by Labour Assembly Member Vaughan Gething. We will keep you updated

The future of Channel View Centre

grangetownlab — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:11:04 +0000

The Labour team have been developing a business plan to
ensure the future of the Channel View through the development of an IntegratedChildren’s facility. The first youth club of this plan will be opening in the centre early 2012.

Rising Crime Reported in Grangetown

grangetownlab — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:09:41 +0000

The Labour Team called a meeting in November between
residents, the police and our Labour Assembly member Vaughan Gething. This wasto deal with increased reports of problems in the area. As a result of this, and with the help of our Labour MP Alun Michael, the Labour Team is currently applying for CCTV installations in the area and we will also be pledging to complete the well over due alley gating consultations that Lib Dems have failed to deliver.

Ice Rink & Sports Village

grangetownlab — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:07:38 +0000

The Labour Team met Cardiff Devils ownership team a number of times to discuss the ice rink and issues around the sports village. We have been working with the wider Labour Team to secure a future for the sports village and also planning a community strategy with the devils for Grangetown. We will have more news on this during the New Year.

Discussions with Cardiff Bus Continue

grangetownlab — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:05:28 +0000

Cardiff Bus has reduced Bus Services in Grangetown due to delays they were facing in the city centre as a result of the infratsutcrure problems. This has caused much hardship for residents particularly in the Windsor Quay and Channel View Area of Grangetown. Current Lib Dem councillors also failed to hold consultations due to these changes. The Labour Team held another round of discussions with Cardiff Bus and we expect to hear back form them within 3 weeks.

Grangetown Nursery School Fight For Survival Raised in First Minister Questions By Labour AM

grangetownlab — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:20:29 +0000

The fight to save Grangetown & Tremorfa Nursery Schools was raised at today’s First Minister’s questions by Local Assembly Member Vaughan Gething. Mr Gething welcomed the First Minister’s statement on safeguarding and improving nursery provision in Wales. In response to a question raised by Mr Gething today in the Chamber, the First Minister reaffirmed that in any proposal to reorganise nursery education the impact on the standard of education will be of paramount importance.

Vaughan Gething said: “This is a very welcome and important restatement by the First Minister that the quality of children’s education must be the overriding consideration when deciding how to organise nursery education. It makes it even clearer than ever before that Cardiff Council must look again at their crazy proposal to close the 2 outstanding nursery schools in Tremorfa and Grangetown.

No part of Cardiff Council’s consultation proposal sets out how the standard of nursery education would be maintained or improved by removing the governing bodies of 2 outstanding schools and raising huge unanswered questions over the future staffing and resourcing for any remaining provision.

I will make no apology for being unashamedly on the side of children and parents to maintain the excellent
provision that already exists.”

Warm Welcome on Diwali

grangetownlab — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:00:35 +0000

I would like to thank the Shree Swaminaraya Temple in Grangetown for the warm welcome received at the Diwali celebration last week. The atmosphere and mood along with the stage performances were fantastic and it was great to see the youth rewarded for examination results and achievements. It was also great to see the wider community enjoying the occasion and learning more about the meaning of the Diwali celebrations. I am sure there would be support for looking at ways the City could do more to celebrate occasions such as this.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/letters-to-the-editor/south-wales-echo-letters/2011/11/04/will-the-changes-to-disability-benefits-turn-out-to-be-just-a-cost-cutting-exercise-91466-29714712/

Council Prioritise Alley Gating in the Grangetown Ward

grangetownlab — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:38:23 +0000

The Labour Team have been issuing petitions and letters to Cardiff Council regarding the completition of alley gating in Grangetown. We have today been informed that the ward has now been proritised and subject to resident support they are hopeful that all lanes will be alley gated over the next 12 – 15 months. ( please see att – double click image to expand )

Lib Dem & Plaid run council should tune in to the community

grangetownlab — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:02:30 +0000

WE are appalled at the way Cardiff’s Liberal Democrat and Plaid Cymru-led coalition council is apparently attempting to hide a cut of £56,000 from Grangetown’s education budget (“Outstanding Nursery Facing Closure”, Echo, October 25).

They are also insulting the community of Grangetown by stating: “The nursery will preserve the excellent services already delivered and further develop the range of integrated services available to families.”

If the council succeeds with this closure, the governing body, a vital part of the nursery leadership that has helped the nursery receive excellent Estyn reports in a deprived area, will be deleted and, as demands for nursery places increase, £56,000 will be cut.

We believe Freda Salway has made one flying visit to this nursery and otherwise made no appearance during the consultation phase to answer questions from hundreds of concerned parents.

The council has no authority to make the above statement and needs to tune in to the community and offer real consultation.

Ashley Govier, Lynda Thorne and Chris Lomax

Labour council candidates 2012, Grangetown

Outstanding’ nursery schools face closure

grangetownlab — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:58:36 +0000

‘Outstanding’ nursery schools face closure

PLANS to close two outstanding-rated nurseries in deprived areas of Cardiff have been attacked as “fraught with danger without a single educational benefit”.

Cardiff South and Penarth AM Vaughan Gething (pictured) said the plans to close Grangetown and Tremorfa nurseries and amalgamate them with Grangetown Primary and Baden Powell schools were “shamefully disrespectful”.

Consultation closed yesterday on the proposals, which it is estimated would save around £56,000.

Both nurseries received the highest possible grade in their latest Estyn inspections.

Mr Gething said: “Cardiff council has failed to provide any satisfactory explanation as to why it wants to close two outstanding nursery schools.

“The achievement of both of these schools is underlined by the fact that they serve some of the most deprived areas of Cardiff.

“The only concrete basis for closure is to save £56,000.

“If the council get their way then the governing bodies for these successful schools will be abolished.

“The council could not explain to parents how their plan would improve children’s education. Their inability to answer questions from concerned parents was shamefully disrespectful.

“The council could not say that it had assessed the educational risks to either of the successful nurseries or the two primary schools.”

He added: “This simply would not happen in [council leader] Rodney Berman’s ward and it must not happen here.”

Fran Jackson, whose two children have attended Grangetown Nursery, said: “Grangetown Nursery is a fantastic school and the Esytn inspections reflect that.

“The staff are fantastic. We are worried that by amalgamating it with Grangetown Primary we will lose the fantastic leadership shown by the staff at the nursery and the education simply won’t remain as good as it is now.

“We have asked the council why they are doing this, but aside from saving cash they can’t give us any answers.”

Ms Jackson and other parents have started a website, www.savegrangetownnursery.org, to campaign against the closures.

A spokeswoman for Cardiff council defended the proposals, saying they would “both preserve the excellent services already delivered from the respective nursery schools and further develop the range of integrated services available to families”.

She said: “The proposals would also see the last remaining nursery schools amalgamated with existing primary schools, contributing to meeting the aim of creating all-through primary schools, catering for the age range 3-11, wherever possible.”

She added a number of meetings had been held for people to ask questions.

“Views expressed during the consultation have been recorded and will be summarised and considered by the executive as part of the decision-making process,” she said.