Cardiff Post Article July 2009

Every year Parliament and the National Assembly have a long summer break, but the Council is not the same.  Apart from not having a full Council Meeting in August many of the other committees, such as planning, meet as usual. I always find that the summer months are the busiest and this year is no exception, from a PACT meeting, to a ward surgery, to planning issues and other meetings with residents.  I would say at least 80% of my caseload is via email and it does allow people to work at all times, and keep in touch with residents with updates and bulletins electronically.

Last week I attended a briefing by the Boundary Commission for Wales which will review local Government boundaries for the 2012 Council elections across Wales. They presented a range of information including how many wards are in each Council area and how many residents each Councillor represents. In Cardiff each of the 75 Councillors represents, on average, 3,316 electors whilst the next largest Council (Swansea with 72 Councillors) has 2,574 electors per elected Local Member. The majority of Councils in Wales have between 1,000 and 2,000 electors per Councillor, but the Boundary Commission have also given an indication that 75 Councillors is the maximum they prefer so it will be interesting to see if they alter the number of Cardiff Councillors up or down or alter the number Councillors representing a particular ward.  For more information about the consultation process, please contact me.

Several residents from across the City have been in touch, wanting to learn more about becoming an Independent Councillor, and I feel confident that at the next election, we will see more Independent Candidates fighting seats.  The political masters in Westminster and CardiffBay often give instructions to their Councillors about party political issues, but this is not a problem that Independents need to worry about.  Whereas as Independents we consult on issues and represent all views, Councillors who belong to political parties often have to tow the party line.

I am delighted to advise readers that after a long campaign all legally recognised groupson Cardiff Council will now be laying a wreath on Remembrance Sunday. Previously, it was only groups made up of the political parties on the Council which were allowed to do this.  I am very grateful for the support from both the Labour and Conservative Groups who supported the inclusion of the Independent Group.

I share a website with my two fellow Independent Councillors – http://www.rhiwbinaward.com/.  If readers have any views on improving the website, please let me know via my contact details below. 

I have my next ward surgery, along with my two colleagues Adrian Robson and Brian Jones on Tuesday 11^th August, between 5.30pm – 7pm at All Saints Church, Heol y Felin.  Immediately after our surgery will be a PACT Meeting, where we encourage residents to attend.

I can be contacted on telephone 029 2062 7757, fax 029 2087 7005, mobile 079 7001 3332, E-Mail jcowan@cardiff.gov.uk or log on to http://www.rhiwbinaward.com/. Residents can also view the full Council meetings online at www.cardiff.gov.ouk/webcasting