Controversy in Pontypridd

“Controversy continues regarding the £10.5million regeneration scheme for Pontypridd. A series of Freedom of Information requests by RCT Welsh Liberal Democrats have uncovered that the Council has no idea of how many new businesses have set up in the area over the last twelve months. With the Labour Cabinet recently launching an economic development strategy which is supposedly going to drive forward the economy agenda and bring new businesses and jobs to RCT, it is unbelievable that the council does not hold any information on the formation of new businesses. Just how are they going to measure the success of their strategy?”

You can read the full article by Eluned Parrott, AM here.

 

 

Education isn’t a political football.

This article has appeared on BBC Wales News today – University Applicants in Wales down 9.3%.

Image via Wikipedia

“Figures from university admission service UCAS show applications to higher education institutions in Wales are down on the previous year as the deadline approaches.”

However the article does say that there has been a late surge in applications during November and December, and that the majority of applications to Welsh institutions are from English students. So the news headlines include the same vague, scaremongering messages that the Labour Party used following the Government’s decision to raise tuition fees.

Which – no – I don’t totally agree with. The change in the policy however did include a change in the repayment system, which is far fairer now than it ever was under a Labour government.

If applications from English students have not suffered the same drop that applications from Welsh students has, surely the change in tuition fee policy can’t be to blame? It puts a hole straight through the rhetoric. The Welsh Government are subsidising fees meaning that applications from Welsh students should be at the same level, or even increased, if we follow the mentality that a hike in tuition fees is damaging to HE.

Surely this shows a failure on the Welsh Government’s behalf to push through the policy of their subsidising of Welsh students’ fees? Perhaps Leighton should go back to the drawing board. It also puts a hole straight through the rhetoric that the increase in tuition fees is damaging to HE and deters students from furthering their education – it’s the misguided rhetoric over tuition fees that is damaging to HE.

Education isn’t a political football, but didn’t stop the misleading messages peddled by politicians and the media.

 

A new year – time to take stock: What Opinion Polls teach us from being in Government and what it says we should do in 2012

Really interesting looking at what caused what in the opinion polls. Really worth a read!

 

“The upward poll ratings are more interesting. January 2011 to March 2011 saw the largest improvement in poll rating since we have been in Government yet this was perhaps the period where the leadership was least in control. “

A new year – time to take stock: What Opinion Polls teach us from being in Government and what it says we should do in 2012.

2011 Blog Review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,300 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 55 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Boundary Commission proposals will see Labour ‘lose out’.

Seems that Labour, despite their apparent support for electoral reform and better democracy (yet failed to spend anything substantial on the AV Referendum in May) are complaining that Labour will be the worst hit because of  ”Westminster Government’s plans” to alter

Image via Wikipedia

constituency boundaries following the Boundary Commission‘s proposals.

Despite the fact that the Boundary Commission is a statutory committee for the Electoral Commission, which is an independent body, Labour are under the impression – or so Cardiff West Labour MP Kevin Brennan seems to be - that the proposals are attempts made by the Conservatives to secure an advantage for the party at the next election.  He also seems to think that Labour is still the party of the working class. But that’s another discussion.

However, I do agree that changing the law to remove penalties on people who do not register to vote would keep many people off the Electoral Register. But again, this argument by Labour is nothing more than a self-serving, selfish approach. Kevin Brennan even said himself;

“Most of the people who won’t register to vote will be poor people, who would be more likely to vote Labour.”

They also seem to be under the misguided impression that changing boundaries will change support. A Labour spokesperson claims that the Liberal Democrats could be wiped out in Wales;

“reconfigured constituencies [...] will be merged with neighbouring constituencies in one way or another [...] Whichever direction they go, there will be fewer Lib Dem supporters.”

They also seem to think that Plaid Cymru will be left with only one seat.

So why are Labour who were clearly elected by the people of Wales (or so they think) in the last Welsh Election worried about losing a few seats? (May be the minority government bit of it). Their argument isn’t concern for those who will not be registered to vote, or even encouragement for the proposals to equalise the number of voters in constituencies across the UK, this is Labour looking after their own.

Wales Online. 

 

In Praise of the Independent: Finding strengths in Nick Clegg

In Praise of the Independent: Finding strengths in Nick Clegg.

What would Clegg say if he wasn’t in Government? Lib Dems have lost their most effective voice

What would Clegg say if he wasn’t in Government? Lib Dems have lost their most effective voice.

Letter: RCT’s Education Record.

I was appalled to read about how schools in RCT have been banded in the Welsh Government’s new branding system. Only two schools were placed in Band 1, and three schools were placed in Band 5. Futhermore, the GCSE attainment of schools in RCT is, generally, very low. In Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg, only 57% of children achieve 5 A* – C GCSEs – acceptable GCSEs. Even one of the only two schools that achieved Band 1, Aberdare Girls’ School, had a GCSE attainment of only 38%.

What’s even worse is the fact that this pattern exists right across Wales – yet the Government has its head buried deep in the sand. Whilst the Welsh Liberal Democrats are trying to improve educational attainment for the poorest in Wales, the Government publishes league tables in the hope that things will correct themselves.

It’s time RCT Labour and the Welsh Government took their heads out of the sand and took a good look at the big picture.

Rhys Taylor

RCT and Education. Best kept separated.

The issue of education and RCT is beginning to be a bit repetitive now. Having blogged about the farce Labour led RCT Council made over the restructuring of post-16 education in the county borough not so long ago, the Government’s new ‘banding system’ only highlights the failings of RCT on education.

Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC doesn’t seem to do all too well when it comes to education. It seems now, however, that we aren’t alone! Unfortunately.

The Welsh Government have now placed all secondary schools in Wales in a banding system of 1 to 5. The banding takes into account the assessment of the schools for the 2010-2011 academic year. All assessments followed the same criteria which was based on four broad categories;

• The percentage of pupils achieving five A* to Cs at GCSE including English or Welsh and mathematics

• The best eight GCSEs of pupils

• The performance of pupils at GCSE in English or Welsh and mathematics

• Attendance

The issue that has arisen from this ‘exercise’ has shown that less than a quarter of Welsh Secondary Schools have no schools in the top band of a system which is designed to identify the best and worst schools.  The Government and Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, deny that the banding system “names and shames schools” – but that is exactly what it is. Unless there is sufficient support for those schools at the bottom of the banding system, it serves little or no purpose.

A little closer to home, Rhondda Cynon Taf’s branding is nothing short of appalling. Only 2 RCT schools was placed in Band 1, whilst 3 schools were placed in  Band 2; 2 schools in Band 3; 9 in Band 4; 3 at Band 5. Of the three schools which only achieved lowest band, RCT’s centre for life-long learning, Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg – a topic which causes must discomfort for RCT Council – achieved a mere Band 5, with only 57% of children achieving 5 A* – C GCSEs.

What’s more worrying, however, is the fact that only 5 schools out of a total of 24 secondary schools, achieved the top bands. Even Aberdare Girls’ School, one of the two schools to achieve a Band 1, the number of children receiving 5 A* – C GCSEs was a mere 38%.

Whilst the Welsh Government’s Education Minister targets Welsh Universities and sends Education bodies post-card tuition fee policies, and attacks Wales’ examination body, Wales’ education attainment suffers. Leighton Andrews needs to stop pretending that everything is fine on the education front, and address the issues at the heart of the education system, which this banding system unfortunately will not do.