Benefits of City Deal are for all to see
THERE’S been plenty in the press over the past week about the Swansea Bay City Deal, and in particular the Life Science and Wellbeing Village planned for Llanelli.
Despite all the headlines, it’s business as usual here for us in Carmarthenshire as we plough on with our proposed development and celebrate the success of Canolfan S4C at Yr Egin in Carmarthen which is open and flourishing.
At the beginning of last week we, as an executive board, approved in principle the detailed business case for the village at Delta Lakes which is expected to create close to 2,000 jobs and give the local economy a £467 million boost, but – in the interests of transparency – we have asked for an independent review of the project to provide people with the reassurance they have asked for.
In the meantime, preparatory work is already under way at the site and the planning application has been submitted.
At the end of last week, we announced that we have terminated a collaboration agreement that was in place to help us draw up a development agreement, but that does not stop us moving forward.
So, while some things have changed, what hasn’t is our absolute commitment to delivering this scheme and the thousands of skilled jobs that it will bring.
Just as has happened already in Carmarthen, the City Deal will bring huge benefits to the people of Carmarthenshire and I will do everything in my power to make it happen. A REGULAR reader came up to me last week and asked: “Do you really get annoyed about so many things . . . or do you just pretend?”
My response? “Kindly pass me that towel and get out of my bathroom!”
I had new door locks fitted the next day.
The truth is I do get annoyed by many things.
Like . . .
■ Christmas songs being played in shops well before Remembrance Sunday;
■ Christmas songs played in shops well Remembrance Sunday;
Recently I heard a BBC Radio Wales traffic presenter announce: “There is some issues on the Heads Of The Valleys Road!”
My quickfire response was worthy of Oscar Wilde – “Yeah, and that’s not the only thing there is issues with!”
You think Craig Revel Horwood is catty?
He’s an amateur compared to me!
I must be one of those oversensitive people whose hackles are easily raised.
As a matter of fact, my family’s raised hackles since the 18th Century, always releasing them into the wild when they’re old enough to fend for themselves.
Now that we’re well into winter, my perennial pet peeve has starting to appear once again – grown men wearing shorts in being after bitterly cold weather, striding around as if they’re in the Australian outback. They might think they’re tough as leather, but in fact they’re daft as a brush.
Why? Because, as their bare, pasty legs are attacked by icy winds, hail and snow, they wear woolly hats to keep their heads warm!
Does that make any sense whatsoever? I overheard one young man justify his lack of long legwear in December by boasting: “I’ve come straight from football training!”
If he hadn’t been twice my size, I would have asked, “Fine. But why did you leave your trousers in the changing room?”
As for bandy, beer-bellied men over 50 wearing crumpled shorts at any time of year, I’m meeting the Lord Chief Justice soon to discuss having it made a capital offence . . .