THE hard-working, long-suffering villagers of Dinas Powys must not be held to ransom in order to be given a safer junction to replace the decayed Cross Common road bridge which serves the south of the village.
When I was offered a choice between a wider bridge or a new junction back in 2001 I assumed that it would be built in a year or maybe two but no, I have learned that the Vale of Glamorgan Council in Barry are reluctant to serve areas like ours where the two largest political groups in the UK are consistently overlooked in local elections. The Labour party does not even put up candidates for local elections anymore.
The same applies when I campaign for a safe cycle/walkway to enable our children to cycle/walk, in and out of our village, but there is never enough money for our needs, instead I see cycleways created elsewhere with little cost/benefit results and meanwhile a hard-working young mother loses her life walking back to Barry from her job caring for the elderly in Dinas Powys.
We in this village are being told to accept 50 houses which we do not need, on land which is susceptible to flooding, creating more traffic, more pollution, more sewerage which could well be dumped in the severn estuary at Barry, because the treatment works is at or near capacity, all this in order to replace a dangerous, narrow bridge which would have been replaced decades ago if it were in Barry.
Whether it is a new bridge, a safe pathway, a sports facility or a couple of quid on our birthday, there is never enough money for Dinas Powys.
Soon we will see 33 acres of our precious green wedge land being offered to developers, when it should remain as green fields for residents and pony-club members to continue to enjoy but the Vale needs money to spend in places like Barry where there is always enough money for fancy street furniture or the odd bridge or two. Elsewhere communities are taking control of their own assets.
We demand the same rights for Dinas Powys! Democracy isn’t working for us and it must change!
Cllr Christopher Williams
Independent Member
Dinas Powys Ward
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