AS PART of my campaign for the election in May, I’ve spoken to residents living in Penarth who have expressed their concerns to me.

Some express their concern about the poorly managed policy for residents’ parking areas, the recent exorbitant increase in council tax and the disgusting piles of rubbish gathering on street corners.

There is also dog mess everywhere, the poor state of roads and pavements, lack of lamp posts, unnecessary tree felling, lack of policing and cars speeding in the area.

The most prominent concern among residents living here is the proposed plan to demolish St Paul’s Church Community Centre. This building has been abandoned and ignored for many years by the council.

It needs to be renovated, protected and should not be demolished. It is an important piece of Penarth’s architectural heritage.

As a result, I’ve launched an online petition to save this building. View the petition online at thepetitionsite.com/598/595/120/save-st-pauls-church-from-demolition

The residents parking policy on Ludlow Street allows shoppers to park their car in front of a house for an hour. Many residents living on this street want a full residents’ permit as operated on Plassey Street.

However, residents on Plassey Street are tired of having people parking there illegally despite paying for a full residents’ permit. This is due to a lack of action from the Labour-led Vale of Glamorgan Council to provide adequate policing in the area.

Residents have told me that more lamp posts are needed. I recently spoke to a journalist about the advantage of installing LED street lights due to their energy efficiency and their long-term cost effectiveness.

They are also less intrusive than the sodium light bulbs. However, I believe strongly that these should only be used when installing new lamp posts and not to replace the traditional lamp posts.

I look forward to continue campaigning for the town.

Aled Thomas

Plaid Cymru Penarth vice chairman