Ellen Ap Gwynne Council Leader Refuses to reply regarding Ceredigion Council responsibilities on Trawscymru bus services in West Wales

Reply-To: john.mct@

Copies Welsh MPs,Welsh Assembly Members, Ceredigion Council Members, Powys Council members, Gwynedd Council members, Carmarthenshire Council members, Aberystwyth Town Council members

Dear Ellen Ap Gwynne ,

Thank you for your letter of 30/05/2018 in reply to my letter of 20/05/2018.

Your advice to write to Ken Skates is inappropriate, as my letter to you covered the actions of a Ceredigion County Councillor and Ceredigion County Council officials.

I would be grateful therefore if you could read my letter of 20/05/2018 and provide an answer.

I do appreciate that Trawscymru long distance bus services in Ceredigion are the responsibility of Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economic Development and Transport . Unfortunately Ken Skates takes his responsibility for Trawscymru long distance bus services in Ceredigion lightly, as you are no doubt aware of because of the lack of connectivity on the strategic T2/T1 Bangor to Carmarthen route through Aberystwyth and the fact that a review of a T3 route from Aberystwyth to Wrexham commissioned in a letter on 14/11/2018 from Ken Skates to Alun Williams, Ceredigion Councillor responsible for Transport, has not been carried out.

However Ceredigion Council share responsibility for Trawscymru long distance bus services in Ceredigion.   Ceredigion Council manage 2 Trawscymru contracts, are partners to other contracts, and represent, (on Trawscymru Service Delivery Groups),  the interests of passengers travelling to, from and through Aberystwyth and residents of Ceredigion.    Unfortunately Ceredigion Council officials also treat their responsibility to represent passengers and Ceredigion residents lightly.

Ceredigion Council officials have said they are not partners to the T2 contract when they are partners to the T2 contract,  in order to avoid responsibility for decisions that were detrimental to Trawscymru services through Aberystwyth.    Ceredigion Council officials, despite their membership of Trawscymru Service Delivery Groups, have refused to pursue new and better Trawscymru services for Trawscymru passengers and Ceredigion residents .  Ceredigion Council are silent partners to Trawscymru contracts  and silent  members of Trawscymru Service Delivery Groups.   Ceredigion Council have been obstructive and evasive in response to questions regarding their involvement in decisions on Trawscymru services.

The responsibility of Ceredigion Council to represent passengers and Ceredigion residents travelling through and to Aberystwyth was the subject of my letter to the Ceredigion Council Leader

You advised me to write to Ken Skates, which leaves me wondering whether you even read my letter.for the following reasons :-

(1) The response of the Council Leader indicates a total lack of interest in Trawscymru long distance bus services in Ceredigion and lack of interest in the responsibility of Ceredigion Council to ensure the best services are  available in Ceredigion and West Wales  .

(2) The letter to the Council Leader was in relation to Ceredigion Council involvement in decisions taken regarding Trawscymru services in West Wales.

(3) There was no part of the letter that could be answered by Ken Skates.

(4) The letter covered subjects which only related to Ceredigion Council such as :-

(a) Downgrading of requests for Information to be dealt with as enquiries under the Ceredigion Council’s Customer Charter

(b) Refusal to admit that Ceredigion Council are partners in the Trawscymru T2 contract

(c) Refusal by Ceredigion Council to release 2 emails regarding the T2 timetable changes of January 2018.

(d)  Refusal by Ceredigion Council to provide a copy of the original letter from Councillor Alun Williams to Ken Skates on the subject of T2/T1 connectivity in          Aberystwyth and a T3 route from Wrexham to Aberystwyth.

(e)  Deliberate misinterpretation by Ceredigion Council of a question in order to avoid providing a copy of the reply from Alun Williams, Councillor for Transport , to the letter he received written by Ken Skates on 14/11/2017 which “commissioned” a “high level” review of a Trawscymru Wrexham to Aberystwyth route.

(f) Refusal by Ceredigion Council to provide a copy of emails between 14/11/2017 and 21/03/2018 on a Trawscymru Wrexham to Aberystwyth route

(5) The letter also asked the Council Leader to take some action with the following request:-

”I WOULD THEREFORE ASK THAT, AS LEADER OF THE COUNCIL, YOU EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC WHY CEREDIGION COUNCIL REFUSE TO COMPLAIN REGARDING LACK OF T2/T1 CONNECTIVITY IN ABERYSTWYTH AND REFUSE TO PURSUE A TRAWSCYMRU ROUTE FROM ABERYSTWYTH TO WREXHAM.   I WOULD ALSO BE GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD ASK CEREDIGION COUNCIL EMPLOYEES TO  REPLY TO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS UNDER THE FOIA ACT AND NOT UNDER YOUR CUSTOMER CHARTER.””

Clearly Ken Skates could provide no answers to the above issues, but the Leader of Ceredigion Council could.

Kind Regards

John Mctighe

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Original message

Subject : Re: Ceredigion Council refusal to support restoration of T2/T1 connectivity in Aberystwyth and a Trawscymru Aberystwyth to Wrexham route

Dear Dr McTighe,

Thank you for your email regarding the Trawscymru long distance bus services in Ceredigion. As this service is part of a strategic bus route and is the responsibility of Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economic Development and Transport, I suggest that you refer this  matter to him directly.

Kind regards

Ellen ap Gwynn

Arweinydd / Leader Cyngor Sir Ceredigion Cynghorydd Sir / County Councillor Ward Ceulanamaesmawr

On 20 May 2018, at 22:24, L MCTIGHE <john.mct@> wrote:

Copies Welsh MPs,Welsh Assembly Members, Ceredigion Council Members, Powys Council members, Gwynedd Council members, Carmarthenshire Council members, Aberystwyth Town Council members

Dear Ellen Ap Gwynn,

I write to you in respect of Trawscymru long distance bus services in Ceredigion and in particular lack of connectivity in Aberystwyth on the T2/T1 (Bangor to Carmarthen) services and a recommended new route between Wrexham and Aberystwyth, both of which are beneficial for Ceredigion residents.    Instead of supporting the above, Ceredigion Council are obstructing any progress on the above 2 issues.

The T2/T1 route was the first Trawscymru route to be commissioned and had 15 minute connection times in Aberystwyth to reflect the length of the route (133 miles)  .  In 2013 an independent review by the Bevan Foundation, based on the views of stakeholders from the whole of Wales, recommended that a new T3 route should run from Wrexham to Aberystwyth and not to Barmouth.   This recommendation was ignored by the Welsh Government and a feasibility study on a Wrexham to Aberystwyth route was not carried out.  The T3 was introduced in 2014 from Wrexham to Barmouth and the 15 minute T2/T1 connection times in Aberystwyth were transferred to Dolgellau to allow the T2 services to wait for T3 services from Wrexham (48 mile route).  This led to severe disruption to connectivity on the T2/T1 route (133 miles) in Aberystwyth. The disruption to connectivity on the T2/T1 route was contrary the published Welsh Government Transport Strategy which contained a key action to improve reliability and journey times on this strategic route.

On 23/10/2017 I wrote to Alun Williams, Ceredigion Councillor for Transport, and asked him to write to Ken Skates, Welsh Government Minister for Transport on the subject of connectivity on the T2/T1 route and a new T3 route from Wrexham to Aberystwyth,   Alun Williams did this and on 17/11/2017  Alun Williams forwarded the reply from Ken Skates, written on 14/11/2017, in which Ken Skates  said that had commissioned a “high-level” review into a Wrexham to Aberystwyth route.  However, just as in 2013/2014, this “high-level” review into a  Wrexham to Aberystwyth route has not been carried out by the Welsh Government and, to the contrary, in January 2018,  extra T3 services were introduced between Wrexham and Barmouth .  The T2 timetable was also altered in January 2018 to improve connections of the T2 with the T3 from Wrexham by increasing the delay of T2 services in Dolgellau by 5 minutes to wait for T3 services from Wrexham.  The T2 timetable changes of January 2018 again created severe problems with connectivity on the T2/T1 route in Aberystwyth.  It has since become apparent that the Welsh Government have completely ignored reviewing a Wrexham to Aberystwyth route and are looking at 2 other routes Chirk to Bangor (via Wrexham to cross South Clwyd) and Wrexham to Newtown (but not to Aberystwyth).

Since 17/11/2017, Councillor Alun Williams has made no comments on  connectivity on the T2/T1 route and a recommended new route between Wrexham and Aberystwyth, despite information requests made directly to him and despite being made aware of the fact that the Wrexham to  Aberystwyth route was not being examined by the Welsh Government.

I have been told that T2/T1 connectivity in Aberystwyth is not the responsibility of Ceredigion Council and Ceredigion Council will not complain about lack of T2/T1 connectivity in Aberystwyth because  I am ”the only person to raise this issue””. This is despite the fact that the published Welsh Government Transport Strategy has a key action to improve journey times on the T2/T1 route and I made no contribution to the Welsh Government Transport Strategy document, although lots of other people throughout Wales did.   I have also been told on 21/03/2018 that Ceredigion Council will not pursue a Trawscymru T3 Wrexham to Aberystwyth service because  I am “”the only person to raise this issue””, which is a strange statement to make when it was the recommendation of an independent review encompassing the views of stakeholders across the whole of Wales.  I have also been refused access to documentation held by Ceredigion Council on  the T2 timetable changes of January 2018 and on the “high-level” review into a a Wrexham to Aberystwyth route.

I wish therefore to make you aware, as Leader of the Council, that my attempts to communicate with Ceredigion Council and its Councillor for Transport are apparently being blocked by Ceredigion Council employees.

The issues I am raising in Freedom of Information requests require the input and influence of Ceredigion Councillors.   If it is the Council policy to (1) improve connectivity of Trawscymru T2/T1 (Bangor to Carmarthen) services through Aberystwyth and (2) Obtain new Trawscymru T3 services between Wrexham and Aberystwyth, (which would be beneficial to students and residents in Ceredigion), then Ceredigion Councillors should provide their support , provide their input and use their influence with the Welsh Government .  If it is not the Council policy to work on the above 2 objectives then, as leader of the Council, I would ask that you examine whether the Council Policy is correct  The following are examples of obstructive actions by Ceredigion Council employees to avoid the release of information on existing and proposed new Trawscymru services .

(1) The downgrading of requests for Information to be dealt with as enquiries under the Council’s Customer Charter. (Used by both theSenior Business Support Officer and the Freedom of Information Officer).  My questions have nothing to do with services supplied to me as a customer of Ceredigion Council and relate to lack of actions and policies by Ceredigion Council .  Examples of such questions which are clearly not customer enquiries are :- (7) Could Ceredigion Council please state the reason that Ceredigion Council are refusing to pursue the option of a “”high level”” review to route the T3 from Wrexham to Aberystwyth instead of Barmouth, which was promised by the Minister for Transport, Ken Skates,  to Councillor Alun Williams  on 17/11/2017  and which was the recommendation of the Bevan Foundation Independent Review of Trawscymru. (10) Could Ceredigion Council please state who, within Ceredigion Council, made the decision to refuse to pursue the commissioned “”high level”” review  of the Wrexham to Aberystwyth route. (11) Could Ceredigion Council please state whether the refusal to pursue the commissioned ”high level” review  of the Wrexham to Aberystwyth route is a Council policy decision by Councillor Alun Williams  and/or Ceredigion Council or whether it is a decision that has been taken by a Council official Gerwyn Jones or Shan Witts? ).

(2) Following a Ceredigion Council reply, dealt with inappropriately under the Council’s Customer Charter, Ceredigion Council issued a document titled “Policy on Unacceptable Actions By Service Users” .   If  Ceredigion Council continue to treat Freedom of Information requests regarding Trawscymru services as enquiries under the Customer Charter and enforce this Policy document, this will highlight that Ceredigion Council are not interested in improving T2/T1 connectivity in Aberystwyth and are not interested in a new Trawscymru service between Wrexham and Aberystwyth.

(3) Refusal to admit that Ceredigion Council are partners in the Trawscymru T2 contract when both the manager of the T2 contract (Gwyned Council) and the other partner (Powys Council) say they are. The statement by Ceredigion Council that “”the changes to the T2 timetable (of January 2018) were not subject to Ceredigion Council agreement, when Gwyned Council who manage the T2 contract have said all the partners agreed to the changes.   These 2 statements by Ceredigion Council were then used by Ceredigion Council to justify refusing to complain to the Welsh Government regarding the T2 timetable changes of January 2018, which were detrimental in 4 instances to connectivity of T2/T1 services in Aberystwyth.

(4) Refusal by Ceredigion Council to release 2 emails regarding the T2 timetable changes of January 2018 on the basis that this “would be a breach of confidence”.  (We are talking about bus timetable changes that have been implemented 5 months ago and not sensitive matters or state secrets).

(5) Refusal by Ceredigion Council to provide a copy of the original letter (written at my request) by Councillor Alun Williams to Ken Skates on the subject of T2/T1 connectivity in Aberystwyth and a T3 route from Wrexham to Aberystwyth.

(6) Deliberate misinterpretation by Ceredigion Council of a question in order to avoid providing a copy of the reply from Alun Williams, Councillor for Transport , to the letter he received written by Ken Skates on 14/11/2017 which “commissioned” a “high level” review of a Trawscymru Wrexham to Aberystwyth route.

(7) Refusal by Ceredigion Council to provide a copy of emails between  14/11/2017 and 21/03/2018 on a Trawscymru Wrexham to Aberystwyth route, saying no such emails exist. (There appears to be only one document in existence on this subject and that is Ken Skates letter of 14/11/2017 which commissioned a  “high-level” review into a Wrexham to Aberystwyth route. There is no documentation on Councillor Alun Williams initial letter to Ken Skates or a reply rom Alun Williams following Ken Skates offer of a “high-level” review. The Ken Skates offer of 14/11/2017 arrived at Ceredigion Council without being requested.  It was decided by Ceredigion Council not to pursue the offer but there is no documentation on thisdecision by Ceredigion Council. The offer made by Ken Skates was not replied to and there was no recorded contact between either the Welsh Government or Ceredigion Council on the subject of a Trawscymru Wrexham to Aberystwyth route, which may explain why the Welsh Government have not carried out the “high-level” review.)

I would therefore ask that, as Leader of the Council, you explain to the public why Ceredigion Council refuse to complain regarding lack of T2/T1 connectivity in Aberystwyth and refuse to pursue a Trawscymru route from Aberystwyth to Wrexham.   I would also be grateful if you could ask Ceredigion Council employees to a) reply to Freedom of Information requests under the FOIA act and not under your Customer Charter as I am not a customer of Ceredigion Council in respect of Trawscymru bus services and b) be open in their responses and release information. (A recent article in the Cambrian News by the Ceredigion Head of Policy Support made exaggerated claims that the majority of requests received have been disclosed, but this is certainly not true of requests made to Ceredigion Council regarding Trawscymru bus services.

YOURS SINCERELY

Dr John McTighe