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

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 the Senior 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 from 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 this decision 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