Kevin Madge, leader of Carmarthenshire County Council, has blown his top at MP Jonathan Edwards and AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas for persuading the Welsh Government to call in plans for two large new Sainsbury's supermarkets in the market town of Llandeilo and at Cross Hands.
The story was reported on the Golwg360 Welsh news service (here), but for a less balanced view, the council's Press Office has given it the full North Korean treatment with an unbelievably biased and slanted account. The opening sentence is enough to give readers a flavour of the piece:
"Plaid Cymru’s AM and MP are trying to stop a £60million investment with the creation of around 1,200 jobs in the Tywi and Gwendraeth Valleys, it has been revealed".
A Sainsbury's spokesman claims further down in this Pravda special that local people and politicians had been "overwhelmingly supportive" of the plans.
That will certainly come as news to many people in Llandeilo.
The story was reported on the Golwg360 Welsh news service (here), but for a less balanced view, the council's Press Office has given it the full North Korean treatment with an unbelievably biased and slanted account. The opening sentence is enough to give readers a flavour of the piece:
"Plaid Cymru’s AM and MP are trying to stop a £60million investment with the creation of around 1,200 jobs in the Tywi and Gwendraeth Valleys, it has been revealed".
A Sainsbury's spokesman claims further down in this Pravda special that local people and politicians had been "overwhelmingly supportive" of the plans.
That will certainly come as news to many people in Llandeilo.
Their action was "inconceivable and inexcusable", Kev fumed, claiming that by persuading the Welsh Government to take a closer look at the plans, they were undermining the two developments which would create hundreds of construction jobs and include new housing, a doctor's surgery, a care home and the new Maes yr Yrfa Welsh medium school. All this was now at risk, he said.
If you have never tried to get a planning application called in before, it may be helpful to know that the Government applies strict criteria before it takes any application out of the hands of a council. When it does so, it is usually because there is something seriously wrong with the way an application has been handled by a council and it runs counter to national planning rules. Other reasons include a threat to national security, but that can probably be ruled out here.
In other words, the Welsh Government has convinced itself that there is very good reason to take a closer look.
Perhaps Kev should be directing his fire at Cardiff instead.
It will be interesting to see just how he has reached the conclusion that calling in planning applications for two supermarkets would put plans for the new school, etc. in jeopardy.
A large chunk of the funding for the school is coming from the Welsh Government, with the County Council providing the rest under its Modernising Education Programme.
Update
Jonathan Edwards MP and Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM have responded, accusing the council of wasting taxpayers' money on carrying out political attacks.
This is by no means the first time that the Press Office, with its 8 staff, has been used to smear opponents.
They added that Kevin Madge's comments in a joint declaration with the developer clearly showed that some of the Labour and Independent councillors were in the pockets of big business.
See BBC Cymru story here.
Update
Jonathan Edwards MP and Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM have responded, accusing the council of wasting taxpayers' money on carrying out political attacks.
This is by no means the first time that the Press Office, with its 8 staff, has been used to smear opponents.
They added that Kevin Madge's comments in a joint declaration with the developer clearly showed that some of the Labour and Independent councillors were in the pockets of big business.
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