Reading Cllr Aled Davies Politically Speaking column in December 6th County Times, it is hardly surprising that Powys was judged a failing council in it’s delivery of Education, Children’s Social Services and Elderly Services under the Conservative led, independent supported leadership of the pre-2022 council.

As a major player within that authority his grasp of mathematics is atrocious. 

It is obvious to the most casual observer that a county with a population twice that of Powys, all things being equal would receive twice as much money. 

On this simple method Powys would receive the 12th highest total amount, in fact it receives the 11th highest settlement – one step ahead.

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Of course, the calculation is not that simple, it takes into account social deprivation factors, the number of miles of road a council is responsible for, the percentage of the population that is over 60 and so on.

Even when you do the calculation on a per head basis Powys still comes out 11th of the 22 councils. Somewhat better than Cllr Jones 20th. (All figures from the ONCS.)

When he claims that Powys schools need ‘transformation’ which group of councillors trashed them – the Tory/independents that have ‘run’ Powys for decades.

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Which group of councillors hacked the road maintenance budget year after year leaving the roads as ‘pothole slalom courses’? Again the Tory/Indie coalition. A group of politicians that failed ‘to step up to the plate’ decade after decade.

Does Cllr Jones ever stop to think where Powys’ £17.7mn Levelling Up fund came from? From the £96mn that was cut from Welsh Government funding? But has any of this money actually been received or spent? 

No, just like the rest of the UK, the levelling up money has not been received, not spent and is nowhere enough to do what is claimed it will do.

We have the stupid situation where the UK Tory Government is charging Wales £5 Billion for the failed English HS2 project, a project that has absolutely no benefit to Wales.

A theft from the Welsh nation that means the Welsh Government does not have the money it would like to spend on our NHS, spend on social care, spend on housing, spend on Welsh rail services, spend on our roads.

The Tories have failed Powys, failed Wales and failed the UK.

Unlike Cllr Jones I will end up on an upbeat note, let us all look forward to a great 2024, with a general election when the rotten rump of the Tories in Wales (and Scotland and England) is evicted for once and for all.
Paul Wixey, Llanfair Caereinion