THE leader of one of Wales’ largest councils has launched a scathing attack on “poor” rail services in the South Wales Valleys – claiming there aren’t enough train services.
In a withering assessment, leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) council Andrew Morgan warned the area was dogged by “bad transport” and suggested it was a major reason for people leaving the area.
But he said the introduction of the new Cardiff Capital Region City Deal – which will see authorities across South Wales work together to improve areas such as public transport links – offered a ray of hope for commuters.
Councillor Morgan, whose Labour party group was re-elected to run the local authority in May, said the council was determined to push for improvements from Arriva Trains Wales (ATW), which operates services on the Valley Lines.
ATW has been at the centre of various complaints in recent years from passengers and politicians concerned about the overcrowding on its services, and the state of its carriages.
The company says it has made a recent six-figure investment in its rolling stock, as well as changes to ease overcrowding on rush-hour services.
'Transport in the Valleys is a huge barrier'
Coun Morgan, who was elected in June as chair of the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) City Deal Regional Cabinet, said: “Transport in the Valleys is a huge barrier.
“A big reason many move out of the area is because of the bad transport, particularly on a Sunday when many trains don’t start until after 11am. What about those people who have to work on Sundays?
“It’s a poor performance from Arriva as far as I’m concerned. They say it is good but I don’t agree.
“Why is it that Valley Lines, which carries the vast bulk of passengers across the network, why is it last to have the carriages upgraded with new seating and so on?”
He said he has been lobbying the company since as far back as 2008 – but that now the council has new influence.
“The difference is we had no say over how the contract has been for the last 15 years.
“Now, because of the City Deal, both Welsh Government and local government has a firm say, and we are making them aware of our concerns. We are now able to do something about it.”
According to Coun Morgan, transport officials are now lobbying the contractor for many of the half hourly trains running up to the Valleys to become every 15 minutes.
Mike Hewitson, head of policy at the independent passenger watchdog Transport Focus, agreed with Coun Morgan’s sentiments.
Watch this man's hilarious review of Arriva Trains Wales
He said: “Passengers using train services on the Valley Lines tell us they are travelling on crowded trains that are often dirty and are well past their sell-by date. Passengers deserve better.”
He added that persistent delays were “diminishing the expectations of passengers”, adding: “It’s important that the Wales and borders rail service is one that people can depend on. The next operator must work to rebuild passengers’ trust.
“Transport for Wales, Welsh Government and the operator of the Wales and borders rail service must continue to listen to passengers and take action to improve future services.”
The current franchise, which sees Arriva running the Valley Lines services, runs out in just over a year. Arriva is among the bidders to run the next Wales and Borders rail franchise.
Lynne Milligan, customer services director for Arriva Trains Wales, said the company has met with Coun Morgan regularly, and that it had invested £400,000 in refurbishing its “pacer” trains, some of the oldest in the fleet, by the end of this year.
She said: “We know that capacity has also been an area of concern, and in May 2017 our major timetable enhancement delivered an additional 600 seats per day on our busiest commuter trains into Cardiff, the majority of which serve the Valleys rail network.
“We have also recently announced additional rolling stock which will be available for us in mid-2018 as a result of a £1.9m investment from Welsh Government and a £1m investment from Arriva Trains Wales.
“We will continue to work with our partners in local and Welsh Government to improve our services and look forward to helping deliver even more improvements in the future.”
The move comes after the company’s announcement in May that around 200,000 new seats would be added to its most crammed lines across the Arriva network.
Earlier this year, a report saw passengers calling for an overhaul of “tired and overcrowded” trains when the new rail franchise is awarded.
What's happening in Aberdare?
He also revealed attempts to revitalise Aberdare could see a derelict town centre eyesore transformed into shops and homes.
The former Black Lion Hotel on Wind Street will be transformed in a similar way to how the nearby Boot Hotel was given a new lease of life.
Coun Morgan said: “It’s been empty for around the past 12 years and is a prominent building in Aberdare, but an eyesore.
“We are in talks with a developer who is looking to buy the building and renovate it, and hopefully in the next six months, there will be an announcement of a deal very similar to what we are doing with the Boot.
“Talks are ongoing – we are facilitating some of them, and making grant funding available. In terms of specifics, it’s up to the developer to come forward. It will be mixed use – residential on the first floor with some sort of retail below.”
It follows the announcement the derelict Boot Hotel on Victoria Square will be turned into a large shop and flats following a £1.1m investment.
It’s all in a bid to halt the decline of town centres in RCT, and Coun Morgan said, like in various centres across the county borough, the local authority is hoping to install wifi in the town centre.
As well as that, he pointed to how the fronts of town centre buildings in Mountain Ash and Tonypandy could soon be spruced up thanks to grants to make Valleys centres more attractive in what is a bid to encourage more investment.
Coun Morgan said preventing the decline of centres including Tonypandy was a priority for the council, and the local authority is hoping to allocate around £1.5m to “open the town up”.
That includes a grant meaning traders in the town could get of tens of thousands of pounds in what is a bid to encourage more investment in Valleys centres by making them more investable and vibrant.
It would allow traders and landlords, including those of vacant buildings, to carry out minor improvement and maintenance works – including painting, powder coating on shutters and a range of repairs.
The Pontypridd Taff Vale site
Speaking candidly to WalesOnline for the first time since his Labour party was re-elected to run the council in May, Coun Morgan also said he understands frustration in Pontypridd about delays and hold ups over the Taff Vale site, but that “great” things are happening in the town and the local authority is now “in the driving seat”.
On the Taff Vale site, one of the local authority’s flagship schemes, which will see a new library and leisure hub built as well as the base for South Wales Metro operator Transport for Wales, he said: “We will be on site in January starting work, so if [doubters of the scheme] would like to come along then by all means, they can.
“I can see how they have been frustrated, I can understand. We have had so many false promises and various developers taking schemes forward.
“But it passed through planning this month. Designs are all done, and the report will be coming forward shortly, with a big part of building costs funded by rent. Funding isn’t an issue and planning isn’t an issue so the council is in the driving seat.”
He described it as “very exciting” for the town.
“You drive across the main bridge and you had this massive area that looked awful. A pile of rubble.
“It’s a gateway to the Rhondda Valleys, so if you see something like that, it makes you think the town doesn’t care, but it does, and the regeneration is our way of showing that.”
This is how the Taff Vale site will look
He also revealed why the option of offices and a gym had been chosen over shops.
“If you went for retail in that area, all you would do is relocate people from one end of town to the other. By doing it this way, you bring an extra 1,000 people into town every day.
“The gym has been lobbied on for years and is widely wanted, and the existing library is in a backstreet - there’s no real car parking for access.
“By bringing the extra footfall of the library and gym, it would mean thousands of extra visitors every week to the town providing services that people want.”
Coun Morgan also said Pontypridd would soon be in for new apartments, and that a “multinational” retail chain is interested in opening in the town centre.
Like all other centres in Rhondda Cynon Taf, it is also hoped wi-fi will soon be installed in public places in Pontypridd.
But will there be a council tax rise?
Coun Morgan said it was inevitable there would be, but that it would be “something below 3%”.
He explained: “You have to remember our lowest ever rise was last year - 2.25% and the second lowest in 2016, which was 2.75%.
“I would say I am aware council tax is a pressure on everybody, because everybody pays it.
“We are in the top quarter on council tax low rises, when others have been putting it up 4% to 5%. They are not sustainable. I’ve got no intention of doing that. Ours will be in the 2s. Something below 3%, but it all depends on the budget.
“If people don’t want a council tax rise, we must find a way to cut services.
“Nobody wants to see less street cleansing or vital services like that. A balance between how much money we spend must be made, and we need to minimize increases as far as possible.”
The clampdown on dog fouling
One of the biggest campaigns this year has been the clampdown on dog fouling, with the council’s campaign to ‘Sort **it Out’ meaning strict new rules that walkers must carry poo bags at all times and dogs are banned from all schools, play areas and council-owned sports pitches.
But following complaints that there are not enough bins to always dispose of the waste, Coun Morgan said the local authority had installed “more than 1,000” over a number of years.
“We’ve always funded around 100 bins a year and will extend this any income from fines will go towards extending bins and fines.
“It is the person’s responsibility to dispose of it. If your dog fouls, by law you are required to clean it up and take it home with you. Bag it and put it in the bin. We are trying to install more bins, but we are having bins stolen. Therefore we have to limit the number, as they are being cut down and taken. We lost eight bins in a week on the Taff trails recently.
“That’s why we made it a priority. People are sick to death of it, and it supersedes anything else the council deals with. In our consultation, 97% had supported it. We’ve never had such support for bringing something like this in.”
What are the council’s big challenges for the year ahead?
Coun Morgan listed the budget, education and social care.
“People often don’t realise we have to fund schools, so it’s vitally important our budget is protected, and they don’t see the 650+ children we have in care in RCT. It’s a big cost for the council to make sure they are protected. Unless you use the services, people are oblivious.”
He said another big pressure was job losses within the council, adding: “I don’t want to see people being laid off. If people don’t want to pay any council tax next year it will have an impact on hundreds of families. If people think councillors don’t care about stuff like this, they’re wrong.”
On education, he said: “We as a council are improving at a faster rate than the rest of Wales.
“We have caught up because we were ranked as one of worst. Now we are average and middle of pack, but we want to be in the top quarter in the coming years.
“That’s because one of the ways to tackle poverty is by education and getting people into good quality jobs.
Thirdly, he said the provision of social care would “definitely need to be refined”.
“Over the next ten years, social care costs in Wales will double. It’s going to be a black hole in social care funding of about £500m. Unless people can pay significantly more in tax or insurance schemes, the current model of social care will simply collapse. The indication is the Government will not give us any extra funding. As people get older, they will need more support at home. It’s going to become a growing crisis.”
