Businessman has blast at Llandeilo mis-information

Llandeilo businessman Simon Buckley has reacted angrily to criticism of campaigners who successfully blocked the proposed Sainsbury's superstore plan in the Tywi Valley town.

Mr Buckley said comments about the campaigners who objected to the development were being fuelled by mis-information.

Mr Buckley said: "We won the argument against Sainsbury's fair and square, but there have been comments in the local press which have been totally out of order."

The chief executive of the Llandeilo-based Evan-Evans brewery and owner of the White Horse Inn in Llandeilo, Mr Buckley said he had been singled out for criticism for his co-ordination of the objections to the superstore plan.

"I am all for freedom of speech and the right of everyone to express their views. But my hackles are up after reading comments by Carmarthenshire Council chief executive Mark James in last week's Carmarthen Journal and some of the letters to the editor (I would hope that they were bona fide letters and not scribbles from the council press department hiding behind 'name and address supplied'?).

Mr Buckley added: "It is time to put a stop to this mis-information about jobs and job opportunities and for the people of Carmarthenshire to be told the truth.

"Firstly, there never were 250 jobs on offer from Sainsbury's as part of the long-term store plan.
"At the public meeting in Llandeilo, the Sainsbury's representative made it clear that the job numbers were not set by central Sainsbury's management and would be determined by the individual store manager.

"Detailed research by the Save Llandeilo group showed that stores of a similar size employed no more than 125 staff and that those staff were largely part-time, working no more than 20 hours per week.

"Add to that the obvious number of job losses through the impact on the town stores and services in the surrounding areas, and there was likely to be an overall job loss scenario, not one of gain.
"That is why the Welsh Assembly Government questioned the planning recommendation by Carmarthenshire Council.

"For those who have troubled themselves to read the response by the Welsh Assembly Government, they stated that they did not believe that planners had given proper consideration to the Retail Impact Study and the impact that the store would have had on the local economy.
"So, far from being a campaign orchestrated by a vociferous minority, it was Welsh central government that determined the inquiry, and not me or any of the other multitude of people who wrote in and objected.

"Sainsbury's withdrew from Llandeilo because they knew that the application would have been lost at any public inquiry and that there was a very real danger that Cross Hands could have been rejected as well.
"It is now time for Carmarthenshire Council chief executive Mark James to stop spreading mis-information.

"He was found wanting over his scare-mongering prior to Sainsbury's withdrawing their application and now we find that he is spreading mis-information about the job losses for the town of Llandeilo.

"This is merely an attempt to smoke-screen the lamentable performance of the planning department.
"In a recent article in the Carmarthen Journal, Mr James has stated that future job creation will have to come from the private sector.

"That being the case then, why has he not had the common courtesy to respond to an invitation to a Jobs Summit in Llandeilo sent more than three weeks ago.

"Private investors, business owners and a series of organisations want to discuss a job creation strategy with the council, that will create long-term jobs for up to 60 people in 2013/14.
"The simple fact is neither he nor his council senior executives -  it would appear - are prepared to support private job creation initiatives unless they are by a major multi-national.

"So, I am afraid the Job Summit that could have given the young people of Llandeilo real hope for 2013, cannot proceed until someone in the council deems it appropriate to respond and fix a date for a meeting.

"Over to you Mr James - and the request for you to observe the niceties of common courtesy."