Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Consultation is continuing on Carmarthenshire’s budget for the next three years. People are being urged to have their say in decisions which affect their future, with a number of proposals for changes being put forward for discussion. They include suggestions from a range of areas including day care services, leisure, street cleaning, special educational needs, music service, school meals and educational psychology. The council needs to save £8.8million for the next financial year – 2017-18 – and a total of £24.6million over the next three years. All views gathered from the consultation will be included in the budget report which will go before county councillors for decision in February. In the meantime, extensive consultation has taken place with seminars for county councillors, town and community councils, a public forum, scrutiny committees, schools budget forum, school sixth forms and trade unions meetings. The survey is available online at i-Local , and hard copies are availabl...

Parents are being urged to have their say on childcare in Carmarthenshire. An online survey is underway on Carmarthenshire County Council’s website, which asks everyone to give their opinions on their current childcare arrangements. The council is looking to improve the availability of childcare in the county as well as developing services which meet the needs of parents/carers. Completed surveys will have the option to be entered into a free prize draw with a chance to win a £350 Argos voucher, Skiing lesson at Pembrey Country Park and a signed rugby ball/shirt. Findings of the survey will help identify childcare gaps and work towards developing further childcare facilities in these areas. The results will also be used by Carmarthenshire Family Information, Childcare and Play team to inform our fourth Childcare Sufficiency Assessment. Executive board member for children’s services, Gareth Jones said: “We are keen to know what parents and carers think about current childcare service...

Young people across Carmarthenshire are being asked to take part in an online Super Survey. Their views are being sought on key issues that affect their lives, such as school and college life, use of public services, bullying and equality, transport and road safety. The survey is being carried out by the county council’s Children’s Rights and Participation Team, which has worked with managers across the authority to develop the questionnaire. It is the first time that the council has carried out such an extensive survey of young people’s views and opinions. Youngsters aged between 11 and 25 are asked to get involved and let the council know what they think of various issues. They will also have the opportunity to comment on any other issues that are important to them, or to express any concerns they may have. The comprehensive survey will be live on the Carmarthenshire Youth website from Friday May 27 2016. Information gathered from the survey will be used to inform managers ...

Young people in Carmarthenshire are being urged to complete an online survey on a discounted bus travel scheme. Funded by Welsh Government, mytravelpass gives 16-18 year-olds a third discount off their bus travel in Wales. To date over 5,000 people have signed up to the scheme, which is managed by Traveline Cymru. Anyone who completes the survey will be entered into a free prize draw to win a £50 shopping voucher. Link - mytravelpass survey

People in Carmarthenshire are being given the opportunity to have their say on Llandeilo Library services. The Carmarthenshire Council proposal includes the relocation of the current library to the Municipal Building for improved access as well as the enhancement of ICT and extended opening hours. The county council is considering introducing self service issue and return points to allow for borrowing, returning, paying and booking which will help free up time for our staff to ensure the right care and time is given to all users. This will also enable the service to provide more community based events and activities within the library. The consultation is being carried out until April 12 on i-Local by completing a short survey. Carmarthenshire Libraries manager, Mark Jewell said: “We want to consult with the public and their views will help inform our final decision. This survey also provides an opportunity to express any ideas people may have that have not considered as part of thi...

Parents remain concerned about the impact advertising and marketing are having, both directly and indirectly, on the lives of children and young people a new report reveals. Research published by Mothers’ Union reveals that despite welcome attention since 2010, four in five (80%) parents in Britain are concerned about the commercialisation of childhood, and a similar proportion (81%) say that the media encourages their children to ask their parents to buy them things that they see advertised, indicating the potential impact of “Pester Power”. The research, which was carried out by ComRes with over 1,000 parents in Great Britain in 2010 and 2013, also demonstrates that the proportion of parents who think advertising that can be seen by children is well regulated has decreased since the charity’s previous research in 2010. Just 30% of parents in Great Britain agree that advertising is well regulated in 2013, compared to two in five (39%) who said this in 2010. Speaking as the research ...

Residents are being asked to join in the hunt to find parrots, ballerinas, corals and earth tongues! As part of a grassland fungi survey, Carmarthenshire Biodiversity Partnership is looking for volunteers to help identify the brightly coloured mushrooms and record their findings. The wild species appear in different shapes, sizes and colours and can be found in cemeteries, well established lawns or old unfertilised grasslands. The survey is supported by Carmarthenshire Environment Partnership and anyone can take part. A photograph, record of its location and a date is needed once identified. Carmarthenshire’s Biodiversity officer, Isabel Macho said: “I would encourage people to go out and have a look for these amazing fungi – you may be surprised at the range of shapes and colours you can find. Wales has some of the best sites in Europe for grassland fungi.” The green Parrot, pink Ballerina, red Splendid, orange Honey and white Snowy waxcaps; yellow, white and violet coral fungi, oli...

The principal of a leading West Wales theatre arts school has welcome a new study which shows how children benefit from learning ‘outside’ of the classroom. The importance of developing life skills is one of the key topics highlighted in the new study. Liane Davies, principal of Stagecoach Theatre Arts Carmarthen, Haverfordwest and Milford Haven, said the study put the spotlight on how children could improve their performance in school through the performing arts. She said: “Learning isn’t confined to the classroom. Developing life skills, building confidence and having fun should all be part of every child’s education and development.” The survey of 1500 parents whose children attend Stagecoach Theatre Arts, found an overwhelming majority had seen improvements in their child’s confidence, social skills and general happiness and well-being. Results included - A huge 93.7% of parents reported that their child was more confident at school.  85% of parents had seen an improveme...

Volunteers from Carmarthenshire are being sought to take part in a hedgehog survey. The prickly friends have undergone a marked decline in recent years and conservationists want to know why. A new way of monitoring has been developed using footprint tunnels to identify what is happening to the hedgehog population. Volunteers can undertake the survey, which is supported by Carmarthenshire Environment Partnership (CEP), at any time until September for five consecutive days. Sites have already been pre-selected as they are associated with information on badger density, something that is likely to be an important influence on hedgehogs. Equipment will be provided following signing up. Carmarthenshire Environment partnership’s development Officer, Anna Patterson said: “The partnership supports this type of survey. As residents we often take for granted that hedgehogs survive ‘whatever the weather’ but in actual fact they play as an important in our local biodiversity systems in the county...