Carmarthenshire MP blasts Plaid – Labour duopoly for abandoning Amman Valley

CARMARTHENSHIRE MP Jonathan Edwards has blasted the Plaid Cymru – Labour political establishment for abandoning the Amman Valley after reports that Coleg Sir Gar Ammanford campus is to be closed as well as Ammanford Town Hall.

Mr Edwards said it was pure hypocrisy for Plaid Cymru Senedd Members to organise a campaign against the closure of the Ammanford Campus after abstaining on the Labour Welsh Governments Budget for this year which is slashing Education funding by nearly £60m.

At the same time, it is strongly rumoured that Ammanford Town Council have been approached by Plaid Cymru run Carmarthenshire County Council saying that they intend to close Ammanford Town Hall.

Mr Edwards said,“We are living in times of deep political cynicism, and one of the reasons for that is that mainstream politicians are not honest about the political decisions they are directly responsible for making.

The Welsh Budget Government for this year by the Labour party takes a hatchet to the Education budget. £60 million of cuts in cash terms, which are obviously magnified in real terms due to the inflationary pressures on public funding.

“It is blatantly dishonest then to campaign against the consequences of that level of funding cuts when public sector bodies like our Further Education colleges must adjust their budgets.

Perhaps the local Senedd Member should vote against Labour education cuts as opposed to organising petitions which are in effect cynical data gathering exercises for the forthcoming General Election – it certainly would be more effective.

Edwards added,“In the same vain, Plaid Cymru are labelling the closure of the Ammanford campus as some sort of betrayal when they themselves are reportedly proposing to close Ammanford Town Hall. The Plaid candidate for Westminster sits on the Executive Board making this decision.

“At UK level I have voted against Tory UK Government tax and spend policies on every occasion. Labour accepts these policies, as do Plaid Cymru MPs who continuously abstain on the big votes.

Edwards coccluded, “I have voted against because the public services we all value have faced years of cuts, the public realm as we know it is disappearing under our feet. Yet the political class refuse to make the decisions required such as comprehensive wealth taxes on the super-rich required to ensure that there is sufficient public funding available for the services that ordinary people all rely on.

“The status quo parties have nothing to offer the people of Carmarthenshire. They are blatantly dishonest and I suspect come the General Election they will face a reckoning.”