Cllr Elfan Ap Rees.
War of words: Elfan’s side
Bethan Evans, Reporter
Monday, July 2, 2012
8:49 AM
WHILE Derek Mead and his band of campaigners appealed to councillors to side with their proposal, one councillor has shared with the Mercury what he feels is the truth behind the group’s ‘wild accusations.’
After chairing the working party for the derelict Tropicana, Cllr Elfan Ap Rees, has stood behind the executive’s decision to bulldoze the former pool, despite public objection.
When the council’s second planning application was challenged at the south area committee last week, he came back with his own objections.
He said: ““They are talking absolute rubbish. I’m getting fed up with the smoke and mirrors being put to us from the other side.
“Trop Ltd had six months to come to the working party and decide what it wanted to do. The group never took up that opportunity and members can confirm it never came forward until after the working group had finished its work.”
Outside of the council meeting Cllr Ap Rees told the Mercury he is fed up with wild accusations which are made in public by Trop Ltd.
He said: “Council accounts are audited annually and in the public domain so it is difficult to interpret Mr Mead’s comments at the area committee as anything other than an attempt to bully and intimidate members.
“In fact officers had to terminate one meeting recently due to his use of threats and foul language, leading to requests not to have to meet him again. In my view the council has been overly tolerant of his behaviour.
“Trop Ltd has not put forward a viable scheme. By its own admission it requires public subsidy and an area of the beach for car parking, which was outside the remit.
“The executive has made clear that if and when a proposal comes forward for a sensible and viable scheme it is open to a serious discussion.
“Mr Mead is well aware of that and equally well aware that his scheme won’t work any more than the previous failures by big companies.”
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20 comments
All meetings need to be videoed! I shall do something I have never done...... Vote in a tactical way this time! We may not be able to chuck Ap Rees off the council but we can vote for a different colour! Shame we have to punish some to loose some!
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Simo
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Is it me or does the deputy leaders photo look more and more like Capt Smith of the Titanic? Oh and whats Titanic ..... NSC. Lol time for a change of officers.
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Simo
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
All meetings need to be videoed! I shall do something I have never done...... Vote in a tactical way this time! We may not be able to chuck Ap Rees off the council but we can vote for a different colour! Shame we have to punish some to loose some!
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Simo
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
This council really has no idea about the best way forward for this town. Initially they turn down the application for a Frankie & Bennys because they are worried about the effect on the restaurants in town - yet they have no problem giving the ok for the big restaurant on the front with ice-cream parlour - doesn't that directly compete with all of the food outlets along the front and on the pier? Funny how the town council spends 12 years messing around and holding up development of the Tropicana yet permission for an indoor ski-centre on the land at the helicopter museum get's the green light first time. Isn't that land ownedused to be owned by a certain Elfan Ap Rees? Coincidence that the ski-centre get's the green light straight away?
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PB WSM
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Negotiations or meeting should stay professional as to move forward to reach agreement, its no good having the passion to rebuild Tropicana if you cant communicate , who ever wants to save the site will be starting a long process of working with the council . Mr Mead means well but his temper isn't helping .
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andreas macrides
Monday, July 2, 2012
Don't get me onto road signs - nearly 15 years later, and we still have road signs with RAF Locking on all the feeder routes into WSM - about sums this council up, well behind the drag curve!
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Mukiwa
Monday, July 2, 2012
Weston 2010 has a point, let the Mercury get it all out in the open. No doubt though the slippery idiots in the town hall shall deny what comes out though. Just to prove how disfunctional they are... What does the silouhette of a person diving on a brown sign mean? I always imagined a boat and sea meant sea, pier and water means pier and sandcastle means beach! So what does the diver mean on the brown signs leading into weston?
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TrueWestonian
Monday, July 2, 2012
This has gone on for too long. I'm sorry, but Derek Mead and his colleagues have had enough time to put together a practical, workable package, even way before the Henry Boot fiasco. It's time to demolish NOW! Please get on with!
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Roger Jones
Monday, July 2, 2012
You've got to hand it to him though. I've hardly ever seen anything nice said about his work for the council yet he hangs on in. Brass neck or simply indifferent to the public?
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anne adaptor
Monday, July 2, 2012
Best thing that could happen for North Somerset is for the development Ap Rees is so against going ahead in Locking. Because there is a good chance that with the population growth the NIMBY voters he appeals to will be in a minority and we can finally get him replaced with somebody who looks out for the interests of the whole community and not just those near his little helicopter carpark.
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Maxwell
Monday, July 2, 2012
We need a whole new council in Weston, the people on it now have run it for years, they have no new ideas and new blood is needed to get the town back on it's feet. You only have to look at it to see it's dying. Look at what is being done on the new pier, they are already having better acts and shows than the playhouse and winter gardens.
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Les B.
Monday, July 2, 2012
We need a whole new council in Weston, the people on it now have run it for years, they have no new ideas and new blood is needed to get the town back on it's feet. You only have to look at it to see it's dying. Look at what is being done on the new pier, they are already having better acts and shows than the playhouse and winter gardens.
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Les B.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Weston2010 has a point. The public need unbiased evidence and are smart enough to draw their own conclusions. Let's see the details of these accounts, CharlotteSimon.
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anne adaptor
Monday, July 2, 2012
For me, this is where the Mercury can really do the people of this town a huge favour. Clearly there's major questions over who's said what, and how previous contracts have been handed out by NSC. The Mercury has done a good thing with this MeadAp Rees article, so I hope the paper will continue with this, as our local paper is certainly in a better position to gain access to the information that I'm sure many of us would like to see for ourselves. At least then we might be able to get to the truth in these matters, rather than it just being an endless war of words between certain people.
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Weston2010
Monday, July 2, 2012
the one thing that would make this town good again get rid of Ap Rees get new blood in after all its common knowledge that Ap Rees and his muppets dont give a monkeys to anyone in this town or public opinion .....Simples
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gruf69
Monday, July 2, 2012
Lucky they wern't given the go-ahead then. Trop Ltd thinks it can get its own way by messing everyone around.....its time they dumped the stupid idea and knocked the place down.
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T-Bone
Monday, July 2, 2012
Yes Weston 2010, lets see them and the tendering details for all the contracts Messrs Wilmott Dixon have undertaken in the county including the town hall! I love his commemt about Mr Mead being ''well aware that his scheme won’t work any more than the previous failures by big companies ''.... So Elfan admits the schemes previously considered and even given the go ahead would not have worked!
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TrueWestonian
Monday, July 2, 2012
Can the Mercury please publish these accounts, as I for one would like to see in print what Derek has or hasn't said.
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Weston2010
Monday, July 2, 2012
The chap above only needs to pander to the wishes of Locking Village Council to secure his position - the wider Parish don't have enough votes to dislodge him as their DC - you can be sure that no traveller parks will be sited near Locking Village. This guy epitomises the 'Peter Principle' - he simply has to go!
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Mukiwa
Monday, July 2, 2012
So ,what is REALLY needed is to get 2 certain clowns off this council. Locking and Portishead residents,need to wake up and vote for other people,in next years elections.Get some YOUNG blood into this council,then one of them can retire to his museum,and the other one-well there must be SOMETHING for him ...
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hills
Monday, July 2, 2012