Madam,

The decision on the closure of Bodlondeb care home in Penparcau, Aberystwyth, is so imminent that I feel I must write to the Cambrian News again on such an important issue.

Ceredigion County Council consists of 42 councillors elected by ballot to represent all the residents of Ceredigion. The future of Bodlondeb residential home will not be decided by all of our 42 councillors but by just eight in the Cabinet.

The Cabinet members are Cllr Ellen ap Gwynn, Cllr Ray Quant, Cllr Dafydd Edwards, Cllr Rhodri Evans, Cllr Catherine Hughes, Cllr Gareth Lloyd, Cllr Catrin Miles and Cllr Alun Williams.

Overviewing is the scrutiny committee which looks at the services and issues that affect people in Ceredigion. The members of the scrutiny committee also ask questions on how decisions have been made, to consider whether service improvements can be put in place and to make recommendations to this effect. Scrutiny plays an essential role in promoting accountability, efficiency and effectiveness in the council’s decision-making process and the way in which it delivers services - so the council’s web site writes. Let us hope that the scrutineers will see the folly for the elderly and vulnerable of closing this home, if this is the Cabinet’s unfortunate decision and that all ward councillors will give residents their support to retain Bodlondeb by lobbying beforehand - the least we can expect from them.

Protesting avidly against closure of this much-loved, ideally positioned home are Ceredigion’s senior and most eminent elected representatives: Lord Elystan Morgan, a Judge, Peer and MP; Ben Lake MP, Elin Jones AM, also now Presiding Officer, Simon Thomas, former MP for Ceredigion and now AM for Mid and West Wales; and Mark Williams, former MP for Ceredigion 2005-2017.

So many residents now believe that the closure of Bodlondeb is ‘cut and dried’, based on estimated-only financial figures. We can now only hope that the Cabinet members will respect the recommendations of such eminent, knowledgable, experienced politicians, all of whom as I write, are protesting against closure, along with the thousands of residents named on the petition presented to the council and the consultation documents that residents have taken the time to complete and forward.

So many residents also say that they will view closure of Bodlondeb as a failure on their behalf by those responsible councillors.

Yours etc,

Pat Bates, Maes-Maelor, Penparcau,Aberystwyth.

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