Madam,

I write in response to an article in last week’s Cambrian News, ‘Loss of school play area lets residents down’, where Juliet Burnett–Price, the Lib Dem candidate for Llanbadarn Fawr’s Padarn ward, accuses myself and Cllr Gareth Davies of “letting the community of Llanbadarn down”.

Re the use of the playground by the children of Llanbadarn Fawr, it states within the recent council Cabinet report of 14 March, agenda item C268, that this land had already been offered to Llanbadarn Fawr Community Council, along with the school building, before it was decided to sell it on the open market.

This option was also offered Llancynfelyn Community Council which responded favourably to the council stating that it wished to lease the play area and the parcel of land in question at a peppercorn rent.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend this meeting due to a period of rehabilitation after having major open heart surgery, which I am still recovering from. On reading the Cabinet report I note that Ceredigion Council is still awaiting a response from Llanbadarn Fawr Community Council, and I hope the community council will respond positively.

So, you see, there is still time for Llanbadarn Fawr Community Council to negotiate and follow the example as Llancynfelyn.

Furthermore, when Mrs Price refers to the recent fight to try and keep Cwmpadarn School open, she wrongly claims that the council papers show that we were happy for the school to go! When the truth, in fact, is quite different. I suggest that Mrs Price takes a look at the documented evidence contained within minutes of meetings. But also the video footage found on this link https://livestream.com/Ceredigion/events/4576817/videos/106691373 which is the livestreaming of these meetings, where she will note both Cllr Davies and I delivered strong presentations to the full council and fought hard to try and save the school.

On the day, I even suggested an alternative recommendation, supported by Cllr Davies, of scaling down the school to keep it open.

Mrs Price also fails to mention that her husband, Andy, attended and accompanied us both at some of these meetings, as he was also a governor at the school, so he was aware of our efforts.

Mrs Price fails to mention, but I suspect would rather forget, that it was the Lib Dems in power in Ceredigion in the previous administration, with the Independents and Labour, who started the closure of small schools in the county.

Yours etc,

Cllr Paul James, Sulien ward, Llanbadarn Fawr, Aberystwyth.

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