Ceredigion County Council have done the right thing abstaining!

It was good to see that Ceredigion County Council today voted NOT to support Advancing Aberystwyth in their Business Plan for another 5 Year Term.

They raised concerns about accountability and transparency in the way it is operated and felt there was a lack of communication to the businesses. If it did get another term, that they need to recognise the weaknesses and learn from this and ensure rules are followed and that CCC would need to ensure this happens.

Whilst we appreciate their recommendations, CCC do not understand the operational parameters of a BID, namely a Private Limited Company, and how much input and control they have over Advancing Aberystwyth. Yet they have been aware of these concerns for a considerable amount of time and yet do nothing, as they have no governance on the day to day running of a BID.

However, it speaks volumes that the Council are not prepared to stand by Advancing Aberystwyth and vote in favour of another term and are themselves very critical of the way in which it is operated.

This is not the end of the ballot or is it a NO victory, just means the Council will not use their 16 votes, Car Parks, Library, Bandstand and Night Shelter will not influence the outcome. It will be decided by the businesses of the Town, something we have been campaigning for for sometime.