Advancing Aberystwyth allows Ceredigion County Council to cut costs.

Advancing Aberystwyth are being very selective in highlighting what they have done and simply pick the good bits that shows them in a good light in the public eye, ice rink, cinema etc, even if they are not run as a profitable business venture and lose money.

There is a lot of talk about what can be done if voted in again, Zipwire, more ice rink and cinema events etc but let’s remind ourselves of the Sandpit / Paddling Pool project !

This has turned into an eyesore on the main promenade and it appears neither Advancing Aberystwyth or the Council want to take responsibility.

This is an issue when BID’s take on Council responsibility as they, the Council, then wipe their hands of it and for whatever reason, the BID no longer want to carry on with their project.

The Council was going to turn this into a splash park, I assume the reason why AA have no longer carried on with the sandpit, and why the splash park project up the castle has been shelved, yet here we are with an eyesore for all our visitors to experience and a splash park a distant pipe dream !

There is no joined up thinking when you take responsibility away from any Council, they simply see it as a cost cutting exercise, for whatever reason, the BID have also turned their back on it and any benefits that this project has had in the past, counts for nothing when you look at it a few years after initially opening.

BIDs are seen by Councils as a cost cutting exercise, hence why they fully support them, Ceredigion County Council was even spending the BID money a year or more before the ballot even took place and earmarked the BID as their replacement Cyclefest sponsor saving them £70k a year in the process.

More importantly, BID’s are private limited companies and come with no accountability, transparency unlike a Council and it is a dangerous precedent to see our Town Centre Management responsibilities taken away from the Council.

A BID is good in principle but should not be a seperate entity to the Council, it should be a department within the Council with local business involvement.

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