www.neathferret.co.uk Looking for Community Problems Contact: webmaster@neathferret.co.uk 10th August 2008 Version 5 Plaid Cymru Councillors Scold Neath Ferret Advice given Plaid Cymru Councillors have told the Neath Ferret that the Neath Guardian newspaper can help to convey to their readers, that the new Blaenhoddan council aims to work to benefit the community as a whole The previous critical comments of the Neath Ferret towards the newspaper, although factually correct, may have given a misleading impression and may have appeared unintentionally a little hostile. Plaid Cymru Councillors say that they want to work with the newspaper and to encourage accurate reporting. From time to time they will issue press reports to ensure facts are correctly presented. The Councillors went on to say that mutual respect was called for and that the newspaper would more respected for accurate reporting - rather than that of a sensational nature. Cutting Costs The Blaenhoddan Council's newly formed finance committee aims to cut costs and also to encourage more use of their Community Centres. A more effective way of booking centres may be considered sometime in the future in view of that fact they are under used. The Council would like more groups to use the centres in order to have more income to balance the books. Neath Port Talbot Dental Problems We write to the Welsh Assembly Government and get a response Several dentists in the area have decided not to treat NHS patients and instead provide treatment under a private dental careplan. The latest dentists to do this are the ones at Talbot Road Dental Practice in Port Talbot. In a letter to their patients they state: "Under the NHS we have found it increasingly difficult to maintain the standard of care to which you are entitled and therefore we have decided that we no longer able to provide NHS treatment for adult patients at this practice after 10th October 2008" The letter went on to offer of a private plan that would cost adults between £14 and £19 per month - that's up to £228 per year! It would appear that there is no consideration for those on benefits, OAP's and expectant mothers. We were annoyed about this in the 60th year of the NHS, so we wrote to Peter Hain MP and Edwina Hart AM - the Health Minister at the Welsh Assembly. Peter Hain acted as postman, in parliamentary fashion, and passed our letter on to Edwina Hart who replied as follows: "The majority of dentists are independent self-employed practitioners who are at liberty to choose whether they contract a proportion of the time to provide NHS treatment on behalf of Local Health Boards (LHBs). As a consequence they may provide only NHS care, work totally outside the NHS or, as is commonly the case, provide a mixture of NHS and private dental care. We have no powers of compulsion in this matter. When a practitioner decides to stop providing NHS dental services, this give the LHB the opportunity to re-invest that NHS dental funding. They may negotiate with the dentists in their area to increase additional access for patients, if the practices have the capacity to do so, or to tender for new services. My officials have contacted Neath Port Talbot LHB and are informed that arrangements have been put in place to help patients who have lost access to practices." M/s Hart advises that patients wishing to register as a NHS patient should contact the Neath LHB on 01792 326500 or write to them at Suite C,Britannic House, Llandarcy, Neath SA10 6JQ. When asked what is being done to improve the NHS Dental Service in Wales, M/s Hart said that last year she had established a NHS Dental Review Task Group to look at a range of issues to improve the way in which the dental contract works here in Wales. The Group recently submitted its final report to M/s Hart who says she intends to distribute a copy to every dental practice in Wales that provides a NHS services, inviting comments on its proposals. Llwyn Helyg - White's Folly at Waunceirch As the two and three storey house go up on the new building site at Waunceirch, residents are beginning to see what an eyesore it is going to be. The Labour councillors who supported this development will eventually see how wrong they were in agreeing to tall houses (they have high angle roofs) on a site more suitable for bungalows. We believe that a ridge top development of this nature would not have been allowed in England or Scotland - and certainly nowhere in Europe. We are still waiting for a comment on the site from the local press - if this is forthcoming they had better print extra copies for that edition in view of the demand by residents to know what is happening on their doorstep. Community Fact Blaenhonddan Community Council The Council, with its eighteen councillors, covers an area on the West side of the river Neath, which includes Aberdulais to the North to Neath Abbey in the South. To the West it covers two wards in Bryncoch. It represents approximately 11,000 residents and deals with an annual budget of over £170,000. The Council has a full time clerk, Mrs Mavis Hewett, who deals with administrative matters and can be contacted by email Next week we discuss how you can get local news on the Internet. Coming soon - what it costs to telephone your doctor. Tell your friends about this website - or send them a copy by email:- www.neathferret.co.uk Go to LATEST version Back to Version 4 Back to Version 3 Go to our page 2 Information for this website is accepted in good faith. It is gathered from various sources and may, or may not, reflect the views of the webmaster. No responsibility is accepted for any errors that may occur from time to time. Sources of information must be made known to the webmaster but will not be divulged to any third party We aim to put the community first and make the residents of Neath aware of injustances and wrong doings. 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