100 signatures reached
To: Barry Thomas Leader of Powys County Council
SAVE OUR WORKSHOPS (The disgraceful sale of a village workshops )
Please Instigate an independent enquiry into the conduct of the sale of Llangynog workshops in Powys and to give a guarantee that the workshops will remain in the manner they where converted ,to provide work for the people of Powys.
Why is this important?
SAVE OUR WORKSHOPS
(The disgraceful sale of a village workshopS )
On the 24th March 2016 in a hotel in Cardiff the small village of Llangynog in northern Powys lost its village workshops that had provided work for its local residents for nearly thirty years and was formally the local village school.
It was sold by Powys County Council in the most underhand and suspicious circumstances. This begs questions that must be answered by those responsible for this act of vandalism.
This wonderful building and a large piece of land which would be worth a considerable amount of money to an investor was sold at auction for the ridiculous amount of £40,000.
The residents of LLangynog had no idea that their village workshops were going to be sold, and both the leaseholders and the local community council only had a few weeks notice that the property was going to auction.
The leaseholders were told by the council prior to auction that they had nothing to worry about but the auctioneer sold the properties with leases expired, and with permission to change to residential use.
The auctioneer had informed a member of the community who had rung about the sale that he had spoken to Powys County Council and been told that there would be no problem in change of use and that this was virtually vacant possession.
The questions that have to be answered are:-
1. Why sell the workshops in the first place when it goes totally against the Welsh government and european policy of regeneration in rural areas?
2. Why were council officials collaborating with an estate agent and discussing change of use in workshops that were already being used for the purpose they were set up for?
3. Why sell them at auction 130 miles away, and why let them be sold for such a ludicrously low price. If the intention was to make money for this inept and bankrupt council then it was a total failure, £40,000 is a mere pittance in the budget of this Council and does nothing to alleviate the cuts to our services..
4. Why wasn’t a reserve put on
5. Why wasn't the community given an opportunity to take over the buildings and continue running them for the benefit of the community?
This is what Sean Harris who uses one of the workshops has to say in a letter to our local community Council:-
Having an affordable workshop in the Old School has enabled me to live and raise a family in Llangynog. My children are both fluent Welsh speakers having attended Ysgol Pennant and then, of their own volition - continued in Welsh medium education at Llanfyllin High School, a decision in which we supported them.
My first animated film, made in 2004 – a collaboration with the National Museums of Wales, Scotland and Ireland – was made with community groups here in the Tanat Valley including Ysgol Pennant and Ysgol Efyrnwy. It went on to become the subject of an exhibition which toured the three National Museums; so to Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff, where it was viewed by over 200,000 people. The project gave young people in our area hands-on experience of technical processes integral to twenty-first century careers – and perhaps, in some way, helped to cement Llangynog's place on the international map.
As a parent and educator, I am proud of this - and of the extensive work in similar vein that we have done since. Animation is an established and internationally recognised industry in Wales and a vital part of the resurgent media boom that the Welsh Government has done so much to encourage.
Llangynog has an aging population. To ensure that the village exists in twenty years time, I think it very important that future generations should have similar opportunities and, vitally, the facilities in which to implement them – that they may live, work and raise families here that respect and are proud of the Welsh language and culture as I have done.
Llangynog Village Workshops are a vital component within this infrastructure.
Whilst I respect that these are difficult times, I abhor the shortsighted policies of Powys County Council - and the underhand and slapdash manner in which it has conducted the 'disposal' of a public asset.
I am appalled by the apparent failure of the democratic process in relation to this matter.
I urge you to do your utmost to ensure that the Workshops remain used in the manner for which they were converted, to question the manner of the sale - and to contemplate the reasons why YOU were not consulted.
Thank you for your time.
Sean Harris
Tyni
Llangynog.
Powys County Council and its Officers and Councillors should not be allowed to get away with this disgraceful action .
Its our lives they have affected and our money they have wasted.
Please sign our petition calling for an independent enquiry into the conduct of the sale and asking for guarantees that these workshops will remain used in the manner for which they where converted.
(The disgraceful sale of a village workshopS )
On the 24th March 2016 in a hotel in Cardiff the small village of Llangynog in northern Powys lost its village workshops that had provided work for its local residents for nearly thirty years and was formally the local village school.
It was sold by Powys County Council in the most underhand and suspicious circumstances. This begs questions that must be answered by those responsible for this act of vandalism.
This wonderful building and a large piece of land which would be worth a considerable amount of money to an investor was sold at auction for the ridiculous amount of £40,000.
The residents of LLangynog had no idea that their village workshops were going to be sold, and both the leaseholders and the local community council only had a few weeks notice that the property was going to auction.
The leaseholders were told by the council prior to auction that they had nothing to worry about but the auctioneer sold the properties with leases expired, and with permission to change to residential use.
The auctioneer had informed a member of the community who had rung about the sale that he had spoken to Powys County Council and been told that there would be no problem in change of use and that this was virtually vacant possession.
The questions that have to be answered are:-
1. Why sell the workshops in the first place when it goes totally against the Welsh government and european policy of regeneration in rural areas?
2. Why were council officials collaborating with an estate agent and discussing change of use in workshops that were already being used for the purpose they were set up for?
3. Why sell them at auction 130 miles away, and why let them be sold for such a ludicrously low price. If the intention was to make money for this inept and bankrupt council then it was a total failure, £40,000 is a mere pittance in the budget of this Council and does nothing to alleviate the cuts to our services..
4. Why wasn’t a reserve put on
5. Why wasn't the community given an opportunity to take over the buildings and continue running them for the benefit of the community?
This is what Sean Harris who uses one of the workshops has to say in a letter to our local community Council:-
Having an affordable workshop in the Old School has enabled me to live and raise a family in Llangynog. My children are both fluent Welsh speakers having attended Ysgol Pennant and then, of their own volition - continued in Welsh medium education at Llanfyllin High School, a decision in which we supported them.
My first animated film, made in 2004 – a collaboration with the National Museums of Wales, Scotland and Ireland – was made with community groups here in the Tanat Valley including Ysgol Pennant and Ysgol Efyrnwy. It went on to become the subject of an exhibition which toured the three National Museums; so to Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff, where it was viewed by over 200,000 people. The project gave young people in our area hands-on experience of technical processes integral to twenty-first century careers – and perhaps, in some way, helped to cement Llangynog's place on the international map.
As a parent and educator, I am proud of this - and of the extensive work in similar vein that we have done since. Animation is an established and internationally recognised industry in Wales and a vital part of the resurgent media boom that the Welsh Government has done so much to encourage.
Llangynog has an aging population. To ensure that the village exists in twenty years time, I think it very important that future generations should have similar opportunities and, vitally, the facilities in which to implement them – that they may live, work and raise families here that respect and are proud of the Welsh language and culture as I have done.
Llangynog Village Workshops are a vital component within this infrastructure.
Whilst I respect that these are difficult times, I abhor the shortsighted policies of Powys County Council - and the underhand and slapdash manner in which it has conducted the 'disposal' of a public asset.
I am appalled by the apparent failure of the democratic process in relation to this matter.
I urge you to do your utmost to ensure that the Workshops remain used in the manner for which they were converted, to question the manner of the sale - and to contemplate the reasons why YOU were not consulted.
Thank you for your time.
Sean Harris
Tyni
Llangynog.
Powys County Council and its Officers and Councillors should not be allowed to get away with this disgraceful action .
Its our lives they have affected and our money they have wasted.
Please sign our petition calling for an independent enquiry into the conduct of the sale and asking for guarantees that these workshops will remain used in the manner for which they where converted.
