Swansea Lib Dems promise more money for road repairs in local election manifesto

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

More money would be spent repairing roads and the city centre ranger team would be expanded if the Swansea Liberal Democrats win the council elections next month.

The party has published its manifesto, in which it pledges a cleaner, greener and safer future.

Its key bullet points are:

– Area cleaning teams with community wardens covering all wards.

– Create more Blue Flag beaches and improve facilities at them.

– Employ more rangers and extend their remit to include parks and beaches.

– Allow free use of council playing fields by community teams and install them as “fields in trust” to protect them from development.

– Work with bus companies to provide a minibus service in Gower, keeping cars off the peninsula’s narrow roads and cutting pollution while helping with parking issues around beaches.

– Create an investment programme to improve the insulation of council housing to reduce their carbon footprint and help tenants cut their energy bills.

– Increase investment in Swansea’s road and pavement infrastructure.

– Set up a hub to provide information and support for home-owners affected by unsafe cladding.

– Remove any planned cuts to school crossing patrols.

Lib-Dem leader Chris Holley said residents and businesses had been in touch to request ranger patrols outside of the city centre – where they currently operate – in places such as Clydach, Morriston, Sketty and Mumbles.

Beaches

He said he would like to see rangers patrol busy beaches in the summer.

The former council leader said the minibus proposal was based on a previous minibus service called the Gower Pony.

“That was an amazing success,” he said. “We would like to re-introduce and expand it.”

Cllr Holley said he envisaged minibuses taking people from places like Mumbles and Gowerton to beaches in Gower, reducing traffic.

At same time he said more investment in roads was needed.

“We can’t keep on patching things and filling potholes,” he said. “We have got to repair these roads properly.”

He suggested that an extra £2 million to £3 million would be spent on road and pavement resurfacing, to be funded from money held in reserve and the council’s insurance fund.

“It would cut down on our liabilities from people making claims against the council,” he said.

The Lib-Dems are, in tandem with the Independents, the largest opposition group in Swansea. The party was in power as part of a coalition prior to 2012, when Labour took control.

Voters will choose 75 Swansea councillors at the elections on May 5, who will represent 32 wards for the next five years.