AVANA BAKERIES

Yesterday’s news about the threat to some 650 jobs at Avana Bakeries in Rogerstone is a bad news for the employees, the company and for Newport. The loss of a multi-million pound Marks and Spencer cake order contract to a firm in Oldham (M&S basically just pulled the plug on its contract with Avana Bakeries) has left jobs and the even site under threat. The contract took up around 85% of what the Avana bakery produces – something which unfortunately left the company in a vulnerable position. It has been acknowledged that some of the more unscrupulous larger retailers and supermarkets have in the past thrown their weight around when it comes to allowing suppliers to chase contracts with other companies thus avoiding this dangerous dependency on specific contracts. This may or may not be the case with the Avana M&S contract. Despite the spin from M&S the main motivator for this action probably comes down to squeezing out extra profits than anything else. The contract, won by Avana in July 2002 was warmly welcomed bringing job security, investment and more jobs, after a bad fire at the site in December 2001 which left the bakery under threat of closure. The Welsh Government, local AMs and MPs, Newport City Council and the Secretary of State for Wales need to ensure that every opportunity is pursued to allow the company the opportunity to get back on its feet after this unexpected blow. 

NO MORE BROKEN PROMISES

Driver training on the Gaer spur (Photo: Ian Brewer)

News that the bus link from the Ebbw Valley railway line to Newport city centre will be extended by two months is of some significance. The bus service was launched in January 2012 and initially was due to run for a year as a pilot. The Welsh Government has agreed an extension to the service that runs between Rogerstone and Newport railway stations until March 31st.

There have been loud persistent calls (for the best part of ten years) for the completion of the long promised permanent rail link from the Ebbw Vale into the City but no concrete action.  The bus service, run by Stagecoach which is timed to connect with trains from Rogerstone, was funded for its initial year at a cost of £119,000 by the Welsh Government. Between January and July 2012 barley 700 people had used the service (South Wales Argus).

It’s time for the Welsh Government to commit resources to completing the final link into Newport something that would benefit a wider area as services could be run off peak between Abergavenny and Ebbw Vale, servicing the valley lines into Newport. What concerns me is that the token gesture bus service may be designed to fail, no enough people use it, something that the Labour in Wales Government in Cardiff may use as evidence to suggest that there is no demand for the service. I have real concerns that the electrification (something that is long overdue in my opinion) of the Great Western Line between Swansea and London may also be used as an excuse for inaction. There has been enough talk, the time for excuses is passed, its time to get the job done, once and for all.

LEGISLATE OR ADMINISTRATE?

The new National Assembly, post referendum and post election now has legislative powers - one question that needs to be asked (and answered) is how will those legislative powers be used and to what end? One area for potential legislation is that of our railway network (such as it is). In the last twelve years there have been two successful railway re-openings carried out by Network Rail at the request of the National Assembly the Vale of Glamorgan Railway Line (which re-opened on Friday 10th June 2005) and the Ebbw Valley Railway Line (which re-opened for passenger services on Wednesday 6th February 2008) were by their nature administrative rather than legislative unlike in Scotland (where specific bills to reopen old railways have been vigorously debated, scrutinised, amended and passed by the Scottish Parliament.

I mention this because I was just wondering when will we see bills placed before the National Assembly to:

• A bill to reopen the Ebbw Vale (Rogerstone) to Newport railink 
• A bill to reopen the Llangefni and Amlwch railway
• A bill to construct new railway stations at Caerleon and Magor 
•  A bill to reopen the Aberdare and Hirwaun railway (in the Cynon valley)
• A bill to set aside and protect old railway lines from development in Wales for potential reopening