With voters set to go to the polls on May 5, we spoke to Neath Port Talbot Council's Labour leader and deputy leader , Ted Latham and Leanne Jones before the 2022 local government election period. Here's what they had to say. On first meeting them both in the offices of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC) - also the Princess Royal Theatre in Port Talbot - Ted and Leanne insist on being seen as a team - a leadership duo.
“We are a very good team. We complement each other and I think you need that at times," said Leanna, deputy leader before the 2022 election period. You need different views, different backgrounds and different ages."
Council leader before the 2022 election period, Ted, said: "I think we do [work well as a team]. There is obviously a difference in age and there is obviously a gender difference, but it goes deeper than that. We just bounce off each other. The last 12 months [have] been a challenge. She’s been [a good] support and I would like to think that I have been supporting her.”
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The challenges they've faced
The past 12 months have indeed been a challenge for the leader and deputy leader who were, as Leanne put it, "thrown in" in March 2021 after the resignation of former leader, Rob Jones. Mr Jones' resignation came after a recording emerged of him calling a Plaid Cymru Senedd Member a "cow". The comment was made at a meeting in 2019.
At the time of his resignation, Mr Jones said the recording was edited to make it look worse than it was and that the comments did not reflect his values. On top of this, both have had to contend with the effects of a global pandemic.
Leanne said: "It was hard. Our work force has been absolutely superb and has gone above and beyond. My challenge out of all of that was the lack of meeting face to face. Virtual is great in one sense, but you miss out on [being face to face] getting together around the table and saying x, y and z needs to be done.
“Covid was definitely a challenge to us as an authority, but we had a number of [other] things thrown in [like] the Skewen flooding which was a huge [challenge]. There are other factors as well.”
A number of residents in Skewen were forced to evacuate their homes in January last year when a disused mine shaft flooded following Storm Christoph. Some residents were still living with the effects of the flood 12 months on. This all had to be endured in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions.
On the challenge of dealing with Covid-19 as a council leader, Ted said: "We have never had to experience it before. We didn’t know what to do. Not only at our level, but at the UK level as well and I do sympathise with them. We can all make judgements and make decisions and we can all criticise them, but they haven’t had to do anything like this – we have never had to deal with that before.
“It was a massive challenge, but to echo what Leanne said – [we] are here as the political [leaders] of the authority. What got us through the pandemic was the workforce. I didn’t go out collecting refuse or recycling. I wasn’t part of the social services team that had to [support] vulnerable families. I wasn’t part of the schools or teachers. It is the workforce that got us through it and we are incredibly grateful for that.”
Regeneration
Going into this year's elections, the focus of many candidates has been on rejuvenating communities that have suffered due to the effects of Covid-19 and economic hardship. Across the UK, people have seen their high streets dwindle as businesses leave and once-occupied buildings end up as derelict eyesores. Towns in Neath Port Talbot have not escaped this fate either and it is something opposition candidates have picked up on in the run up to May 5.
In response to the criticism that the council faces on the state of high streets in towns like Neath, Port Talbot and Pontardawe, Leanne said: "It is across Wales and the UK that the high streets are changing and it is [for] us to encourage shops to come in and yes we have said they are tired and dated, [but] we have put a lot of regeneration into the three town centres.
"Primarily I talk about the Plaza that we put work into down on Station Road [and] in Neath we have got the new leisure centre going in." The Grade II listed Plaza building, which was originally a cinema in the 1940s will be re-launching as a community hub after millions of pounds of investment.
Once finished, the multi-million pound leisure centre development in Neath will include a swimming pool, 100-station gym, café, library and six commercial units. On the potential for tourism to give the county borough a boost, Leanne added: "People [also] want free activities and this is what we have got to look at as well. We have got such beauty here that we can utilize. We do get it an awful lot – people saying that Port Talbot has this and Neath has that, but [there is] only so much we can do and there is only one pot of money."
Council tax
Opposition members tried, unsuccessfully, to push through an amendment to NPTCBC's final budget earlier in March. The proposal was for the council's general reserves to fund a 2 per cent council tax reduction.
Instead, the authority voted to freeze council tax, as originally proposed, and use £2.3 million in underspend to create a hardship fund that can provide targeted help to those hardest hit by the cost of living crisis. Ted said: "Not only are we both citizens of [the area] - me of Port Talbot and Leanne of Neath - our extended family [are as well]. The decisions that we make, whether they are palatable or not [are] made for the betterment of the residents of Neath Port Talbot.
"My family wasn't exempt from [council tax]. I put my hand up to vote because that was the right thing to do. We are not living in ivory towers making decisions that don't affect us.
"The opposition came in and wanted [a reduction]. That is up to them and we could have followed suit if we wanted to be popular, knowing that there is an election [coming up]. But, we didn't do that."
On the hardship fund, Ted added: "We had a meeting [on how] we need to get more meat on the bone and I accept [that]. When we were told that we had this extra underspend, we both agreed along with the Chief Executive that there were people out there who are really struggling, so we came up with this hardship fund."
Being a councillor
Leanne said she had worked at NPTCBC for 17 years before becoming a councillor. After a spell as cabinet member for community safety and public protection in 2019, she became the first female deputy leader at the council. "Never did I think 20 years ago that I would be deputy leader of the authority," she said. "I think to see more women and youngsters in politics would be great. You need that diverse group of people. In 2017 I was one of the younger ones to come in. There was also Sean [Pursey] and Jamie Evans at Plaid.
“The barriers need to be broken down and it isn’t [just] a job for Joe Bloggs who is 70 and retired, it is a job for everyone. Sometimes people think it is easier than what it is – you feel like saying to them ‘you should walk in my shoes for a day and see what I see, hear what I hear and feel what I feel.'”
Online abuse and intimidation is seen as one of the main issues in local politics and one of the main deterrents in people deciding to represent their community. When asked if she felt online abuse is something that has got progressively worse since taking her first steps in local politics, Leanne said: "Yes. You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t on social media.
“I have had a lot of trolling over the last few months. You have got to have thick skin, but you have also got to be able to put the factual information out and make sure that our voices are heard. People need to realise the effect it can have on people. We are human at the end of the day.” When asked if he had ever felt unsafe as a councillor, Ted said: “I personally haven’t felt at risk.
“I do know that fellow councillors have been verbally abused. I know of one councillor who was physically abused whilst knocking the door and at the end of the day that is not right. I respect your views, I [might not] agree with them, but you should respect my views. Just leave it at that.
"First and foremost, I am a councillor. If [someone] has got a problem and wants to see me, I can’t say ‘sorry I can’t come now because I am scared’. It’s getting that balance right.”
Elections
With 34 candidates running in the local government elections in Neath Port Talbot, it would be fair to assume that Plaid Cymru will be the main opposition to Labour in the county borough this May. Labour has 49 candidates running. However, the independents also have a case in claiming to be one of the main threats to the party with 32 candidates running.
Seven Labour councillors at NPTCBC before the 2022 election period are not standing for re-election, including long-standing members Doreen Jones and Arwyn Woolcock. Looking ahead to their chances in May, Leanne said: "I think we have got a strong team of candidates going forward. We have got different visions from different backgrounds, different sexes, different minorities. It really shapes different dynamics and how we can see this council being led forward.
“I think we are in a really good position." When asked if the controversy surrounding the former leader of the council, Rob Jones, was something that could affect the party's chances in Neath Port Talbot going into the election, Ted and Leanne said: "The election is about moving forward together. We are running an inclusive, hopeful campaign for all our communities across Neath Port Talbot.
"Voters will look at what the parties are promising for the future of Neath Port Talbot, this will be the thing we are judged on in May and we will work hard for every single vote." On the party's chances this year, Ted added: "The key for me is that there is still a lot of work out there that we have got to do. We have a good council, we have a well-led council. Yes we have made mistakes. If you have made a mistake you hold your hand up and adjust accordingly. Confident? yes. Complacent? Definitely not.”
You can find the names of every candidate running for election in Bridgend on the NPTCBC website . Want the latest news from Neath Port Talbot County Borough straight to your inbox? Sign up for free here.
