Pier pressure

Although it's admittedly rare when we become serious on this blog, our intention - as stated - is to celebrate what's good about the area.  One thing that's very good about the area is the Pier - any pier, really, but the one in Colwyn Bay springs to mind.

Seaside piers attract visitors, visitors spend money, money increases council revenues ,the council makes the place better for residents. It's really incredibly simple. Unless, of course, there are those in places of influence whose behaviour is strangely out of keeping with what one might expect from a public figure.

Now this is a serious charge, so we need to look at what's happening and ask some serious questions.    The pier - representing as it does the epitome of seaside fare - seems a good place to start.

Colwyn Bay's pier has had a chequered history;  piers are notoriously expensive to maintain but immensely useful in their pulling power. Businesses, however, want things which provide quick cash, so it's always very difficult to get big companies interested in something, the tangible benefits of which could be many years away, if at all. So it comes as excellent news that Colwyn Bay's pier has a Friends of Colwyn Bay Pier Group in existence, specifically - one assumes - to help the pier through difficult times.  Or is it?

The chair of said philanthropic body is none other than Councillor Chris Hughes,  whose name will be familiar to any followers of Cllr John Oddy's excellent blog.  So, as he represents the interests of his constituents, and being mindful of the simple equation a seaside town has to follow to bring benefits to the residents, he naturally is doing everything he can to help the pier.

But, er no.  It seems that - curiously - he is doing the precise opposite. From another excellent blog, we learn that "no meetings of the Friends Group have been held for three years and when the Secretary/Treasurer, Mrs Pat Jackson, organised a meeting herself, who turned up to close the meeting down but Councillor Hughes, who said that the meeting was 'unconstitutional'. He also allegedly said that only he had the power to call meetings and, to put the icing on the cake, refused to resign as Chairman of the Group."

This is odd behaviour, but could be explained in certain circumstances. For instance, if he actually wanted to see the pier demolished, it would be an appropriate course of action.  But then, it begs the question of why he's chair of such a group at all.  Secondly, one wonders if the group has a constitution.  If it does, then it's probably possible to call an extraordinary AGM with a quorum to get rid of this individual from the group. Finally, the Pier'sm owner and the council are in dispute, but it seems that Cllr Hughes hasn't declared an interest on the Register of Members Interests at the Council, yet he's still the chairman. 

Whatever the situation, however, it does seem clear that his behaviour is questionable and perhaps deserves further scrutiny. Worryingly, it appears as though Cllr Hughes has some sort of agenda - which might, of course, be perfectly innocent and above board - but this would seem a good opportunity for him to explain his actions to the voters of Glyn Ward and to tell them - if no one else - how his work is actually making Glyn Ward a better place to live. Cllr Hughes is certainly acquiring a reputation among the bloggers in the area, having made appearances in no fewer than four in the past week. What is going on?  Perhaps as Private Eye might say, shurely we should be told..