More taxpayers money spent on beer mats

Continuing the series highlighting public bodies spending money on beermats, the latest council to do this are Rhondda Cynon Taff, now the love www.loveponty.com url actually redirects to a site called Pontypridd Regeneration at which readers can read how much public money is being spent in an attempt to regenerate the town centre. There is a brief list of bars on the site but no descriptions of them or information such as food etc. There is a far more extensive and informative non-taxpayer funded site about Pontypridd pubs here.

On the other side the www.destinationrct.co.uk also redirects to another site http://tourism.rctcbc.gov.uk/home.aspx which is far more useful and informative than the RCT Council PR site for Pontypridd. Of course the image above does not pander to local stereotypes either!
Now I can see why councils have to promote tourism - the RCT tourism site does link to a useful heritage site but the LovePonty site does seem more of a PR stunt for the council, rather than dealing with actual visitors to the town.

Council jobworths damage pub trade

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A Welsh pub has lost 90% of its trade after jobsworths from Rhondda Cynon Taff Council removed road signs pointing to the newly re-opened pub, which had been closed for 7 years previously.
From the Morning Advertiser

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, which owns the road, banned him from using flyers, on the grounds that he was “fly-posting”.

In September, he began placing an A-board advertising “good food” on the main road three miles away. This month he received warning letters and two £75 fines from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, forbidding the signs.

Bottomley, who has worked as a Whitbread troubleshooter, applied for the pub to be added to a tourist information sign nearby but “did not qualify” because it was for Ystradfellte, operated by Powys Council.

“The pub was closed for seven years,” said Bottomley. “We are trying to rebuild the business but now we can go four days without customers.”

A Rhondda Cynon Taf Council spokesman said: “Officers became aware of posters that were installed illegally and were considered to be flyposting.

“Despite clear guidance and warnings, the signs re-appeared, leading to the a fixed penalty notice.”

Where to start with these idiots in the council? They should be supporting local businesses not hindering them. Pubs are having a bad enough time at the moment without some overpaid public servant deciding that they cannot put signs up just because 'they' consider them illegal. As for not qualifying for addition on a tourist information sign because it is in a different council area, well that is just a stupid border dispute, someone should be knocking heads together between the two councils to get them to support local businesses, especially pubs and especially those that have reopened after 7 years of closure.

I first visited this pub some 20 years ago, back in my student days when a group of us stayed at the nearby Youth Hostel which has now closed, something the local pub used to rely on. Can't remember much about the pub, but the Saturday night visit to Merthyr Tydfil was interesting to say the least!