Politician pledges to tackle Abergele deprivation

Oct 30 2008 By David Simister

A LEADING Abergele politician has reiterated his pledge to improve the town’s ranking as one of the most deprived areas in Conwy.

Dave Holland, county councillor for the Abergele-Pensarn ward, said that although the area had been rated in the top 10% for the county in the Welsh Multiple Deprivation Index earlier this year, the news had been missed by many residents.

"In a way I’m almost glad it’s the top 10% we’ve come under rather than the top quarter, as it means we should be able to apply for much more in the way of grants and get more support," said Cllr Holland.

"Rather than being negative about these results, we ought to treat them as an opportunity to get to grips with some of the issues affecting Abergele and Pensarn at the moment."

The results of the Welsh Multiple Deprivation Index were published in August and ranked the deprivation of every council ward in the country on a range of criteria, such as education, crime and living costs.

Although neighbouring resort Rhyl fared far worse in the survey, with its West and South West wards coming first and fifth respectively, Cllr Holland said Abergele-Pensarn’s result of 120th overall should not be taken lightly as it was shown to be one of the most deprived areas in Conwy

He says that as a result of being made aware of the figures he plans to undertake a series of measures to help kickstart improvements for the area, including showing dignitaries around the area on November 10, but also says he will consider other options.

"Kinmel Bay, for instance, has Communities First status, which has seen it drop out of the top ten since 2005. I’m not saying we should definitely go down that road, but it’s whatever it takes to get things changed," he added.

"My pledge since becoming elected has been to do something to help Abergele and Pensarn and I think making people more aware of these figures will help make more people aware of what needs to be done."