8 M O N D AY, F E B R U A RY 29, 2016 SOUTH WALES EVENING POST 9SOUTH WALES EVENING POST M O N D AY, F E B R U A RY 29, 2016 S WA - E01-S2S WA - E01-S2

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Social care future in‘last chance saloon’NEATH Port Talbot Council’s adultsocial care services are to remainin-house — but councillors have beenwarned this is a “last chance saloon” toensure services survive.

Cabinet members votedunanimously to keep adult social carein-house, after being faced with achoice between two alternative modelsfor delivering the services.

The members’ other option was to setup a new council-owned, arms lengthcompany.

Councillors were told, in order for themodel to succeed and survive, theservices would need to be much morecompetitive.

Council chief executive Steve Phillipswarned that the way the authority runsthe service needed to change, before itwent out of business.

He said: “This report could beentitled the last chance saloon, becausethat is what it is. If we do not change thisservice it will die.”

Council leader Ali Thomas said: “Thecouncil is striving to protect servicesand jobs in these difficult financialtimes.

“We are committed to keepingservices in-house where possible, but inorder to do this they must becomemuch more efficient and competitive.”

Unison branch chairman MarkFisher said the union was delightedwith the authority’s decision to keep theservices in-house.

Mr Fisher said: “Unison hasresolutely maintained that adult socialcare provision needs to remain

in-house so the local authority couldmaintain the high standards of serviceprovision for our communities.

“This allows choice andindependence for all service users,while at the same time ensuring theindividual’s needs and aspirations areat the forefront of all strategicdecisions.

“We look forward to maintaining ourpartnership working approach with thecouncil to ensure a high quality serviceprovision for our communities whilstprotecting our members jobs, termsand conditions.”

Rebecca Jones@jonesrebeccaj • 01792 545547re b e c c a . j o n e s @ s w w m e d i a . c o . u k

AMs call for bay lagoon project to be given green lightLABOUR Assembly Members MikeHedges and David Rees have spokenout about their concerns over the delaysin the proposed Swansea Bay TidalLagoon.

The UK Government has postponedmaking a decision on the £1 billionproject until the autumn while it carriesout a review into tidal power.

Now Swansea East AM Mr Hedgesand Aberavon AM Mr Rees have calledfor a decision to be made, and forconstruction work to start.

Speaking at the Wales Labourconference Mr Hedges said the majorityof people in Swansea felt “let down” by

London on the tidal lagoon scheme.He said: “This was a huge

opportunity for Swansea; a hugeopportunity for Wales.

“We know that the tidal movement isregular — not only is it sustainable butit is also reliable. We know that it cangenerate electricity when the tidecomes in and when it goes out.”

He added: “That tidal lagoons willhappen is inevitable — but will theTories allow others to become the worldleader because of theirshortsightedness?”

The Aberavon AM also spoke out infavour, saying Welsh Labour had shown

commitment to renewable energy andit was time the Tories is likewise.

He said the project offered both arenewable energy solution and majorjob opportunities for Tata employees.

The proposed lagoon would beformed by building a six mile longU-shaped seawall running fromSwansea docks out into the bay sea andre-joining land next to SwanseaUniversity’s Bay Campus

It would use 16 turbines to generatepower with the daily ebb and flow of thetides — supporters say it will generatethe equivalent electricity used by121,000 households. AM Mike Hedges.

Widow makesplea to findh u b by ’s ringA WIDOW has been left devastated after losingthe engagement ring she gave to her husband 43years ago.

The ring is a reminder of the husband MargaretTurner, aged 79, could not grow old with — as hedied from kidney problems at the age of 39 in1973.

Mrs Turner thinks the inscribed gold signetring may have slipped off as she removed hergloves while shopping on Thursday at Lidl inMorriston.

She and her sons are now hoping the publicwill help in her search to find the ring she hasworn every day since her husband’s death.

Mrs Turner said: “I never remarried afterByron, he was the love of my life.

“We would’ve grown old together like a pair ofold slippers.

“I felt safe when I had that ring on my finger asI felt that Byron was looking over me.

“It’s always been on my finger, ever since hedied so young.

“The older I get, the slimmer my fingersbecome and this has been something waiting tohappen. I only wish everything was as slim as myfingers!”

Mrs Turner said she valued the missing ringmore than her wedding band as it had beeninscribed with Byron’s initials, BMT, and themessage Love Margaret (04-04-1958).

“Byron’s ring had been on my finger ever sincehe died,” she said.

“We took the ring off his finger in the hospitaland I never travel anywhere without it.”

The couple’s son, Meirion, launched an onlineappeal yesterday, which is being shared onFacebook to further spread the word in the hopeof reuniting Mrs Turner with the ring.

The 52-year-old said the whole family wasupset for his mother.

“She’s got a strong emotional attachment tothe ring,” he said.

“She bought it for him and has had it on herfinger since he died.

“I was very upset for her when she lost it.“It’s not worth a lot apart from sentimental

value. We have looked in the car, her house andthe drive but we cannot find it.

“We were devastated when my father passedaway but my mother brought us up by herself.”

His brother Gareth added: “My mum washanging onto the ring for one of thegrandchildren as it’s in her will.

“She rang me after losing it on Thursday andshe was really upset.

“She didn’t remarry after my dad because it’shard to replace such a loss.

“That or she never found anyone good lookingenough. Unfortunately, the good looks didn’tpass down to me!

“My mother is an independent and remarkablelady who brought up two boys and kept a jobdown.”●Anyone who finds the gold ring is urged tocontact Meirion Turner on 07771 976883.

Matthew Dresch@SWEveningPost • 01792 545533postnews@swwmedia.co.uk

Driver with19 pointsavoids ban

AROUND THE UK

LUTON Six British members of astag party travelling to Bratislava withRyanair were kicked off the plane inBerlin for alleged drunkenmisbehaviour. The men, aged 25 to28, were part of a group of 12heading to the Slovakian capital fromLondon on Friday evening. Reportssay they became unruly and theplane was forced to carry out anunscheduled landing.

LIVERPOOL Dozens of people havebeen arrested as rival protestersclashed in Liverpool. Members of thefar-right North West Infidels groupwere reportedly confronted byanti-fascist protestors outside StG e o rg e ’s Hall on Saturday. Oneofficer suffered concussion afterbeing hit by a missile, and wastreated in hospital, Merseyside Policesaid.

S TA F F O R D S H I R E A memorialremembering the British militarypersonnel who died in the first GulfWar is to be unveiled 25 years afterthe conflict ended. The monument,which has 47 paving stones with thenames of those killed, will be openedat the National Memorial Arboretumin Alrewas.

DORSET A piper has completed amission to play the bagpipes onevery continent within 50 days. IreneRobinson’s feat started at New York’sRadio City Music Hall and hasincluded visits to Alcatraz, Antarcticaand Rio’s Christ the Redeemermonument. Ms Robinson, of Poole,finished her odyssey in London with aperformance on HMS Belfast.

A DRIVER has avoided a ban despiteracking up 19 penalty points after hetold magistrates he needed a licence forhis fledgling electrical business.

Swansea Magistrates’ Court heardofficers were called to Birchgrove onNovember 27 following concerns forthe welfare of Ashley James Hayley.

They located his car and a short timelater found him in a “distressed” state.He was initially arrested for a breach ofthe peace and taken to a police stationwhere he refused to take a breath test.

Hayley, aged 28, of Lon Ogwen,Birchgrove pleaded guilty to failing toprovide a specimen as a person incharge of a vehicle, and to using avehicle without insurance.

Magistrates fined him £500 andimposed 10 penalty points on hislicence for failing to provide a specimenand six for having no insurance on topof the three points he already had — butdecided not to disqualify him after heentered an “exceptional hardship”argument saying he needed to drive forhis new business.

Lesson withfurry visitorsSCHOOL pupils welcomed some extraspecial visitors to the classroom lastweek as they showed their support foran animal charity.

Youngsters at Cwrt SartComprehensive School were visited byDogs Trust education and communityofficer Claire Kendrick on Friday.

The officer’s role is to promote andhighlight the importance of good dogownership, and “all the amazingthings” that happen at Dogs Trust.

As well as informing the pupils abouther work, Claire also took in some furryfriends for the students to meet.

Youngsters at the Briton Ferry schoollearned about the work of the largestdog welfare charity in the UK, whichaims to ensure all dogs can “live a happylife”.

The school then made a donation tothe charity, which has a centre based inBridgend.

Claire Kendrick of Dogs Trust with Cwrt Sart Comprehensive school pupils Jade Powell, Finley Poulton, Kieran Price,Cameron Ellis, teacher Pat Parry and learning support assistant Jessica Simmons.

Picture: Gayle Marsh/SWgm20160226B-003_C

UK Nigel Farage has put the issue ofimmigration at the centre of hisargument for the UK to leave theEuropean Union. Speaking at Ukip’sSpring conference in Llandudno, hesaid the June 23 referendum couldbe “independence day” if the UKvoted to leave the union.

Seventy-nine-year-old Margaret Turner whoappealing for her engagement ring from 1958 aftershe lost it in Lidl, Morriston.

Picture: Adrian White/SWAW20160228B-007_C

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