An application has been made to upgrade footpath26 (shown alongside on map copied from Blaenhonddan community council’s guide to public rights of way) to a bridleway.

If anyone has any comments, could they send them to me, or to the Head of Legal Services of the City of Swansea who is coordinating, by 7th December.

This 1953 romantic comedy will be screened in Brynaman on16th October, I am informed by the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales. The show starts at 19:30. Free tickets are available by phoning 01269 823 232.

My recollection of this film is of a good performance by Clifford Evans, but that the story and script were definitely of their time.

The Financial Services Authority is organising personal finance workshops in the county borough. The one most convenient for Cadoxton people will be held in Neath Civic Centre on 22nd October at noon for one hour.

Other sessions will be in Port Talbot and Pontardawe on 21st and at The Quays, Briton Ferry, on the morning of the 22nd.

For more details, and to book a place, phone Ffion Davies on 01792 51071.

Neath Citizens Advice Bureau at 44 Alfred Street has been enabled to carry on providing advice and assistance to people claiming Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, at least until 31st March next year.

HM Revenue & Customs’ Annual Reviews are due by 31st July - that is, next Thursday. Therefore, it is important for all claimants of Tax Credits to submit details of their income from the tax year April 2007 - April 2008. If HMRC discover that they have not been told about changes in income, and overpayments result, the penalties could be crippling.

Citizens Advice ask that people requesting advice make an appointment on 01639 634062.

There was a useful PACT (Partnerships And Communities Together) meeting at Llangatwg School yesterday evening (22nd July).

The troubles in the unadopted lane behind Caegroes and Cadoxton Terraces were discussed at length. The police community officers announced that they had been given access to the Scout hut for regular use as a sub-base, which would appear to be a major step forward.

The priority items for the next couple of months would be speeding and the illegal use of motorcycles in both Cadoxton and Aberdulais wards. The next meeting is provisionally scheduled for 16th September.

I have received a prospectus from CISWO, a charitable organisation providing services to mining dependents. Among these is holiday provision at The Court Royal Mines Home, Bournemouth.

Further information is available from the Regional Manager, Unit 5 Maritime Offices, Woodland Terrace, Maesycoed, PONTYPRIDD CF37 1DZ, or by clicking the link above.

A fortnight ago, the councillors for Aberdulais, Cadoxton and Tonna were invited to observe a COMAH emergency planning exercise. The scenario was a collision and fire at the Calor Gas plant in Aberdulais. The disruption to the public and the cost clearly ruled out a full-scale reconstruction (though a video of the original incident staged at the plant was shown to the participants), so the exercise was restricted to the “table-top”. However, all the authorities who would be involved in such a major civil emergency were represented, in most cases, so far as I could see, by the actual people concerned.

The main thing I took away from the exercise was reassurance, on two counts: firstly, that even the tip of Cadoxton Ward which came within the danger area* was unlikely to be affected; secondly, that the front-line services (fire, police, ambulance primarily) were well equipped and well drilled to deal with the immediate emergency.

If there were to be a spillage of gas, it would flow - as it expanded from its liquefied state - along the ground, being heavier than air. The gas would almost certainly sink into the Neath Canal and flow with it, raising the alarming prospect of fire taking hold in the woods and undergrowth along the canal, threatening the houses in Tonna above it. This is a worst case, and the fire service, along with Calor’s own emergency staff, were clearly confident they could prevent it, though possibly at the cost of pollution of the canal and river from the chemicals used.(Even here, there are now tight regulations on what chemicals can be used in such situations, and there is more danger to wildlife resulting from diesel spillage.)

Less clear-cut were issues resulting from relations with the public. In the unlikely event that evacuation was felt to be necessary, the police have no powers to force people to leave their homes. Some might not even find it easy to do so. (The police can legally prevent entry to the emergency zone.) It could also be difficult to inform local citizens what is going on. Apparently, the percentage of the population listening to local radio has dropped considerably in recent years (presumably as .mp3 players have caught on). The siren at the plant can give no more information than that an emergency has occurred. It may be that the old-fashioned (and person-intensive) knock at the door may have to be brought back.

Doreen Jones, ward councillor for Aberdulais, pointed out another serious hole in the existing emergency plan: informing elected representatives. There was no provision for letting the ward councillor(s) know what was happening. This has now been rectified in that the Joint Resilience Unit (which coordinates emergency action in Swansea & Neath Port Talbot) will inform the corporate communications and marketing manager, who will in turn pass on the news to cabinet and ward members. All councillors have now been provided with an emergency incident prompt card, as well.

*The Public Information Zone, the area around a COMAH establishment to which information (in writing) must be made available, is set at 400m in the case of LPG. However, the danger area may actually be smaller than this. The limit is based on practical experience of an actual fire, but on a vessel on water, not a land-based incident.