South Wales Evening Post - 12 July 2006
The future of Dunvant council is now in the hands of the people. Months of bitter rows will come to a head on Thursday, July 27, when residents will decide whether to scrap the community council or save it.
The poll follows a campaign by disgruntled villagers, who say that they are fed up with in-fighting among councillors, and that they are not getting value for money for the extra tax they pay.
This year, families in a Band D house in Dunvant will pay £23 on top of their council tax bill for the services provided by the community council.
However, the chairman of the beleaguered body has urged people not to axe it, but to get more involved in its running and help it to improve.
Two polling stations are planned for the village on election day, one in the community centre and one in Dunvant Primary School.
The doors will be open from 4pm to 9pm and the count will take place at the school.Council chairman Rowly Bevan said scrapping the council would be bad for the village.
"Without the community council people wouldn't have a particular voice in the village, and wouldn't have things done," he said.
"We need more mums and dads to join the council.
"The council needs to improve, and I am still of the opinion that it is good for the village.
"Perhaps if people said we need a change of councillors I would agree, but as to getting rid of the council - no."
Councillors have established a £400 fighting fund to pay for the pro-council campaign.
But resident Mervyn Morgan said the council had become an irrelevance, and should be abolished.
He said: "It is too expensive, too undemocratic and too secretive.
"There are lots of other ways people get involved in the life of the community - they give their time to all kinds of groups and clubs.
"We don't need a council - it just involves expense without anything to do.
"If we have a problem we can go to our city councillors."
