Call to end social divide (From Barry And District News)

Call to end social divide

A BARRY councillor has lashed out at the massive social divide between communities within the Vale of Glamorgan

Cllr Rob Curtis has reacted angrily to the recent' Affluentials 2002' report that named the area as the wealthiest in Wales, with Cowbridge being it's richest community.

The furious Gibbonsdown councillor, whose ward is one of the most deprived in the Principality, says the rural Vale is prospering at the expense of the more rundown estates.

He told the News: "Whilst Cowbridge gets richer, my community silently suffers intense deprivation, ongoing problems of crime and debt, unemployment, poor health, housing and education.

And it is branded as a no choice estate for the poorest and most disadvantaged members of our society."

"To allow such poverty to exist in such a sea of wealth is obscene." Calling the Vale 'a tale of two communities,' Cllr Curtis outlined the 'harsh facts' of life in Gibbonsdown.

Some 56 percent of children are supported by income support - the highest in the area and double the average of 25 percent

Free school meals are provided to 37 percent of households; it has the highest figure of lone parents; nearly 50 percent of residents do not own a car; it has double the area's average rate of unemployment.

And three percent of households have occupancy rates at more than one person per room, compared to one percent in the Vale.

The Labour man is now calling on the local authority to prioritise spending on the poorer areas of the Vale.

Cllr Curtis stressed: "To allow such a gap between the 'haves and have nots' is against natural justice. As councillors, we must work to extend prosperity to all parts of the Vale of Glamorgan."

His views were echoed by Gibbonsdown Barry Town Councillor Olga Cash.

She said: "Whoever declared the Vale of Glamorgan the wealthiest area in Wales has never visited Barry. Barry needs years of sustained investment, if it is ever going to enjoy the prosperity evident in the rest of the Vale of Glamorgan."