WITH the end of the contract, Glangwili Hospital’s car parking charges have ceased. What hasn’t changed is the problem faced by patients in finding a parking space due to the size of the car park. Apparently staff have the same problem in their car park.

In last week’s Tivyside it was recorded that a small number of people park at the hospital to get a bus into town either for work or shopping to avoid higher parking charges in Carmarthen.

CHC members present were shocked at the “audacity” of these people. A member said that he found it shocking that people would park there and go shopping especially as more services are being pushed into Glangwili.

Well what a surprise! Come to Cardigan and your audacity will hit the roof.

Glangwili has a small number of these selfish, me-me-me people. In Cardigan all bar a few spaces – including on the grass – are taken up by such idiots.

You are lucky as a patient, and presumably as staff as well, to find a space on the yellow lines let alone in the car park.

In Glanwwili it is intended to have an Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, to allow penalty notices to be issued. Ours is a much smaller car park but they don’t suffer around 70 idiots as we do, who take up the majority of the hospital grounds.

I have moaned (as you will be only too aware) that Hywel Dda has done nothing to prevent this chaos in Cardigan.

Perhaps we are too far away from Carmarthen to be considered or just ignored as being small fry.

Do members of Ceredigion CHC ever visit the hospital? If so why haven’t they kicked up a stink with Hywel Dda? Or are they too busy as they take their tea and biscuits?

Of course we are now only a year away from the Integrated Care Centre coming into operation so Hywel Dda will obviously keep their heads in the sand regarding the current problem. Remember however that head in the sand leaves a tempting target above it.

Have provisions been made to counteract similar problems at the new Centre? I bet such a thought has never entered Hywel Dda’s collective head.

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THE Newcastle Emlyn branch of Barclays is to close shortly, meaning the town will, when Lloyds closes in January, be bankless.

Yes it’s all well and good the banks saying that customers can go to the Cardigan or Carmarthen branches, but that means a drive of 15 miles either way.

And what if financial advice is required fairly urgently?

Will ATMs still be available for instant cash?

Go on line? Many people either don’t have the means to do so, or choose not to for whatever reason and many of course like the person touch, often built up over years.

Financially it is likely not viable to keep branches open, but surely the multi millions “earned” by the bosses are equally not viable.

Shame on the banks.

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I’M unsure as to what the police do in Cardigan for they are little seen, but one thing they definitely don’t do is monitor the streets and roads around Cardigan for speeding motorists.

The 40mph limited section on the by-pass is used by many as a drag strip. I am regularly overtaken on my way towards Penparc by cars and motorbikes travelling at well in excess of the speed limit.

Indeed we often hear motorbikes at full chat from our home which is some considerable distance away.

Other roads also see speeding including the Gwbert and Ferwig Roads yet we never seem to see a police presence. The odd police vehicle parked in a strategic spot would do wonders.

And why not have them parked around the town. Any incident at which they may be required to attend could be reached just as well as if it was parked at the police station.

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ON a similar subject it always makes me laugh when the subject of police numbers is discussed on TV and the phrase “bobbies on the beat” is used. You will know why.

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THIS is the silly season regarding real news, so the rumour mill begins to click over. One I‘ve heard is that McDonalds is coming to town. Whether this has any basis at all I really don’t know.