On the 5th of December, Splott residents will vote to elect a third ward councillor to join Labour councillors Ed Stubbs and Huw Thomas in representing Splott, Tremorfa and Pengam Green.
To read more about why a bi-election is being held in Splott, and who is standing, click here.
Inksplott has invited all of the candidates to share their reasons for standing and a little bit more about themselves in an interview.
Continuing the series of interviews, I’m pleased to introduce the Green Party candidate, Sam Coates.
Inksplott: Hello! Thank you for being interviewed for Inksplott. Please tell us who you are and which party you represent.
Sam: I’m Sam Coates and I’m standing for the Green Party.
Inksplott: Why did you become a member of that party and for how long have you been a member?
Sam: I joined the Greens when I was 16. I read the policies of a few parties, and realised only the Green Party’s fitted together into a coherent way of seeing the world. Basically, we want to address the roots of the issues society faces, not just take a bite out of the symptoms.
Inksplott: Can you tell us a bit about you and Splott? Do you live here? How long have you lived here? Why did you move here?
Sam: Various friends and family live in Splott, or have done, and I’ve campaigned here with the ACORN renters union. Growing up in north Cardiff, you often heard unfair things about the area, but getting to know it showed me the strong community spirit and proud heritage. I live in Grangetown, which has a similar community feel, and similar issues as a dense, working class area.
Inksplott: Please list your top three ‘successes in Splott’.
Sam: Through reporting pot holes and highlighting them in my newsletters I’ve gotten a couple fixed or on the list to be fixed soon. I’ve had piles of rubbish removed around Bayside Road, and got the council to quickly fill in missing paving slabs on Marion Street – residents told me some of these things have been dragging on for months.
It feels great to see these results on the street, but there’s many deeper, more complex issues that can only be done as an elected councillor.
Inksplott: Please list the three things that you wish you could have done but they didn’t quite happen and why.
Sam:
- Moorland Park really needs some TLC – like replacing the lettering on the entrance, and replacing lost benches. A project like that takes longer to persuade the council to do than the quicker cleanups, but I’ll work hard to get done if I’m lucky even to be elected.
- Flytipping is still a big problem in Splott – I’ve asked council leaders what they’re doing to tackle the causes such as CCTV in problem spots. Some of these places have had cameras vandalised and not replaced. Without being elected, this is another issue that takes some time to get traction.
- Splott Road really isn’t living up to its potential. Obviously the economy is making it harder for businesses to set up and keep going, but I think the council could be doing more to support community-orientated spaces and projects, like in the Capital Arcade in town. Again, this is the sort of issue where being on council would make much more achieveable.
Inksplott: Please list your top five commitments to Splott if you are to be elected. What are you going to do for us?
Sam:
- I will be responsive, sympathetic and proactive when people ask for my help. Doing the casework really well will be my top priority, which means advocating for residents, not just pointing them to an officer. I’ll put the hours in.
- I’ll stay in touch all year round through continuing my newsletters, and running regular surgeries. I want to help people be directly involved in the decisions that affect us, not just hear what’s going to happen afterwards. From the smell from the Willows site, to the dust coming from the steelworks, there’s a sense that people have to just put up with the problems of having industry on the doorstep. I want to help change that.
- We need to sort out the persistent problems with litter and fly-tipping. I want to make sure we have enough bins, that are emptied often enough, and press the council hard to come up with a solution. It isn’t good enough to blame individuals and leave volunteers to clean up the mess – although we’re all hugely grateful for Keep Splott Tidy, Oasis and others that do so much to help!
- I will champion Splott’s fabulous volunteer scene. Splott Community Volunteers, Splo-down Food Co-op, Railway Gardens and others do so much to improve people’s lives, but funding is sometimes too short-term, and there’s a risk of them being asked to do things the council should be doing. I’ll meet with these groups regularly to see how the council can help with funding, buildings and other support.
- I want women to feel safer at night then they do now. I support installing lighting in Splott Park, and looking at whether CCTV coverage will give greater piece of mind. Lots of people have told me they want the PACT meetings back, which would be a great forum to discover what else we need to do.
Inksplott: Please tell us why people should vote for you.
Sam: The Green Party came 2nd here in the general election, and our candidates came 2nd in Splott in the last council election. I am best placed to overtake Labour and secure a healthy mix of parties representing the area. Other candidates may be claiming only they can win, but residents can go and look up the previous results for themselves.
My party won’t tell me what to say or how to vote on anything– I’m free to speak up for what’s best for Splott.
Everyone who knows me says I’m empathetic, approachable and hate to see injustice. It’s been so much fun knocking doors and hearing people’s stories, and I want to keep doing that every week to understand exactly what’s going on for people. I’ll do regular walkabouts to identify and report problems like litter, flytipping and potholes.
I spend my time trying to change things for the better. My work with ACORN means I’m really passionate about tenants getting a fair deal – and want to make sure council and private tenants in Splott aren’t being mistreated. ACORN has put out a campaign calling for taxing 2nd and empty home to pay for a winter fuel scheme. Disappointingly, only myself and the Plaid candidate have signed this.
I’ve campaigned with people from the Civic Society and all sorts of campaigns across the city trying to resist inappropriate development. The feeling across the board is the council is too cosy with developers, and is putting their profits over the needs of people who actually live here. The solar park is just one example of how this can happen here. There were plenty of grounds to say no, yet it was approved anyway, and now we’ll lose an important area for wildlife. If I win, my guiding question will always be ‘who is gaining most from this decision’?
So many people I’ve spoken to want to see something change, and I hope I can offer that with my different idea of what it means to be a councillor.
Inksplott: How can the people of Splott get in touch with you and tell you what they would like?
Sam: Folks can email me using sam.coates@cardiff.greenparty.wales.
Inksplott: Please tell us a funny story about Splott.
Sam: I’ve had a few people on the doorstep who disagree with me about almost everything, but they don’t tell you to go away – they’re still curious and want to talk things through, and ask me all about my life. That’s not an attitude I’ve come across anywhere else!
Inksplott: This is your free space to tell us anything you like. Off you go!
Sam: I may be standing as a politician, but I’ve always had one foot in local community campaigns – whether it was getting the university to improve its climate policies, or supporting renters to get what they deserve, I always look at situations first from the perspective of the people affected by a decision. I worry these days that a lot of politicians decide what the line is, they try to think of how to justify it to people.
Diolch yn fawr for your great questions and the chance to share a bit with you!
Thank you Sam. Good luck in the election.