Councillor Steven Bletsoe

23/06/2026

When it's so hot that the public benches are melting 🫠 🥵🔥

Enjoy the hot weather, but please check in on the vulnerable in our society.

Some medical conditions have heat triggers and it just takes a quick wellness check to ensure they are OK.

(The bench has been reported to be fixed and probably didn't melt in the heat)

23/06/2026

I have just received a voice note from the Head of Penybont School to say that the school will be closed on Wednesday and Thursdsy due to the Red Weather Warning in place.

Please pass the message on to other parents and carers of children at the school

21/06/2026

21/06/2026

THIS SATURDAY

Bridgend Town Twinning presents the Armed Forces Day Concert with performances from Choirs from Bridgend and Villenave D'Ornon

Tickets are just £5 and all proceeds being donated to the Bridgend branch of the Royal British Legion and Bridgend Town Mayor's Charities.

Tickets are available from Easterbrooks Gifts and Peter Wood & Sons Butchers, Bridgend. in The Rhiw Shopping Centre. They will also be available on the Town Twinning stand in Bridgend Town Centre during Armed Forces Day and on the door at the event.

Please support this fantastic event on Saturday

17/06/2026

I can save this Cabinet from having to have a long drawn out discussion around this.

The answer on "how to realise the untapped potential" within the Council and the County Borough is..........

To have an Independent led administration.

That's how we realise the full potential at BCBC.

May 2027 can't come soon enough

Cabinet will meet next week (Tuesday 23 June) to consider the council’s formal response to recommendations made as part of a recent Panel Performance Assessment.

The assessment described Bridgend County Borough Council as “a good council with untapped potential” and recognised strengths including:

🏛️ Leadership
💷 Financial sustainability
🎓 Education services
👨‍👩‍👧 Improvements in children's services
♻️ Achieving the highest recycling rates in Wales

The report highlights progress made against eight key recommendations designed to support continuous improvement, including:

🌟 Developing a long-term vision for Bridgend County Borough
📚 Strengthening leadership opportunities
💡 Embracing innovation
💻 Improving digital services
🤝 Building on strong partnerships

The report will also outline how further improvements can help strengthen services, enhance efficiency and support the council’s ambitions for the future.

Read more via the link in comments.

16/06/2026

Further to last night's post about car parking at Bridgend Train Station. Here are three relatively recent car park projects at train stations at Wakefield Westgate, Taunton and Cardiff Central.

Whilst my question was not to replicate these in size and scale. The ability to do something exists, the political lead to address the problem is needed.

Bridgend County needs an Independent administration after 30 years of Party Political failure.

15/06/2026

Many people will know that I am a bit nerdy on the details, many will also know about my history of working on the rail network, I am that old that my first job was actually with British Rail.

Many will also know the frustrations felt by those who live close to Bridgend Train Station with those who park in the streets and not in a dedicated car park serving the 5th busiest train station in Wales.

Well here are the facts:-

Swansea Train Station - 626 parking spaces.
Neath Train Station - 82 car parking spaces.
Port Talbot Train Station - 152 car parking spaces
Bridgend Train Station - 94 car parking spaces
Cardiff train station - 1,121 car parking spaces
Newport train station - 253 car parking spaces
Bristol Parkway train station - 1,883 car parking spaces
Swindon train station - 578 car parking spaces
Reading train station - 1,591 car parking spaces

As I've said, Bridgend is the 5th busiest train station in Wales and regularly has commuters using it, there is inadequate provision for them to park their cars . As we can see, other areas acknowledge the problem and have worked to accommodate it

This is decades of lack of foresight from a Labour administration and decades of a lack of a plan. There are two real sites available for developing a car parking space that could serve our train station but there is no plan.

We desperately need an Independent administration at BCBC to get our County back on track (pun intended)

14/06/2026

12/06/2026

Attended the quarterly Governors meeting of Penybont School yesterday evening where we had to set the annual budget for the next education year.

Have to say, I'm pretty angry.

Pretty angry that the 6% budget cuts passed on to schools is making our education leaders in our Borough have to make impossible decisions as they seek to offer our future generations the best possible start to life and the best possible outcomes

6% cuts, and in "real terms" when we factor in inflation its a double digit reduction in budgets

Our teachers deserve better than this and our children certainly deserve better.

Whether its broken manifesto promises of increased investment in education or flawed funding mechanisms in how schools are calculated their "per pupil" settlements we need a change of administration in May 2027.

Every single Labour Councillor in BCBC has voted for 6% cuts to Education since 2022. They are the reason schools are submitting deficit budgets. They are the reason Head Teachers across our County are struggling with impossible decisions

We need an Independent administration at BCBC 2027 to fix our County

12/06/2026

Bridgend will be celebrating the Armed Forces community on Saturday 27th June with a free family event in the town centre, organised by Bridgend Town Council.

Come and enjoy military vehicles, climbing wall, crafts for children, a mobile cave experience, military organisation stands, facepainting and entertainment on the stage hosted by Zack Franks.

The fun starts at 10.30, the parade will step off at 11am, with entertainment on the stage starting at 11.30.

Timings for the days activities are as follows:

10.30am Stands and Activities Open

10.50am Official Opening - Entertainment Stage

11am Parade steps off from Caroline Street

11.30am First round of Mayor’s Best Cadet Competition

11.30am Entertainment begins on the stage until 2.30pm

2.45pm Award for Mayors Best Cadet

3pm Event close

The timings for the Entertainment Stage are as follows:

10.45 – 10.50 Opening Speech

11.30 – 11.50 Air Cadets Drum Corps

12.00 – 12.20 Bridgend & Cowbridge Rock Choir

12.30 – 12.50 Chorale du Lac

13.00– 13.20 The Dance Centre Academy

13.30 – 13.50 Sea Cadets

14.00 – 14.30 My Kinda Choir

14.45 – 15.00 Presentation of Mayors Best Cadet Award

Its always a fantastic day with plenty to do, we look forward to seeing you on 27th June!

Armed Forces Day
Zack Franks Movement and Dance
1092 Bridgend Sqn RAF Air Cadets
The Dance Centre & Harri's Cafe Bar
My Kinda Choir
Porthcawl Sea Cadets
Rock Choir South Wales • Choirs led by Suzie Thomsit
Valley Arts
JM Entertainment
Dyfed and Glamorgan Army Cadets