Ryan Thomas

The Labour Team representing Kidwelly of Nia Griffith MP, Cllr. Ryan Thomas (the County Councillor for Kidwelly), Cllr. Mike Thomas and Cllr. Philip Thompson (both Kidwelly Town Councillors), have held a further meeting in their series of meetings with Hywel Dda’s senior management and the local practice manager about the difficulties faced by the surgery. This meeting also followed on from Lee Waters AM raising the problem of GP recruitment at the surgery in the Senedd at First Minister’s Questions. This third meeting in the series on 19th September 2016 was attended by Nia, Ryan, Mike and Phil accompanied by Suzy Curry, (Senior Parliamentary Assistant to Nia Griffith MP) representing the Health Board was Rachel Pompa, Head of General Medicine and Anne Jenkins, the Practice Manager of Meddygfa Minafon. Following the meeting Nia Griffith MP and Councillors Ryan Thomas, Mike Thomas and Philip Thompson released the following statement: “We are pleased to have been able to continue what h...

So here I am sat at my kitchen table. I occasionally glance at the oven digital clock face while I wait for dinner to cook. This despite knowing that I have set an alarm on my phone to indicate the readiness of said food. I know that in slightly over one week I will by flying to Dublin with Ana and my sister. I have never travelled to Ireland and it will be the second new country that I will have travelled to this year. I have an idea in my mind what to expect of Dublin. A jovial city. I am not sure if this is what we will find there. I have no real plans for our three-night visit except my sister’s insistence on visiting the Guinness Factory (surely she means brewery?). I am excited to be visiting a new place, a new country. I don’t expect Ireland to be very different to my own, only minor but noticeable cultural differences. I am looking forward to exploring the street, parks, pubs, museums and other attractions of a capital of a culture that punches far above its relative size. As t...

The Absinthe Drinker (Pablo Picasso, 1901) I was visiting Paris with my fiance Ana in February of this year. As it happens, we were lucky that we could visit over a week that included Valentines Day. During the week we visited a lot of museums and galleries and saw so many wonderful exhibits. But none have stuck in my mind quite like seeing this painting. It stuck in my mind because of the beautiful and graphic way Picasso managed to capture the mood and intoxication of the subject. There is something about this portrait that absolutely captures my attention and pulls me into the mind of this character.

There are times that I feel an overwhelming wanderlust. It's not just a desire to jump on a plane for a weekend city break. It's a calling to pack everything in - my job, my public duties, sell my home, throw away almost all my commitments. I know I am not alone. My partner Ana sometimes suddenly declares that we should go and live in Paris for three months next summer, or that we should simply travel for the rest of our lives. The human brain is fascinating. One moment you are struggling with your ordinary life. The next you are backpacking through the Himalayas. At the beginning of this year we decided we would travel. We somehow agreed that we would visit five foreign countries this year. Life and money get in our way. But we decided that we really would travel so be just bought tickets, booked a hotel and spent Valentines week in Paris. We always knew that we would be visiting Bucharest in June for Ana's sister's wedding. We also managed to spend a few days in Londo...

I've been trying to write this post for a long time. Europe is a place and an idea that I am passionate about. Since my fiancé is Romanian I am probably quite biased when it comes to it as well. The reason why I have found this post so difficult is because I have been trying to justify my support for the European Union using political arguments. The trouble is the referendum campaign has descended into a playground squabble. I think the economy will be damaged by leaving and the UK will be forced to negotiate entry in the European Free Trade Area where we will end up losing more sovereignty and democracy that we currently exercise collectively as full members of the EU. The EU institutions are flawed and the commission is over bureaucratic. But there is a democratically elected parliament and a council where all national governments are represented. It's a bit hypocritical for us Brits to criticise a lack of democracy in the EU when we continue to put up with the unelected Hous...

Earlier today I decided to go for a walk through Llanelli town centre. It was warm and the sun was shining and I wasn't going to spend another lunch hour in front of my computer at work. People are always complaining about the 'state' of the town centre. It's hard to argue with them. However, their complaints are not properly thought through. I have worked at several different points in my career close to Llanelli town centre and have always struggled to find something nice to eat for lunch. There are a few excellent cafes if you have time to sit for lunch. But if you're in a hurry it's tough to find a quick snack unless you go to the same two or three places every day. When you walk around you get a casual sense of decline, much like the majority of Welsh town centres. But in Llanelli you can also spot the potential. You look at the buildings, you look and the empty spaces. You think that the empty store would be a great location for a boutique or a gift shop. ...

Traffic Update I am continuing to work on traffic concerns in a number of areas of Kidwelly and Mynydd-y-Garreg. I am working with residents and council officers to tackle poor parking around Ysgol y Castell at the end of the school day. Officers are currently patrolling the school on a regular basis to ensure the safety of children. Council officers are also considering the introduction of a no waiting/loading restriction near the school to prevent any parking (including blue badge holders). Officers are continuing to pursue schemes to reduce traffic speeds and improve safety along New Street and Water Street. The council is considering parking restrictions outside the post office. Litter along the River Walk The town council is responsible for an area of land along the River Walk which is sometimes strewn with litter. I have asked that the town council make more of an effort to keep this land clean. Kidwelly Town Hall The company that was founded to redevelop the town hall has folded...