Regarding the announcement of a new retail park in Talbot Green (“Pizzas on menu at new park”, Observer, April 15).

It might mean we won’t have to go to Bridgend to visit Pizza Hut but it will almost certainly make life more difficult for small businesses in the area.

If it is true that Boots and Marks & Spencer will be there, not only will that take more trade away from
Pontypridd but the small independent retailers in Talbot Green will also suffer.
The pharmacy in Heol‐y‐Gyfraith is already struggling because of the href="http://www.tesco.com" target="_blank">Tesco pharmacy and the
opening of Boots would
only make things worse.
This development will also bring with it a significant increase in
traffic, leading to greater pollution and yet
more wear and tear on our roads, things that Talbot Green
could do without.

It was misleading for Pauline Jarman to suggest that council services have improved under Plaid Cymru (Observer, April 1).

Since the nationalists came to power in 1999, they have increased council tax by 42 per cent and received over £110m from the
Labour‐led National Assembly, but what
have they improved?
They have not made our roads safer, our streets cleaner or our footpaths more
passable. What they have done is brought in more charges for home
care, increased entrance fees to leisure centres and
closed many of the day centres used by our aging population.
I don’t know what criteria Mrs Jarman uses to judge success, but it certainly does
not take into account the state her and her nationalist colleagues are leaving our
communities in.

The recommendation of the Richard Commission to give the Assembly tax-varying powers should be welcomed, especially if this means there could be lower taxes for small businesses and low-income workers.

However, the call for primary legislative powers would do nothing to improve life for people in Wales and would in fact be a burden on resources that could be spent on health and education.

An Assembly based on the Scottish model would reuire more civil
servants, more Assembly Members and more
of our taxes spent on bureaucracy.
In the long term, this would lead to less Welsh MPs,
poorer œuality legislation through bypassing the Lords
and less time for AMs to spend helping their constituents.
Why should Wales follow Scotland, which has wasted money on a href=""http://www.scotlandlegislation.
hmso.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2003/20030012.htm">Bill to
control dog fouling when the Assembly has shown itself capable of using href="http://www.hmso.gov.uk/legislation/wales/wsi2004/20040909e.htm">Orde
rs to do the same thing?