Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council is inviting residents to “enjoy a relaxed picnic in the sunshine” at its Armed Forces Day event in Ynysangharad War Memorial Park in Pontypridd this summer — a lovely invitation, and one that will not be lost on residents of Aberdare, where picnicking in the town’s own park has been made deeply unpleasant by a goose population that has been allowed to grow unchecked for years.
Two Parks, Two Very Different Experiences
Ynysangharad War Memorial Park in Pontypridd is a fine facility. The Armed Forces Day event on June 12, running from 12pm to 4pm at the Bandstand, promises live music from the DB Big Band, Taff Ely Ladies Choir and singer David Watkins, children’s activities including a climbing wall and giant garden games, a beer garden and food vans. A picnic in the sunshine sounds entirely achievable.
Now consider Aberdare Park.
Aberdare Park has a large and beautiful lake. It attracts significant wildlife — ducks, geese, Canada Geese in particular — in numbers well exceeding a hundred birds at any given time. The geese are not confined to the water’s edge. They occupy paths, grass areas and children’s play areas. The fouling is extensive and near-constant. A relaxed picnic in Aberdare Park is not, for most families, a realistic prospect.
The difference between the two parks is not accidental. It is the direct result of years of public feeding of waterfowl in Aberdare Park — feeding that has been actively encouraged by the presence of facilities and the absence of any meaningful deterrent — which has swelled the resident goose population to a scale that now imposes real costs on the council and real misery on park users.
Years of Campaigning, Months of Waiting for a Sign
AberdareOnline has been raising this issue with RCT and the Friends of Aberdare Park for years. The response has been, to put it charitably, measured.
The most recent update from Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Ann Crimmings, confirms that new signage discouraging feeding has been translated into Welsh and sent to the sign-makers — but that the officer responsible is currently on annual leave, and the signs will be installed on his return.
Signs. After years of campaigning. Not yet in place. Pending an officer’s return from holiday.
Councillor Crimmings was keen to assure that officers “do have pride in Aberdare Park.” Residents do not doubt their pride. They question the pace.
The Governance Question
AberdareOnline has written formally to Councillor Crimmings in her capacity as Cabinet Member for Environment, raising a series of questions that deserve clear answers.
The letter asks whether the council has ever formally assessed the annual cost of cleansing operations in Aberdare Park that are directly attributable to goose and waterfowl fouling — covering staffing, vehicles, fuel, maintenance and management over a full twelve month period. At a time when council tax is rising and residents are being asked to accept less for more, this is not an unreasonable question.
The letter also asks whether alternative wildlife management approaches — restricting feeding, population management, or evidence-based interventions used successfully by other local authorities — have ever been formally considered.
And it raises a governance point that the council will need to answer carefully. Councillor Crimmings holds a dual role: she is the Cabinet Member responsible for environmental services, and she is also a trustee of the Friends of Aberdare Park. When decisions relating to Aberdare Park are made — including decisions about wildlife management policy, cleansing budgets, or feeding restrictions — what arrangements are in place to manage any potential or perceived conflict of interest?
This is not a trivial question. Public confidence in council decision-making depends on transparency, and transparency requires that these arrangements be clearly articulated and publicly available.
The letter has been copied to the Monitoring Officer of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.
The Bigger Picture
Aberdare Park is a community asset. It has real potential — a large lake, open green spaces, a children’s play area, a rich wildlife habitat. With proper management it could be one of the finest parks in South Wales.
Instead, years of drift on the feeding issue have left it in a state where families cannot comfortably use large areas of it, where council cleansing teams are deployed repeatedly at public expense, and where the goose population continues to grow.
Meanwhile, in Pontypridd, the council cheerfully invites the public to spread out a picnic blanket and enjoy the afternoon.
Residents of Aberdare are still waiting for a sign. Quite literally.
Do we have a problem in Aberdare Park?
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