The Vale of Glamorgan Council Learning and Culture Scrutiny Committee Meeting on Thursday (14 Jan) discussed the controversial forthcoming review of the county's commemorations.

Following a cordial debate, the committee agreed with the proposal to reevaluate the status of statues, monuments, street names and building names in the wake of 2020's global Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests.

Although widely supported, some councillors voiced concerns regarding cost to the taxpayer, "the removal of heritage" and whether such matters should be prioritised during the pandemic.

Penarth Town Council and residents will suggest commemorations to be reviewed by a panel comprised of:

- Neil Moore, Leader of the Council

- The Council's Member Equality Champion- The Council's LGBT Champion

- A representative from the Vale of Glamorgan Stand Up to Racism organisation.

The criteria for whether a commemoration will be reviewed is currently unknown and will be decided by the Cabinet at a meeting on 25 January.

Although the town's connection with the slave trade is tenuous, some have speculated that road names linked to the UK's colonial past may be submitted for review.

Plassey Street, Arcot Street and Cawnpore Street, for instance, each commemorate battles fought on Indian soil to establish the British Raj.

Who said what?

Cllr Lis Burnett, the Deputy Leader of the Council who brought the matter to the committee, voiced her avid support for the review.

"I am really looking forward to it," she said. "It says to every single person in our community, 'you are welcome, you are valued and you are part of our communities.'"

Cllr Burnett said the review presents an opportunity to commemorate worthy figures from diverse backgrounds.

"This is a much more positive piece of work than some would have others believe," she continued.

"In my mind this is just as much about recognising people. Rather than saying to people 'you live in a street with a suspect name', it says 'looks what you can achieve. You have a home to be proud of.'"

Cllr Leighton Rowlands, who was recently selected as Conservative Party candidate for Cardiff South and Penarth in this year's Senedd elections, said the review is untimely and that he opposes any move to "edit or censor our past".

"Surely we should be learning from our history rather than trying to erase it," he said. "Changing street names or buildings, you're started to go down a slippery slope.

"You need to show people the history behind these people rather than trying to erase. And also, if we are going to change street names, who's going to pay for it? The taxpayer.

"And should we be doing this during the pandemic? I think the general public would rather we were focusing on that."

Other committee members stated their support for the proposal but with varied opinions on how it should take place.

Cllr John Thomas argued that the lack of female representation needed to be considered: "Women represent 2.7% of statues. Maybe that needs to figure in the thinking at some point in the future," he said.

Although in favour of the review, Cllr Jayne Normal called for hidden costs to be considered:

"If the road name is changed, who is going to bear the cost to residents the residents of renaming bank details, national insurance details, brochures, advertising literature - all this is extra cost which needs to be brought into consideration."

Cllr Rhiannon Birch, Leader of Penarth Town Council, said the review should be about education rather than censorship.

"Although Penarth has very little to do with the slave trade, an awful lot of its history is tied up with battles and our colonial past such as streets named after Clive and Windsor, colonial families that made an awful lot of money," she said.

"We need to be careful of treading this political line of what is offensive and what isn't offensive. As a teacher, my inclination is towards educating people and what we recommended when we were asked about this is to look at information plaques and QR codes."

Cllr Birch proceeded to move the recommendation, which was then seconded by Cllr Sandra Perkes who said:

"Yes, the pandemic is something that is affecting us all, but we have to look at other items that come before us as well. We can't just put everything off because of the pandemic."

What's up for review?

Only commemorations on public land will be reviewed. This means private businesses, such as Plassey Fish and Chips, will not be forced to review their name.

A recent Welsh Government report titled The Slave Trade and the British Empire: An Audit of Commemoration in Wales identified 209 monuments, buildings or street names across Wales which commemorate people who were directly involved with the British Empire or the slave trade.

The colonialist Major General Robert Clive, credited with establishing the British Empire in India, was identified as a person "who took part in the African slave trade".

However, the audit found that Penarth road names and the Clive Arms pub actually refer to Harriet Windsor-Clive, the landowner and wealthy benefactor best known for developing Penarth Dock.

But as Cllr Birch mentioned, Penarth street names with colonial references may be included.

Who decides?

Residents can submit commemorations they disagree with and figures they would like to see replace them by speaking to their local councillor.

The cabinet will decide on the criteria for placing a commemoration under review during a meeting on 25 January.

The review panel will then consider each submission before selecting a course of action.