ABERGAVENNY town councillors have been urged not to continue their policy of making 'no news into bad news' after raising concerns over the lack of a consultation role in the future regeneration of the town as outlined in Monmouthshire County Council's draft regeneration plan. Speaking at the town council's July meeting, Councillor Jane Foulser said she had been disappointed at a recent meeting of the Bryn-y-Cwm Forum to see there was no opportunity for town councillors to participate in the discussions in relation to regeneration as part of the facilities group formed. "We are at risk of having a situation where people who don't know anything about Abergavenny decide what happens in the town. I know there are some knowledgeable and clever people having an input, but there are also some who know nothing about Abergavenny and would frankly have trouble finding their way to Woolworths let alone helping with the regeneration of the town" she said. "We are elected members and we must do our best for the people who have elected us and to do that we must be allowed to make the voices of those people heard by being involved on all the groups and committees formed," said Councillor Foulser. Councillor Graham Preece expressed his concerns at the lack of a role for Abergavenny Town Council and the prominent position taken by the Bryn-y-Cwm Forum, which appears as a consultee on every aspect of the draft regeneration plan and also has representation on the recently formed facilities group. "We must call for town council representation on this group. There were suggestions that the previous administration at Monmouthshire Council was officer led and I fear that this administration is also being led by its officers and I think it's time for the county councillors representing Abergavenny to stand up and say that their voices will be heard. "I'm astounded that the facilities group includes members of the Bryn-y-Cwm Forum yet no-one from the town council has been asked. We should write to the chief executive of MCC expressing our dissatisfaction in the strongest terms and saying that we should be key consultees on everything that happens in the town," he said. Councillor Laurie Jones, echoed his sentiments saying that the town council should have three representatives on the facilities group in light of the three 'unelected members' provided by the Bryn-y-Cwm Forum Councillor John Prosser praised the draft document saying that a lot of hard work had gone into its preparation, but expressed his concern that the town council had only been identified as 'key consultees' on three aspects of the regeneration. "I feel that as a town councillor I'm being marginalised by this. The forum is certainly a very useful sounding board but we are elected by the public and should have priority. It's difficult when people in your ward ask for details on various things and we don't know the answers even though forum members do," said Councillor Prosser. The strongest condemnation for the lack of attention paid to Abergavenny Town Council came from Councillor Douglas Edwards, who said the body had been 'deliberately excluded time and time again'. "I am completely fed up of it," he said "I admire the work detailed in the regeneration plan and hope that some things will be achieved in the coming years but we should have been asked to have representation on the facilities group - half the people who make it up don't even live in Abergavenny. I am always impressed at the depth of knowledge demonstrated by town councillors - knowledge which should play such an important part in planning the future of our town," said Councillor Edwards. Defending Monmouthshire County Council, Councillor Chris Woodhouse called for the town council to stop making 'no news, bad news' and said the regeneration plan had simply been a summary of work undertaken by an officer who had since left the authority. "Before he left the officer put together a summary of what he had done and what he had hoped to do in the future. This was given to Phil Cooke, who felt it would be a good idea to pull it together and present it to both the town council, the forum and the Bryn-y-Cwm committee. "In previous years something like this would never have reached councillors but we have presented it as a working document you can comment on. It's not presented behind closed doors; there's no conspiracy and it's not being discussed through the Press or by pressure groups -it's an opportunity to work with the council." Councillor Woodhouse said he felt it had been an 'oversight' that Abergavenny Town Council had not been included in the list of key consultees on all issues raised and assured members that it could be remedied.