Just done a survey

But even in a City the size of Cardiff would it sustain 8-10 theatres, 8-10 cinemas etc, and big bands are not going to play 5 different venues in Cardiff.
I'm nearly 15 minutes to the post office, we have 2 Building society branches, but no Banks, the only place left that sells clothes of shoes is TESCO and to be honest it's a poor selection.
I imagine public transport your way is non existent of you have to walk miles

Survey designed, no doubt, by some townie committee with no idea of rural life.  In my neck of the woods, I couldn't even drive to a single one of those services in under 15 mins.  Dentist 15-20 mins drive, GP 30 mins.  Everything else 30+. 

However, we can stroll down to the beach to inhale a good dose of Vitamin Sea in under 10 mins. 

Although I don't suppose grabbing a natural fix of serotonin, the key hormone that stabilises your mood, feelings of wellbeing, and happiness, features too highly in the survey. 

Is it asking too much for the Senedd to focus instead on things that really matter in Wales, like their poorer outcomes on health and education?  

So a very different dynamic, seeing as I live in zone 2 in London.  Still, interesting questions nonetheless.

Can I walk to a GP in less than 15 mins? Yes (5 mins). Can I get an appointment? It's... less straightforward.

Can I walk to a dentists surgery in less than 15 mins (2 mins)? Yes. Can I get an (NHS) appointment? No.

Can I get to a shop to buy clothes / shoes etc in less than 15 mins? Yes.

Can I get to a theater that has live music by known bands in less than 15 mins? Ermmm, "theater", no. Live music, yes. "Known bands", not sure what that means.

How often do I go to see musicals or plays etc? I think the last time was in... 1983? Though that's personal choice rather than lack of availability (would not be possible in less than 15 mins walk though).

Can I walk to a cinema showing new releases in less than 15 mins? Yes.

How safe do I feel on public transport in my area after 10pm? Very safe. Normally. But it only needs one drunk / nutter / whatever to ruin your day. I've been mugged outside the American Embassy. I missed the bombing at the Oval tube station in 2005 by... minutes. A former general got blown up by a car bomb in South Croxted Road (I think?) back in... the 70s? I was playing with a friend down the street at the time. I can't remember the date but some nutjob blew up a pub in Soho. I got trapped in a pub in Cambridge Circus for a few hours as a result.

Etc.

Big capital city life. It has its pros, it has its cons.

Do I know my local councilor? No. But I had met their predecessor (and voted them out, even though I thought they were a good local councilor).

Do I know what my local councilor should do? Not specifically, no. But I know what I expect them to do.

Have I written to my local MP in the last two years? Yes. Labour. Once was... all right. Once was... poor.


EDIT: I've been to a bunch of live music events, not all of which sit comfortably within a "known bands", or a "musicals or plays" set rg concerts, choral events etc.  A few have been "small bands on local pubs", which are walkable.  Others have been at larger venues which typically require 30mins to an hour or so on the tube.

You're saying they've wasted a lot of time and money conducting a survey with embedded bias - designed to elicit mainly positive responses - whose practical purpose therefore can only be to make themselves feel better that they've cheered us all up?  

Sounds about right for a socialist administration.  

Because they sure as hell were never going to build any new cinemas, dentists, shops or GP surgeries.  They've already spent it all on Drakeford's vanity projects like 20mph and office refurbs. 

A more accurate approach (should this crucial data ever be essential to discover) would have been to highlight on a map all the surgeries, all the clothes shops, all the cinemas, etc and draw circles around each depicting 15mins walk time.  Then tally the number of dwellings falling inside versus outside the circles.  There is a downside though, because that denies the Senedd their feelgood factor and we the people wouldn't feel so uplifted by them. 

It's an excellent aspiration for future cities.  

Doesn't map well onto existing infrastructure though.  

But it's nothing new.  When they built mass council housing in the 1950s, they incorporated schools, parklands, surgeries and shops into local estates.  I lived in one as a kid.  Fields where we could kick a ball full tilt.  Nowadays house builders get away with the minimum possible spec the law allows.  It's quite disgusting what they're allowed to pass off as a modern estate these days.  Nowhere for kids to run free, no shops, schools or surgeries, just profit is everything.  A terrible legacy for the future, kids growing up with postage stamp gardens.  

But dear boy, the theatre IS an essential service, don't you know ?