Welsh Journals

should fulfil all its safety obligations in the future. After the tragedy, there was concern in the neighbouring village of Merthyr Vale over the safety of a tip there. The Merthyr Council wasted no time in ensuring that it was fully inspected and declared safe. No further risks were to be taken, no matter how small.82 The council was also no longer willing to tolerate misdemeanours by the Coal Board. Hence the dropping of refuse on the road by lorries travelling from the Merthyr Vale colliery now brought harsh warnings where in the past it would have been ignored.83 v The Aberfan disaster revealed both the strengths and shortcomings of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. The disaster had its origins in the inability of the council to overcome the arrogance of the NCB arising from the latter's dominant position in the local economy and the former's limited resources. Intense public concern and pressure that followed the disaster changed that relationship, but the council was still left with an immense administrative task in the tragedy's aftermath. It is a tribute to the energy and resourcefulness of its staff that the extreme workload that the disaster created was coped with, despite intensive media attention and the extremely difficult and emotional circumstances. Initially mistakes were made but these were gradually overcome and a new relationship established with the inhabitants of Aberfan. The disaster left an indelible mark on the village and the lives of those who lived there. Yet an examination of local politics in the area illustrates that some good came of the tragedy. Before the disaster, the interests of Aberfan and other similar communities were marginalized by both local and national government due to the entrenchment of the Labour Party in Welsh politics. This did not represent a deliberate policy on the part of the local Labour establishment but was rather based in a lack of opposition that induced complacency. The interests of those communities which had helped to create the Labour 82 For example see ADA, Dowlais, B/001/45. 83Ibid.,B/001/36.