Thursday, February 11, 2021

County councillors' statement on town's Covid-19 safety measures


* County councillors Melvyn Mile, left, and Graham Timms on Castle Street.

Llangollen's two county councillors, Melvyn Mile and Graham Timms, have made a joint statement about the Covid-19 safety measures put in place in the town centre late last year and which this week have sparked a petition by former mayor Stuart Davies calling for the removal of the bollards on Castle Street.

They say: "When the current lockdown is relaxed we can expect a record number of visitors coming to Llangollen. 

"The pandemic will not be over, but the extra freedom means that visitors will come in their thousands and the town will become busy and crowded once again. It will therefore be more important than ever to have extra space on Castle Street, and to ensure that the other Covid -19 changes stay in place until after the summer. 

"We are both fully behind the Llangollen Covid-19 scheme. Its introduction was to enable people to stay safe when they visit the town, providing space for social distancing and safe queueing outside shops. 

"The barriers on Castle Street are not pretty, but these lane protectors are the safest way to achieve this in the short term.  The decision to support the scheme was not taken lightly. We explored every possibility, and suggested changes based on comments received from residents and businesses alike. 

"The petition organised by Stuart Davies as part of his election campaign to join Llangollen Town Council is ill-timed and irresponsible.  

"This is the first World Pandemic of our time, and vitally important decisions made to protect residents and visitors to our town should not be dealt with like this. 

"As elected representatives we cannot ignore our responsibility for public safety based on online petitions or unpleasant and personal attacks on social media. That is why we stand firmly behind Denbighshire's Covid-19 changes. They are essential to protect everyone and in a major tourist town like Llangollen it would be a dereliction of our duty of care to call for the barriers to come down. 

"In these crucial few weeks and months we must all try to stay calm and patient with each other. Let's support each other as we have done over the last year, and come through on the other side together as a much stronger and united community. 

"Graham and Mel Can be contacted at graham.timms@denbighshire.gov.uk and melvyn.mile@denbighshire.gov.uk"

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