Councillor gets more details of Market Street toilets closure

Llangollen county councillor Karen Edwards has obtained more details of what a month-long closure of the town's main public toilets early next year will actually mean.

llanblogger revealed yesterday (Friday) that the Market Street loos will be shut from January 4 to February 1 so the building can be facelifted as part of a Denbighshire-wide refurbishment scheme being undertaken by the county council.

But dissatisfied with details of what the closure will mean to a tourist town busy the whole year round, Cllr Edwards sought further details from the senior officer responsible.

And she has now been told that there will be portable toilet facilities available free of charge for the public for the duration of the closure. These will be securely sited on the adjacent car park.

When refurbishment begins on January 4, work will include:

* Removal of all tiles and replacement with hygienic white roc in all cubicles

* Replacement of vanity units

* Replacement of sinks and taps

* Replacement of external facia and painting of woodwork

* Blocking of the attendant’s window at the entrance of the facility.

The council says completion dates can be subject to change due to the weather or other external factors.

Separately from the facelift project, repairs are due to be made to the building's to roof next month.

The officer informed Cllr Edwards they have been told scaffolding will be put up around the building whilst the work is being carried out but won’t have an impact on the opening of facility.

Last November, when toilets across the county were failing to pay their way, Denbighshire's Cabinet agreed proposals aimed at keeping most public loos in the county open thanks to the support of city, town and community councils - not including Llangollen Town Council.

To help keep the loos open there will be an entry charge, which was set at £1 in the case of Llangollen back in April.

The general refurbishments have been paid for by the Pride in Place impact fund.

County council Leader and Cabinet in shock resignation

Leader of the council Councillor Jason McLellan (pictured) and his fellow cabinet members have resigned from Cabinet with immediate effect.

Councillor McLellan, who represents the Prestatyn North ward, was elected leader in May 2022. 

Announcing his resignation, Councillor McLellan said: "This has been a very difficult decision for me as leading Denbighshire County Council has been a huge privilege and an honour over the past four years -  often in the face of tremendous challenges.

“Despite these pressures, I’m very proud of our efforts to ensure that essential services were delivered to the most vulnerable in our societies, especially in education and social care. I will continue to work in my ward to support the residents of Prestatyn.”

Each former cabinet member will continue to serve as a county councillor for their respective wards.

A new leader of the council will now be elected in the full council meeting to be held on Tuesday, September 8. Following their election, the new leader will be entitled to appoint members to the cabinet.

While political arrangements can change, officers will continue to work to deliver services to the people of Denbighshire, says the council.

The council’s governance processes allow for the continuation of business as usual until such time as a new cabinet is formed.

Market Street toilets to be closed for facelift early next year

 * Market Street public toilets will be closed for refurbishment early next year.  

Llangollen's Market Street public toilets will be closed for almost a month early next year so the building can be facelifted as part of a countywide refurbishment scheme.

Last November, when the facilities were failing to pay their way, Denbighshire's Cabinet agreed proposals aimed at keeping most public loos in the county open thanks to the collaborative support of city, town and community councils.

Despite having no legal duty to provide toilets, the council recognised their importance, which led to joint work with city, town and community councils on a sustainable model to fund and protect as many toilets as possible. 

This model includes direct financial contributions from the city, town and community councils - but not in the case of Llangollen.

To help keep toilets open there will be an entry charge, which is £1 at the toilets in Llangollen.

The general refurbishments have been paid for by the Pride in Place impact fund.

The latest public toilets to reopen following refurbishment include Llangollen Riverside and work is due to take place at Market Street between next January 4 and February 1, when the toilets will be temporarily closed. The council says completion dates can be subject to change due to the weather or other external factors.

Councillor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Thanks to the positive energy and close collaboration with city, town and community councils, we have been able to keep most of these public facilities open. This refurbishment programme will significantly improve the facilities for residents and visitors across the county.

“I would also like to thank everyone for their support and patience while this refurbishment work is carried out.”

Public toilets in Llangollen

Market Street LL20 8PY

Facilities: male and female toilets

Charges: entry to use these facilities is £1 (contactless payment only)

Radar NKS lock: this toilet is fitted with a Radar NKS lock

Opening times

Open all year: 9am to 6pm

Riverside POD, Riverside Park, Berwyn Street, LL20 8AD

Facilities: unisex pod

Charges: entry to use these facilities is £1

Radar NKS lock: this toilet is not fitted with a Radar NKS lock

Opening times

• 1 April to 30 September: same as the cafe hours
• 1 October to 31 March: closed

Wharf Tea Rooms (Community Toilet Scheme), Abbey Road, LL20 8TA

Facilities:

2 x unisex toilets

Opening times

The toilets are open while the tea room is open, daily throughout the year (except Christmas Day), with reduced opening times in the winter. 

Llangollen Food Festival puts out fake email warning

Llangollen Food Festival is warning its exhibitors about fake emails.

In a note on his website and social media the festival organising team says: "We’re aware someone is sending emails to exhibitors pretending to be from Llangollen Food Festival.

"Our email address is NOT info.llangollenfoodfestival@gmail.com

"Scammers will often use email addresses that look almost right, with just a small change to make them seem genuine. In this case they’ve already see the prefix ‘info.’ to make it look like it could be one of ours.

"If you receive an email from this address, please don’t respond, click on any links, or send any information or payment. If you’re unsure about an email you’ve received, please get in touch with us directly through our usual channels and we’ll confirm if it’s genuine.

"We’re sorry if this causes confusion or concern, and we wanted to make sure all our exhibitors are aware. Please feel free to share this with other exhibitors too."

Llangollen Food Festival will be held over the two days October 10 and 11, from 10am until 5pm, and entry is free.

It will include local flavours, chef demonstrations, live music, and family fun in variety of venues across the town centre.

Blue bag charging scheme to come up for discussion next week

County councillors will be looking at a plan to replace worn-out blue cardboard recycling bags free of charge at a meeting next Thursday.  

People across the county have been complaining about disintegrating blue bags for months.

While Denbighshire, which is responsible for recycling, says it is aware of the problem and is looking at ways of addressing it, it continues to charge £12.50 for a new bag.

This has led to a surge of complaints, with hundreds of users signing an online petition demanding a free replacement.

The council's powerful community scrutiny committee is due to discuss a review of waste and recycling container charges on September 3, including those for blue bags.

And among the proposals they will consider are implementing a free customer exchange process at council household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) for blue bags and orange food caddies only but retaining charges for all items if customers require them to be delivered to their door.

Charging for waste containers in Denbighshire has been in place since 2019. The current policy of charging for waste and recycling containers was agreed in September 2023 prior to the formal roll-out of the new waste model in June 2024. 

This was reviewed in late 2025 which led to a decision for the relaxation of the charging policy to allow for those in receipt of School Essentials Grant or Pension Credits to receive one recycling container replacement free of charge per calendar year.

In May, councillors asked for a review of the current arrangements regarding the provision of waste and recycling containers and for options for alternative methods of providing these.

A full review of the arrangements and subsequent financial costs regarding different options ranging from improving the current system to introducing universal free provision has now taken place, and further details on this can be found in the papers for the community scrutiny committee online here. 

Next week members of the committee will discuss and make recommendations on a proposed policy revision which includes

• Implementing a free customer exchange process at our HWRCs for blue bags and food caddies only
• Retaining charges for all items if customers require items to be delivered to their door
• Expanding the free single item per year for any recycling container to those on the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) - the Trolibox component black boxes are each considered a single item.

However, the online report says that for technical reasons the free exchange could only operate at the Rhyl, Denbigh and Ruthin recycling centres leaving no provision for the southern more rural areas such as Llangollen. The report points out there is believed to be no disposal storage at libraries or One Stop Shops. 

But it adds that enquiries are being made about whether this sort of exchange process can be accommodated by the private company operating Plas Madoc tip on behalf of Wrexham Council to assist more southerly residents. 

* A second paper will also be presented to the committee for discussion about the performance of the Waste and Recycling Service, which can also be found online.

Police to help monitor parking at Horseshoe Falls this weekend

County council officers will be monitoring parking at Llangollen’s Horseshoe Falls and the surrounding area this bank holiday.

Denbighshire is urging visitors to the hotspot to park responsibly and think about planning ahead to visit other nearby attractions across the Dee Valley if this area is busy. 

Visitors are reminded that there is plenty of parking in the town which is an "accessible and pleasant walk" along the canal towpath to reach Horseshoe Falls.

Parking restrictions are important for both road safety and ensuring there is a fair turnover of parking spaces, and the council have installed bollards and awareness signs at the site advising drivers to park responsibly.

Civil enforcement officers will also be monitoring the site especially at predicted peak times, and motorists not complying with parking restrictions risk receiving a Penalty Charge Notice.

As a World Heritage Site, Horseshoe Falls is popular amongst locals as well as tourists. Whilst visitors are welcome to bring picnics with them, barbeques are not permitted on the site.

"We’re asking all visitors to treat it, other users and the local community respectfully," said a council spokesperson.

The council are also liaising with partners including North Wales Police to monitor any increased issues at the site.

Inspector Joseph Dunn, Area Inspector for Conwy and Denbighshire Rural policing, said: “Parking at Horseshoe Falls was raised as a real concern for people living and working in the area and using the route as part of daily business. There are also clear concerns around emergency service access along the route. 

"Whilst responsibility for enforcing parking predominately lies with the local authority, I am pleased that our officers will work to support our colleagues in Denbighshire County Council with visible patrols, engagement with motorists and the community, and enforcement action where necessary. 

“North Wales Police and Denbighshire County Council will continue to work in partnership on long-term problem-solving measures for the location, and on engagement and diversion to prevent a recurrence of prior events”. 

Councillor Alan James, Denbighshire Cabinet Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “We ask visitors to enjoy this beautiful area responsibly, take their litter home wherever possible or use the bins provided. It’s also important that visitors are respectful to those working on the site to ensure the safety and enjoyment of visitors and residents too.

“We also encourage visitors to adhere to the parking restrictions that are in place as they’re important for both road users and ensuring there is a fair turnover of parking spaces. Drivers need to be aware that while visiting, anyone not complying with parking restrictions risk receiving a Penalty Charge Notice from our civil enforcement officers."

Former Llangollen stage star releases her first single

                                       

* Former Young 'Uns star Katie Clark has released her first single.

A talented young singer from Llangollen has just released her first single.

And former Ysgol Dinas Bran student Katie Clark, who first went on stage with Llangollen Operatic Society's Young 'Uns junior section, used her hometown as the setting for the video launching her song Green Valley Girl, which is all about leaving a small Welsh town to live in the city.

Twenty-year-old Katie's shows with the Young 'Uns included Joseph, Bugsy Malone, Wizard of Oz, Grease, Little Shop of Horrors and The Addams Family in which she starred as Wednesday Addams.

She is currently in her second year studying BA Voice Performance and Pedagogy at Leeds Conservatoire.

Green Valley Girl is a lilting, folksy number in which she contrasts the beauty of the trees and sky with the "big, wide world" she's about to enter.

She said: "This is my first ever single release, and I enjoy experimenting with different music genres and styles.

"I have more songs in the pipeline and I am lead vocalist in a band in Leeds called Stop Talking.

"I’m really proud of this song which captures my feelings of moving from a small Welsh town to the city. To launch it I have also created a music video which was filmed in Llangollen.

"I’ve recently found a love for writing music and am proud to share this song with everyone."

The scenes for her video are filmed on the river, near the stream in the grounds of Plas Newydd, at Llangollen Station and on the train.

* Katie's new song is now available to stream on all platforms and you can sample it by following the link here:

Katie Clark Official: TikTok, Instagram | Linktree

View katiemayclark’s Linktree to discover and stream music from top platforms like Spotify here. Your next favorite track is just a click away!