Latest Citizens Advice column

Q: I am renting and have an assured shorthold tenancy. I have been struggling to pay the rent for a few months. I am working full time but my wages aren’t enough. I am only just managing with my other bills and spending. Now I am falling behind on my payments and I am worried about losing my home. What can I do to stop this from happening?

A: It’s good you’ve looked for help. This is the first step to staying in your home.

Rent arrears, like council tax debt or mortgage arrears, are a priority debt. Non-payment can cause serious problems, such as losing your home.

If the landlord says they plan to evict you, have served you with an eviction notice, or you have letters from court, get advice urgently.

Go through correspondence from your landlord. Compare payments you’ve made to the amount of arrears due, to make sure the numbers agree. Speak to them about why you’re struggling with your rent.

Create a budget by adding up your essential living costs, such as food and energy, and take these away from your income. Use the Citizens Advice budgeting tool and benefits calculator to see if you can increase your income. Try to find cheaper deals on your energy, phone and broadband. Put any spare money towards your debts.

If you’re able to pay off some of the arrears, your landlord may agree to a payment plan, enabling you to pay smaller amounts. Be clear and realistic about your budget. If they don’t agree a plan, or if you feel unable to negotiate alone, go to Citizens Advice.

The payment plan should be written down and signed by the landlord. They can’t evict you without going to court. But if you do get evicted, ask the council for help with housing and benefits. Contact them immediately, they can help you stay in your home.

For help with your budget, negotiating a rent payment plan, or eviction advice, contact your nearest Citizens Advice.

FoE wants comments on possible development sites

* The football field next to the Youth Centre which is on the candidate list.

Friends of the Earth Llangollen is inviting people to have their say on the important issue of developments in the town.

Eleven local "candidate" sites were recently published by Denbighshire County Council for possible inclusion in its next Local Development Plan which is currently under preparation and will outline how the county should take shape over the next 15 years. 

The candidate sites are put forward by their owners for consideration by the council and the majority of those in Llangollen have been suggested for new housing.

When llanblogger revealed details of the list recently, a number proved controversial, particularly the site of the Youth Centre and adjacent football field the inclusion of which has angered the area's two county councillors who have asked officers to remove it.

Now Friends of the Earth is asking - on its website and social media - for local people to express their feelings about each of the 11 sites in turn.

FoE says: "The LDP will steer development within Llangollen and the whole of Denbighshire over the next 15 years.

"This is an important chance for you to influence how that development takes place. A number of sites in Llangollen have been submitted as ‘Candidate Sites’ for development.

"The full list and maps for of Llangollen sites can be found here. You can use the boxes below to comment on any of the sites. You don't have to comment on all the sites.

"If you need more space, or want to make other comments, please visit the council's online consultation page by clicking here.  For all submissions; your contact details are required by the council, but will NOT be published, however your name WILL be published in the public domain.  The deadline for all submissions is 30th August 2019.

"You might like to talk about;

• Loss of vital green space
• Reduced facilities for young people
• Increased vehicle traffic and congestion
• Strain on local services
• Loss of agricultural land
• Too far out of town centre to allow people to walk into town"

* To see FoE's survey, go to: http://www.llangollenfoe.org.uk/ 

Tarraco - more engaging than its many rivals

* SEAT Tarraco front and rear views.

Seat Tarraco road test by Steve Rogers

Feast your eyes on this folks, it's another SUV and a rather smart one at that.

This is the new Tarraco from Seat and sits at the top of the Spanish car company's SUV line up alongside the little Arona and mid sized Ateca.

As with most Seat models the name represents the Spanish homeland and Tarraco is the Roman name for the port of Tarragona, a wonderful city famed for its Roman amphitheatre, Santa Tecla festival, and the nerve racking human tower competition.

Now you are thinking Tarraco looks familiar. Yes, it is closely related to Skoda Kodiaq but is a bit better looking thanks to its snazzy front grille and headlight design, and it is a smidgen lower although that is more difficult to spot.

Both cars are joined at the hip to the Volkswagen Audi group so just about everything you can't see comes from the VAG parts shed and that is no bad thing given the excellent chassis and range of engines.

It also makes life difficult when trying to find a unique selling point; VW and Audi hardly need to sell themselves while Seat and Skoda have to push harder.

Seat has always fancied itself as the more sporty arm appealing to a younger, more adventurous audience and that is definitely the case compared to Skoda although VW might argue the toss. Audi doesn't count because it is up with the gods in the premium seats.

You can hardly expect to turn a big SUV into a hot hatch, although BMW and Audi have made a pretty good fist of it, nevertheless Tarraco is a good, if not great drive, and a bit more engaging than most of its rivals.

My Tarraco followed the Honda CR-V which is not a direct rival but was good for making a comparison on ride and handling. The Seat's stiffer springing and sharper steering was a winner with me because I prefer cars with a more dynamic set up, but that is not to say the Tarraco is better than the CR-V, it is better for me.

Seat is having the time of its life with record sales helped by the runaway success of Ateca and there are high hopes for Tarraco. Confidence is high, so much so that the company has established a stand alone Cupra brand so who knows what's in store on the sporting front.

For now Tarraco is offering itself as a family package with seven seats standard across the range but do not be lulled into thinking you can haul seven adults in comfort. The third row is best reserved for children given the limited leg and headroom and getting to them is not easy, another reason for leaving agile kids to squeeze through the narrow gap.

With the rearmost seats folded flat the storage area is generous but some people, like me, might like the option of a five seater to gain even more space. However I did like the special under floor space created for the boot cover, saves leaving it in the garage when going on holiday with a full load.

Once on the move the Tarraco's seats provide plenty of comfort. The cushion accommodates long thighs, is nice and wide and well padded while getting the ideal position is easy thanks to the side wheel adjuster. Sadly most companies have switched to a lever which is next to useless and a good reason for paying extra for powered seats.

With most of the bits and pieces coming from Volkswagen the Tarraco's cabin has a familiar Germanic look although Seat has gone for a floating touchscreen infotainment centre rather than inset with digital symbols for the functions to make it look bang up to date. Trim and build quality are of a good standard although it did fall short of the Honda CR-V in some areas.

Seat say the engine of choice is the 1.5 litre entry petrol which, given the size of Tarraco, is surprising. Even though people are deserting diesel in droves it is by far the most economic option for a large SUV particularly if travelling with a full house yet I was surprised and more than satisfied with the performance of the 1.5.

It does not have the swift mid range pick up of a diesel but then again does not feel particularly lacking or feeble, performing above expectations and never getting flustered when pushed to the rev limit. Expect to average around 37mpg.

Tarraco is in a market where there is a heck of a lot of choice and Seat will always be looking over its shoulder at the cheaper and virtually identical Skoda Kodiaq, but Tarraco has a better spec and you don't pay for metallic paint! I think the best deal will win the day.

Key facts

Tarraco Xcellence

£30,640 (starts £28,550)

1.5TSI 6sp manual; 147bhp

0-62mph 9.7secs; 125mph

35.3-36.7mpg combined

152g/km 1st year tax £530

Boot: 700 litres 3rd row flat, 1775 max

Insurance group 19

Plas Madoc to host Four Nations wheelchair rugby event

* The Wales wheelchair rugby team who will host the Plas Madoc tournament.

Plas Madoc leisure centre, which is used by many people from Llangollen, has been chosen as the venue for the 2019 Four Nations rugby tournament.

It's only the fourth time this tournament has been held and the Wales team will be official hosts.

Wales took runners-up sport to England in both 2012 in Hull and 2016 in Rochdale and the wooden spoon in 2014 in Medway. 

The other competitors are England, Scotland and Ireland.

The event will be staged at Plas Madoc on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th September.

A spokesperson from Plas Madoc LC said: "We are extremely honoured to be named as the venue for the 2019 Four Nations Wheelchair Rugby Leauge Tournamamnet, it will be a fantastic two days of entertaining sport and a real showcase of what we can offer here at our community leisure centre."

FIXTURES

Since 2016, Wales have faced Scotland and Ireland in the annual Celtic Cup competition and have taken the title for four years in a row whilst remaining unbeaten.

On being selected as the hosts for the tournament Wales Team Manager, Mark A Jones said: "This is the first time the tournament has been held outside England and we're excited that it is coming to Wales.

"We are working hard with our venue host the Splash Community Trust at Plas Madoc Leisure Centre to make this an event to remember.

"Wheelchair Rugby League is an icredibly exciting game played by women and men in the same team and by people with a range of abilities.

"It will be tremendous to see the best Wheelchair Rugby League athletes playing against each other in Plas Madoc. We hope people will come along to watch the games and to cheer on Wales."

Wheelchair Rugby League is fairly unique in that it is completely open, offering all players of both sexes, whether disabled or not, the opportunity to compete both with and against each other on a level playing field.

This is created by the use of wheelchairs and some slight adaptations to the rules of 13-a-side Rugby League.

Some wheelchair rugby facts:

• There are five players on each side
• The object of the game is to score tries
• Conversions are scored by punching the ball over the mini-posts from a tee
• Tackles are made in the same way as Tag Rugby by pulling off the attached tag
• Five tackles are followed by the handing over of possession
• Offside, knock-on and in-touch apply just like in the full version of the game 

Dyffryn Ceiriog choir's annual concert this Saturday

Cor Meibion Dyffryn Ceiriog - Male Voice Choir - has its annual concert at the Oliver Jones Memorial Hall in Dolywern this Saturday, August 24, starting at 7.30pm.

Choir spokesman Mike Gleed said: "We love what we do and love to share it with others. 

"We are always ready to welcome new members and support those who are unsure of their voice and/ or ability. 

"A warm and genuine welcome is guaranteed and we have a brilliant musical director and accompanist. 

"Come along and experience a true Welsh tradition that must be nurtured. 

"We are featuring two young soloists ably accompanied by the very special Owen Roberts."

Message of thanks from family of Margaret Jones

* The scene in Castle Street last Thursday following the tragic incident. 

The family of Margaret Jones, the lady who died as a result of being involved in a collision with a car in Castle Street last week, has put out a message of thanks on Facebook to all those who rallied round to help her following the tragic incident.

In a post this afternoon (Monday) in the name of all the family her son David Jones says:

“We want to offer our very sincere thanks to everyone who helped and provided comfort to Mum, following the tragic events on Castle Street last Thursday.

“We know that passers by, people from nearby shops and others tried to do what they could, and we are eternally grateful to all of you.

“We have tried to personally thank as many people in Llangollen these last few days, but inevitably we will not have seen everyone, hence this FB post.

“We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of the emergency services who tried tirelessly, and managed to stabilise Mum before she was airlifted. Very sadly, shortly after reaching hospital, Mum was not able to continue her fight to survive.

“We have also received so many wonderful cards and messages of sympathy and support, which mean such a great deal to us at this very sad time, thank you all so much. And the Sunday morning service and prayers at St Collen’s which was dedicated to Mum was both moving and very emotional.

“Mum was a resident of Llangollen for nearly 70 years and so will be well known to many of you. A mother of four, with six grand-daughters and 3 great grandsons, Mum was dearly loved and a shining light to us all. We will all miss her so much ...

“We all sincerely hope that something positive will come from this tragic event, to make Castle Street a much safer place for pedestrians.”

Councillors "angry" at youth centre development suggestion

* County Cllr Graham Timms outside Llangollen Youth Centre.

* ... and with the council documents including it in the list of candidate sites.

Llangollen’s two county councillors are “surprised and angry” that the town’s youth centre and football field have been included in a list of possible development sites by council officers.

And he claims that most of the sites are likely to be rejected anyway as Llangollen “could not stand” the amount of development proposed.

llanblogger recently revealed the 11 sites which have been put forward as candidates for inclusion in Denbighshire’s next Local Development Plan (LDP) for possible housing development.

Among them are the land occupied by the youth centre and nearby football field.

But Cllr Graham Timms said: “Cllr Melvyn Mile and myself were surprised and angry that the youth club and football field has been put forward by Denbighshire for consideration as a housing development.

“The county department responsible had not even told us as councillors what they were up to.

“We have written to the Chief Executive to ask for the removal of this land, but at the moment it is still on the list.

“I urge residents who agree with us about saving the youth club site and football pitch for public use to send in a response to the consultation.”

Cllr Timms added: “There was a ‘call for sites’ for development earlier this year and 11 sites were proposed in Llangollen.

“All but one of the proposals were for housing - the most lucrative way to increase land value.

“Many of the sites are likely to be rejected for a range of reasons, not least because Llangollen could not stand anywhere near that amount of development.

“There's been a lot of discussion about the sites proposed by landowners but only those who make a formal submission will be considered by Denbighshire.

“Making comments on Facebook or any social media will not count. I am urging residents to respond either by email or by using the forms available at Llangollen Library or on Denbighshire's website.

“The easiest way is to write an email to planningpolicy@denbighshire.gov.uk. It must contain your name, the sites you want to make a comment about and your contact details. Your name and comments will be made public but your contact details will not. 

“I encourage residents to send in their comments over the next two weeks as the consultation ends on Friday August 30.

“The Llangollen Library staff are very helpful and will guide you to the information you require. People would be surprised at how few responses are often received in consultations, but their effect is certainly worth the time taken in submitting a response.”

 * The 11 candidate sites for development in Llangollen.

Cllr Timms has outlined some more detailed information on how to respond.

If people only want to make comments on the candidate sites only, the easiest way is to email the county at planningpolicy@denbighshire.gov.uk.

They only need to include the following:

- Their name, which will be published in the public domain.

- The site to which they are referring - use the reference number or make it clear (eg. the Llangollen Youth Club site), and their comment about the site. This will also be published.

- Their contact details, either an email address, their home address or a contact phone number. Contact details will not be published. 

If they wish to be updated about the next stages of the LDP and if they wish to be contacted in Welsh or English this should also be included in the email. 

Anyone wishing to make a more detailed response would probably find it easier to respond using the online form or the printed form in the library.

All the documents for the consultation are online https://countyconversation.denbighshire.gov.uk/project/447 or at the Llangollen Library. 

The 11 sites in Llangollen are here: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/resident/planning-and-building-regulations/local-development-plan/replacement-ldp/candidate-site-maps/Llangollen.pdf

The response form, if people want to use it, is here: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/resident/planning-and-building-regulations/local-development-plan/replacement-ldp/documents/consultation-form-draft-preferred-strategy-v2.docx The library has copies too.

The online response form (https://countyconversation.denbighshire.gov.uk/kms/elab.aspx?CampaignId=614&noip=1&SessionId=MD4E547RWG) has all aspects covered. Only q15 and 16 refer to the candidate sites. Q19 and 20 need to be partially filled in too. 

Cllr Timms said: “You can see why people don't respond to these consultations. It seems so complex that they give up before they have even started. The email response or a visit to the library seem the easiest way for most people.”