Llew Jones steps up its 64 bus service

Coach company Llew Jones has announced that as from next Monday 29th June it will be slightly increasing its 64 service provision, which operates between Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog and Llangollen.

This increased provision will incorporate the school journeys to Ysgol Dinas Bran.

Facemasks are advisory on public transport in Wales, says the company.

Below is the updated timetable:

Local poet's work to be featured on radio tonight

Many people in Llangollen will remember Peter Meilleur (nom de plume Child Roland) a French Canadian poet who lived in Llangollen for many years prior to his death in January 2019. 

A selection of his works and an interview with his widow Sue will be played on BBC Radio Wales tonight Friday 26th June at 6.30 and repeated Monday 29th June at 5.30. 

MS slams Welsh Government over "delays" in re-opening economy

North Wales Senedd Member Mark Isherwood (pictured) has claimed that the "fragile" economy has been damaged by the Welsh Government's delays in re-opening it after the coronovirus lockdown. 

He made the comments when closing yesterday’s Welsh Conservative COVID-19 Economy debate in the Welsh Parliament.

The opposition party said the pandemic had been both a public health and an economic emergency and called on the Welsh Government to establish a recovery fund to provide targeted economic support for communities most adversely affected by the pandemic.

Speaking via Zoom from his home Mr Isherwood said: “The Welsh Government’s delay in re-opening the economy has been damaging to the fragile Welsh economy.

“Take passenger transport. Through the Confederation of Passenger Transport,  the industry presented a proposal to the Welsh Government on 15th May which would enable operators to ramp up bus services, with full costings. They have still not received a considered official response.

“Wales is now the only country in the United Kingdom that has not agreed funding for transport operators to begin to ramp up services to cover costs for additional services.

“Take our vital bed and breakfast sector. In England and Scotland, grants are available to B&B operators who did not qualify for any other COVID-19 grant support schemes. In Wales, legitimate businesses have been denied access to equivalent grants.

“Take our crucial Housing Market.  The Welsh Government has failed to open the housing market in Wales alongside the rest of the UK. Within Wales, viewings can only take place in vacant properties and house moves are only allowed where a sale has been agreed but not yet completed.

“Within England, people are allowed to sensibly view properties that are occupied, provided that initial viewings are done online, and that physical viewings only take place with serious buyers and are done by appointment only."

Mr Isherwood added: “Take Holiday let businesses. The Welsh Government has announced that self-catering businesses could reopen on 13 July as long as they adhere to the government guidelines and the Economy Minister, Ken Skates, told North Wales media that comprehensive guidance has been put in place for the tourism and hospitality sector to ensure that the sector can be restarted in a safe way.

“However, self-catering businesses are telling me they have just spoken to their council and that it doesn't have the guidance.

“Take our Town Centres. The Centre for Towns found that Wales is the worst performing area of the UK with regards to its economic well-being, and that specific communities, including ex-industrial towns in parts of Wales, will need an effective support mechanism at a local level to support businesses plan their recovery strategies.”

Reminder for businesses to apply for rate relief scheme

Businesses are being reminded to apply for business rate relief before the scheme closes at the end of June.

Denbighshire County Council is urging businesses to apply for the Welsh Government’s Business Rates Relief fund before June 30 when applications close.

So far the council has paid out £27,550,000 in grants to 2,338 businesses but a further 500 Denbighshire organisations, including small charities within the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors, may be eligible for the £10,000 grant.

The council is currently contacting all eligible businesses to inform them of the support which will help traders through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cllr Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of the Council and Lead Member for the Economy, said: “These grants are providing essential support for Denbighshire businesses and with the Welsh Government closing applications on June 30, it is essential businesses act now.

“Some businesses have been telling us they did not think they were entitled to a grant. However, businesses who have received a business rates bill with nothing to pay and are entitled to small business rate relief are, in most cases, still eligible for a grant. The majority of businesses yet to apply are in this category and our advice is for them to visit our website and see if they fit the criteria.”

* Details of the scheme and application forms can be found at http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/business-rates

County's public toilets to open next week

Denbighshire County Council has confirmed that public toilets will open next week (Monday 29 June), as part of on-going efforts to support town centres across the county.

This week,  non-essential shops in Wales have been given the green light to start operating.  Last week the Council announced that a Task Group had been set up specifically to assist town centres as they respond to the easing of the lockdown restrictions.  Staff will be working in the main towns to provide help and advice to residents and businesses; they will identify where posters and signage are needed and will look at what support is needed for businesses to comply with the current social distancing and hygiene regulations. 

Public toilets are seen as important facilities within town centres and conveniences and our facilities will open on Monday, June 29.  The toilets are located at:  Market Street, Llangollen; Events Arena, Rhyl and Rhyl Town Hall; Factory Ward, Denbigh; Market Street, Ruthin; Green Lane, Corwen and unstaffed facilities in Prestatyn (near the Nova, Nant Hall Road, Barkby Beach and the bus and railway stations); Rhuddlan; Dyserth; St Asaph; Cae Ddol, Ruthin and Coronation Gardens in Rhyl.  Normal charges will apply.  

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Finance and Assets, said: “Great efforts are being made by council services, town councils, business associations and other partners (including North Wales Police) to assist town centres to get back up on their feet following the easing of restrictions.

“There are a number of issues that the Council can address directly to assist in this work – and opening public toilets is an important part of the plans. They are important public facilities for residents and visitors to our town centre. We will be doing this in a phased approach over the coming few weeks, to ensure that plans for operating the facilities are put in place and that safety of the public and staff is made a priority.

Councillor Mark Young, Cabinet Lead Member for Planning, Public Protection and Safer Communities, said: “We fully recognise that businesses in our town centres have suffered during the covid-19 outbreak and the Council wants to support businesses in any way it can, to help them get back on their feet during these very difficult times. 

“We will be talking and listening to businesses and residents and see what other kind of help is needed in terms of advice and support, as well as more practical measures such as posters and signage”. 

Posted on Thursday 25th June 2020

 

How town got government cash to help in lockdown aftermath

* Castle Street before the lockdown.

One of the area’s county councillors has given an insight into how Llangollen was included in the list of Denbighshire towns to benefit from a £1 million funding boost from the Welsh Government.

But Graham Timms could give no specific details of the amount of money involved or how it will be spent locally.

Llanblogger revealed last week that Llangollen was to get a share of the cash earmarked by the government for Denbighshire communities in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

The county is to get £981,000 through the Local Sustainable Transport Covid Response Fund to provide improved access to town centres and schools for pedestrians and cyclists and to facilitate social distancing in public spaces and on public transport.

This is seen as especially important as people return to town centres as non-essential shops re-open.

The lockdown period has seen increases in the numbers of people walking and cycling and many of the measures proposed will further encourage people to choose these modes of transport by providing measures such as wider pavements.

Funding has been secured for projects in Llangollen, Rhyl, Ruthin and Denbigh, as well as outside schools throughout the county.

Projects include the reallocation of road space for pedestrians and cyclists by introducing one-way systems and making spaces outside schools safer for social distancing and reducing the number of car journeys outside schools.

Cllr Timms, speaking as chair of the Llangollen 2020 group, said: “We are delighted that Llangollen is one of the towns in Denbighshire that will receive funding to help residents and visitors maintain social distancing in the town.

“As soon as the Llangollen 2020 group heard the announcement by the Welsh Government of possible funding we contacted the Denbighshire road safety team to discuss what could be done to improve matters in Llangollen’s narrow streets.

“We discussed a range of suggestions with officers. The Denbighshire team then put together a final grant submission for the whole of the county. 

“It's great that Llangollen is specifically mentioned in the Welsh Government announcement, alongside Rhyl, Denbigh and Ruthin. This means that we will definitely get much needed safety improvements in the town. 

“We also asked the Denbighshire team to look at making improvements to help pupils to walk or cycle to our schools more safely after discussing the issue with Llangollen Friends of the Earth.

“Although the final details have not yet been settled, we are hoping that something can also be done to make walking and cycling to school safer for our children and young people as they begin to return to their lessons. 

“There will be detailed discussions with local councillors and other organisations in the town to ensure that the particularly difficult set of challenges that Llangollen's narrow streets pose can be met.” 

MP welcomes scheme for better broadband in rural areas

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has welcomed the announcement that more than 50,000 rural Welsh homes and businesses could be eligible to have their broadband upgraded thanks to a new collaboration between the UK and Welsh governments.

He said that residents and businesses will now have access to more funding for better broadband as the Welsh Government “tops up” the UK Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.

The scheme helps people to cover the upfront costs of installing new gigabit-capable internet connections.

Vouchers worth up to £7,000 for SMEs and £3,000 for rural residential premises subsidise the cost of building out next-generation broadband infrastructure - such as fibre-optic cables - to rural villages and towns, so they don’t miss out on much faster speeds. They also incentivise other broadband companies to build in these areas.

The constituency of Clwyd South covers part of Denbighshire and part of Wrexham. A review found that 4,509 properties in Denbighshire and 2,700 in Wrexham do not currently have access to superfast broadband.

Matt Warman, UK Government Minister for Digital Infrastructure, said: “Our £1.8 billion superfast broadband programme transformed Wales’ digital landscape, allowing many people to work remotely during lockdown.

“We are now focusing on future-proofing internet networks with gigabit speeds and, working with the Welsh Government, I am pleased to offer even more vital funding to bring this next-generation connectivity to rural businesses and homes suffering with slow speeds.

“I encourage all those who qualify to apply to feel the benefits of much faster internet connections.”

Simon Baynes said: “This announcement is good news for Wales and Clwyd South. Better broadband strengthens our rural economy and gives a big boost to those people working and running a business from home at the moment due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“The extension of this scheme will ensure Clwyd South residents, particularly in areas like the Ceiriog Valley, have access to reliable broadband speeds – a big step forwards in our plans to build a broadband network that is fit for the future in the area.”