Skates backs North Wales prison plan

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates as thrown his weight behind plans for a new prison to be sited in North Wales.

In January the Ministry of Justice named the region as one of three areas alongside London and the North West of England, in the running to house a new facility.

The AM said there were ‘compelling’ reasons to site a prison in North Wales which consultants believe could be worth over £17m to the local economy.

However, he said there needed to be close consultation with any community proposed as a site to ensure public support for the project.

Mr Skates said: “I’m fully supportive of efforts to bring a secure and modern prison to North Wales. There are compelling reasons to site a prison in the region which currently does not have any facilities to house local prisoners, the only region in the UK not to do so.

“Research has suggested that the economic impact of a 1,500 place prison could be over £17m to the local economy and help to bring nearly 1000 much needed jobs to the area around it.

“One of the reasons I feel it should be considered is that many prisoners from North Wales are currently housed at HMP Altcourse. It means families of prisoners having to travel all the way to Merseyside to visit relatives and I feel that if we are going to build a new prison anyway, North Wales would be a good location.

“Importantly, I feel it could help reduce crime rates in the North Wales area. The odds of re-offending are 39% higher for prisoners who do not receive visits from a partner or a family member so it would help reduce the incentive for North Wales prisoners to commit more crime when they get back home after their sentence.

“What we need now is to look closely at all the potential sites in the region. However the main consideration in all of this is that wherever in North Wales we think is best for a prison it has the backing of the local community.

“As the process develops we need an on-going dialogue with the areas considered most appropriate and a rigorous consultation process to ensure all the issues and concerns people and communities might have are addressed adequately.”

The release of site criteria and the timescale for site selection has not yet been advertised by the Ministry of Justice but is expected imminently.

New Pope chosen

Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, a Jesuit, is announced as the Roman Catholic Church's new Pope, to be named Francis I.

AM concerned over health board's financial position

The Daily Post os reporting today (Wednesday) that Conservative Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar has voiced concerns about the latest financial position of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which has just controversially closed Llangollen Cottage Hospital.

See the full story at:

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2013/03/13/concern-at-nhs-finances-in-north-wales-says-am-55578-32976498/

Walkers' weekend planned for Llan

A walking weekend will be staged in Llangollen in early May.

Trekkers will be able to choose routes of varying length, all taking advantage of the area’s scenic beauty and rich history.

The weekend will be on Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5 and organiser Mike Smart said: “Llangollen has a wealth of history, heritage and a beautiful landscape. In fact, it is a walkers' wonderland.

“Those taking part can choose from short, medium and long challenging walks led by professional guides who will share their local knowledge of colourful history, heritage and folklore whilst guiding you through some of the most beautiful countryside in North Wales.

“Walks range from a two-hour historic town walk to one going across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Thomas Telford's 1805 industrial masterpiece 127ft high above the stunning Dee Valley.

“There is also a challenging 14-mile high moors wilderness walk with a steam train ride back.”

All walks start from the Tourist Information Centre in Llangollen.

Prices range from £5 to £9. For more details on the weekend and to book, visit: TREKsmart.net/llww

Former town clerk Ian Parry, who has been involved in bringing the event to the area, said: “We achieved Walkers are Welcome Town status for Llangollen about four years ago and the first year we organised a successful walking weekend based at the Pavilion.

“Main reason for seeking that status was to attract more walkers to the town and help the local economy.

“Now that I have retired I felt I should organise something to ensure Llangollen does not lose its accreditation as a Walkers are Welcome Town.”

He added: “I did set up a small Llangollen Walking Group as part of the Walkers are Welcome initiative and I need now to arrange a meeting of the group to see if we can organise some other walking events.

“If anyone is interested in joining our group they can contact me on 01978 753897, 07785 541445, or by emailing parry.ian@btinternet.com.”

£40 million boost for Welsh apprenticeships

Businesses are being encouraged to realise the full potential of apprentices for the Welsh economy as the Deputy Minister for Skills, Jeff Cuthbert, today outlined spending plans for an additional £40 million over the next two years for apprenticeships in Wales.

 

The spending plans include expanding the number of apprenticeship places, with a focus on increasing the number of Higher Level Apprenticeships, and incentives to encourage businesses, particularly small to medium businesses, to take on apprentices.

The announcement follows a report from the Business and Enterprise Committee’s Inquiry into apprenticeships last autumn, which found that although we have a strong apprenticeship programme here in Wales not enough businesses are using the programme and are losing out on the opportunity to attract high calibre apprentices and in turn support business growth.

The spending plans include:

* Creating 5,650 additional apprenticeship places, 2,650 of which are Higher Level Apprenticeships, Level 4 and above

* An enhanced wage subsidy of £3,900 over 52 weeks for employers taking on young apprentices aged 16-24 through the Young Recruits Programme, this will also be expanded to include Higher Level Apprenticeships

* A one off payment of £500 for small and micro businesses to cover the time and costs they said were a barrier to recruiting apprentices

* And £3.4 million to support those who wish to complete their training through the medium of Welsh and a commitment to engage more people onto apprenticeships within the STEM sectors.

The plans also include action to address the gender imbalance that currently exists across specific apprenticeship sectors and to strengthen the relationship between employers, schools and work based learning providers to promote apprenticeships as a valued career option.

Jeff Cuthbert said: "Apprenticeships play an integral role in our economy. They increase the skill set of the workforce and make Wales a more attractive place with which to do business.

"This is why I want more businesses to realise the potential of apprenticeships and why we have committed £40 million over two years to increase and support apprenticeship delivery.

"The skills developed by an apprentice are skills for life. This makes an apprenticeship programme as valued as a place at a top university, and I want people to be aware of this.

"The programme continues to support young people, the group that has been worst hit by the recession. Apprenticeship programmes keep them engaged in education, employment and training and make sure we are maximising their opportunities for employment.

"My chief desire is that apprenticeships, underpinned by high quality qualifications and the wider curricula, become the ‘gold standard’ for vocational competence in Wales - where the achievement of an Apprenticeship Certificate is recognised, valued and highly prized by all as an endorsement of the skills, professionalism and ambition of our country within the global economy."

The spending plans also include a commitment to increasing the provision of Welsh language and bi-lingual Apprenticeships. The number of programmes currently available through the medium of Welsh will be assessed and work will be undertaken with Work Based Learning Providers to specifically focus on emerging demands relating to Welsh medium apprenticeships.

The announcement comes during Apprenticeship Week (11-15 March). There will be over 30 events taking place across Wales throughout the week to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the economy.

The Apprenticeship Programme is funded by the Welsh Government with the support of the European Social Fund.

Cyclists warned over hi-tech thieves

Cyclists are being urged not to give too much information away as thieves may use technology to target valuable bikes.

The warning comes after Staffordshire Police revealed that some of the victims of bike theft in their area had been using websites and mobile phone apps to log their routes.

The technology allows users to view each other’s routes and track their rides. Some riders also share their routes on social networking sites such as twitter and facebook, inadvertently alerting would-be thieves to their addresses.

Thieves can use the technology to pinpoint homes and steal high-performance bikes from sheds, outbuildings, garages or cycles racks on cars.

Now Community Safety Partnerships in the area are warning to take precautions, which include:

• Check privacy settings of apps
• Check privacy settings on cycling smart phone applications and websites
• Avoid using twitter and Facebook to share routes
• Opt to start the tracking function away from home address and stop again before returning home

Llan residents feel "let down" by hospital axe

The Leader is reporting today that Llangollen residents feel let down by the closure of their community hospital after 137 years.

See the story at http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/120716/residents-feel-let-down-as-llangollen-hospital-closes.aspx#.UT7uMcplwvM.twitter