Free smoke alarms uptake urged by AM

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has called on his constituents to get a free smoke alarm fitted by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

 

If you live in North Wales, the local fire and rescue service is offering a free smoke alarm and installation service. They will also conduct a home fire safety check and assess whether vulnerable people need extra support.

 

Statistics show that individuals are six times more likely to die from a fire in the home if they do not have a smoke alarm.

 

The AM is urging every constituent without a smoke alarm to take up the offer.

 

Mr Skates said: “It is a tragedy that even today house fires still take the lives of far too many people.  Yet with the right safety advice and by installing a smoke alarm, individuals and families can greatly increase their chances of surviving a fire if one occurs at their home.

 

“That’s why I’m urging every constituent who doesn’t have a smoke alarm fitted in their home to take up this offer and call North Wales Fire and Rescue Service to get one installed.

 

“The home fire safety visit they do takes about twenty minutes and can be arranged at your convenience. Fully trained fire and rescue service staff, who always carry an identification card, will help supply and install free home smoke detectors or ensure that your existing alarms are in good working order.

 

“They can also help provide advice on how to make your home safe from fire and assist you in preparing an escape plan to help you and your family make your way safely out of the property in the event of a fire starting.

 

“They can also help provide specialised equipment for deaf and hard of hearing people and assess whether you are at high risk and may benefit from specialist equipment to help keep you safe.

 

“I’d urge everyone to get one installed as soon as possible.”

 

All of the above is FREE of charge and can be arranged by:

 

·        Filling in an online enquiry form at www.freesmokealarm.co.uk

 

·        Calling 0800 169 1234 at any time of the day or night to register

 

·        Texting 88365, prefixing the message with the word HFSC

 

Twelve top tips for fire safety at home:

 

1.     Fit smoke detectors on each level in your home. Keep them free from dust and test them once a week. Consider buying a 10-year alarm, otherwise change the batteries every year.

2.     Make a fire action plan so that everyone in your home knows how to escape if there's a fire.

3.     Keep the exits from your home clear so that people can escape if there's a fire. Make sure that everyone in your home can easily find the keys for doors and windows.

4.     Take extra care in the kitchen - accidents while cooking account for over half of fires in homes. Never leave young children alone in the kitchen.

5.     Take extra care when cooking with hot oil. Consider buying a deep-fat fryer which is controlled by a thermostat (if you don't already have one).

6.     Never leave lit candles in rooms that nobody is in or in rooms where children are on their own. Make sure candles are in secure holders on a surface that doesn't burn

7.     Make sure cigarettes are stubbed out properly and are disposed of carefully, and never smoke in bed.

8.     Get into the habit of closing doors at night. If you want to keep a child's bedroom door open, close the doors to the lounge and kitchen. This may well help save their life if there is a fire.

9.     Don't overload electrical sockets. Remember one plug for one socket.

10. Keep matches and lighters where children can't see or reach them.

11. Take special care when you're tired or when you've been drinking.

12. Don't leave the TV or other electrical appliances on standby as this could cause a fire. Always switch them off and unplug when not in use.

  

Support latest Buy Local day tomorrow

Keep Llangollen Special (KLS) is running its latest Buy Local day tomorrow (Friday).

It’s another chance to patronise smaller independent businesses in the town in a bid to ensure money stays in Llangollen rather than being spent elsewhere.

Various participating shops and traders will once again have special offers during the day.  

KLS chair Mike Edwards said: “We postponed the event from last week – it is normally held on the second Friday in the month - to coincide with the Federation of Small Businesses own buy local week, which calls for residents and communities to support their local independent shops and suppliers.  

“KLS has now been holding our Buy Local initiative for over 12 months and the events continue to build up impetus because they are fully supported by our local independent businesses and many local residents.  

“I would appeal to all residents of Llangollen to support our local shops because they provide high quality and fresh goods at competitive prices.  

“The majority of residents can walk down into town, whether you live on the A5 side of town or the Abbey Road area. So why travel to distant locations with all the hassle of the traffic and the hidden cost of fuel to get there? 

“Residents can also be assured that if they spend locally their money recirculates in the Llangollen and Dee Valley economy and will not be exported to some distant corporate HQ in the south of England if you buy from a supermarket.” 

First Minster quizzed over elderly care costs

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has questioned the First Minister over Welsh Government action to address the substantial care costs many elderly and disabled people are faced with.

 

Speaking in the Assembly, Mr Isherwood referred to the UK Government’s Care Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech last week which  is aimed at joining up health and social care and will protect families in England from the "catastrophic" bills that can be run up,  and asked what is being proposed in Wales to deal with the problem.

He said: “One of the proposed Bills in the legislative programme announced in the Queen’s Speech was the Care Bill, which, among other things, proposes to cap care costs and extend the threshold for financial assistance from some £23,000 to £118,000 to protect people from catastrophic costs.

“My understanding is that that is England only, although, presumably, Barnettised money will come to the Welsh Government. How does the Welsh Government propose to address this particular problem, on a similar basis or otherwise, to protect people from those catastrophic costs in Wales?”

The First Minister told Mr Isherwood that the Welsh Government will “keep a close eye on the Care Bill in England”.

 

He said: “This is an issue on which we have to accept that there is a substantial cross-border flow of people who, potentially, will need to access care, and so, putting Wales in a better or worse position, as people might see it, will have an effect on where people would seek that care. Therefore, we will have to keep a close eye on the situation in England as we formulate our policy in Wales.”

County making "good progress" says finance watchdog

Denbighshire County Council continues to make good progress in delivering its improvement programme, according to the latest evaluation from the Wales Audit Office.

Each year, the Auditor General must report how well councils are planning for improvement and delivering their services. They draw on the work of relevant Welsh inspectorates, as well as work undertaken by the Wales Audit Office.

There are no recommendations for improvement in this year's Annual Improvement Report for Denbighshire.

The report's main highlights include:

• The council has made good progress in most aspects of its work to adapt its services to address demographic change. This includes arrangements to support independence for older people and people with a learning disability and plans to support community initiatives to meet the need of older and disabled people.

• Progress has been made in supporting regeneration projects in Rhyl. The council has begun to identify the resources necessary to achieve the ambitions it shares with partners for the town.  The council has also delivered many actions to support the county's economy, but its measures of success show limited progress during very challenging economic times.

• Estyn has judged that the council provides good quality education services for children and young people, with good prospects for further improvement

• The council's programme of road improvements is progressing, although an investigation is underway to identify whether  any additional work is needed to manage flood risk in the county following the 2012 flooding.

• The council continues to make good progress with its plans to improve the way it works.

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans, said: "This latest report makes for very positive reading.  We are pleased that the report authors recognise the work going on around the Council's main priorities and there are already many successes that the Council can be proud of.

"Our work is centred around improving services for residents and it is clear from this report that the Council is heading in the right direction and that it has a sound plan for improving services and monitoring performance in the future.

"However, there is always room for improvement and the report recognises areas where the Council needs to make some progress. We will work to address those matters. "

This morning's flooding latest ...

A press statement on the flooding from North Wales Fire & Rescue Service this morning says:

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has been attending flooding incidents this morning (15^th May) - mainly involving surface water with no homes or buildings seriously affected.

Wrexham is the most affected area, although flood alerts issued by Natural Resources Wales / Environment Agency Wales also exist in other areas.

In Froncysyllte near Llangollen, the A5 has suffered significant flooding and is impassable to cars. At 7.11hours this morning a fire appliance from Llangollen was mobilised so that firefighters could help to push a car and its driver from floodwater to safety.

At 6.51 hours, two appliances from Wrexham were called to Lambourne Court to assist in pumping floodwater away from a property.

At 7.54 hours an officer was called to advise at a property in Bethania Road, Acrefair where sandbags are being deployed.

At 7.47 hours, a fire appliance from Wrexham was called to Hightown Road where a number of properties are affected and sandbags have been requested. North Wales Police is assisting in managing the traffic in the area.

Further advice is available from Natural Resources Wales / Environment Agency Wales and on the following websites;
www.environment-agency.wales.gov.uk
www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk
/keeping-you-safe/near-water/advice.aspx?lang=en

Heavy rain causes flooding in the area

The Leader is reporting on its website how this morning's heavy rain has caused flooding which has affected this area.

See the full story at:
http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/122720/downpours-in-flintshire-and-wrexham-cause-flooding.aspx

Skates calls for more foster carers

 

* Assembly Member Ken Skates in the frame.

 

 

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has marked Foster Care Fortnight in the Assembly by calling for more foster carers to be recruited in North Wales.

 

A report by the Fostering Network to mark the campaign fortnight found that children are being moved too many times between foster families because of a shortage of foster carers across the country.

 

The survey found that in the last two years 3 in 5 foster carers (61 per cent) have cared for children who have previously had two or more moves between homes.

 

The Fostering Network photographed Assembly Members ‘In The Frame’ to help mark this year’s campaign which runs from 13^th to 26^th May.

 

Mr Skates said: “Foster carers in my constituency and right across North Wales do a fantastic job providing care and loving support to looked after children who need it most.

“The problem is we are short of up to 600 foster carers right across Wales.  This causes local authorities big capacity problems, particularly as the latest statistics show the numbers of children in care have risen 6% in the last year and 24% in the last five years.

 

“That’s why in areas like North Wales we need to recruit and train more foster carers to help young people in care.  The current shortage of foster carers causes instability for looked after children, particularly those with challenging needs.

 

“Yet we face a huge challenge in terms of finances and there is a sustained squeeze on local authority budgets everywhere.

 

“However we cannot put a price on the value of Fostering or adequately do justice to the role foster carers play every day in the lives of children and young people in care.  The aim of Foster Care Fortnight is to remind us all how challenging but ultimately rewarding the role can be.”

 

The survey also found that 2 in 5 (43 per cent) of foster carers have looked after at least one child who has been moved four or more times, while 1 in 10 (11 per cent) have cared for children who have had 10 or more moves before coming to live with them.

 

It found that as a result, children are being moved too far away from their families, are being unnecessarily split up from brothers and sisters and are being forced to move school.

 

Others live with a foster carer who has space but may not have the experience and skills to meet their specific needs. This can put such a strain on relationships that they break down, resulting in these multiple, damaging moves.

 

The survey also found that in the last two years:

 

·        1 in 3 (34 per cent) foster carers have looked after children whose brothers and sisters were placed elsewhere because the fostering service couldn’t find a place to keep them all together. 

 

·        Almost 1 in 3 (28 per cent) of foster carers have felt under pressure to take children (mainly teenagers) who they felt they were not trained or supported to look after.

 

·        1 in 10 foster carers (12 per cent) have felt under pressure to take in another child (mainly teenagers) when they felt they had no more capacity.

 

·        2 in 5 foster carers (39 per cent) have looked after children temporarily because the fostering service couldn’t find a suitable long-term home.