Super-jail to be built in Wrexham

The BBC and other media are reporting today that the location for north Wales' new 2,000-inmate super-prison has been announced by the Ministry of Justice.

The £250m jail will be built on the Welsh government-owned former Firestone site on the Wrexham Industrial Estate, creating 1,000 jobs.

See the BBC story at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-23957373

CLWYD SOUTH AM KEN SKATES says confirmation a new ‘super-prison’ will be built in Wrexham will provide a huge boost to the region’s economy.

 

The Ministry of Justice confirmed today (Wednesday, September 4) that the £250m jail – which will house 2,000 inmates – will be on Welsh Government-owned former Firestone site on the Wrexham Industrial Estate.

 

Two sites were shortlisted for the new prison, which should be built by 2017, but the owners of the rival Kingsmoor Park plot last week said it was out of the running.

 

Labour AM Mr Skates believes there were ‘compelling’ reasons to site a prison in North Wales, which consultants believe could be worth up to £23m to the local economy.

 

He said: “Our region does not currently have any facilities to house local prisoners and my constituents in Clwyd South who have family in prison currently have to travel a long way to HMP Altcourse in Liverpool to visit them.

 

“Importantly, I feel this could help reduce crime rates in North Wales as the odds of re-offending are 39% higher for prisoners who do not receive regular visits.”

 

Mr Skates is also hopeful many of his Clwyd South constituents will be able to secure work thanks to the project, which is expected to create about 1,000 jobs.

 

He added: “While not everybody is supportive of the prison being built here in North Wales, the potential economic benefits to the region are obvious. As well as a much-needed jobs boost, the building of the biggest jail in Britain will present huge opportunities for local businesses and provide millions of pounds worth of construction work.”

* The Welsh Conservatives' Shadow Minister for North Wales Mark Isherwood AM, said: “The announcement of a new prison for North Wales has served as a huge boost for the region and I welcome news of its chosen site, which I have supported since the aborted proposals for a new North Wales prison under the previous Labour UK Government.

 

“This is an enormously significant project, injecting jobs, confidence and investment.

 

“Its announcement was a huge lift for North Wales and a further sign of the Conservative-led UK Government’s commitment to the Welsh economy.” 

Store managers give success stories to chamber

The managers of two of the newer Llangollen stores have given positive accounts of how their businesses have fared since opening in the town centre.

The success stories were revealed by Steve Jones of Stans on the A5 and Rhian Roscoe of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill to members of the Chamber of Trade and Commerce at their monthly meeting held in the Hand Hotel on Monday evening.

Mr Jones said Stans had opened its store and petrol station on a purpose-built site 18 months ago and had immediately enjoyed a warm welcome.

He told the chamber: “Llangollen is a really special town and we hope the public feels we have helped and contributed to it.”

Part of the success story, he said, was the recent transfer to his store from nearby Castle Street of the Post Office , along with three to four of its staff.

They had now become part of a team of 24 full and part-time staff at Stans, all of whom are local people.

He said the shop prided itself on using a dozen local suppliers, providing home-made lines such as Welsh cakes and sandwiches.

Mr Jones also spoke of the success of the petrol station, explaining: “It has eight pumps which are constantly in operation.

“The amount of traffic on the A5, particularly at this time of the year, is phenomenal.”

A chamber member asked him if the store had lived up to expectations, to which he replied: “The directors are very pleased.”

Asked if Stans viewed the proposed opening of a new Sainsbury’s store just a little further along the A5 as a challenge, he said: “Yes, we see it as a challenge.

“Personally, I don’t think the town needs it but we have been well supported since we opened and I hope we always will be.”

Rhian Roscoe, manager of Edinburgh Woollen Mill, told the chamber: “We have been open for three months now and have had excellent feedback. I can’t say how welcoming the town has been to us.”

Ms Roscoe explained how the store had won favour from both local people and an increasing number of tourists, some of had come from as far away as China, Canada and Australia.

Also pointing out that all of the workforce was local, she said: “If we can keep Llangollen as full of shops as it is at the moment I think our success story will continue.”

One of her aims, she said, was to try to attract more coach parties to the store, which chamber members supported on the basis that this would be good for all the businesses in the town.

Asked by a member if the store would continue to trade throughout the week, Ms Roscoe replied: “At the moment we will carry on trading seven days a week and I don’t think we’ll be closing on Sundays.”

Chamber chairman David Davies said: “We must make sure that when Sainsbury’s do come – and we hear that this will be in the middle of 2015 – we have a viable, strong chamber to fight them on all fronts.”

Fringe premieres its new film this Friday

Llangollen Fringe 2013 Film Premiere is being held at the White Waters Hotel on Friday 6th September. 

It has been directed and produced by professional film-maker Mal Molloy, who lives in Llangollen, and it gives a comprehensive picture of the eleven-day festival held in July each year.

The film will be posted on Youtube and also available on DVD.

If you are a supporter of the Fringe and you would like to attend the event, then please email the organisers. contact@llangollenfringe.co.uk

Vodafone makes statement on Llan mobile coverage

Vodafone has admitted that its mobile phone signal in the Llangollen area is “limited” but doesn’t appear to have any specific plans at the moment to make it any more reliable.

At its meeting on Monday evening, Llangollen Chamber of Trade and Tourism again discussed complaints from many local users about the strength of the signal, which means quite a few have switched to other phone providers.

This was contrasted with news from earlier in the day that Vodafone has sold its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless for £84 billion in one of the biggest deals in corporate history.
 

Chamber secretary Ian Parry said that, in the past, he had tried to raise Llangollen phone coverage with the company but had received no response.

Llanblogger asked Vodafone for a statement on the situation and a company spokesman person said: “Vodafone coverage in Llangollen is limited. 

“I can’t give you any detailed plans for this area but across the UK we are investing more than £2.5 million every day in our network. 

“Our commitment it to provide 3G coverage to 98% of the population by the end of 2015. 

“Meanwhile, Vodafone customers with a broadband connection might find our Sure Signal device useful – it will create 3G coverage to homes where there is currently little or no signal.”

Ian Parry commented: “These days when everyone has got to rely heavily on their smartphones it is important that visitors to Llangollen do not feel restricted because of poor reception and may not want to return here as a result.

“Certainly no local people will be rushing to set up contracts with Vodafone.

“Denbighshire county council employees use Vodafone and therefore suffer from communication problems when in this area.

“So the sooner Vodafone can improve coverage in this area it will benefit Llangollen.”

Post Office privatisation plan slammed by local MP

Government plans to privatise the Royal Mail will be bad for our rural communities, according to Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones.  

 

She said it was very significant that MPs from all political parties were concerned, adding: "I hope this will provide a clarion cry to the Government that those who represent rural and semi-rural seats will not stand for anything less than a genuinely universal service as regards Royal Mail and the Post Office."

Describing the reaction to the proposal across the constituency of Clwyd South, which includes rural communities on the Shropshire border, the county of Wrexham as well as inside Denbighshire, she said: "My postbag of postcards, letters and emails from people across my constituency's 240 square miles  bear a clear message: keep the Royal Mail public, with a genuine universal obligation, and protect our post offices.

"And our constituents are absolutely right to say that." 

The MP criticised the government for not committing to universal pricing for parcels and for failing to pledge that Royal Mail would stay in British hands.

She also used her speech highlight the importance of both the Royal Mail and the Post Office for rural businesses and praised the Labour Welsh Government's Post Office Diversification Fund for supporting Post Offices - one example of such being the branch of Dolywern in the Ceiriog Valley which has set up a cafe, tourist information services and expanded its business.

Special events at pavilion for Etape sign-up day

A packed programme of special events has been arranged in Llangollen to coincide with signing-up day for one of the largest cycling events in the calendar.

Registration for Wiggle Etape Cymru will take place on Friday evening, September 6 and Saturday, September 7 at the Pavilion, Llangollen.

To coincide with this, a number of organisations have got together to offer activities and information on Saturday, September 7 for  those taking part in the race, as well as their families,  friends and the wider community.

The event will take place between 12pm and 7pm.

Activities include: 

• Information displays from Denbighshire's Countryside and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty teams, Leisure Services, Family Information and Tourism teams. 
• Bike security activities from North Wales Police
• Stalls from Llangollen Country Market
• Main sponsors of the Wiggle Etape Cymru event will have a presence, as will the Llangollen Chamber of Trade, Corwen Walking Festival, Pro-adventure and the Canal Boat Trust.

The Llangollen Lift, a bus service that takes in some of the area's attractions and locations, will be picking up at the Pavilion for those wanting to venture out into the local community.

The cycling event itself begins at Bangor on Dee Racecourse on Sunday, 8 September and travels through communities in Wrexham and Denbighshire before finishing back at the Racecourse.

For further details of the cycling event, please visit: www.humanrace.co.uk

Your opinion sought on county services

Denbighshire County Council is currently asking residents what they think about council services and issues in their local community.

A printed survey has been sent to a random sample of 6,000 households across Denbighshire, distributed proportionally across the county.

In the survey, the Council asks residents what their communities are like as places to live, and how satisfied they are with council services in general.

It also asks for views on a wide range of issues, including the condition of the county’s roads, community safety, dog fouling and littering.

The results of the survey will tell the Council how much residents know about the organisation and its services, experiences of contacting the Council and what residents think the Council should focus on during the next four years.

Councillor Hugh Irving, Cabinet Lead Member for Customers and Communities, said: “It’s really important that we have a clear picture of what residents think about council services, so that the Council can consider how best to respond.

“This is the third survey of its kind and results in the past have been extremely valuable, giving us a clear indication on people’s thoughts about issues in their communities.

“We would encourage residents to complete the survey if they have received them through the post and help us shape services in the future”.

Copies of the questionnaire can also be found in leisure centres, libraries and council offices across the county.

The surveys should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete and those completing the questionnaire by 13^th of September will automatically be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a month’s gym membership, courtesy of Denbighshire Leisure Services.

The closing date for the survey is 20 September 2013.