Council warns landlords over maintenance issues

Denbighshire County Council is warning property landlords that it will take court action against those who fail to maintain their properties and not license them as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).

The warning follows two recent successful prosecutions brought by the council.

In one case, a landlord was served with an Improvement Notice under the Housing Act 2004, for his property in Rhyl.  

The notice included works to be carried out to resolve complex dampness issues, being rising damp, condensation and penetrating dampness, electrical repairs, insulation and repairs to the rear door.

Following numerous emails and communication with the tenants, the council concluded that no works had been carried out to remedy the problems.

At Llandudno Magistrates Court, the landlord pleaded guilty to the offence of non-compliance and he was fined £200, with costs of £400.

In the second case, two co-owners of a property were fined for offences under the Housing Act.  One was fined £2,250 for two offences, the other fined £1,500.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Public Protection, said: "Although the fine is disappointing and is a matter for the courts, it is again an important conviction for us and sends a message out to other negligent landlords that if they have an improvement notice served on them to require works to be completed, we will prosecute them if they choose to ignore it.

"The majority of landlords are responsible and take the health and safety of their tenants seriously, but  not maintaining their properties properly simply will not be tolerated. The Council is there to provide advice and information for landlords and is offered with a view to landlords protecting the welfare of tenants, but ignoring that advice and guidance could result in action being taken against the landlords.

"I must commend the housing enforcement staff responsible for bringing these matters to the courts for their due diligence and perserverance in their efforts to protect the welfare of tenants."

Denbighshire County Council says it supports landlords and tenants through providing advice, responding to complaints, arranging landlord forums twice a year and producing information newsletters.

Special event aims to help grow businesses

Denbighshire County Council is holding a free special event at Llangollen Pavilion early next month designed to help businesses grow and flourish.

Entitled Denbighshire Open for Business, it will take place on Thursday, April 3, from 5pm to 8.30pm.

People attending will get an insight into how to develop your business in the current climate, learn new skills and ideas from motivational speakers, make vital new contacts from the council and other businesses and have the chance to record their  own 30 second promotional video for free.

On the night you will be entered into a free raffle draw. Prizes include four VIP tickets to a concert at the International Eisteddfod and two Denbighshire Leisure annual memberships. A buffet will be provided.

Attendance at this event is free of charge.

To book online, go to: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/resident/leisure/events/April-2014/booking-form-open-for-business.aspx

Paper examines town's parking issue

The Denbighshire Fee Press online has a story today about the thorny issue of car parking in Llangollen.

See the full story at: http://m.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/mobile/mnews/131948/parking-is-a-problem-in-town-that-attracts-100-000-tourists.aspx

UPDATE ...

We have received the following letter on the parking issue from reader Mike Edwards, together with a picture of the "pinch point" on Mill Street he refers to:

Firstly at a Town Council Meeting last year Councillor Davies made it clear that the County Council's main driver was income generation. The main problem with weekend parking at the Medical Centre is the lack of safe pedestrian footpaths between the site and the Town Centre. As the photograph shows there is a pinch point (pictured below) on Mill Street which cannot be removed without demolishing property.

The County Council is failing again to take the local Communities views into consideration and has now allowed two out of town developments ignoring Planning Policy Wales on protection of the vibrancy and viability of Town Centres and Sustainability by permitting developments which will increase vehicle movements in Llangollen.

The construction of these out of town buildings will have a adverse affect on Llangollen detrimentally pulling traffic and pedestrian flow away from the town centre.

Why does Denbighshire so strongly support Corporate interests which extract money out of the Local Economy to HQs outside Wales and  fail to support our own local independent businesses who encourage money to be re-circulated in the Dee Valley Economy?

Mike Edwards
  

AM's ideas to tackle housing shortage

Shadow Housing Minister Mark Isherwood AM has spoken of the need for the Welsh Government to work with Housing Associations to maximise the supply of housing and help tackle the housing supply crisis in Wales.

 

Mr Isherwood raised the matter when questioning the Housing Minister in the Assembly Chamber this week on the Code of Governance the Minister is developing with Community Housing Cymru (CHC), the representative body for housing associations and community mutuals in Wales.

 

He said: “To what extent will the Code of Governance that you referred to, being developed by you and Community Housing Cymru, impact on the Housing Pact for Supply with Community Housing Cymru, and to what extent, under the Code, is the Welsh Government willing to give Housing Associations in Wales the same freedom as those available to Housing Associations in England and Scotland to manage increased levels of risk?”

 

The Minister replied: “We are in discussion with CHC and interested stakeholders in terms of what that Pact will consist of. I am very flexible on my approach to risk-based assessment. We have changed the way that that is operating, and there is still a little bit of improvement to go. However, it works both ways. There is an expectation that I will release risk in terms of giving autonomy to RSLs in the way that they operate, providing that they can show to me that there is good governance in place. Good governance means equity across board membership, not just male-dominated boards.”

 

Mr Isherwood added: “Where gender imbalance exists in the make up of boards, positive action is required to equip people of both genders and all backgrounds with the skills required. However, my question focused on the need for the Minister to work with Housing Associations to maximise the supply of housing and help tackle the housing supply crisis in Wales created by the Labour Welsh Government.”       

Man airlifted to hospital after Horseshoe Pass accident

Wrexham.com is reporting this evening (Sunday) that an air ambulance was sent to the Horseshoe Pass just above Llangollen late this afternoon to take a man to hospital who had been injured in an accident there.

For more detail see: http://www.wrexham.com/news/air-rescue-incident-closes-horseshoe-pass-42016.html

Llangollen Fire Station tweeted earlier:

Llangollen Fire ‏@Llangollenfire 1h

At 16:06 we were called to a RTC at the horse shoe pass. 1 car involved 1male trapped crews used spreaders and stabfast to extract casualty.

Isherwood becomes "dementia friend"

 

* North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood at the launch of

Dementia Friends with Ruth Jones.

 

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has taken a key step towards helping end the stigma surrounding dementia by pledging to become one of Wales’ first Dementia Friends.

 

Mr Isherwood joined actress Ruth Jones MBE, and AMs from across the country, for the launch of Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay.

 

Dementia Friends aims to give people in Wales a better understanding of dementia and the small things that they can do that could make a difference to people living with the condition. From helping someone to find the right bus to spreading the word about dementia on social media, every action counts.

 

Thanks to funding from Welsh Government, Alzheimer's Society is running a year-long pilot of their Dementia Friends programme in Wales. The trailblazing initiative aims to improve people's understanding of dementia and its effects.

 

The charity hopes four thousand people in Wales will become Dementia Friends Wales by 2015. The move comes in a bid to make the country more dementia-friendly and improve the lives of the 45,500 people currently living with the condition.

 

Mr Isherwood was one of twenty-two AMs who took part in the launch event.

 

He said: “I've signed up to show my support for Dementia Friends, and am encouraging people in North Wales  to do the same too. With a growing number of people living with dementia, it's more important than ever we all have a better understanding of the condition.

 

“Dementia Friends is about giving people an understanding of dementia and the small things they can do that can make a difference to people living with dementia. From helping someone find the right bus to spreading the word about dementia, it can help make our local community a better place to live.”

 

Sue Phelps, Director of Alzheimer’s Society in Wales said: “Most people don’t know enough about dementia. Dementia Friends is the perfect opportunity to be able to invite everyone to improve their knowledge. We are pleased to have been able to engage twenty-two AMs in one day. They have a huge influence in their local communities and we hope they will use this opportunity to take action and improve lives.”

 

If you are interested in becoming a Dementia Friend or helping create more communities that are dementia-supportive, go to dementiafriends.org.uk/wales to find your nearest information session or to volunteer as a Dementia Friends Champion.

AM welcomes Chirk health centre progress

The new Chirk health centre will bring ‘huge benefits’ to the area, says Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates.

The Labour AM visited the site of the under-construction surgery on Colliery Road yesterday (Friday) to hear more about its state-of-the-art facilities from the developers.

Mr Skates said: “Building work is progressing well and the centre should be completed in the next few weeks as planned. I have been a keen supporter of the project since the outset, and believe it will bring huge benefits to the area once fully operational.”

The new two-storey eco-friendly centre will replace Chirk Surgery’s current premises in Castle Road and will feature a number of sophisticated ‘green’ features, including solar panels and an advanced drainage system.

Mr Skates added: “The centre will also offer a minor operations facility and a pharmacy. It will be a major boost for Chirk and will offer residents first class medical treatment in a modern, purpose-built and spacious environment fit for the 21st century.”

On Friday Mr Skates also visited Chirk Community Hospital to meet staff and the volunteer-run the League of Friends.

He said: “The staff at the hospital and its minor injuries unit do a fantastic job serving the community, including the employees of major companies like Kronospan and Mondelez/Cadbury’s and the many tourists who visit Chirk every year.

“It was great to see the volunteers from the League of Friends again. They are constantly fundraising to help maintain and improve the facilities and are a credit to the area.”