Local bus service to be axed, says paper

The Denbighshire Free Press is reporting that a Llangollen bus service will be axed due to “inconsiderate” parking costing more in repairs than the service’s income.

For the full story see: http://m.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/mobile/mnews/132340/-inconsiderate-motorists-cause-bus-service-loss.aspx

Full report of annual Town Meeting

* Andrew Mearns presents the mayor, Cllr Bob Lube, with the lead snail,

emblem of the Cittaslow movement of which Llangollen is now part.

 

The Mayor of Llangollen, Cllr Bob Lube, gave a round-up of the work of the Town Council to an audience of around 30 residents who turned up for the annual town meeting at the Town Hall yesterday (Thursday) evening.

Also present was the Town Clerk, Gareth Thomas, and town councillors.

Cllr Lube began by saying it had been a “varied and interesting” year.

One of the major changes to affect the council had been the resignation of Cllr Tim Palmer ahead of his move abroad with his family. This had created a vacancy which was advertised to the local community.

Cllr Lube described how only two residents had put themselves forward to fill it but one of them, Lynda Slater, was eventually elected to the position.

Another change to the operation of council business during the year had been giving members of the public the chance to speak briefly on topics of interest to them in a 15-minute period set aside at the start of monthly council meetings. Local county councillors were also now invited to meetings to brief town councillors on local matters of concern.

The mayor explained how the council had powers to make comments and observations on planning matters going before the county council. However, he added: “Our recommendations are not always accepted by the county council.”

He went on to welcome a number of new businesses which had opened in the town over the past year, mentioning specifically the Edinburgh Woollen Mill in Castle Street and Fizzywigs sweet shop in Oak Street.

His next topic was the Town Hall, which he said “continues to attract more people and revenue” for the Town Council which owns and runs the building on behalf of the community. Minor changes were currently being made to the gents’ toilets on the upper floor, he added.

Cllr Lube explained how the council was still committed to the CCTV system sited in the town centre although he did describe this as “an expensive hobby” which needs continual maintenance and upgrading.

“We intend to continue with it because we believe it has a deterrent effect,” he pointed out.

The participatory budgeting scheme, in which local organisations are awarded small amounts of cash towards their running costs and development, had again been a success with all projects put forward this year obtaining funding.

The mayor reported that Llangollen had been successful in becoming designated as a Cittaslow town, an international movement which allows a community to grow in a thoughtful and sustainable way.

This, he said, this would bring plenty of challenges and opportunities for the town.

Cllr Lube said the council was still looking to refurbish the Chain Bridge in partnership with Llantysilio Community Council.

During the year, he said, there had been a setback to the scheme when all eight of the tenders put out by the council to specialist companies to undertake the work had come back with estimates there were above the budget.

He explained the council was now going back out to tender to different companies.

Some good news with the project, he said, was that the Town Clerk had managed to secure extra funding of £78,000 within the past couple of weeks.

On another subject, the mayor said that among the council’s responsibilities was the maintenance of a number of gardens, hanging baskets and planters in the town centre.

A partnership arrangement with Derwen College in Gobowen had meant that students had planted a number of floral displays in the area last summer and Cllr Lube said the council was looking forward to making further arrangements of this type with the college.

Cllr Lube had praise for the volunteers of the Tidy Town Team which maintains a number of grassed areas and open spaces in the area. He described the work is does as “very impressive”.

The Town Council, he said, was continuing with its support for the Shop Front Scheme, a countywide project to award grants to businesses to upgrade the frontages of their premises.     

The annual Remembrance Day ceremony, organised by the council with the help of other local organisations, had once again reflected well on the community, said Cllr Lube who added that the High Sherriff had been very impressed with the area’s community spirit.

The Town Council, he explained, had continued with its support for events such as the Food Festival, the Christmas Festival and the Eisteddfod which all “add to the cultural tapestry” of the town as well as contributing to its economic success.

Turning to council finances, the mayor said that financial constraints meant that keeping to the budget over the next year would be a priority.

For the year ahead it had been necessary to increase the precept – the portion of the council tax bill which goes to pay for the Town Council – by 3.65%.

The mayor said: “We accept that this is above inflation but only marginally so.”

He added the town council was also well of the financial cuts which the county council would be facing.

Turning to the controversial subject of the town’s Christmas lights, he said that although these represented a “significant investment” for the council, there had been an approach by a group of residents keen to see the lights enhanced.

He explained: “We have therefore agreed to purchase our existing lights from the company from which we have had the lights on lease and add to these with those purchased from the group who contacted us.”

Summing up, the mayor said: “We have and will continue to listen to the comments of local residents. There are a lot of opportunities for groups to get involved.”

He said he had enjoyed his year in office and was very proud to be the town’s mayor.

The floor was then thrown open to questions from residents in the audience.

One person asked how far short the £78,000 recently acquired by the Town Clerk left the council of the total amount needed to finance the Chain Bridge facelift.

The mayor replied: “We have another chance to go back in June for more money from the Lottery. However, this is a very difficult site. It is a conservation area and a tightly regulated stretch of waterway, although I’m hoping we’ll get there in the end and I’m sure we will.”

He added that the gap in the Chain Bridge budget was now between £20,000 and £30,000 which, he said, could be bridged with the help of the Lottery.

Another resident said the road to the cemetery off Abbey Road was a disgrace and asked what the Town Council could do about it.

The mayor replied that approaches had been made to people with land nearby, including the church and the railway, and none had been revealed as responsible for the road.

However, he said the county council would now be asked for its assistance in tracking down whoever was responsible for making necessary repairs.

After a number of other questions were taken and answered, the meeting ended.

Cllr Sheena Burrell then gave a presentation on the benefits of Cittaslow membership to the town. This was followed by a similar presentation from Andrea Mearns, a member of the Cittaslow group in Mold and a member of the national Cittaslow board.

In Mold’s case, she said, among the many benefits had been the winning of grants totalling £73,000 towards various projects over the past year.

It was then explained by Cllr Phil Thane, who led Llangollen’s successful Cittaslow bid group, that, with its work now done, the group had been disbanded and a new committee was being set up to steer things forward from now on.

A call for at least 10 volunteers to become committee members was only partially heeded when half that number of people in the audience put their names forward.

The mayor said there would be further calls made for members at a later date.

At the end of the evening Andrea Mearns presented the mayor with a lead snail, representing the "slow" emblem of Cittaslow.

BBC radio team records programme at Llan Railway

* The BBC team with Ros Stockdale (right) and the driver of

the heritage railcar which provided the off-peak service to Carrog.

Recordings for a BBC Radio Wales programme were made at Llangollen Railway on Tuesday.

A presenter and producer from the Country Focus series travelled aboard the 1pm railcar service from Llangollen Station through the Dee Valley to Carrog and also viewed the new extension of the line to Corwen which is due to open later this year.

 

Countryside warden Ros Stockdale was on hand to represent and promote the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Dee Valley.

 

The radio programme is due to be aired in May.

 

 

People urged to attend tonight's Town Meeting

Campaigner and local resident Martin Crumpton has sent this message to llanblogger urging people to attend tonight's annual Town Meeting:

On Thursday, 27^th March, the Llangollen Annual Town Meeting takes place between 7pm and 9pm in the Town Hall, and I strongly recommend everyone to come along to what will be a very lively affair.

Mayor Lube has followed former-mayor Jon Haddy in devoting most of the meeting to questions and answers from residents, unlike the previous and highly contentious practice of filling most of the time with guest speakers.

Make no mistake, these meetings aren’t sleepy, quiet affairs for half-a-dozen residents raising concerns over trees and dog mess anymore – they’ve been standing-room only in recent years.

There’s much to be questioned in a year that’s seen the closure of the Cottage Hospital, HSBC, the disappointment of the Christmas lighting, jobs at Dobson & Crowther, the cost of reinstating the chain bridge, the development of Cilmedw, the ongoing cost of the CCTV, the purchase of the garden opposite the Royal Hotel, the state and cost of the Town Hall, the new Health Centre and integrating its parking space, and the Town Council’s view on Plas Madoc and other campaigns.

You may not know, but Llangollen is in a very exclusive club of UK towns accredited by Cittaslow, the organisation that began as the slow food movement in Europe.

It acknowledges that Llangollen is among the best for business and community. With this accreditation, doors are open to funding, and we can all give ourselves a pat on the back for this recognition that Llangollen is a great town, and great place to live and work.

Immediately following the Annual Town Meeting, the Cittaslow team will be holding its inaugural public meeting to elect a committee. How any funding obtained is spent is crucial, and ideas are needed to help draw people into buying local. 

Llan event aims to boost businesses

Promoting Denbighshire as a great place to do business and giving local companies the chance to shine, grow and flourish in this economic climate is the aim of an event being hosted in the county next week.

The Open for Business event, being hosted by Denbighshire County Council at Llangollen Pavilion on Thursday, April 3 between 5pm and 8.30pm, will allow representatives of local businesses to make vital contacts from a wide range of council services, other external organisations and the business community.

The event will also offer businesses some food for thought on how they can develop their businesses and maximise the opportunities available to them.

Keynote speaker for the event will be Richard Staniszewski, a North Wales-based entrepreneur, public speaker and business mentor who has a wealth of experience from wide ranging career both in the UK and America.

During the event, the Council will launch a brand new video promoting the county as a great place to do business.  People attending will also be able to record their own short promotional pitches for their own marketing purposes.

The evening will also include the launch of the county’s Economic and Community Ambition Strategy, ‘Developing Opportunities, Creating Confidence’.

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, who is also the Lead Member for Economic Development, said: “We want Denbighshire businesses to have a clearer understanding of how the council will support business growth and development, as well as learning more about the range of services they can access from the Council.

“We also want businesses in the county to be more confident about their future prospects and to work with the Council to develop the local economy, as well as encouraging local people to think local, do business local.

“This is a great way of showing that Denbighshire is open for business.”

To register, please contact Kirsty Hutton Davies on 01824 706701 or e-mail: kirsty.huttondavies@denbighshire.gv.uk

The event has been sponsored by BT’s Superfast Programme.

Health board appoints new chief executive

Professor Trevor Purt has become the new chief executive of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. 

 

He is currently chief executive of Hywel Dda University Health Board, a post he has held since 2009. 

 

He has over 11 years experience as an NHS chief executive, with earlier equivalent experience within the private sector. 

 

The details of when Prof Purt will take up his new post are being worked through. In the interim Geoff Lang will continue as acting chief executive.

 

Prof Purt's appointment follows an extensive recruitment and selection exercise, which attracted candidates from across the globe. 

 

The BCUHB says work will now progress on the appointment of a new director of finance, for which interviews are planned in early May.

Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru North Wales AM, said of Prod Purt's appointment: “I’m pleased a decision has been made and I hope Mr Purt brings some stability to the top of Betsi Cadwaladr.

"I look forward to forming a good working relationship with him over the coming months. I look forward to meeting with him as soon as possible and I will continue to speak up for constituents’ concerns about the Welsh health service and how we can improve it.”

 

AM completes Sport Relief challenge

* Ken Skates AM receives his participant's medal from the Mayor of Wrexham, Cllr David Bithell.

ASSEMBLY Member Ken Skates was among the first across the finishing line after tackling a six-mile run in aid of Sport Relief.

Mr Skates, the Labour AM for Clwyd South, completed the challenge at Ty Mawr Country Park in Cefn Mawr on Sunday in just under 42 minutes.

He said: “It was a fantastic occasion. People were in great spirits and I was delighted to be a part of it, especially as the event was in my own constituency, and there was a really good turn-out.

“The run was tough, but thousands of pounds were raised and I’m proud that I was able to play a very small part in the most successful Sport Relief campaign ever.”

The biennial charity event, run in association with the BBC, brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money for people in need in the UK and the world's poorest countries. Friday night’s live TV broadcast generated more than £51m.

Mr Skates added: “I’d like to thank everyone who sponsored me – your money really will a make a difference to people’s lives.”

Anyone who still wants to donate can sponsor Mr Skates by visiting his Sport Relief page – my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/kenskates.