Llanblogger - news from Llangollen

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Plas Madoc lifeline plan rejected

The Leader is reporting today that a £50,000 lifeline to re-open Plas Madoc leisure centre has been voted down by Wrexham councillors.

See the full story at: http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/136506/wrexham-council-vote-pulls-plug-on-leisure-centre-cash-lifeline.aspx

Police clamp down on illegal drivers

North Wales Police will be putting the brakes on illegal motorists during a two-week campaign which started this week.

As part of the crackdown against those who drive whilst disqualified, drive with no insurance or drive without a valid driving licence, officers will be out and about targeting those who flout the law.

Members of the public are being encouraged to report a criminal if they suspect them to be breaking the law.

“We strive to improve road safety for all and send a clear message that committing these type of offences whilst driving will not be tolerated on the roads of North Wales,” said PC Vincent Jones who is leading on the campaign on behalf of North Wales Police’ Roads Policing Unit.

“We will be targeting the minority of individuals who choose to break the law, saving the ordinary driver from higher insurance premiums and reducing road casualties.

“We stop and seize vehicles that are found to be on the road illegally throughout the year however this two-week campaign specifically focuses on those individuals in a bid to help make the roads a safer place across the region.

“Anybody found to be driving illegally can face being arrested. We will use all available powers to seize illegal vehicles and remove them from the roads. The consequences for them can be anything from a fine, to points on their licence to having their car scrapped."

“Many uninsured drivers use their vehicles to facilitate their illegal activities and denying them the use of the roads makes it harder for them to commit crime. We will work with people in our communities to help rid the roads of illegal drivers.

During the campaign officers will be utilising ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology and they will also be in contact with their colleagues at the DVLA and Motor Insurance Bureau. Coordinated operations including road-side checks will be carried out across North Wales.

So far in 2014 North Wales Police 92 arrests have been made with regards to illegal driving and during the same period 592 vehicles have been seized under Section 165 of the Road Traffic Act.

PC Jones added: “It frightening to think that so many people are behind the wheel when they shouldn’t be. Vehicles in the wrong hands are effectively killing machines. The public can be reassured that we will not tolerate crime on our roads therefore if you suspect an illegal driver please contact us.”

North Wales Police has a robust strategy around enforcing the ‘Fatal 5’ offences which are drink and drug driving, dangerous driving including unnecessary risk taking, speeding, failing to wear a seatbelt and using a mobile phone whilst driving. These offences will also be looked at during the two-week campaign.

· In 2013 North Wales Police seized a total of 1,135 vehicles under Section 165 of the Road Traffic Act. During the same period 145 arrests were made with regards to illegal driving.

Penalties for illegal drivers can include:

Driving without insurance: 6-8 points and up to £5,000 fine (£300 for fixed penalty ticket)
Driving whilst disqualified: 6 points, up to £5,000 fine and you could face a minimum 6 month prison sentence
Driving other than in accordance with your driving licence: 3-6 points and £1,000 fine
Failing to identify the driver of the vehicle: 3 points

Uninsured drivers are:

Three times more likely to have been convicted of driving without due care and attention
Six times more likely to drive an unsafe vehicle
Nine time more likely to be involved in a road traffic collision
10 times more likely to have a drink drive conviction

Key Facts: from Motor Insurance Bureau:

Drivers without valid insurance have no right to be on the road. It is illegal.
Uninsured and untraced drivers kill 130 people and injure 26,500 every year.
The annual cost of uninsured driving is estimated to be £400 million.
The MIB manages the Motor Insurance Database which has been used by the Police since 2005 when they took on new powers. Since then over 1 million vehicles have been seized.
Nearly 2,500 uninsured vehicles are seized by police across the country each week.
Drivers without insurance face the inconvenience of no vehicle as well as a £300 fixed penalty, £150 collection charge, £20 per day storage, 6 points on the license. No vehicle is released until proof of insurance is produced

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

AM calls for road and rail links priority

North Wales Liberal Democrat AM Aled Roberts is calling on the Welsh Government to give more priority to improving rail and road links with Manchester and Liverpool.

Mr Roberts’ call came after the England’s Northern Cities announcement that they are bidding for a £15 billion plan to improve transport links was backed by the Chancellor, George Osborne.

“In June the Chancellor called for the creation of a ‘northern global powerhouse,’” commented Aled Roberts. “And now the northern cities are making a similar call it seems likely that the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement will contain some major financial commitments to improve transport.

“If the Welsh Government continues their policy of concentrating only on improving transport links between north and south Wales, then we in North Wales could lose out on a golden opportunity to benefit from major investment in England’s North West.

“Already large numbers of people commute from North Wales to the Liverpool and Manchester conurbations but commuting is a nightmare as a result of road congestion and the lack of direct commuting trains.

“Indeed from December, if current plans are maintained, we are likely to lose a key commuting service from Llandudno to Manchester and I have written to both the Welsh Government’s transport minister and Arriva Trains Wales to try and save it.

“Just one per cent of the £1,000,000m that is being spent on improving the M4 around Newport could give Wrexham direct train services to Manchester and Liverpool. Only £10m is required to dual most of the line between Wrexham and Chester so that more trains can run.

“Are Labour’s Welsh Government in contact with Labour’s city leaders in the North of England? Judging by recent publicity it seems that a Conservative Chancellor has more contact those Labour leaders than a Labour one in Cardiff.

“The problem is that Welsh Labour think Cardiff and South Wales and our Labour leaders in the North are too weak to challenge that bias. A billion is being spent on the M4 to give South Wales better access to
England’ booming South East but they will not consider investing in better connectivity between North Wales and England’s Northern cities as they plan economic growth.

“I hope that Labour’s Welsh Leadership change their mind because if they do not, then in fifteen years’ time we in North Wales will be watching economic development in England’s Northern Cities unable to take part or reap any benefit.”

AM meets Jobs Growth Wales graduates

* Ken Skates AM, third from right, with the Jobs Growth Wales graduates at Plas Newydd.

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates spent an afternoon with previously unemployed young people who found work through a flagship Welsh Government scheme.

Mr Skates, the Labour AM for Clwyd South, met Yendl Barwise, Alex Falkingham, Sian Medi Davies, Sam Massey and David Thompson at Plas Newydd, Llangollen on Thursday (July 31).

The five graduates all found placements with Denbighshire County Council’s countryside services team through Jobs Growth Wales (JGW), which has now helped more than 11,300 people aged 16 to 24-year-olds into work across the country – including at least 418 in Denbighshire and 408 more in Wrexham.

The Welsh Labour scheme reimburses the cost of employing 16- to 24-year-olds for the first six months, and has won the praise of employers throughout Wales.

David Shiel, Senior Countryside Officer with Denbighshire County Council, said: “Jobs Growth Wales is fantastic for us because we get a good range of talent coming in, and we try to give them as broad an array of experience as possible to help them find work in the future.

“This is the second intake of Jobs Growth Wales employees we’ve had, and we’ve been able to help all the previous ones find work within the environmental sector after they left us. The problem a lot of young people have is finding work without any experience, so Jobs Growth Wales helps them as well as us. It’s win-win.”

Mr Skates, who is also the Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, said: “Jobs Growth Wales has filled 735 job opportunities in the last month alone. The latest figures show success rates for the programme continuing strongly, with 82% of young people working
in the private sector progressing into employment or further learning after completing their six-month Jobs Growth Wales opportunities.”

“It is fantastic news for the area that so many young people are seeing the benefit of Jobs Growth Wales. The scheme, which is fast becoming the envy of Europe, not only provides career opportunities, it also enables young people to gain good quality work experience and the essential skills employers look for, supporting their progression into sustained employment and their long-term prospects.

“Our absolute priority in these tough times is to stand up for the people of Wales, creating jobs and enabling growth. The success of this programme so far proves we’re doing just that. I am immensely proud of what we’ve achieved and I am proud that the Welsh Labour Government is determined to leave nobody behind.”

Monday, August 4, 2014

Candlelit service marks start of the Great War

Llangollen people gathered at the town's cenotaph for a candlelit service to mark the centenary of Britain's involvement in World War 1 earlier tonight (Monday).

They joined in the Royal British Legion's national campaign to mark the exact time of Britain's declaration of war on Germany at 11pm on August 4, 1914 with a show of candlelight.

The service was led by the Rev Andrew Sully of St Collen's Church and on parade were members of cadet organisations along with standard bearers from the British Legion.

* Youth organisations parade with their symbolic candles.

* People gather around the cenotaph for the service.

* A candle and a poppy cross left on the cenotaph at the end of the service.

Chirk open evening to recruit retained firefighters

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is holding an open evening tomorrow (Tuesday) at Chirk Fire Station as part of it current campaign to recruit Retained Duty System (RDS) firefighters to help protect communities across the region.

Ruth Simmons, Assistant Chief Fire Officer,explained: "RDS firefighters provide essential fire and emergency cover for their fire station's area. We are looking for suitable individuals, in particular those available during the day, who can travel to their local fire station within five or six minutes of being paged for a call out.

"These people may have other roles such as builders, shopkeepers, nurses, factory workers, housewives or homeworkers during working hours but we would ask that, in addition, retained firefighters are available to attend emergency incidents as and when required.

"Firefighters are fully trained, highly skilled personnel, saving lives and property from fire. RDS firefighters provide expertise at road, rail and aircraft accidents, chemical spillages, flooding, forest, heathland and mountain fires, agricultural accidents and animal rescues.

"We are looking for both female and male recruits who are enthusiastic and can demonstrate common sense, commitment and dedication. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service provides close-knit, highly trained teams working with modern, hi-tech equipment. Recruits will also take part in the fire prevention work we carry out to prevent fires happening in our community."

The Chirk open evening will be held between 6.30pm and 9pm.

For more details, contact North Wales Fire and Rescue Service on 01745 535250 or RDSrecruitment@nwales-fireservice.org.uk.

All applications must be received by 27^thAugust 2014.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. They must possess a good standard of physical fitness and have the ability to pass aptitude tests. In addition to their monthly retaining fees, payments are made for turnouts, attendance and drill nights.

Many employers are aware of the essential role that retained fire and rescue service personnel carry out within their local communities and many release staff to carry out firefighting and other emergency duties.