Denbighshire County Council is to extend the period for which an early-bird discount is available to residents by a further two weeks.
The reduced rates of £22 for the standard garden waste service and £34 for a higher capacity service will now be available to everyone signing-up before 14th February.
The offer was originally scheduled to end on 31st January. So far, the Council had taken orders for 6,407 garden waste bins from 5,858 Denbighshire households.
Alan Roberts, Denbighshire’s Technical Waste Officer, explained that the level of orders placed exceeded expectations: “This is the level of orders the Council expected to receive by the end of January and the Council would really like to thank everyone who has helped us plan the services by opting-in early.
"In fact the take-up has been so great, the Council has decided to extend the early-bird period in order to avoid a last minute rush of transactions.
“Nearly 70% of orders have been placed by residents using the Council’s website. We would encourage this as it is not only convenient for the customer but it is the most cost-effective way for the Council to accept payments and helps us keep the cost of the garden waste service to a minimum.”
The Council is currently placing stickers on the wheeled bins of residents to remind them of the need to pay if they wish to receive garden waste collections in future.
These stickers show the extended early-bird discount deadline of 14th February. After this date, the prices for the garden waste service will revert to the standard price of £24 or £36 for the higher capacity service.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Air Ambulance quiz night planned
A quiz night in aid of Wales
Air Ambulance will be held at the Britannia Inn, Llangollen on Thursday, March
19.
With a 7pm for 7.30pm start, cost is £2 per person with a maximum of five players per team allowed. Quizmaster will be Martin Goggan.
Meals are available from 5pm.
With a 7pm for 7.30pm start, cost is £2 per person with a maximum of five players per team allowed. Quizmaster will be Martin Goggan.
Meals are available from 5pm.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
AM asks Crimewatch about Trevaline case
An Assembly Member is hoping a TV appeal could finally solve the 25-year mystery of missing Llangollen woman Trevaline Evans.
Ken Skates, the Labour AM for Clwyd South, has written to BBC’s Crimewatch programme to ask whether producers have any plans to revisit the case and attempt to finally establish what happened to Mrs Evans, who vanished in mysterious circumstances on June 16, 1990.
After leaving a note in her antiques shop saying she would be back in two minutes, she was never seen again and her body has never been found. She was 52.
Mr Skates, whose constituency office is in Llangollen, said: “Mrs Evans’ husband Richard passed away last month, aged 83, without ever knowing what had happened to her.
“North Wales Police have said the case remains open but the investigation is currently inactive as they have exhausted every avenue. I have written to Chief Constable Mark Polin to see if that is likely to change, and am awaiting a response.
“In all likelihood, the police’s resources are already too over-stretched to consider reopening such an old case without new evidence emerging. And while it may well prove fruitless, there is a chance – however small – that a fresh appeal on national television could yield key information.
“Millions of people watch every edition of Crimewatch and, despite the great length of time that has elapsed since Mrs Evans’ disappearance, you just never know.”
Mr Skates added: “I’m sure Mrs Evans’ surviving family will never lose hope that they might find out what happened to her, and I would urge anyone who has information which could help to contact police.
“A quarter of a century is an incredibly long time, and this is a most unusual case, but of course it’s possible that someone still alive today knows what happened.”
Friday, January 23, 2015
Chirk bypass now open following new incident
| Shropshire Star (@ShropshireStar) | |
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Woman airlifted to hospital as #A483 closes following police incident on #Shropshire border shropshirestar.com/news/2015/01/2… pic.twitter.com/efDUIMLHB1
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Tweeted just after 5.30pm:
North & Mid Wales
Another major incident appears incident appears to have taken place on the A5 near Chirk.
The Daily Post tweeted around 4.20pm: "A5 Chirk Bypass closed in both directions closed, due to police incident and air ambulance in the road between A483 and B5070 Chirk Road."
llanblogger reader Mike Edwards, calling from his car, at around 4.30pm said that traffic was once again being diverted through Chirk.
County's dog fouling campaign continues
A campaign to tackle dog fouling in Denbighshire will continue into 2015 with a programme of on-going enforcement activities and promotional activity around the county.
In 2014, a total of 149 people were issued with fixed penalty notices for allowing their dogs to foul in public.
Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: "The council has been targeting a number of 'hotspots' in the county which have been identified by members of the public through the reporting of problems with dog fouling.
"We would like to thank the public for this information, as information on offenders and problem areas are a major help to us in our efforts to tackle this anti-social problem.
"We have been running a campaign for the last few years and the number of reports coming in from the public are increasing year on year. We believe this is as a result of a co-ordinated campaign through the media, websites, social media and the local press to tell the public how to report dog fouling.
"However, we still need the public to provide the information that could lead to us identifying the culprits and taking enforcement action. Generally, a fixed penalty notice will be issued and court action may be considered if an individual refuses to pay."
To report dog fouling, please visit the Council's website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/dogfouling or by contacting the Customer Contact Centre, on 01824 706100 (Welsh language line) or 01824 706101 (English language line).
In 2014, a total of 149 people were issued with fixed penalty notices for allowing their dogs to foul in public.
Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: "The council has been targeting a number of 'hotspots' in the county which have been identified by members of the public through the reporting of problems with dog fouling.
"We would like to thank the public for this information, as information on offenders and problem areas are a major help to us in our efforts to tackle this anti-social problem.
"We have been running a campaign for the last few years and the number of reports coming in from the public are increasing year on year. We believe this is as a result of a co-ordinated campaign through the media, websites, social media and the local press to tell the public how to report dog fouling.
"However, we still need the public to provide the information that could lead to us identifying the culprits and taking enforcement action. Generally, a fixed penalty notice will be issued and court action may be considered if an individual refuses to pay."
To report dog fouling, please visit the Council's website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/dogfouling or by contacting the Customer Contact Centre, on 01824 706100 (Welsh language line) or 01824 706101 (English language line).
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Right to Buy homes scheme could be axed
New measures to protect Wales’ social housing stock have been put forward by the Welsh Government today.
Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister, Lesley Griffiths, has published a White Paper setting out the Welsh Government’s intention to end Right to Buy and Right to Acquire.
The Right to Buy and Right to Acquire allows eligible social housing tenants to buy their council or housing association home at a discount of up to £16,000.
Over the past 30 years, the policy has resulted in a significant reduction in social housing stock. Between 1981 and 2014, 138,423 council homes were sold – this is a 45% reduction in the social housing available when the policy was first introduced.
The Minister has also set out plans today to halve the current maximum discount from £16,000 to £8,000.
Lesley Griffiths said: “Many families depend on social housing for a safe, secure and affordable place to live.
“Our supply of homes is under considerable pressure and we are still seeing social rented properties being taken out of our social housing stock because of the Right to Buy, which is forcing many vulnerable people to wait longer for a home. This is why decisive action is needed to protect our social housing to make sure it is available for those who need it most.”
The Housing (Wales) Measure 2011 allows local authorities to apply for permission to suspend the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire locally to help tackle housing pressures. Carmarthenshire Council was the first local authority to ask the Welsh Government to suspend of Right to Buy and, today, the Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister, Lesley Griffiths, approved Carmarthenshire’s application.
Cllr Dyfed Edwards, Welsh Local Government Association spokesperson for Housing, said: “With many thousands of people currently on housing waiting lists, and at a time of acute shortages of affordable homes, the proposal from Welsh Government to abolish the Right To Buy scheme is a welcome step in tackling a growing problem in Wales.
“Despite the considerable efforts that local councils and housing associations are making to increase the overall supply of social housing by building new homes, housing provision continues to struggle to meet the rising level of housing need in Wales. The loss of properties through the Right To Buy has worsened this situation and has, in some circumstances, acted as a considerable disincentive for further housing development. Ending the Right to Buy scheme will help ensure that local councils and their wider housing sector partners can begin to meet housing demand and offer people access to affordable housing more quickly and effectively in the future.”
The Minister added: “We are taking action to protect Wales’ social housing stock – as well as moving to end Right to Buy. During this term of Government, we are investing over £400 million in affordable homes through our Social Housing Grant programme. Since 2011, 6,890 additional affordable homes have been delivered across Wales, while we are just 529 short of our target of bringing 5,000 empty homes back into use this Assembly term.”
The White Paper consultation seeks the public’s views on the proposals. The consultation will close on 16 April 2015.
Over the past 30 years, the policy has resulted in a significant reduction in social housing stock. Between 1981 and 2014, 138,423 council homes were sold – this is a 45% reduction in the social housing available when the policy was first introduced.
The Minister has also set out plans today to halve the current maximum discount from £16,000 to £8,000.
Lesley Griffiths said: “Many families depend on social housing for a safe, secure and affordable place to live.
“Our supply of homes is under considerable pressure and we are still seeing social rented properties being taken out of our social housing stock because of the Right to Buy, which is forcing many vulnerable people to wait longer for a home. This is why decisive action is needed to protect our social housing to make sure it is available for those who need it most.”
The Housing (Wales) Measure 2011 allows local authorities to apply for permission to suspend the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire locally to help tackle housing pressures. Carmarthenshire Council was the first local authority to ask the Welsh Government to suspend of Right to Buy and, today, the Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister, Lesley Griffiths, approved Carmarthenshire’s application.
Cllr Dyfed Edwards, Welsh Local Government Association spokesperson for Housing, said: “With many thousands of people currently on housing waiting lists, and at a time of acute shortages of affordable homes, the proposal from Welsh Government to abolish the Right To Buy scheme is a welcome step in tackling a growing problem in Wales.
“Despite the considerable efforts that local councils and housing associations are making to increase the overall supply of social housing by building new homes, housing provision continues to struggle to meet the rising level of housing need in Wales. The loss of properties through the Right To Buy has worsened this situation and has, in some circumstances, acted as a considerable disincentive for further housing development. Ending the Right to Buy scheme will help ensure that local councils and their wider housing sector partners can begin to meet housing demand and offer people access to affordable housing more quickly and effectively in the future.”
The Minister added: “We are taking action to protect Wales’ social housing stock – as well as moving to end Right to Buy. During this term of Government, we are investing over £400 million in affordable homes through our Social Housing Grant programme. Since 2011, 6,890 additional affordable homes have been delivered across Wales, while we are just 529 short of our target of bringing 5,000 empty homes back into use this Assembly term.”
The White Paper consultation seeks the public’s views on the proposals. The consultation will close on 16 April 2015.
Peter Black AM, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Housing, has said the Welsh Labour Government’s announcement of an outright ban on ‘Right to Buy’ is “unnecessary and is taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”
He said: “We accept that ‘Right to Buy’ is making local authorities reluctant to build new homes. However, they can already make the case to government to suspend ‘Right to Buy’ if they wish.
“The Minister’s plan for an outright ban on ‘Right to Buy’ is unnecessary and she is effectively taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
“If the Minister wants to give local authorities an additional incentive to build new homes, then she could do this by just restricting the right to buy on new builds – this could be implemented without affecting tenants existing rights while at the same time increasing the housing stock.
“Whilst it would be reasonable to stop the option of ‘Right to Buy’ to new tenants, it is completely unfair for people’s hopes and plans to buy their home to be dashed just because the Welsh Labour Government fancies grabbing a headline. This is cheap politics that will cost many people dear.
“If the Welsh Labour Government was serious about sorting out Wales’ housing crisis, then it would finance the building of new homes – something it has categorically failed to do.”
Drink drive campaign sees 76 arrests
North Wales Police arrested 76 people during the recent all Wales Christmas Anti-Drink and Drug Driving Campaign.Led by Dyfed Powys Police the month-long campaign 30,718 drivers throughout Wales were breath tested between 1st December 2014 and 1st January 2015.
Some of the highest readings recorded during the campaign in North Wales were 147, 106 and 105 compared to the legal limit of 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. All three Individuals have been charged and have appeared before the courts.
Chief Inspector Darren Wareing from North Wales Police’ Roads Policing Unit said: “We set ourselves a tough target this year in relation to drink and drug driving during the festive period.
"That target was ZERO. That is zero deaths on our roads as a result of drink or drug driving. I am pleased to report, that with the support of our communities, we achieved that.
“Our campaign this year was heavily focussed around preventing drink/drug driving although unfortunately we still found that some people were willing to risk their lives and the lives of others by drink/drug driving. Although we saw a downturn in the number of people we caught this year, which is encouraging, there are still too many willing to take the risk.
“We have had overwhelming support and I would like to thank those who positively engaged with the campaign."
He added: “Operation Sodium - our anti-drink/drug driving campaign continues throughout the year. The operation involves police officers using a number of tactics in specific areas to ensure we catch people who take the risk. Our message is simple yet strong – don’t do it, the people around you do not support what you are doing, the consequences can be devastating plus we will catch you.”
* If you have information relating to someone you think is driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, please contact North Wales Police on 101 or via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency always dial 999.
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