Get free help to handle debt, says AM

To mark the recent Debt Awareness Week, North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood, who chairs the Cross Party Group on Fuel Poverty, called on his constituents to ensure they are taking advantage of free help and support available for anyone struggling with winter energy bills.

 

He said: “Nobody should suffer in silence and there's a range of help and advice for any constituents who are having problems paying their energy or other household bills.”

 

For example, British Gas spent more than £380 million in 2013 helping 1.8m vulnerable households with discounts, free insulation and benefits advice.

 

The company has a successful partnership with StepChange Debt Charity – organisers of Debt Awareness Week - which helps customers by offering manageable payment plans for their energy and other household debts.

 

It also funds The British Gas Energy Trust - an independent charitable trust set up 10 years ago. British Gas has provided the Trust with £75million to help people living in fuel poverty.  The Trust provides grants to help with energy arrears as well as a wide range of advice and is open to everyone, not just British Gas customers.

 

Other support provided by British Gas includes flexible payment plans, referral to the Warm Home Discount scheme which gives eligible customers a £140 discount on their electricity bill, and identifying if customers are eligible for free insulation or boiler replacements.

 

To register for extra help, customers or someone acting on their behalf should call 0800 072 8625 (or 0800 294 8604 if they have a Pay As You Go meter).

 

Mr Isherwood added: “I want all my constituents to understand what help is available for them. Keeping on top of winter bills and managing debt is so important and I'd urge anyone in North Wales, to get in touch with their energy supplier to find out what support is on offer."

 

Skates seeks measures to cure A483 "pinch point"

Assembly Member Ken Skates is hoping the Welsh Government will examine ways of easing traffic at a known pinch-point on the A483.

Mr Skates, the Labour AM for Clwyd South, has written to Transport Minister Edwina Hart to ask whether there are any plans to alleviate congestion at the McDonald’s roundabout near Chirk.

“There have been problems there for a long time, and I know the traffic can be extremely frustrating for many of my constituents,” said Mr Skates.

“The Chirk McDonald’s is one of the busiest in Britain and the roundabout acts as an entry point to the Dee Valley, as well as one of two access points for Chirk, so congestion at rush hour can be considerable.”

Response ...

Reference the above story, I am sure residents of Llangollen welcome Ken's intervention in this matter because there are several traffic issues of concern at the moment:

1. The main issue with the A483/A5 is the death trap sections of three lane carriageways between Ruabon and recently enlarged roundabout at Oswestry. The bridge over the Chirk Valley has a particularly bad accident record and requires urgent attention such as a speed limit, average speed cameras and a ban on overtaking to prevent further deaths;

2. The A5 out of Llangollen has for some time had a set of temporary lights causing long delays, but there seems no start imminent on rectify this problem;

3. On the other access/egress road into town, on Mill Street there are also temporary lights causing a delay for residents and visitors. These works are part of the scheme recently revealed to endeavour to improve access to the new Medical Centre particularly for pedestrians, wheelchair and pushchair users. However the scheme which is costing the Health Board £70,000 does not address the pinch point on Mill Street where there is no pavement on one side of the highway:

So there are a number of traffic issues causing immense difficulties for Llangollen residents and no information is being provided by Denbighshire CC to the public about what is being done to resolve the problems. 1 and 2 above are directly within the control of the Highways Department who seem to treat the public with total disrespect and fail to consult or provide information as to what is proposed. I had to resort to a Freedom of Information request to obtain details of the Health Board's Scheme and I call upon the Proper Officer at Denbighshire to provide Council Tax Payers with a full explanation of what is being considered and proposed to resolve these issues which adversely affect residents and Llangollen's role as an inland tourist destination?

 

Mike Edwards

Further response ...

In addition to Mike Edwards’ analytical piece, I’d like to remind and let people know there’s a Community Initiative in progress which might rethink the unthinkable and provide a radical solution which could never in all likelihood come from beyond the community itself.

 

It’s a Crowdfunded scheme which means everyone can contribute with a simple donation and everyone will be able to participate – a refreshing change from the usual approach of a study undertaken without public involvement then shown to the public in what’s usually mislabelled a ‘Consultation’. The details are here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/people-traffic-in-llan

 

The fund is growing steadily. If the required total isn’t achieved, everyone gets their donation refunded. That’s guaranteed.

 

Making our own decisions - what a good idea!

 

Martin Crumpton

 

Chair@KLS

Wildlife expert boosts rural crime fight

 

* Something special: North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner

Winston Roddick with Special Constable Phil Roberts.

 

A wildlife expert has been recruited to boost the police's fight against countryside crime in North Wales.

 

According to Special Constable Phil Roberts, who's based in Wrexham, joining the Rural Crime Team is a "dream come true".

 

As well as having lifelong passion for birdwatching, the volunteer officer has a degree in zoology and a master's in advanced biological sciences.

 

The Rural Crime Team was set up by North Wales Police at the instigation of North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick CB QC.

 

Since it was established two years ago the taskforce has masterminded a dramatic 40 per cent reduction in the number of rural crimes - and an increase in the number of prosecutions.

 

These include such diverse offences as livestock rustling, theft of farm machinery, badger digging and stealing rare birds eggs.

 

Phil, 27, is one of 122 Special Constables in North Wales and the force has launched a recruitment drive to find more like him with relevant, high level academic qualifications, particularly in rural areas and from among the Welsh-speaking community.

 

Specials do everything that regular officers do and have the same powers. They have to commit at least 16 hours a month to their duties, although individuals can tailor hours to meet their needs.

 

Having worked as a supermarket trolley collector to fund his studies, Phil has now secured a job as a laboratory technical officer at Manchester Metropolitan University.

 

But he is determined to carry on is volunteer duties as a Special Constable which he started in September 2013.

 

Phil said: "I do care a great deal about science but I also do care about the work I do as a Special Constable and delivering effective policing. I do make a difference.

 

"There’s a lot of rural policing in North Wales so they do have to take account of the rural crime that goes on so that’s one of the reasons why I joined the Specials and chose North Wales as a force.

 

"My background knowledge will help me as a member of the Rural Crime Team. I’m enjoying it immensely.

 

"There is always a sense of pride when I put my gear in the locker at the end of a shift. There's only a few other jobs in the world where you can get this kind of feeling from it."

 

Mr Roddick is a great believer in the value of Special Constables and is pleased that Phil has joined the Rural Crime Team.

 

He said: "A number of the Rural Crime Team are from rural backgrounds and they move with ease and facility in the rural and agricultural community - they feel they are part of it.

 

"They have had a measurable impact. You need only ask the agricultural unions and the farmers.

 

"Special Constables make an invaluable contribution to the quality of policing, whether it's in the countryside or in our towns.

 

"The Special Constabulary underlines that fundamental principle that the police are the community and the community are the police.

 

"Special Constables are volunteers from the community who do it out of sense of duty and they don't get paid.

 

"Very often they have relevant skills that they bring to the job - like Phil who is a trained scientist and something of expert in wildlife matters.

 

"Specials come from every walk of life and that is a particularly attractive feature about them - they do bring something different to the mix, the mix that makes policing what it is in this country.

 

“We now have officers attached to CID, Roads Policing, Community Safety and the Arson Reduction Team, which was previously unheard of. We're also looking for officers with qualifications in a range of areas including finance and IT.

 

"Phil is an example of somebody who brings in that something special and is highly qualified in his specialist area.

 

"In my Police and Crime Plan for the next 12 months, I have made special mention of Special Constables and volunteers more generally.

 

"We're recruiting more Special Constables and other volunteers because our experience has told us that having Specials adds value to the quality of policing."

 

* Anybody interested in finding out more about how to become a Special Constable should email SSFSpecialsRecruitment@nthwales.pnn.police.uk or ring 01492 804224 or  use the  #BeSpecial hash tag on Twitter.

Half a Sixpence gives audience full value

* The full cast of Half a Sixpence. Picture by Barrie Potter.

Flash, bang, wallop what a performance!

A large and talented cast from Llangollen Operatic Society’s Young ‘Uns began their run of the ,lively musical Half a Sixpence at the Town Hall last night and gave the audience full value for money.

Based on the novel Kipps by H G Wells, the show, with words and music by David Heneker, tells the tale of young Arthur Kipps who undergoes a rapid transformation from humble Folkestone drapers apprentice to toff when he comes into a fortune providing him with £1,200 a year – a tidy sum for the time the piece is set in the early years of the 20^th century.

But the windfall does him no good at all when he falls in with a snooty local family, the shifty scion of which, a so-called financial advisor, relieves him of all his cash.

Arthur’s rags to riches ascent also robs him of his true love, Ann, with whom he grew up in an orphanage and split a sixpence in half to demonstrate that they would one day meet up again and match the two halves together.

In the best plotting traditions the course of their love doesn’t run too smoothly but, of course, there’s a happy ending for them in sight.

Taking the part of Kipps is the highly talented Charlie Hackforth, who has successfully trodden the boards with the Young ‘Uns on previous occasions, and his childhood sweetheart is played by the accomplished Joanna Sully Stallard – making her last appearance with the company before heading off to university this autumn.

Outstanding in the supporting role of Chitterlow, the eccentric “actore laddy” who befriends Kipps, is Cassius Hackforth. He has a dramatic presence way beyond his tender years and lights up the stage whenever he steps onto it.

Strong performances also come from Elliot Priestley, Shea Ferron and Aled Jones as Arthur’s old colleagues from the drapers shop owned by the awful Mr Shalford, who is thoughtfully portrayed by Wil Edwards.

Musical numbers, including the title piece of Half a Sixpence and the rousing Flash, Bang Wallop from Arthur and Ann’s wedding scene, are delivered with suitable gusto, the acting is seamless and the dancing is well choreographed and executed.

The chorus of scores of tots is as colourful and appealing as ever.

The whole production is a credit to artistic director Chrissie Ashworth, musical director Julian Cattley and producer Pamela Williams who are ably supported by a small backstage army.

It’s well worth investing a few quid in Half a Sixpence, performances of which you can still catch tonight (Friday) and tomorrow evenings as well as a matinee on Saturday afternoon.    

Health centre traffic measures revealed

* A plan of the proposed traffic measures at the new health centre.

THE local health board is to pay out almost £70,000 for measures to make it safer for pedestrians to use Llangollen’s new health centre.

There has been some concern in the town that accessing the new facility, currently being built on the old River site at Mill Lane (A539), will be dangerous for those on foot, given heavy traffic and narrow pavements.

With this in mind, town resident Mike Edwards put in a Freedom of Information request to the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), which is building the new centre, back in April last year asking what traffic measures were planned and the estimated cost.

In its reply, the health board says measures include:

• Enhanced bus stop positions will be provided.
• Improvements to the pedestrian route adjacent to the new Health Centre.
• Inclusion of dropped kerbs and tactile paving to improve accessibility.
• Provision of dedicated disabled parking at the Health Centre.

 

The board’s response adds: “The final costs have yet to be determined but a budget of £69,000 has been established as follows:

 

"Footpath and associated works £35,000, street lighting £8,500, other highway works – two bust stops, 30mph zone gateway relocation, tactile paving, signage £25,000.

“These costs are being met by the Health Board, with funding supplied by Welsh Government following the approval of the capital business case.”

Mr Edwards said: “When I made the original enquiry last year, I was advised by BCUHB that the public would be consulted about these highway proposals.

 

“However, it would seem that they have finalised the scheme without public consultation.”

Councillor hits back over reform plans

Update ... see two responses at the foot of this story ...

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies has hit back over proposals for the future shape of local government.

The plans were revealed by Local Government Minister Leighton Andrews in a white paper published earlier this week.

Among the changes suggested are:

* Council elections every five years, not four as at present

* Maximum five terms - 25 years - for councillors

* Maximum two terms - 10 years - for council leaders and cabinet members

* Pay councillors in line with those on similar sized councils elsewhere in the UK

* Public sector employers to give staff unpaid leave to carry out duties as councillors, and other employers encouraged to do the same

* Council leaders and chief executives given a duty to promote and respect diversity

* Youth councils to be set up by each authority

Mr Andrews told BBC Wales: "It's seen as a bit of an old boys club and we want to cut out the cosy cabals."

Cllr Davies responded: “I see the Minister Leighton Andrews is doing it again. Fired for going against his own government policy, brought back in and again and going against his own government findings.

“They commissioned the Williams report which came out with quite strong recommendations, which he has turned down! This has cost the Welsh Government and local councils thousands. Now he is trying to upset the local government applecart again with ill thought-out ideas of local government reform.

“His thinking is rooted in the dinosaur age of big government diktat, where the WG tries to micro manage. He thinks that bigger councils with less councillors, with limited time in office is better and cheaper.

“The system as it is works. Interference from on high puts the dead hand of the state on the tiller. Local councillors like me have our ear to the ground, we know what is happening, what the people want. We involve ourselves at a local level with the public on a day to day level that AMs and MPs along with their Cardiff-centric officers could not hope to achieve.

“His government is calling for more AMs. Hah! Along with their PAs, Cardiff accommodations and expenses how could they possibly be cheaper?

“He talks about grey haired councillors being too long in the job. The public are the ones who do and should decide who represents them, not some dinosaur from a centrist micro-managing Welsh Government.

“I see the white paper says we have 15 directors in Denbighshire County Council. We don’t, we only have three and have only had three for the last five years. If his white paper gets the most basic facts wrong how can we take it seriously?

“The First Minister needs to get a grip and send this failed Minister back to where he belongs, the back benches.”

Response from Keep Llangollen Special ...

Whilst I wholeheartedly agree that Leighton Andrews MP’s statement is ill-thought-out, in fact ill-judged and flawed in the extreme and belies an ignorance of how local government works, I fundamentally and profoundly disagree with this quote:

 

“The system as it is works. Interference from on high puts the dead hand of the state on the tiller. Local councillors like me have our ear to the ground, we know what is happening, what the people want. We involve ourselves at a local level with the public on a day to day level that AMs and MPs along with their Cardiff-centric officers could not hope to achieve”

Whilst I wholeheartedly agree that Leighton Andrews MP’s statement is ill-thought-out, in fact ill-judged and flawed in the extreme and belies an ignorance of how local government works, I fundamentally and profoundly disagree with this quote:

 

“The system as it is works. Interference from on high puts the dead hand of the state on the tiller. Local councillors like me have our ear to the ground, we know what is happening, what the people want. We involve ourselves at a local level with the public on a day to day level that AMs and MPs along with their Cardiff-centric officers could not hope to achieve”

 

Keep Llangollen Special has contact on an almost a daily basis, seven days a week, and outstanding support from Aled Roberts, Llyr Huws Gruffydd, Antoinette Sandbach, Mark Isherwood and even Darren Millar, though the latter isn’t even one of our AMs. Belittling their support staff is particularly offensive as they have always provided unstinting support to Llangollen, and who champions Health issues here more than Mabon ap Gwynfor or pre-natal and neo-natal care more than Antoinette Sandbach? It doesn’t get more involved than Aled Roberts’ invitation for me to accompany him on a midnight snap inspection of the Maelor Hospital.

 

The Councillor’s claim of contact with his constituents has been questioned on many previous occasions, but I can absolutely vouch for continuous and on-going involvement by those listed above. It is a matter of documented record that the Councillor refuses any contact with Llangollen’s Community Group, KLS, and is openly hostile to us.

 

We can at least agree with him that Llangollen would be better off in Wrexham and that he publicly agreed the closure of our Cottage Hospital contributed to the damage to our Health Service.

 

Martin Crumpton

Chair, Keep Llangollen Special

Another response ...

I think a point is being missed here, this is a White Paper out for consultation so we all have views on how Local Government performs so this is the opportunity to make those views known to the Minister.

 

Several other people have gone off half-cocked notably the Leader of Conwy Borough Council, so I would urge everyone to reply to the White Paper. One thing I notice is that the White Paper flags up that plans are often developed to an advanced stage before the Community are consulted and in my view electors' views are then not given serious consideration in the process.

 

People who express their opinion are then written off as a "protest lobby" so the Elected Member concerned can justify ignoring the views of those who stick their heads above the parapet.

Frustrated people I speak to in the street frequently shrug their shoulders when discussing a proposal by Government, National or Local and say something to the effect "they're going to go ahead with this proposal eg an Out of Town Supermarket or Medical Centre and nothing I say will change that! 

Voters are disenfranchised from those a minority elect and proposing that everyone is forced to vote will not change that.

Michael Edwards

First Minister grilled over River Lodge case

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has this week challenged First Minister Carwyn Jones over the conduct of the Welsh Government in relation to the Llangollen River Lodge case.

  

Mr Isherwood has previously accused the Welsh Government of “hiding” the truth about the case and this week he raised new developments in the Assembly Chamber.

 

He said: “For the second time, the Welsh Government has been taken to the Information Rights Tribunal in the Llangollen River Lodge case, and for the second time, the Welsh Government has lost.

 

"Your Welsh Government classed the request for information to or from you, to or from Edwina Hart, and to or from Jane Hutt as vexatious, but despite appointing top London barristers at huge public cost, the Tribunal found that, in all the circumstances, the request was not vexatious.

 

“We already know from previous documentation obtained, that the Welsh Government did apply inappropriate political pressure on the health board to locate a health centre in a completely inappropriate place. What else are you trying to cover up?”

 

The First Minister replied: “So, we know the Conservatives are against the health centre in Llangollen. That’s what he’s just said. So, we’ll note that one.

 

“The allegations he made are nonsense, of course. Can I remind him of this? Of the requests that we receive, only 0.2% end up with information being released, despite our original position—0.29%, actually. I have to say that, in terms of compliance, our rate is better than the UK Government, far better than Northern Ireland, and streets better than Scotland.

 

"So, when it comes to compliance and considering Freedom of Information Act requests, we are in a very good place. There will be occasions such as this, of course, where, despite the Information Commissioner agreeing with us, the tribunal does not agree. That is something, of course, that happens from time to time, in Government.”

 

Mr Isherwood added: “This Tribunal judgement raises very serious questions about the conduct and motives of this Welsh Government. Residents have expressed to me their concerns that  Llangollen’s new health centre on this site will lack beds and minor injuries provision, whilst creating a pinch point on the road which will affect traffic and needing a costly bridge over the Dee.”