Annual town meeting deals with some hot issues

ONLY about 20 people turned up for the annual town meeting at Llangollen Town Hall yesterday (Tuesday) evening.

However, a number of hot local issues were still aired. 

The meeting is the yearly opportunity for local people to hear what the Town Council has been doing on their behalf over the previous 12 months and for them to fire questions and comments from the floor on issues of interest.

In his opening address the mayor, Cllr Bob Lube, said that over the past year he had attended 55 meetings, representing and promoting Llangollen locally and nationally.

The council’s planning committee, he said, had continued to be vigilant, its members giving their “careful and considered recommendations” on all planning applications received.

He announced that a vacancy had arisen on the council following the resignation of Cllr Jane Palombella due to work commitments.

The Friends of the Town Hall group had given attention to the fabric of the building, with work including the fitting of new lights in the main hall and lighting outside the building being upgraded.

The Town Council had over the past year given financial support to organisations such as the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, he explained.

In conjunction with the Cittaslow community group, there had been a World Café event at the Town Hall last November at which people were able to give their views on local issues in a relaxed atmosphere.

A crowd-funding project led by Cllr Phil Thane through Cittaslow Llangollen had successfully raised £1,000 to pay for a one-day traffic study of the town centre with a view to easing traffic problems. This would take place on May 26 and be followed by a public meeting in the Town Hall.

The project to facelift the Chain Bridge had progressed well and would see the re-opening of the historic landmark within the next few months – 31 years after the bridge was closed for safety reasons.

Cost of supporting the project to the Town Council was £6,000, said the mayor, adding: “It just shows what a small community can do when committed to a cause.”

Other schemes in hand were improvements to the cemetery, he added.

He praised volunteers from Llangollen Tidy Town Team for the many hours of unpaid labour they had put in over the year, describing their contribution as “exceptional”.

Cllr Lube also had praise for organisers of key annual events such as Remembrance Sunday, Hamper Llangollen Food Festival, the Christmas Festival, the Eisteddfod, the Fringe, the Women’s Festival and the railway’s steam gala.

“My thanks to all involved in these magnificent events,” he said.

The mayor described the Town Council’s budget for next year as “prudent” and said that its share of the council tax bill – the precept – would be £88,845 – an increase of 61p on a Band D property.

Revealing that this would be his last town meeting as mayor as his two-year term of office was ending, Cllr Lube summed up by saying: “There’s certainly a lot of activity in the community at the moment and there are many opportunities for people to get involved.”

Questions and comments from the floor began with praise from resident Phil Jones for Cllr Phil Thane and Cittaslow for organising the latest traffic study.

Cllr Thane replied that in Castle Street drivers, traders and pedestrians had competing priorities for what should be done and that all solutions were contradictory. Hopefully, he said, the consultants would come up with an answer.

A resident pointed out this would be the third traffic study done on the town centre in recent years, asking: “Nothing ever gets done, so what’s different about this one?”

Cllr Thane said this was a “grassroots” scheme by the community rather than the county council.

There was then criticism from the floor that the Town Council had not been consulted on the last county-authorised survey.

The mayor replied that the Town Council was making representations about this.

The mayor was then questioned from the floor about what plans the Town Council had for the future look of the Royal Gardens and the adjacent war memorial.

Cllr Lube responded that he had requested an artist’s impression of a possible scheme to be prepared to facilitate a debate.

He added that a working group, comprising members of the local Royal British Legion, Tidy Town Team, Civic Society, Museum and Rotary, had been formed to decide on a possible scheme. There was also the possibility of looking into whether a suitable scheme would qualify for lottery cash support.

Edwina Hart, of the Save Our Paths campaign group, thanked the Town Council for its support of its battle to save the countryside around Llangollen from “damage and trespass” by illegal off-roaders.

She added that 500 people had now signed a petition in support of the group’s aims.

Other points raised from the floor included:

* Pedestrian access to the new health centre being built on the A539. The mayor said the Town Council had made representations about this to the county council and the health board.

* Whether Sainsbury’s would ever occupy the new supermarket being built for them on the former Dobson & Crowther site on the A5. Cllr Lube said he had recently been told by the site manager that Sainsbury’s were still coming and that the completed building was due to be handed over to them in September.

* Measures to control dog fouling. The mayor said county council enforcement officers – now in plain clothes rather than uniform – were regularly visiting the town.

* Traffic lights on the A5 at the bottom of Birch Hill. Cllr Lube said he had been informed that a survey was currently being carried out to determine ground movement at either side of  the road. He added he had been told that any sideways movement detected would mean major work which would take some time to complete.

The meeting, which was also attended by eight town councillors and Town Clerk Gareth Thomas, closed after about an hour at just before 8pm with the mayor thanking all those who attended.  

Crime tsar examines helicopter base decision

A crime tsar is investigating whether he can challenge the decision to axe a police helicopter base in North Wales.

 

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick CB QC (pictured below) is unhappy about the lack of proper consultation over the planned closure of the base at Rhuddlan in Denbighshire on September 15.

 

The police helicopter base at Hawarden in Flintshire will remain open.

 

The announcement was made last month by National Police Air Service (NPAS), which runs the UK’s police helicopter services.

 

It was part of a package of cuts which will see eight of the service’s 23 bases closing.

According to NPAS, it was facing budget cuts of 14 per cent in the next three years on top of the 23 per cent savings they had already made.

 

Mr Roddick said: “I am concerned that the decision by NPAS to shut the base in Rhuddlan does not concentrate enough on north Wales’s needs. 

 

"Likewise, I am concerned that consultation prior to the decision being made was clearly lacking. 

 

"NPAS has not taken the time to properly explain the rationale of the new operating model to us and I am therefore exploring whether there is an option to appeal the decision.

 

"The closures were presented as a fait accompli.  A series of working group meetings is being planned by NPAS to consider the reorganisation but this is too little, too late.

 

"In the meantime, I am in discussions with the Chief Constable to fully assess the implications of what is being proposed.

 

"The airbase in Rhuddlan represents the culmination of a great deal of hard work on the part of officers from this force and the location is central to north Wales.

 

"It is vital that the integrity of the air cover for North Wales is maintained and that the region continues to benefit from a first class service."

 

Police warn about sharing personal information online

North Wales Police have issued a warning about personal information being shared on social networking sites.

They say a recent case in North Wales saw the victim engage with a person purporting to be caring for their grandson.

The victim was targeted as a result of the personal information they had made public on Facebook.

Following an exchange of messages on Facebook and email correspondence, the victim agreed to make several payments via wire transfers amounting to thousands of pounds.

Detective Sgt Peter Jarvis of North Wales Police said: “These unscrupulous people are experts at gaining the confidence of elderly victims, encouraging them, and once  trust and a relationship has been established, the thieves are quick to steal the victim's money and disappear.

“Social media sites are great fun and offer a really easy way to share information and keep in touch with friends and family.  However, this information could be used by criminals for a number of reasons, including identity theft or hacking.

“Remember, you're sharing in the public domain so always consider what impact a piece of personal information might have.”

North Wales Police Cyber Crime Team are urging people to protect themselves online.

• Make sure that you know exactly what you're sharing and who you're sharing it with.
• Most social networking sites have simple settings that allow you to have complete control of who sees what. Facebook's Help Centre provides comprehensive advice on privacy and security on their site.
• Never upload or say anything in social media that you don't want the world to know.
• Always remember that sites like Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram are predominantly public spaces.
• Always log off after use.
• Don’t leave yourself logged in, this is a common mistake by many.

Three find work with Splash Magic

A Welsh Government employment scheme has seen three young people find work at a community-run leisure centre.

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates visited Splash Magic on Friday (March 6) to meet the first two members of staff taken on through Jobs Growth Wales, which has now helped almost 15,000 unemployed -16 to 24-year-olds into work.

Callum Edwards, from Ruabon, has been appointed Community Relations Assistant, while Hannah Williams from Southsea will work on reception.

 

A third Jobs Growth Wales employee, Lisa Valentine, also from Ruabon, started today (Monday) as an admin assistant, while two more roles – a gym assistant and a pool assistant – are also being advertised.

Jobs Growth Wales was launched by the Welsh Labour Government in April 2012 and has since surpassed every target set well ahead of schedule.

 

Mr Skates, who was responsible for the programme during his time as deputy minister for skills and technology, said: “Jobs Growth Wales is one of Welsh Labour’s flagship schemes and is the benchmark for similar job creation programmes throughout Europe.

 

“I’m delighted that we have three more success stories here in Clwyd South, and this is win-win. Callum, Hannah and Lisa will gain vital experience that future employers will look for, while the leisure centre gets two young, enthusiastic and intelligent employees who will help widen the skills base here.”

He added: “I’m pleased and proud that Jobs Growth Wales has now helped almost 1,000 people in Wrexham and Denbighshire into work.”

Splash Magic, formerly Plas Madoc Leisure Centre, was reopened as a social enterprise led by a volunteer-run community trust on December 8, 2014, just under a year after the facility was closed by Wrexham Council.

* Volunteers are still needed to help out at Splash, particularly on reception and in the café. If you are interested, call the centre on 01978 821600.

Do the write thing and join the group, says Rachel

 

In January this year Rachel Morris started a monthly writing group called Write Now Lllangollen.

 

Although Rachel moved from Llan to Saudi Arabia last autumn to teach at the world's largest women-only university, she still runs and attends the group thanks to e-mail, Facebook, and Skype/Facetime.

Write Now meets in the first floor 'conference room' at Gales on Bridge Street  - above the shop via the side door - on the third Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm, the next being March 18.

 

Rachel says she wishes to thank Pip Gale and Gales for their generosity.

 

She added: "All genres and levels of experience are welcome. They read their work aloud to each other, in a very informal and supportive atmosphere.

 

"So grab your wine and food and head on up to share your words, or just listen if you wish."

* For further information, contact Rachel at dr.rc.morris@gmail.com

Twenty Club's Gaslight lit up the stage

A talented cast from the Twenty Club lit up the stage with their atmospheric production of the Victorian melodrama Gaslight at Llangollen Town Hall last night (Saturday).

The story revolves around Jack Manningham, who is slowly and deliberately driving his wife, Bella, insane in an attempt to have her committed and therefore prevent her from discovering too much about his extremely murky past.

He has almost succeeded in his evil plan when help arrives in the shape of former detective,  Rough, who has strong reason to believe that Manningham is the thief and murderer he first encountered as a young bobby 20 years previously in exactly the same house.

All the action of the play, by Patrick Hamilton, takes place in just one place – the typically overstuffed living room of a mid-Victorian upper-class household,

And it had been created with such care by the club’s backstage team that it provided the perfect claustrophobic setting for this taut psychological thriller.

The acting from a relatively small cast was flawless.

Twenty Club stalwart Arwel Jarvis was the embodiment of a haughty Victorian gentleman with a dark secret to hide. So accomplished was he that, at times, he frightened the audience as well as his poor wife.

Reacting with just the right amount of pathos to this dastardly villain was Paula Sutton as Bella Manningham. As she descended into her husband-induced madness she took us all with her into the pit of despair.

The man who finally solves this deeply disturbing whodunnit is Mathew Oswald-Haggett as the ex-police detective. His character’s name may have been Rough but Mathew’s performance was marvellously smooth.

Another neat performance came from one of the younger members of the club’s on-stage team, Amy Tennant, who fitted her part of the Manningham’s flighty maid Nancy like a velvet glove.

And no production by the club would be complete without an appearance by Noreen Turner, who this time was totally believable as the family cook and housekeeper, Elizabeth.

While the producer for Gaslight was the highly experienced Mike Law, the piece had at its helm David Edgar, a first-time director for the club. And the end result was a real credit to his abilities. 

Traffic calming measures approved for Abbey Road

* A county council plan of the new measures.

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies says he is pleased to announce he has been successful in getting traffic calming measures put in place in Abbey Road and Pentrefelin after representations were made by concerned residents.

 It is hoped that the scheme will be implemented in April this year, he said.

This follows on from the 20mph scheme put in place in Pengwern.

Cllr Davies added: "I'm grateful for the officers' response to help safeguard our residents."

The scheme involves the placing of rumble strips in the road near the entrance to Abbey Dingle, Textureflex coloured surfacing on the carriageway and new road signs.